Rangareddy: Stepping up their drive against illegal establishments operating without proper permissions, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials in Rajendranagar today ordered the closure of several eateries found to be running businesses without a trade licence.

On Wednesday, a team of GHMC officials, led by Deputy Commissioner K Ravi Kumar, visited a tiffin centre at Attapur junction. After inquiries about its permissions yielded no satisfactory answers, the shop was promptly shut down by the officials.

“Upon receiving no satisfactory answer to our queries regarding a trade licence and other permissions, we immediately closed the tiffin centre,” stated K Ravi Kumar, Deputy Commissioner GHMC Rajendranagar.

The Deputy Commissioner added that, besides the tiffin centre, they discovered that the footpath at the same location had been encroached upon by a pan-shop. Vehicles parked in front of these establishments were also significantly disrupting traffic flow.

GHMC officials issued a stern warning to all businesses operating without a trade licence, emphasising that such offences would lead to strict action, including both penalties and sentences under the GHMC Act.

However, GHMC officials did not disclose the total number of illegal establishments identified in Rajendranagar that are currently operating without proper licences and other permissions.

Meanwhile, numerous complaints are flooding in from various areas concerning footpath encroachments and the parking of heavy vehicles in the narrow streets of residential colonies within the Attapur area. Hawkers, including fruit and vegetable vendors, have been observed encroaching on footpaths, obstructing easy passage on both sides of the main road at the bustling Attapur junction. Residents within the colonies are also complaining about transport vehicles being parked on already narrowed public roads in residential areas.

Furthermore, several multi-storey buildings are being constructed without any provision for parking space, which, once occupied, is expected to exacerbate parking issues.

Anil Kumar explained the growing inconvenience faced by residents in several colonies due to regular traffic congestion in Attapur, noting, “Encroachments on footpaths by food courts and other eateries, along with vehicles parked on roads, are leading to regular traffic congestion in the Attapur area.” He also highlighted that the construction of multi-storey buildings without parking provisions is compounding the problem, creating a “messy and unwholesome situation.”

Mohd Kareem, a resident of Khaja Nagar in Attapur, said, “Several owners have rented out their buildings for commercial establishments like event management units and other suppliers in Khaja Nagar, leading to frequent road blockades inside the residential area.” He further stated that the daily entry of heavy vehicles and their parking for hours on already narrowed colony roads are resulting in regular traffic congestion and even disputes among the colony inhabitants.