Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development, P Narayana, announced an investigation into the collection practices of the garbage tax and any irregularities benefiting certain individuals.
Speaking in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Thursday, the Minister criticised the previous YS Jagan government for imposing unnecessary hardships on the people, stating that under the TDP administration, there were no increases in taxes within municipalities. The Minister moved the Andhra Pradesh Municipal Laws (Second Amendment) Bill, 2024, which was unanimously passed by the Assembly.
Minister Narayana remarked that the YS Jagan government had forcibly collected garbage taxes despite strong public opposition, accusing the previous administration of doing nothing but creating problems for citizens in terms of waste management. He recalled that the then YSRCP government had amended the Municipal Laws Act to impose monthly charges for garbage collection, ranging from Rs 30 to Rs120 for residential properties, and Rs100 to Rs10,000 for commercial establishments, starting in November 2021. He pointed out that between November 2021 and July 2024, approximately Rs 325 crore was billed for garbage collection, but only ?249 crore was collected, highlighting the continuous objections from the public. The Minister expressed regret that some residential properties, with a nominal property tax of Rs50, were being charged up to Rs356 for garbage services.
Minister Narayana assured the Assembly that a thorough investigation would be conducted into the garbage tax collections and the outstanding debts incurred during the previous administration.
He also revealed that 85 lakh tons of garbage had accumulated during the previous regime, with allegations that certain contractors had dumped waste in mining pits rather than following proper waste management procedures. The Minister highlighted previous plans from 2014 to 2019 to establish Waste-to-Energy plants in ten districts, noting that while the plants in Visakhapatnam and Guntur were functioning successfully, the remaining eight planned sites were cancelled. He claimed that if these plants had been set up, much of the accumulated waste could have been managed effectively.
The Minister lamented that despite widespread discontent from the public, the previous government had continued to collect garbage taxes forcibly. He described incidents where officials were found dumping garbage in front of shops after being collected by tractors, and some ministers had ridiculed the necessity of paying the garbage tax. Narayana also deplored situations where the water supply was cut off to residents who failed to pay their garbage tax dues.
