The row over pending payments between the council of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) and the Vijayawada Notified Municipal Corporation Industrial Areas Service Society (Industrial Area Local Authority (IALA), Autonagar, has reached to the point where both parties are up for an open debate with contradictory claims over the 2010 agreement.

The issue surfaced recently when the IALA objected to paying the water charges pertaining to usage in 2014 after the tariff was increased from ₹28 to ₹50 per kilolitre for Autonagar. The agreement was made in 2010 for ₹28 per kilolitre with the approval of the VMC.

Owing to disputes, water supply was stopped to the industrial area long ago and the same was raised by IALA chairman Sunkara Durga Prasad recently.

Mayor Koneru Sreedhar claimed that the increase decided by the civic chief in 2014 was accepted by IALA and according to the same a bill of ₹25.90 lakh for six months was issued.

In contrast, IALA alleged that such a steep increase was nowhere mentioned in the agreement and it was a politically motivated decision taken at the behest of the Mayor.

“We have never agreed to the hike. The Mayor and his men are wrongly claiming that IALA has agreed to it. If there is any truth in their claims let them provide proof in an open debate,” IALA chairman Sunkara Durga Prasad said while speaking to The Hindu.

Open letter

In an open letter to the Mayor on Saturday, IALA agreed for an open debate on May 8 or any day preferred by the Mayor and VMC officials. Mr. Durga Prasad also challenged that he would quit politics if the Mayor’s claims were proved.

Mr. Sreedhar said that it was not right on the part of IALA to expect exemption in water charges which was common for the entire city.

“There are about 130 water connections in the Jawahar Autonagar area and about 13,000 litres of drinking water is consumed every day. Once the supply by VMC is resumed more than four hundred new connections will be sought,” Mr. Prasad said.