The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has planned to serve notices to the owners of old buildings in the city. This initiative follows a recent building collapse in Ramajogipeta that claimed three lives. The GVMC has been identifying unsafe buildings every year and sending notices to the owners, but due to financial constraints or emotional attachments, many have ignored them.

According to officials, the GVMC identified 320 unsafe structures in 2016, and the number has increased to 450 since then. The city has more than 3.5 lakh residential buildings, including individual houses, apartments, and housing complexes, and 40,000 non-residential buildings, such as shops, malls, hotels, and cinema halls. Additionally, there are about 15,000 residential-cum-commercial buildings.

Buildings over 40 years old or that have undergone unscientific changes are particularly prone to collapse. A decade ago, GVMC officials identified around 450 buildings, all between 100 and 140 years old, for demolition. Most of them were in Kotaveedhi, the Port area, Poorna Market, Kurupam Market, Jalaripeta, Maharanipeta, and other areas in the old town.

The lack of regular structural audits has also been a concern. Therefore, GVMC Commissioner P. Raja Babu has announced plans to conduct a survey on unsafe buildings in the city and serve notices to their owners. "I don't know whether GVMC has conducted any survey on unsafe buildings within its limits. Now, we need to go for it and serve notices to the owners of those buildings," he said.

The GVMC's initiative is a step towards ensuring the safety of citizens. As it is crucial to identify and renovate or demolish old and unsafe buildings before they collapse and cause casualties, the GVMC is also conducting regular structural audits to prevent future disasters.