GVMC to Launch ‘LUNGS 3.0’ Drive Against Cellar Encroachments

The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), with the support of the City Police, is set to launch the third phase of its anti-encroachment drive under ‘Operation Life to Urban Green Spaces (LUNGS 3.0)’ shortly. The operation aims to curb the illegal use of cellar spaces in commercial buildings and ensure they are used strictly for vehicle parking.

As part of the drive, GVMC will remove unauthorised commercial activities being run from the cellars of commercial complexes, multiplexes, and shopping malls. Officials said permissions for cellar areas are granted only for parking purposes, but several establishments have allegedly converted these spaces into business areas, in violation of building regulations.

The civic body said such misuse has resulted in a shortage of parking space, forcing customers to park vehicles on roads, footpaths, and internal lanes, leading to frequent traffic congestion.

Localities such as Assilmetta, Dwaraka Nagar, Daba Gardens, Siripuram, Ram Nagar, Gopalapatnam, Old Gajuwaka, MVP Colony, China Waltair, and a few other areas have reportedly been facing similar issues.

GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg said the corporation has been receiving numerous complaints about the lack of parking facilities in 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 congestion,” he said.

Mr. Garg instructed commercial establishments to voluntarily vacate the cellars to facilitate parking. He warned that legal action would be initiated against those continuing illegal operations in cellar spaces, including the cancellation of occupancy permissions and trade licences of the buildings concerned.