GVMC Cracks Down on Sanitation Lapses
Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) Commissioner Ketan Garg on Saturday ordered immediate corrective measures after finding serious sanitation lapses in parts of the city and directed officials to act against staff responsible for negligence.
During an inspection of North Zone’s 25th Ward, from BVK College Junction to Seethampeta Junction and nearby areas of Madhura Nagar, Garg reviewed sanitation, waste collection, drinking water supply, encroachments, and management of construction debris.
The Commissioner expressed displeasure over heaps of garbage found in front of houses, commercial establishments, and near the Sai Baba temple in Madhura Nagar. Residents told him that door-to-door garbage collection was irregular and that waste was not being cleared daily.
After reviewing the functioning of sanitation staff, vehicle deployment, and waste transportation, Garg found lapses in monitoring and directed Zonal Commissioner B. Ramu to prepare suspension orders against Sanitary Supervisor Rama Rao and Ward Sanitation Secretary Satish Kumar.
Saying sanitation management in the ward had deteriorated, he instructed Assistant Medical Officer Dr Appala Naidu to step up supervision and improve daily sanitation operations in all wards under the zone.
He also directed officials to strengthen monitoring of waste collection, transportation, attendance of sanitation workers, and the field-level performance of sanitary supervisors, inspectors, and ward secretaries.
Taking note of construction debris dumped on roads and streets, the Commissioner said all construction sites must install green mats. He warned that violators would face a penalty of ₹25,000 or stoppage of construction activity.
Garg also ordered the removal of encroachments on footpaths and unauthorised posters at several locations.
Reviewing the drinking water supply, he instructed engineering officials to maintain supply schedules, conduct regular water quality tests, and prevent contamination of pipelines through drains.
Zonal Commissioner B. Ramu, Assistant City Planner Tirupathi Rao, Deputy Executive Engineers Srinivasu and Bharani, TPO Praveen, and other officials accompanied the Commissioner during the inspection.