Babu seeks 50 pc cap on GVMC property tax hike

Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday warned the government that his party would take its opposition to the steep property tax hike in the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation to the streets.

Talking to media persons at the Visakhapatnam Airport while on his way to Srikakulam for a three-day visit, Mr Naidu said that government seemed determined to impose more hardships on the people hiking the property tax steeply. He said that his party would press the government to issue a GO, capping the property tax hike to 50 per cent. The GVMC had earlier issued notices to property owners demanding them to pay more than 100 to 120 per cent for domestic and commercial properties.

The TDP president called on his party cadre to gear up for agitations over the proposed tax hike. He said that the TDP will agitate against the proposed property tax until government revokes it.

The former chief minister also revealed that he would participate in the ‘Maha Dharna’ to be staged on September 10 in this connection. 

Mr Naidu also criticized the government for its failure to supply fertilizers to the farmers. “Though the agriculture operations have begun across the state following good monsoon, the government has failed to supply fertilizers to farmers. Even if the farmers are ready buy fertilizers at a higher price, they are not readily available,” he regretted.

He alleged the government machinery has totally failed in containing diseases and lakhs of people are being admitted to hospitals with fever and other complaints. “There is no exception to Chief Minister K Rosaiah in this case. Mr Rosaiah is also suffering with viral fever and recovering,” he pointed out.

Later Naidu headed towards Srikakulam.