GVMC Chief Cracks Down, Suspends Two Staff in Surprise Civic Sweep

In a strong message against negligence in civic administration, Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) Commissioner Ketan Garg on Wednesday suspended two staff members and initiated disciplinary action against another official during a surprise inspection of the Madhurawada Zone.

The action followed complaints over irregular drinking water supply, poor sanitation, and failure to control construction waste in residential colonies. Officials said the Commissioner’s move signals a zero-tolerance approach towards lapses in the delivery of essential civic services.

During the inspection of Ward No. 8 in Yendada, accompanied by Zonal Commissioner Ayyappa Naidu and Superintending Engineer Shanthiraj, Garg directed officials to immediately remove encroachments obstructing road widening works and speed up footpath construction.

At BC Colony, the Commissioner found garbage being dumped into drains and open spaces. He interacted with residents and urged them to segregate waste and hand it over regularly to GVMC collection vehicles under the CLAP system.

Residents also raised concerns over the irregular drinking water supply and negligence by the concerned lineman. After reviewing the matter on the spot, Garg ordered the immediate suspension of water supply lineman Srinivasa Rao and directed that a show-cause notice be served on Assistant Engineer Seethesh.

Later, while inspecting BC Colony and SC Colony, he noticed heaps of construction and demolition waste lying unattended. When informed that notices had not been issued to the builders concerned, the Commissioner ordered the suspension of the Ward Planning Secretary.

Warning officials against dereliction of duty, Garg said strict action would be taken against negligence in sanitation management, poor supervision of construction activity, and failure in providing basic civic amenities. He directed staff to perform responsibly and ensure that residents do not face inconvenience.