Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

Bandh against user charges, hike in D&O fee

VIJAYAWADA: Notwithstanding the decision taken by the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) to slash the Dangerous and Offensive (D&O) trade licence fee, the opposition parties and trade bodies have decided to go ahead with the proposed ‘city bandh' on Wednesday in protest against the steep increase in D&O trade licence fee and user charges on lifting of garbage.

While all shops and commercial establishments will be closed, educational institutions and movement of buses have been exempted from the bandh in view of the ongoing exams. The Schools Management Association is stated to have expressed its solidarity with the agitating opposition parties.

The opposition parties – the CPI (M), the CPI and the TDP – besides trade bodies like the Andhra Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), the Vijayawada Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Hoteliers Association, have geared up to make the bandh a success.

Rallies

They have planned three rallies – one from Lenin Centre, another from NTR Circle and the third from Kaleswara Rao Market.

The rallies would not converge at any one point but would only cover the areas in the vicinity.

The local units of political parties would take up programmes to create awareness among the people, said Ch. Babu Rao, CPI (M) state Committee member on Tuesday.

ACCI president M. Muralikrishna and secretary Ch. Prasad urged the traders to down their shutters. The manufacturing units had been exempted from the bandh. The ACCI was not against the taxes but only wanted a rationale in levying taxes, they said.

The opposition parties asserted that the corporation was burdening people with new taxes. The VMC general body had unanimously resolved against user charges. Still, the then Mayor M.V. Ratna Bindu wrote to the government saying user charges could be levied after December 2010 to overcome opposition from the people. The corporation was now trying to implement it under the special officer regime, they alleged.

The decision to organise city bandh was taken at a round table on D&O fee and user charges organised recently. Incidentally, the corporation announced a slash in D&O fee on the day when opposition parties released posters about the bandh.

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