Ban on sale of fish by vendors on footpaths in Vizag

There will be no more sale of fish on the footpaths of Vizag as a ban has now been imposed. The decision was taken by Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) Commissioner G Srijana IAS after she witnessed a vendor selling fish on the footpath in front of Visakhapatnam Joint Collector’s bungalow on Wednesday morning. 

During the GVMC Commissioner’s regular visit to various wards in the city, she observed that vendors were selling fish on footpaths at locations such as MVP colony and Asavanipalem. The footpath space which is used by pedestrians is currently occupied by fish vendors who are blocking the way completely. Especially on the stretch from Appu Ghar to Kamat Hotel, there are many people selling fish on the footpath and dumping waste in the drainage or on the roadside. 

In Vizag, heavy sale of fish on footpaths is witnessed at areas such as MVP colony, Chinna Waltair, Appu Ghar, BRTS Road, Visalakshi Nagar, Seethammadhara, Murali Nagar, Gajuwaka, KRM Colony, HB Colony, Simhachalam and Vepagunta. To avoid the further sale of fish on the footpaths, GVMC has told the ward Sanitary Inspectors (SI) to take the necessary action by imposing fines on such vendors. It has been said that stringent action will be taken against any ward SI who fails to execute the ban on the sale of fish at footpaths in Vizag. 

The fisheries union has stated that there aren’t sufficient hawking zones in Vizag for the fish vendors. According to them, GVMC needs to set up additional hawking zones for fishermen so that they do not occupy footpaths or roads for their business.