BJP State vice-president P. Vishnu Kumar Raju has appealed to the Metropolitan Commissioner of Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority(VMRDA) to cancel the proposed auction of VMRDA Kalyana Mandapam at Dharmanagar in Thatichetlapalem.
In a letter to the VMRDA Commissioner, Mr. Raju sought that the Kalyana Mandapam should be maintained by the VMRDA to keep the cost within the reach of the common people living in the area. He recalled that the Kalyana Mandapam was constructed by the VMRDA on his recommendation as an MLA of Visakhapatnam North Constitutency during 2014-19.
It was constructed for the benefit of the large number of BPL families living at Dharmanagar, Thatichetlapalem, Sanjeevayyanagar and Kapparada. It was intended to serve the needs of BPL families for organising their social and family functions by fixing nominal rent ranging between ₹3,000 and ₹5,000.
In the proposed open auction of the Kalyana Mandapam, scheduled for February 3, the upset price fixed by VMRDA was ₹23,13,528 + GST @ 18% and the cost works out to ₹27,29,963 a year. Due to the high price, the private successful bidder would have to charge at least ₹50,000 for a function per day for its viability. This would defeat the very purpose of constructing the Kalayana Mandapam to meet the needs of the poor, he said.
The former MLA sought cancellation of the open auction, slated for February 3, for lease of the Kalyana Manadapam and its maintenance by the VMRDA. He also sought that the facility should be renamed as VMRDA Kalyana Mandapam, Dharmanagar, instead of Thatichetlapalem, as per the demand of the local people. He also sought consideration of the demand of SC/ST community living in the area to rename the facility as Dr. B.R. Ambedkar VMRDA Kalyana Mandapam. He appealed to the Commissioner to fulfill the dreams of the poor and downtrodden people living in the locality.
