Corporation threatens to blacklist private agency

VIJAYAWADA, Feb. 5: Municipal corporators, including floor leaders, on Friday demanded that the agreement reached between the Municipal Corporation and the Real Energy Limited should be scrapped as the private agency grossly failed to maintain street-lighting in the city.

Chaired by the deputy mayor, Mr Siripurapu Gritton, the council held discussions on the failure of the private agency to ensure street-lighting in the city during night time. The municipal commissioner, Mr G. Ravibabu, assured the floor that energy audit would be conducted and action would be taken against the consultancy if the latter failed to provide efficient services to the citizens.

The CPI, the CPI(M), Congress and the Praja Raj-yam corporators expressed similar views and demanded action against the consultancy. Raising the debate, the CPI M) floor leader and the Division 55 corporator, Mr Chigurupati Babu Rao, said that the agency grossly failed to maintain streetlighting in the city in nights as per the agreement. He alleged that many areas in the city are left in darkness due to the negligence of the agency. Mr Babu Rao demanded a detailed inquiry on the functioning of the private agency and stressed the need to scrap the agreement with the agency.

Responding to the criticism of the people’s representatives, the municipal commissioner said energy audit would be conducted on the functioning of the agency. He said if necessary the consultancy would be blacklisted for its failure to fulfill the agreement reached with the VMC. The commissioner, further said functioning of the private agency is not satisfactory and the lighting is also not upto the mark in some areas he visited.