Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

A first hand feel of corruption

Natarajan Gulzar

VIJAYAWADA: Municipal Commissioner Natarajan Gulzar had a first hand feel of corruption at the lower level in the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation when he submitted a dummy application for a water connection to understand the gravity of the problem.

During the processing of application, the Commissioner understood that a citizen seeking a water connection was being forced to shell out Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 2,000 extra by following the instructions of the corporation staff. Tap inspectors, executive engineers and other field staff insist that the applicant should purchase the required material only from a particular shop they name, said Mr. Gulzar at the general body meeting of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) on Friday, indicating that it was a hand-in-glove arrangement.

The Commissioner found that an applicant would end up paying Rs. 50 more for each elbow (a joint used to connect two pipes) and such other higher rates for other materials, totalling to Rs.1,500 to Rs.2,000. This would be in addition to the payments that the citizens were forced to make to the staff, Mr. Gulzar said.

“We have introduced the system of citizen centres and designated contractors and rates to put an end to corruption,” Mr. Gulzar said, during a discussion on CPI floor leader P. Gowtham Reddy’s poser as to how some work orders were finalised without informing the general body.

An acrimonious discussion on Under Ground Drainage (UGD) system was also witnessed in the meeting, as CPI and CPI (M) corporators alleged that the corporation was collecting huge donations much against a resolution passed by the general body.

CPI (M) floor leader Ch. Babu Rao said road cutting charges were not being collected for water connections and the same should be done in the case of UGD connections too. However, Congress corporator S. Narasaraju rejected the demand.

At the end of a lengthy discussion, the general body passed a resolution that Rs. 1,500 should be collected as donation for UGD connections from those who were paying property tax below Rs. 400.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Media’s role lauded
APCO moves to apartments
Sportsmen resent cut in quota
Land struggle finds echo in VMC meet
Panel to study functioning of waste-to-energy plants
A first hand feel of corruption
SBI drive
Congress ditches canal dwellers: Gadde
VMC gesture to white card holders
In Vijayawada today

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu