Hawkers zones to be set up in Visakhapatnam

In what might turn out to be a huge relief for the denizens of Visakhapatnam, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has identified hawkers zones in the city. The step is expected to reduce congestion on roads and facilitate smoother traffic flow.

Despite GVMC’s efforts over the past years to reduce the inconvenience caused by street vendors to the traffic, the latter continued to result in causing blockades to vehicles and pedestrians.

Reportedly, the GVMC has identified 11 vendor zones in the city and has sought inputs for setting up hawkers zones at these locales.

“The motto is to make the city beautiful and ensure a free flow of traffic. With this, hawkers of all merchandise will be available at one place which would be convenient not only to hawkers but also to the consumers,” GVMC Commissioner M Hari Narayanan was quoted as saying. The Commissioner further informed that the zones are spacious and would be useful to the vendors, it has been reported.

Many citizens have raised objections against the vendors occupying the streets in Visakhapatnam. “The major problem that requires immediate attention is that created by the street vendors. They are slowly occupying the streets and creating major bottlenecks. Prime roads like the Daspalla hills road, the road opp to Viswa Bhavan Lodge, and many areas in MVP Colony are occupied. These people are resorting to hooliganism if objected. The authorities need to take the required action so as to curb this,” Ravindra Prasad, an Advocate from the city said.

Below are the zones identified by the officials.

Zone 1 (3): Near Thotagaruvu Junction located between Hanumanthawaka Junction to Arilova and Midhilapuri VUDA Colony Road and Madhurawada Chandrampalem village.
Zone 2 (1): Near SFS School, Seethammadhara
Zone 3 (1): Opposite GVMC Fruit Market near Prasad Gardens.
Zone 4 (1): East Park, Madhavadhara.
Zone 5 (4): Near Tehasildar office, near Gajuwaka GVMC Zonal Office, 130 ft road in the 52nd division and back side of Sudha hotel.
Zone 6 (1): Near Veterinary hospital at Baji Junction.
Anakapalle (1): Four-road Junction, opposite Nehru Chowk.

News Credits- The Hans India