Why Varun Hospitality exempted from VLT, asks JSP

Visakhapatnam: Jana Sena Party corporator Peethala Murthy Yadav raised an objection over the exemption of Varun Hospitality Private Limited at Maharanipeta from vacant land tax for commercial use.

On Monday, he lodged a complaint with Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation Commissioner Ketan Garg on the Public Grievance Redressal System platform.

The JSP leader said that earlier, there was a five-star hotel Taj Group Hotel Gateway, and it was demolished and Varun Hospitality Private Limited was constructing new multi-storey commercial buildings in its place. According to rules, vacant land tax (VLT) should be levied on their new multi-storey constructions and the management has committed large-scale violations of rules when it previously built a Novotel hotel.Keeping their irregularities in view, the High Court had granted stay against the construction of the Novotel for three years,Murthy Yadav pointed out.

Further, the corporator asked to implement the same rules that should be implemented for other construction projects. He appealed to the Commissioner to grant permits for the ensuing project only after the VLT is cleared.

Murthy Yadav mentioned that as per the notification of the Coastal Regulation Board, new commercial and residential buildings should be constructed within 150 meters from the sea level in Zone II.

He also demanded that action should be taken on the complaint against six to eight new borewells that have been dug in the pastfew days to extract groundwater for the project.