Residents’ bodies stage protest against GVMC over tax hikes, civic issues

Members of the Visakhapatnam Apartment Residents Welfare Association (VARWA) and the Greater Visakha Resident Colony Associations’ Federation (NIVAS) staged a protest at the GVMC Gandhi Statue on Tuesday, accusing the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) of imposing additional financial burdens on citizens and facilitating the transfer of public assets to private entities.

Speaking at the protest, VARWA district president N. Prakasa Rao and NIVAS district secretary P. Narayana Murthy said residents were already facing multiple civic issues and that recent decisions taken by the government and the GVMC had worsened the situation.

They questioned the decision to increase taxes and user charges without resolving long-pending civic problems, particularly when basic services were deteriorating.

The two leaders said damaged roads, poor drainage, drinking water shortages and inadequate sanitation were affecting daily life in several localities. They also objected to annual property tax revisions based on capital value instead of rental value, saying the move was placing an added burden on residents.

They alleged that the middle class and economically weaker sections were under pressure due to rising electricity tariffs and increased civic service charges.

With inflation and unemployment already affecting households, the additional financial burden was pushing many families into distress, they said.

The protesters also alleged that there were attempts to divert key drinking water sources meant for the city to private entities, warning that such moves could worsen water scarcity in the future.

They demanded immediate withdrawal of the additional charges imposed by the GVMC, rollback of the property tax hike, a halt to electricity tariff increases, and an end to any move to privatise public assets.