Visakhapatnam: Shops, sheds near AU grounds demolished

Visakhapatnam: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Visakhapatnam, authorities from the GVMC, the police department and other departments demolished a number of shops adjacent to Polamamba temple road near AU grounds. The demolition exercise happened in the wee hours of Tuesday wherein the shop owners claimed that the officials did not give any prior intimation to them.

Some of the authorities claim that the demolition exercise was carried out based on the orders received from their higher ups.

Meanwhile, the shop owners and their family members demanded an explanation from the officials for the reason behind the removal of shops overnight. MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu visited the spot and condemned the demolition exercise as the shopkeepers were operating their business in the area for a long time. Similarly, the Left Party leaders expressed anguish over the incident and alleged that the authorities concerned did not even give time for the shopkeepers to shift their belongings from the outlets before demolishing.