The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Fate of Tirupati civic body hangs in balance

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 24, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Fate of Tirupati civic body hangs in balance

By Our Special Correspondent

TIRUPATI. Nov 23. Damocle's sword appears to be hanging over the head of the TDP-led Tirupati Municipal Council given the reported moves of the State Government to go in for an early election to it. The municipality has about another two and a half years to go. But reports reaching here from Hyderabad indicate that the Government was contemplating to order election to the municipality also when the remaining municipalities in the State go to polls in March next year. Tirupati and a couple of other municipalities in the State did not go to polls with others due to certain legal complications.

Citing obviously administrative convenience and operational reasons the Government is reportedly planning to dissolve the said municipal councils too so there could be simultaneous polls. In case of the Tirupati municipality, it is dangling the card of `corporation'

Political tinge

Since the municipality is held by the TDP, it makes the party suspect that the `corporation' card was being played only as a ploy to dissolve the council. TDP circles seeing an ulterior motive behind the move allege that the Congress, facing rough weather in the wake of the contracts row, was in a hurry to capture a prestigious municipality like Tirupati.

But the Congress and Government representatives dismissed any political motive and assert that it was being considered as part of the Government's programme to upgrade another three major municipalities in the State to corporations. They are citing Nellore and Cuddapah municipalities which were made corporation recently.

Emergency meet

But the Tirupati municipal council is huddling into an emergency session tomorrow to discuss the `threat' and seek legal remedy if it could save it. But official circles however maintain that nothing could stop the Government from going its way with an ordinance.

Meanwhile, presidents of half of dozen panchayats situated around Tirupati at a press conference today warned the Government against dissolution of panchayats when they still had time to go. The panchayats are also seeing a `threat' because Tirupati cannot be made a corporation without their dissolution and tagging on to it to.

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Andhra Pradesh