Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada

VMC slashes UGD fee by Rs. 1,500

VIJAYAWADA: With a view to encourage more number of people to take Under Ground Drainage (UGD) connections, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) has lowered the donation fee for each connection from Rs. 2,500 to Rs.1,000. The scheme, however, applies only to those house owners who pay a property tax of less than Rs. 400 a year.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Deputy Mayor Samanthapudi Narasaraju said that the corporation was until now collecting Rs. 2,500 as donation for a single closet. As there was a widespread feeling that the donation charges were somewhat exorbitant, the VMC had decided to slash them to the extent possible, and bring them to a level where as many people as possible could afford to take a connection. According to an estimate, 60,000 to 70,000 people pay property tax less than Rs. 400 a year. Hence, the slash in the donation charges would cater to a large section of the people, he said. The VMC was also contemplating introducing a single slab rate for road cutting charges. At present, the corporation was collecting different charges depending upon the nature of the road, such as a CC road or a BT road. The VMC would also immediately purchase three sewer machines each with a capacity of 9,000 litres at a total cost of Rs. 84.20 lakhs for better maintenance of the UGD system in the city.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu