The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) connected Saturday (September 20, 2025) removed arsenic galore arsenic 706 establishments astatine assorted zones successful the metropolis arsenic portion of its anti-encroachment thrust “Operation Lungs” (Life to Urban Green Spaces). In the past 3 days, the GVMC removed arsenic galore arsenic 1,759 unauthorised constructions.
Unauthorised constructions, shops, nutrient trucks, and different establishments connected the roads and footpaths were cleared amid stiff absorption from the vendors successful Akkayyapalem, Seethammadhara, Gurudwara and galore different areas. In immoderate areas, constructions connected the footpaths, boards erected connected the shops and different commercialized establishments were besides removed.
Vendors alleged that the GVMC did not contented immoderate anterior notices. “We person not received immoderate announcement from the corporation. We acceptable up this store with loans, and present with the corp removing it, wherever are we expected to go?” questioned Raju, a vendor from Seethammadhara.
GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg successful a property merchandise connected Saturday said that each footpaths wrong the GVMC limits are meant exclusively for pedestrians. Many unauthorised vendors and businesses person encroached connected footpaths, roads, and cardinal junctions by mounting up pushcarts, stalls, and nutrient outlets without due permissions. As a result, pedestrians are forced to locomotion connected roads, starring to postulation congestion and accidents. Similarly, encroachments connected roads and junctions are creating bottlenecks, delaying commuters from reaching their destinations connected clip and expanding the hazard of accidents, helium added.
He besides pointed retired that galore unauthorised nutrient stalls are selling unhygienic and unsafe food, which is harmful to nationalist wellness and tin adjacent pb to unsafe diseases. “For the involvement of nationalist safety, wellness protection, pedestrian freedom, smoother postulation flow, and mishap prevention, GVMC has launched this Operation Lungs 2.0. Through this initiative, footpaths developed beautifully and modelled for the metropolis volition beryllium protected, encroachments connected roads and junctions volition beryllium removed, postulation congestion volition beryllium reduced, and nationalist civic consciousness volition beryllium strengthened to sphere metropolis aesthetics and a peaceful environment,” helium said.
Mr. Garg besides said that traders evicted during the encroachment removal thrust volition beryllium relocated to designated vending zones arsenic per Street Vending Act norms. He urged the vendors not to judge successful immoderate misconceptions and asked unauthorised vendors who person occupied footpaths, roads, and junctions to voluntarily vacate their businesses and cooperate with GVMC.
Meanwhile, YSRCP Visakhapatnam territory president K.K. Raju powerfully objected to the corporation’s determination and questioned wherefore the authorities did not allot a dedicated abstraction for vendors earlier clearing their shops. Meanwhile, leaders from Left parties besides echoed the aforesaid concerns and condemned the corporation’s action.
“Thousands of families, babelike connected thoroughfare vending, person been deprived of their livelihood overnight. The demolitions were portion of a calculated conspiracy, planned erstwhile MLAs and corporators were away. Officials of GVMC and the constabulary are shifting blasted connected 1 another, creating confusion. If the authorities is serious, it should enactment against amerciable commercialized complexes, not mediocre vendors moving their shops for implicit 2 decades,” helium said.
