Operation LUNGS 3.0 in Vizag soon; shop cellars to be made parking spaces

The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), with the support of City Police, will launch the third phase of the anti-encroachment drive under ‘Operation Life to Urban Green Spaces (LUNGS 3.0)’ soon.

As part of this operation, the GVMC aims to remove illegal commercial activities being run from in the cellars of commercial buildings and ensure that the cellars are used only for parking of customers’ vehicles.

According to the GVMC authorities, the civic body has granted permissions for cellars in commercial complexes, multiplexes, and shopping malls strictly for vehicle parking purposes only.

However, many managements have been illegally operating business activities in the cellars, thereby violating building regulations and causing inconvenience to the public due to the lack of parking space, resulting in traffic congestion, they said.

Assilmetta, Dwaraka Nagar, Daba Gardens, Siripuram, Ram Nagar, Gopalapatnam, Old Gajuwaka, MVP Colony, China Waltair and some localities have been facing similar situations.

GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg said the civic body has been receiving numerous complaints over the lack of parking facilities in the commercial establishments.

“With the increasing number of vehicles, traffic congestion is escalating. One of the major reasons is the misuse of cellar parking spaces in commercial buildings. As a result, people are forced to park their vehicles on roads, footpaths, and internal lanes, leading to traffic congestions,” he said.

Mr. Garg ordered the commercial establishments to voluntarily vacate the cellars to facilitate parking. “Legal action will be initiated against the business establishments continuing illegal operations from the cellars, including cancellation of occupancy permissions and trade licenses of the concerned buildings,” he said.