GVMC Removes Illegal Commercial Use of Cellars, Stilt Floorscellars

Visakhapatnam: As part of Operation Lungs 3.0, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) on Tuesday continued its drive to clear encroachments in cellars and stilt floors across the city.

Town planning officials said that several cellars and stilt floors were being misused for commercial purposes in various commercial complexes and apartment buildings in different zones.

In a statement, chief city planner A. Prabhakar Rao said traders occupying cellar floors should voluntarily remove such encroachments immediately.

He explained that indiscriminate parking of vehicles on roads, footpaths and other public spaces was leading to congestion, traffic disruptions and inconvenience to commuters. With the objective of ensuring that cellars and stilt floors in commercial complexes and apartment buildings are used exclusively for vehicle parking, the enforcement drive under Operation Lungs 3.0 is being implemented, he said.

As part of the drive, GVMC town planning officials, with police support, removed five encroachments in areas falling under the Madhurawada, Anakapalli and Gajuwaka zones.