The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Traders observe bandh

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 11, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Traders observe bandh

Staff Reporter

Photo: T. Vijaya Kumar

Up in arms: People, traders and IMA representatives staging a dharna in front of GMC building in Guntur on Wednesday. — .

GUNTUR: Commercial activity in Guntur came to a standstill on Wednesday as traders, retail outlets and private medical practitioners observed a bandh protesting against hike in property tax rates non-residential buildings.

Opposition parties --Telugu Desam, CPI and CPM extended their support to the bandh along with a host of non-governmental organisations and people’s organisations.

Traders and representatives from the non-governmental organizations took out a rally from the Indian Chamber of Commerce office near Naaz Centre and later staged a dharna in front of the Guntur Municipal Corporation office.

Cascading effect

Indian Chamber of Commerce, Guntur chapter president Atukuri Anjaneyulu, Indian Medical Association, Guntur president G. Rajesh and City Rate Payers Association secretary Maddi Radhakrishna, Avagahana secretary K. Sivarami Reddy were present. Former Minister and TDP leader Sennakayala Aruna took exception to the steep hike in the tax rates, which would affect the patients as doctors would pass on the burden.

Addressing the gathering, Radhakrishna said that house owners would now have to pay double the amount of tax, if the revised rates come into existence. The tax rates have increased from 100-500 per cent and this would result in further escalation of prices of essential commodities, he said.

Chamber president Anjaneyulu said that tax hike would hit the small and medium retail outlets, which have been already facing the onslaught of major malls and retail giants. The agitation would be intensified if the GMC failed to listen to the plea of the traders, he said.

A delegation of all the representatives of people’s organizations submitted a memorandum to the Municipal Commissioner Siddhartha Jain.

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