GUNTUR: To widen roads for smooth flow of traffic, the Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) has begun demolition of unauthorised constructions built illegally on drains and road margins without approval of the city planning department. The civic body on Saturday pulled down unauthorised shops in 1st lane of the Railway Road in Arundelpet. Also, officials demolished the first floor of a building at Syamala Nagar, which was constructed without its owner obtaining necessary permission. Following the GMC action, the vendors demanded vendor zones be set up in prime business areas.
They alleged the civic body destroyed their shops where they were conducting business for the past 30 years without establishing any vendor zone in the city. Their unions also demanded the GMC allot vacant sites to them so that they could continue their business in prime localities.
Penumala Galaiah, Guntur president of the National Association of Street Vendors’ of India, said, “The GMC is knocking down temporary tents of vendors without issuing any notice to them. They have been staying here for the past 30 years. Authorities had earlier announced establishment of vendor zones to continue trading on roadsides, but are yet to identify places for them in the city.”
Yarraguntla Sekhar, president of the Telugunadu Chethi Vruthula Sangam, demanded the GMC take measures to allot vacant places to vendors so that they could conduct their trade at commercially-viable locations. Post bifurcation, the city has rapidly developed following establishment of State head offices in and around Guntur.
Hence, the GMC has issued permissions to construct buildings by applying online to get their building plans approved within 15 days. So much so that now some builders were constructing buildings by obtaining permissions after the GMC began demolishing houses for want of proper documents online. GMC city planner S Chakrapani said, “As the vendors have occupied drains and roads, the GMC is demolishing shops to widen roads and smoothen traffic movement.”