VIJAYAWADA: Simmering differences among elected representatives of Jawahar Autonagar's Industrial Area Local Authority (IALA) has begun to reflect on the very functioning of the body.

Cold vibes between members were evident at a recent meeting of the governing body of the IALA, which witnessed a debate over the inordinate delay in implementation of long-pending works in Autonagar and industrial area.

Members angrily complained that they were not informed about the issues included on the agenda and insisted that chairman V. Rajendra Prasad furnish details of the pending works.

The sorry state of affairs came to the fore when Mr. Prasad expressed his helplessness in doing so.

He maintained that he himself had no clue about pending works as he too was kept in dark.

The differences have come to affect the functioning of this autonomous body constituted to monitor development works in the 329-acre area spread across Autonagar and industrial area.

It was in November 2003 that the society named `The Vijayawada Notified Municipal Corporation Industrial Areas Service Society' came into being as a result of amendments made to the relevant municipal laws.

The IALA has, since then, been contributing 35 per cent of the property tax collected to the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC).

Advent of VACDL

Though the formation of the Vijayawada Auto Cluster Development Company Limited (VACDL) as a special purpose vehicle for executing the Rs.31-crore auto cluster project sanctioned by the Centre has, to some extent, eclipsed the IALA, Mr. Prasad refuses to buy the argument that the IALA may lose its relevance.

"Where does the question of redundancy arise when all the assets developed by the VACDL will be handed over to the IALA for maintenance? The cluster development company is only an implementing agency," he clarifies.

Playing down reports of differences among members, he dubs them as "initial hiccups" and only "differences of opinion," which can be sorted out.

Ultimate aim

Zonal manager of the Andhra Pradesh Development of Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Ramakrishna is reported to have called for a meeting of the IALA office-bearers to bring about a truce between them.

When contacted, he, however, denied the reports saying: "Differences of opinion are bound to be there on issues related to development. Our ultimate aim is to develop the industrial area and the job is to guide the IALA members in the task."

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