The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) sealed 58 shops and imposed fines totalling ₹4.36 lakh during a citywide sanitation enforcement drive on Thursday, after officials found establishments violating waste-disposal and public hygiene rules.
The inspections were carried out across all 10 municipal zones following directions from GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg to intensify action against commercial establishments. Officials inspected 80 establishments during the drive. Of these, 58 shops were sealed, while the remaining 22 were fined.
The violations included dumping waste in public places, littering on roads and in drains, using prohibited plastic materials and breaching other sanitation regulations. The enforcement action places commercial waste handling at the centre of the civic body’s latest cleanliness drive, with authorities warning establishments against disposing of waste in public spaces.
Madhurawada recorded the highest number of closures, with 16 shops sealed and fines totalling ₹94,000. In the East zone, officials sealed 14 shops and imposed fines of ₹43,000. Eight establishments in the North zone attracted penalties totalling ₹55,500.
Authorities sealed two shops each in Bheemili and the South Zone, with fines of ₹40,000 and ₹58,500, respectively. Five shops were sealed in the West zone, where officials imposed fines totalling ₹37,500. Pendurthi and Gajuwaka each recorded three sealed establishments, with penalties of ₹39,500 and ₹30,500, respectively.
In Aganampudi, officials sealed one shop and imposed a fine of ₹15,000. Anakapalli recorded four sealed shops and fines totalling ₹22,500. The zone-wise figures show that enforcement was spread across commercial areas rather than being limited to a single locality.
Garg said cleanliness and public hygiene were top priorities for the civic body. He instructed zonal commissioners and public health officials to take stringent action against establishments found disposing of waste indiscriminately.
The commissioner advised commercial establishments to store waste in dustbins and hand it over every day to Clean Andhra Pradesh, or CLAP, vehicles instead of dumping it on roads or in drains. The instruction links enforcement with the city’s scheduled waste-collection system, requiring businesses to use the designated collection mechanism.
GVMC officials were also directed to strengthen waste-collection arrangements and closely monitor the operations of CLAP vehicles. Garg warned that negligence in maintaining cleanliness would not be tolerated and said the enforcement drive would continue.
