The CPI(M) Greater Visakha City Committee has demanded open auction of GVMC shops and markets and action against those owners, who have not been paying rent arrears to the corporation.
Addressing the media here on Friday, city committee secretary and corporator B. Ganga Rao and secretariat member R.K.S.V. Kumar said that though the auction for shops has to be conducted once in three years, the guidelines were being flouted and lease continued at the old rates for years, causing a loss of ₹25 crore to the corporation every year. The GVMC had formed a committee on September 17, 2021, to conduct a market study on 113 shops.
The committee had ordered closure of the shops and gave a mid-term report allowing the shops, which agreed to the lease rates fixed by the corporation to reopen and fresh auction should be conducted for those shops, which completed their lease period. It gave 15 days to comply with its orders. The officials had informed that only 54 leaseholders had accepted the guidelines and had paid the dues.
The CPI(M) leaders said that the committee had not met after September 17 and sought that the committee chairman should convene a meet without any further delay. They alleged that some officials were indulging in irregularities to avoid fresh auctions and sought action against them.
