LUNGS 3.0: GVMC clears 11 cellar encroachments

The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has intensified its crackdown on illegal commercial activities in parking spaces. Under the ongoing “Operation LUNGS 3.0,” town planning officials cleared 11 major encroachments in cellars and stilt floors across the city on Wednesday and Thursday.

The drive targeted business owners who were using mandatory parking areas as godowns, shops, and storage units, forcing vehicles onto the streets and causing massive traffic jams.

The GVMC Town Planning team, supported by the city police, conducted raids across multiple zones including Madhurawada, Gajuwaka, and Anakapalli.

Key removals included a large godown in Seethammadhara (Ward 14) and an illegal structure in Dondaparthy (Ward 43) under North Zone. Storage materials were cleared from the cellar of HDFC Bank on the main road and the Soundarya area in Gajuwaka limits. Encroachments were cleared at Isukathota (opposite Krishna Mandir), Darapalem, and the busy NAD Junction in the East & West zones. A shop in the APNR Complex and two other structures on Pudimadaka Road in Anakapalli town were dismantled. An encroachment was removed in Mithilapuri VUDA Colony in Madhurawada.

GVMC chief city planner A. Prabhakar Rao said that cellars and stilt floors are legally reserved exclusively for vehicle parking.

“When cellars are used for business, vehicles end up on roads and footpaths. This creates congestion and inconvenience for every motorist in the city,” Mr. Rao said. He urged building owners and traders to voluntarily clear illegal occupations immediately to avoid forceful demolition and further penalties.