Visakhapatnam: Regardless of rising public issues, Visakhapatnam’s inexperienced areas, valued at 1000’s of crores, proceed to be threatened by unlawful encroachments. Larger Visakhapatnam Municipal Company (GVMC) is being accused of remaining detached to such unlawful usurping of public property by non-public people with muscle or cash or each.
The port metropolis includes a complete of 1,366 open areas and parks, all of that are managed by GVMC. These are distributed throughout eight administrative zones: 208 in Zone 1, 300 in Zone 2, 148 in Zone 3, 69 in Zone 4, 161 in Zone 5, 288 in Zone 6, 15 in Zone 7 and 177 in Zone 8.
Based on GVMC norms, as soon as a residential format is finalised, the company acquires the rights to develop and defend designated vacant areas within the format earmarked as neighborhood parks for the residents.
By the way, after the NDA coalition took management of the GVMC, a council assembly on June 6 noticed corporators from all events demanding readability on upkeep of open areas and parks, in addition to measures to stop encroachments. Nevertheless, GVMC officers failed to offer complete information on this regard.
Making severe allegations, Jana Sena corporator Peethala Murthy Yadav instructed Deccan Chronicle that personal people are occupying GVMC’s open areas and misusing them for private acquire. “They’re renting authorities properties and even promoting them. GVMC has not taken authorized motion or initiated any measures to guard public lands, regardless of repeated complaints.”
Considerably, YSRC corporator Muvvala Lakshmi Suresh from Ward 20 questioned the silence of native MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu concerning encroachments in East Level Colony. On this prosperous space, there’s a park estimated to be price ₹20 crore. She alleged that the park has been encroached. To press her level in the course of the council assembly, she went on to face on a bench to demand motion.
Corporators are demanding that GVMC implement its current guidelines, equivalent to developing compound partitions round all open areas and parks, placing up possession signage, and informing native secretariats of the park’s jurisdictions. “These steps would deter encroachments and empower residents to file grievances immediately with the GVMC,” emphasised Murthy Yadav. Nevertheless, no such protocols are being adopted.
Lakshmi Suresh went on to focus on that rising variety of temples are being constructed on open authorities areas and in parks, blatantly complicating efforts to reclaim them.
Citizen-led strolling golf equipment and neighborhood teams are actively reporting such encroachments by the Public Grievance Redressal System (PGRS). Their efforts have resulted in no response.
Y.V. Narasinga Rao, founder president of East Level Colony Residents’ Walkers’ Affiliation, charged: “Regardless of frequent complaints, GVMC’s Horticulture division has not responded, elevating doubts about its accountability.”
Such disconnect between public concern and civic response is widening, with many residents and corporators questioning whether or not the GVMC actually represents its personal and public’s pursuits.
