Govt. promises early civic elections

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, MARCH 14.The State Government here on Wednesday assured the Assembly that it would hold elections to the municipal corporations and municipalities to which elections could not be held at the earliest.

This assurance was given by the Minister for Transport, Mr. B. V. Mohan Reddy, who deputised for the Minister for Municipal Administration while replying to the debate on two municipal Bills.

The House later passed the two Bills amid a walkout by the Congress(I), MIM and CPI (M), who protested against the inordinate delay in holding elections. The Bills seek to extend the term of special officers by one year.

The Deputy Speaker, Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao, clubbed the discussion on the two bills - one to amend the Hyderabad Municipal Corporations Act, 1955, and the other to amend the Andhra Pradesh Municipalities Act, 1965, and the Andhra Pradesh Municipal Laws (Second Amendment) Act, 1994.

Criticising the Government move, Mr. D. Nagender of the Congress(I) said there was a constitutional obligation on the part of the Government to hold elections immediately. The regime of special officers was aiding corruption and there was no development at all.

Mr. Asaduddin Owaise of the MIM said that delimitation work was completed long ago but the Government was refuting it repeatedly. The old city was choking with clogged drains and there was no clean drinking water, he said. Mr. Raghuveera Reddy of the Congress(I) said the pleas of court cases was a lame excuse. Mr. N. Narsaiah of the CPI (M) said the Government was adopting double standard.

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Section  : Southern States
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