VIn view of the Dasara festival, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has decided to temporarily pause Operation Lungs 2.0 initiative, GVMC Chief City Planner A. Prabhakara Rao said in a release on Thursday.He said that the drive being carried out across the GVMC limits is in the interest of Visakhapatnam’s development. However, in view of the Dasara festivities, the operation will be put on hold temporarily. He appealed to encroachers to voluntarily remove their encroachments.“It has come to the GVMC’s notice that in some places where encroachments were already cleared, traders have resumed businesses at the same spots. The Corporation requested that such encroachments be removed immediately and voluntarily,” he said.Jana Sena Party (JSP) Corporator (Ward 22), PLVN Murthy accused the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) for politicising the GVMC’s Operation Life to Urban Green Spaces (LUNGS) 2.0. He said that the ongoing initiative is aimed at streamlining street vending in the city, and not targeting vendors.Responding to YSRCP’s criticism, Mr. Murthy said, “How can an NDA government that provides meals for just ₹5 be accused of being anti-poor?” He pointed out that it was the previous YSRCP government that shut down Anna Canteens. He also recalled that hawkers were removed during the YSRCP’s term from Rushikonda, Beach Road, Maddilapalem, and a few other areas. Mr. Murthy as said that a committee comprising 13 YSRCP corporators had recommended the removal of the Night Food Court at Old Jail Road.THe said that the displaced vendors would be relocated soon to designated hawker and vending zones.“The GVMC is currently establishing 17 vending zones, with five Smart Vending Zones in the pipeline. Efforts are underway to identify additional locations across all zones in the city. Published - September 25, 2025 09:33 pm IST