Village and Ward Secretariat employees from North Andhra intensified their agitation on Sunday by staging a protest at the busy RTC Complex Junction, demanding that the State government immediately resolve their long-pending issues.

The protesters, affiliated with the Swarna Gramam Swarna Ward (SGSW), comprise of administrative and welfare staff working in Village and Ward Secretariats across the North Andhra zone. They had been staging a protest near the Gandhi statue opposite the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) building for the past few days. They shifted their agitation to the RTC Complex Junction on Sunday evening.

The protesters raised slogans—“Udyogam Chestham – Oodigam Cheyyam” (We will do our jobs, but will not work as servants)— and vigorously shook empty plastic water bottles as part of their demonstration, highlighting, what they described as unreasonable working conditions and long-pending grievances.

Revenue and police officials reached the spot and held discussions with the employees. ACP Lakshmana Murthy was also present as police personnel attempted to regulate traffic.

The officials assured the protesters that their demands would be taken up with the State government and brought to the notice of the concerned authorities. However, the protesters insisted that they wanted the government to take immediate steps to resolve their issues instead of merely forwarding their demands.

The agitation which began in the evening, continued till late into the night, affecting traffic on one of the city’s busiest junctions. Vehicles were seen piling up on the roads leading to and from the RTC Complex. A large number of police personnel were deployed to regulate traffic and ease congestion.

The employees said they would continue their agitation until the government took concrete measures to address their long-standing demands.

During their protest, the employees raised several demands concerning their pay, increments, probation, regularisation and service benefits. They demanded that two notional increments be sanctioned to them immediately. They also sought payment of the nine months’ arrears arising due to the delay in completion of probation. In addition, they demanded that one annual increment be granted for the period of delay in completion of probation.

The employees further demanded that their minimum basic pay be fixed at ₹30,000 per month without any reduction.

Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) on Friday (September 4, 2026) issued a preliminary notification for the delimitation of the existing 98 wards into 120 wards within the corporation, following the orders of the State government.

GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg in a release stated that the draft ward boundaries have been prepared for the delimitation of the GVMC area into 120 wards in accordance with Rule 8 of the Andhra Pradesh Municipal Corporation (Delimitation of Wards) Rules.

The draft boundary details of the proposed 120 wards will be made available for public inspection from September 5 at the GVMC Head Office, all 10 reorganised Zonal Offices, and on the notice boards of important government offices within the GVMC limits, as well as on the official GVMC website, he said.

The Commissioner appealed to the residents within the GVMC limits to submit their suggestions or objections, if any, regarding the proposed delimitation and ward boundaries to the Commissioner, Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, on or before September 11.

Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) Commissioner Ketan Garg inaugurated “Operation Clean Sweep” at Lumbini Park on Saturday (May 23, 2026), following directions from the State government, District Collector, and Special Officer of GVMC, M. Abhishikth Kishore.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Abhishikth Kishore stated that as part of “Operation Clean Sweep,” the focus will be on cleaning problematic areas, such as yellow points, red points, and garbage accumulation spots in the city. He noted that although Visakhapatnam has been implementing waste management effectively, some garbage accumulation points are still visible.

He also said that the Swachh Survekshan–2026 assessment process has already begun and third-party surveys are being conducted on behalf of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). He appealed to the citizens to provide positive feedback regarding city cleanliness and cooperate in helping Visakhapatnam secure the No. 1 rank nationwide.

GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg stated that as part of the four-week cleanliness drive, the first week, from May 23 to May 28, will focus on roads, red/yellow points, and visible cleanliness activities; the second week, from May 29 to June 4, will focus on cleaning stormwater drains, canals, and back lanes; the third week, from June 5 to June 11, will emphasise waste segregation and on-site composting by residential, commercial, and bulk waste generators; the fourth week, from June 12 to June 20, will concentrate on cleanliness drives at toilets and areas vulnerable to garbage accumulation.

Subsequently, the Commissioner visited the STP located beside Lumbini Park and observed that the area was emitting a severe foul odour. He directed the concerned engineering officials to take immediate measures to control the unpleasant smell.

Meanwhile, representatives of the local fishermen community met the Commissioner and requested support for establishing a cold storage facility to preserve fish after returning from fishing activities. They also requested permission to establish a marketplace in the vacant beachside area adjacent to the STP to support the livelihood of fishermen.

After inspecting the site, the Commissioner informed them that there are proposals for constructing an additional STP in the area and that a decision would be taken after a detailed examination. He instructed Zonal Commissioner K. Sivaprasad to conduct a comprehensive site inspection in this regard.