Jana Sena Corporator Rejects Gift Coupons, Demands Accountability From GVMC
Peethala Murthy Yadav calls for funds to be redirected to critical infrastructure needs instead of luxury allocations in Visakhapatnam.
Visakhapatnam: Jana Sena corporator Peethala Murthy Yadav, representing the 22nd Ward of the east constituency in the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), returned the gift coupons worth Rs 25,000 allocated to corporators before the annual budget meeting to additional commissioner (finance) S.S. Varma on Thursday.
The corporator, who was democratically elected, criticised the municipal administration’s spending priorities, arguing that the funds could be better utilised to address critical infrastructural needs in the city’s wards. “When the GVMC administration is struggling to allocate funds for basic ward issues, it is inappropriate to focus on luxury and entertainment,” he stated. “Instead of providing gift coupons, it would have been better to invest in basic facilities for the city’s residents,” he emphasised.
Yadav highlighted several pressing issues that he believes require immediate attention, including water supply, sewerage drainage, and street lighting. He described the distribution of gift coupons as a “murder of democracy” and called for a more responsible approach to managing public resources.