Vendors in Kothagudem allege disparities in daily market fee collection in KMC
Corporators, traders and vendors in Kothagudem have raised concerns over irregularities in market fee tenders, alleging exclusion of Paloncha and Sujatha Nagar. Contractors also opposed tender cancellations, while officials said a decision would be taken after discussions
Kothagudem: Corporators and traders in Kothagudem town have raised objections over alleged discrepancies and irregularities in tenders called for the collection of daily fees from roadside vendors and the weekly market.
The state government constituted the Kothagudem Municipal Corporation (KMC) by amalgamating Kothagudem and Paloncha towns along with several villages from Sujatha Nagar mandal. However, a recent tender notification excluded Paloncha and Sujatha Nagar, limiting the collection of fees only to the Kothagudem area.
The income earned from both the weekly and daily markets has been consistently increasing year after year and exceeded Rs 50 lakh in the Kothagudem area alone. In view of this, if fees are collected from vendors in Paloncha and Sujatha Nagar, the income could increase further.
The officials’ conduct has raised questions over whether the exclusion was due to a lack of awareness or pressure from elected representatives, as omitting Paloncha and Sujatha Nagar means giving up potential revenue. It is said that in the Paloncha area alone, there are more than a thousand vendors.
Moreover, all vendors within the corporation should be treated equally. Collecting market fees only from Kothagudem vendors is unfair, as it places the financial burden solely on them, said Venkanna, who runs a sugarcane juice stall in the town.
Vendors are demanding that if Paloncha, an integral part of the corporation, is exempted from market fees, then taxes should not be collected from those doing business in Kothagudem either.
‘Save Kothagudem, Save Corporation’ convener Jalal said that although the municipal corporation comprises Kothagudem, Paloncha and Sujatha Nagar, each town is being treated differently. He added that market fee collection should be uniform across the corporation and only nominal charges should be levied on vendors.
When contacted, Municipal Commissioner K Sujatha said a decision on issuing a combined tender for daily markets in both Kothagudem and Paloncha would be taken after discussions in the corporation’s general body meeting.
Meanwhile, contractors P Srinivasa Rao, who secured the weekly market tender through an open auction, and K Indrakumar, who secured the daily market tender, objected to the commissioner’s decision to cancel the tenders over alleged irregularities in the process.
They argued that once an auction has been concluded, conducting it again would violate regulations, even as the commissioner maintained that she has discretionary powers to do so.