The Tirupati Municipal Corporation (TMC) council has rejected a contentious proposal to auction municipal land near the old bus stand to raise funds for the pending City Operations Centre (COC) project. The decision came during the general body meeting held on Wednesday at the SV University Senate Hall, chaired by Mayor Dr R. Sirisha.

Despite a government directive urging municipal bodies to monetise idle assets for Smart City initiatives, the majority of council members opposed the plan. Of the 47 members present, 34 voted against the land sale while 13 supported it. Most of those opposing the move were corporators from the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress (YSRC) party.

The proposal involved selling valuable municipal land — estimated at Rs 1.5 million per ankanam — for as little as Rs 60,000 per ankanam to fund the COC, which remains only 40 per cent complete due to a funding shortfall. YSRC corporators raised strong objections to the undervaluation and the urgency of the proposal, calling instead for alternative funding strategies.

Mayor Sirisha echoed these concerns, stating, “We must explore ways to complete the project without auctioning valuable municipal land. This land belongs to the public.”

However, Tirupati MLA Arani Srinivasulu defended the sale, stating that the state government had advised utilising unutilised corporation assets to complete infrastructure works. Acknowledging the resistance, he announced the formation of a committee to study the viability of the proposal. “The committee will submit a report within 15 days, after which the council will reconvene to take a final decision,” he said.

In other business, the council approved funds for the maintenance of Prakasam Park and Vinayaka Sagar. It also sanctioned works in preparation for the monsoon, including clearing silt from city drains, constructing cement concrete roads and drainage canals, and developing stormwater infrastructure.

Additionally, the council approved hiring rental vehicles for officials and sanctioned an additional Rs 3,000 monthly payment for 38 outsourced employees in the street lighting department.