VIJAYAWADA: Seeking public opinion on the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation's proposal to fix meters to domestic drinking water connections, city unit of the CPI conducted a ballot at Sivaji Cafe Centre in Satyanarayanapuram on Friday.

Party activists arranged two ballot boxes in a makeshift shelter and distributed ballot papers to people who came to exercise their vote. Along with the ballot, pamphlets were also given, in which the party made its views clear on the proposal.

P. Gowtham Reddy, floor leader of the CPI in the VMC general body, who inaugurated the ballot, said that fixing of water meters would place additional burden on the poor.

He wondered why the civic body proposed to levy charges on a nature's gift as drinking water, which was unheard of so far. "It is against the concept of welfare State," he said, adding that the CPI would fight against the proposal.

Objective

The ballot was to create awareness among people on the proposal and to make officials know the public opinion, he said. The party had already conducted a similar ballot in Bhavanipuram where majority of those who took part in the exercise opposed the proposal.

The ballots cast on Friday would be counted at a symposium on water meters, to be held at Press Club in Gandhi Nagar on Saturday. "We will launch a signature campaign in different parts of the city," he said.

Former MLA K. Subba Raju and others were present.

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