GVMC merger: Chiru men win round one over Congress colleagues in Vizag

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, May 8, 2013 : If the recent developments are anything to go by on proposed merger of Bheemili and Anakapalli municipalities into GVMC, the erstwhile PRP MLAs turned Congressmen have won round one against their party colleagues in Vizag.

 The proposal to merge the two municipalities with the GVMC had turned the ruling Congress into a divided house in the district. While a few Congress elected representatives have openly announced their opposition along with opposition forces from the TD, CPI and CPM, MLAs who won their spurs on a PRP ticket in 2009, including ports and infrastructure minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao, are in support of the proposal.

Those who vehemently opposed the move included Congress MLAs representing Vizag north and west constituencies, Tainala Vijaykumar and Malla Vijayprasad, respectively along with local MP and union minister of state for commerce and industry, D Purandheswari. They also wrote to chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy several times seeking him to scrap the idea.

It was such to their dismay, it is learnt, that the municipal administration minister Maheedhar Reddy gave a go ahead to the proposal by signing the file pertaining  to it on Tuesday. The file is now sent to panchayat raj minister K Jana Reddy for his approval to merge 10 more panchayats into GVMC along with the municipalities.

When the merger proposal was initially mooted in 2009, it was opposed by several corporators, MLAs and MPs. However, since Feb 2012, the GVMC has come under special officer ruling, the authorities are now busy expediting the process. The state government had asked the GVMC authorities to prepare a detailed report with images and geographical conditions.

Eying metro tag and more funds from union government GVMC authorities brought the proposal to merge 140-year-old Anakapalle municipality and its surrounding villages in the extent of 73 square km having a population of more than one lakh while Bhimili, the second oldest municipality in the country and other villages in an extent of 126 square km with population of another one lakh.

While Anakapalle municipality passed a resolution earlier in favour of the merger, Bheemili municipality opposed it and sent the resolution to the government. Purandheswari felt that even though 32 village panchayats were merged with the GVMC in 2005, there was no
substantial development in these areas that includes lack of drinking water and other basic amenities. Better civic amenities could be provided even without merger if the government prepares to do so, she said in her letter to the chief minister strongly opposing the move.

But the minister Ganta Srinivas Rao observed that the ‘greater’ concept itself which was introduced by the Congress government was to develop peripheral areas, municipalities, villages, panchayats surrounding Vizag and Hyderabad. He added that around 36 municipalities were merged in Greater Hyderabad and were seeing development.

If the two municipalities are merged GVMC would get more central funds. Bheemili’s historic and heritage significance can be restored, enhanced and safeguarded in a better way with the more Centre funds. GVMC gets more funds under various Centre schemes like JNNURM, said the minister.