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GVMC to give time to remove statues

The corporation will also seek explanation from the persons concerned.

Visakhapatnam: The Greater Visakha Municipal Corporation authorities are waiting for voluntary removal of the three statues that were erected overnight on the Beach Road last December.

Though the AP High Court issued orders to remove these statues, the GVMC is waiting before it takes action against those who installed the statues violating the rules. The civic body plans to shift the statues, if they were not removed voluntarily within the stipulated time.

When asked about the exact duration, GVMC chief city planner R. Jyothi Vidyullatha said: “We have not yet received the court orders. Once it comes, we will comply with the orders. The corporation will also seek explanation from the persons concerned.”

Earlier, the GVMC issued notices to former Rajya Sabha member Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad for setting up the statues without taking permission from the municipal authorities. However, no further action has been taken till now.

Meanwhile, environmental activist Bolisetti Satyanarayana has filed a public interest litigation in the High Court against unauthorised erection of the statutes of TD leader Nandamuri Harikrishna, Telugu film actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao and film director Dasari Narayana Rao.

On Tuesday, the High Court Division Bench comprising Justice Praveen Kumar and Justice Satyanarayana Murthy directed the civic body to remove the statues by following due process of law.

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