Demolition drive around Ahmedabad’s Isanpur Lake to remove encroachments

Teams from the municipal authority along with local police began the drive with the help of bulldozers and the operation covers over a thousand structures identified as encroachments

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) on Monday began a demolition drive around Isanpur Lake to clear unauthorised structures that have occupied the lake’s land for years.

The corporation maintains that the land belongs to the lake and cannot be used for any permanent construction. (File photo | Justdial website)

Teams from the municipal authority along with local police began the drive with the help of bulldozers.

The operation covers over a thousand structures identified as encroachments.

Officials said the constructions had blocked the natural spread of the lake and affected restoration plans. The civic body has been working on similar clearances at other waterbodies and has included lake development in its annual planning.

AMC deputy commissioner Riddhesh Raval said the lake site covers 96,000 square metres of government land, of which nearly 30%, or 28,800 square metres, has been encroached. He said 167 commercial units were removed before Diwali and the current phase targets 925 illegal residential structures.

“We have issued notices twice and informed all occupants in advance,” Raval told media persons, adding that the corporation had collected documents from eligible residents for possible coverage under a housing scheme.

The corporation maintains that the land belongs to the lake and cannot be used for any permanent construction. The drive is part of a wider plan to revive city lakes and prepare them for flood-control, public access and long-term development.

Officials said eligible residents may be considered for housing under existing schemes, subject to verification of documents and cut-off dates.

The Gujarat High Court recently rejected a petition challenging AMC’s notice to demolish the structures, stating that no construction is permissible on a declared water-body under Section 37 of the Gujarat Land Revenue Code, 1879.