The Hindu 16.09.2010
Government's urban development strategy faulted
VISAKHAPATNAM: Urban development is passing through a difficult phase owing to lopsided priorities of governments and municipal bodies concentrating more on creating facilities for the well-to-do sections than meeting the basic amenities, former MP P. Madhu has said.
Addressing a meeting on “Urban Reforms-Taxes” organised by Visakha Vignana Vedika on Wednesday, he said instead of developing cities as centres of learning and for employees and workers living there, the planning tilted towards creating facilities matching those abroad and meant for aspiring to go there or had returned from there.
In the process, basic issues like sanitation were being ignored and it could lead to health disorders, he said citing the growing incidence of various fevers claiming several lives. The Central and State Governments' urban development strategy would lead to serious stalemate in creating civic amenities and transportation, he cautioned. User charges were being levied for collecting garbage from houses but it would not stop at that. Further charges for disposal would also be collected, he said.
Mr. Madhu flayed the Rosaiah Government for not giving the share of municipalities in life of tax of motor vehicles, profession tax and entertainment tax but resorting to abnormal hike of property tax.
