Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

Memorial opened

Staff Reporter

CPI corporators boycott programme

VIJAYAWADA: A memorial for freedom fighters taken up by the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation on the banks of the Krishna long ago finally saw light on Friday, when Municipal Administration Minister Koneru Ranga Rao inaugurated it on Republic Day.

The building's foundation was laid nearly a decade ago, and the delay in its completion sparked several rows in the meetings of the general body of the VMC. But even as the civic administration under the leadership of

Donors `ignored'

Municipal Commissioner Natarajan Gulzar saw the inauguration as a major achievement, the function was boycotted by CPI corporators on the pretext that the officials did not invite those who had donated money for the construction.

P. Gowtham Reddy, CPI floor leader in the VMC general body, said at a press conference that officials had extended invitation to former Mayor T. Venkateswara Rao only on Thursday evening. But no invitation was extended to former MLA K. Subba Raju who donated Rs. 1 lakh.

The Minister spent time in the building to study paintings on episodes of the freedom struggle.

The paintings were done by cartoonist and artist Teevee (short form for T. Venkateswara Rao).

The VMC had spent over Rs. 20 lakhs on the memorial, while Rs. 6.6 lakhs was received from the public as donations.

Mayor Mallika Begum, Mr. Gulzar, Deputy Mayor Anne Prasanna and several Congress corporators participated.

Water meters

Answering queries on the contentious water meters issue, Mr. Ranga Rao said that the primary objective of installing meters to domestic connections was to curb wastage.

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