Permissions for market as per procedure: GMC

Guntur: Guntur Municipal Corporation commissioner Puli Srinivasulu said it is not correct to spread false propaganda on permissions for wholesale vegetable markets in Guntur. He clarified that if applications are submitted following the prescribed procedure, steps will be taken to issue approvals quickly. He, along with additional commissioner Challa Obulesu, held a press conference in his chamber on Monday. Srinivasulu said that the 25-year lease period of 81 shops in Kolli Sarada Wholesale Market had expired. Earlier, the market shops brought an annual income of Rs 81 lakh to the GMC, whereas through the recent auction, an income of Rs 6 crore is expected, he said.

Despite this, with the backing of some groups, traders who operated there till now are running unauthorised vegetable businesses on the national highway service road and Annapurna Complex without even paying taxes, misleading farmers. He further revealed that an inquiry into their past business practices showed that these traders, contrary to rules, had been subleasing the shops for three times the rent payable to GMC, and even renting out platforms in front of shops to leafy vegetable vendors at Rs 800 per day, earning up to Rs 40,000 per month illegally. He emphasised that permissions for markets would be granted quickly as per procedure, based on the directions of Union Minister Dr Pemmasani Chandrasekhar and public representatives.

Speaking about the Layout Regularization Scheme (LRS), he reminded that the state government has given an opportunity to regularise unauthorised layouts. He urged citizens to make use of this opportunity.