The Hindu 03.08.2009
Deviation from master plan decried
Special Correspondent
| Corporators of opposition parties oppose Kurnool Municipal Council’s decisions |
“Demolition of Jagjivanram Open Theatre meant to benefit a Congress leader’s house”
“Giving away costly house sites to corporators while thousands are homeless is unfair”
KURNOOL: The Round Table of seven parties opposed the crucial decisions of the Municipal Council which proposed to demolish the Municipal Open theatre, distribute house sites among corporators and deviate from the master plan in developing roads. Somisetty Venkateswarlu (TDP), Prabhakar Reddy and T. Shadrak (CPI-M), S.N. Rasool (CPI), Seshaphani (Mana Party), Karunakar (BSP), Naganna (SUCI), Sivasankar Reddy (PRP) and E. Pulla Reddy, floor leader in the council attended the round table conference here on Sunday, which planned to spearhead the movement against the “unpopular decisions” of the council.
CPI (M) district secretary T. Shadrak said the ruling party members, Mayor and corporators planned to demolish the Open air theatre with ulterior motive of widening the road to the house of a Congress leader and allot new shops to binami holders. The people of weaker sections were hurt by decision for demolition of the theatre which was named after Babu Jagjivanram.
If the corporation was interested in construction of commercial complexes, many open sites were available in the city and the Open air theatre could be spared. Also, the round table opposed the move to give away house sites to corporators at Johrapuram on the ground that it was not fair to give prime land to the elected members while thousands of poor families were waiting for house sites. Mr. Shadrak said the elected representatives should compete with each other in improving the assets of the corporation and not for distribution among themselves.
The participants expressed concern over deviation from the master plan by reducing the width of roads from 80 and 60 feet to 35 or 40 ft. If the roads were reduced, the corporation would be reduced to a gram panchayat, they contended.