Pandemonium at Eluru council budget meet

Eluru: Pandemonium prevailed in Eluru Municipal Corporation general body meeting over the removal of encroachments on Krishna canal bund in the city. The Corporation general body meeting held here at Corporation meeting hall on Wednesday. Mayor Sheikh Noorjahan presided over the meeting.
When the meeting started, the YSRCP corporators raised the issue of the budget meeting agenda copy. The YSRCP floor leader Bandaru Kiran Kumar said that even the budget agenda prepared on March 21, the officials distributed the copies to the corporators on March 28. He alleged that with this, the corporators have no time to understand the budget agenda as the meeting held on Wednesday. The YSRCP corporators wearing black dress entered the house and told that every time the agenda copy has supplied just before the meeting.
Commissioner Y Sai Srikanth explaining the reasons said because of the delay in printing, the distribution was delayed. He assured them of no delay in future.
The YSRCP corporator, Karri Srinivasa Rao, pointing out the removal of shops on the Eluru Krishna canal bunds alleged that the Telugu Desam Government had failed in all aspects. The TDP corporators Borouthu Balaji, Karanam Ganesh and Dakarapu Rajeswara Rao objected to his remarks and stated that there was no connection to the government in the removal of the shops. They questioned the YSRCP members “why do you blame the TDP government for the removal of shops”. They stated that shop owners would get justice.
Again, the YSRCP members raised the issue of removal of shops and this led to a commotion in the meeting hall. A war of words took place.
Former Deputy Mayor Chide Venkataratnam intervened at this stage and requested the members to discuss on the budget only as it is a budget meeting.
When the floor leader of YSRCP, Bandaru Kiran Kumar, raised the question on the allotment of higher amounts for small works, Venkataratnam said that it was not possible to discuss every issue in the budget book as it contains 72 pages. He told the chair that the 44 TDP members were accepting the budget and requested to conclude the meeting. With this, again war of words took place between ruling and opposition members. As a majority members accepted the agenda, the Mayor announced that the agenda was approved and the meeting was over.
The Municipal Corporation general body meeting has accepted the 12.52 crore surplus budget for 2016-17 financial year. Rs 103.11 crore was earmarked as income and Rs 90.59 crore as expenditure for the next financial year. Out of this, Rs 20 crore will be collected as property tax and Rs 40 lakh for vacant site tax. It also showed the stamp duty surcharge as Rs 3.5 crore. It has shown Rs 1.50 crore as expenditure for roads construction, Rs 60 lakh for drains construction, Rs1.1 crore for parks, new water supply pipelines Rs 50 lakh and traffic islands Rs 60 lakh.
Speaking on the budget, the Mayor said the corporation had committed to the development of the city. She said during 20 months, so many development programmes have taken up in the city.
Deputy Mayor Gudiwada Ramachandra Kishore, Whip Gudavalli Srinivas, Chode Venkataratnam, Floor leader Bandaru Kirankumar, Commissioner Y Sai Srikanth and other officials and corporators participated in the meeting.