Uproar over Transferable Development Rights bonds

Vijayawada: Mayor Koneru Sridhar, corporators of the ruling Telugu Desam Party and the Opposition YSRCP and co-opted members have expressed discontent over negligence of the Town Planning department during the VMC council meeting held on Thursday.

The Mayor chaired the meeting. The corporators demanded that vigilance probe should be ordered on the alleged fake Transferable Development Rights (TDR) bonds surfaced in the city and irregularities committed by the staff in issuing TDR bonds.

The Mayor asked Municipal Commissioner G Veerapandian to inquire into the irregularities and take steps to streamline the Town Planning department. He asked the Commissioner to take action against the erring staff. He, however, refused to give order for the vigilance probe or setting up House Committee to investigate the alleged irregularities.

The issue of TDR bonds came up for discussion when the co-option member, Siddhem Nagendra Reddy, asked the Town Planning department to furnish details in how many areas the VMC had taken sites from private parties for road-widening works between April 2005 to March 2016.

Similarly, 28th division corporator Y Ramaiah too asked for the similar information when VMC widened Crambay road.
The Town Planning department officials failed to furnish all details to the corporators.

City Planner P Pradeep Kumar said the VMC was not maintaining a register consists of the details of the TDR bonds issued in the city. He said recently, the Town Planning department took up the job and it would upload online all details for the convenience of the people. He admitted that the Town Planning department was not in possession of all details of TDR bonds as VGTM UDA had also previously issued TDR bonds in the city.

The corporators were not satisfied with the reply and came down heavily on the Town Planning department. TDP corporator Chennupati Gandhi, YSRCP corporator Ummadisetti Bahadur, co-option member Siddhem Nagendra Reddy, CPM corporator Gade Adlilakshmi, YSRCP floor leader B Punyaseela and others expressed discontent over the negligent attitude of the Town Planning department.

Nagendra Reddy demanded that vigilance probe should be ordered to inquire into the irregularities in the Town Planning department.

Bahadur said he noticed some fake TDR bonds circulated in the city and asked the council to take action against the staff responsible for the issuing the fake bonds.

Mayor Koneru Sridhar also expressed displeasure over the careless attitude of Town Planning department. He questioned why the Town Planning department officials were not giving all details to the council. He said that the VMC was vexed with the Town Planning department.

The civic body was issuing the TDR bonds on the spot to avoid problems in the future. Mayor said he personally asked the Town Planning department to give TDR bonds to clear 13.5 square feet in Gunadala but there was no response from the Town Planning department officials. He said the road had been closed for the public due to the negligence of the Town Planning department.

The Mayor recalled that the Municipal Commissioner had already suspended staff responsible for committing irregularities in their duty.

The City Planner, P Pradeep Kumar, said the department had started the registration of the details of the all TDR bonds issued by the VMC and would upload online for the convenience of the people.