Over 1,300 houses razed in Rajkot's largest-ever demolition drive amid heavy police deployment

Deputy Municipal Commissioner Mahesh Jani said around 1,500 properties were issued notices, including bungalows and multi-storey buildings.

Over 1,300 houses were razed as part of a mega demolition drive launched by civic authorities in Gujarat's Rajkot on Tuesday to clear illegal settlements along the Aji River.

The RMC had demolished around 1,350 houses along the Aji River as of 2 pm on Tuesday. (PTI)

The demolition drive, which is the largest-ever by the Rajkot Municipal Corporation, was carried out amid tight security, with the deployment of more than 2,500 police personnel, PTI news agency reported.

Deputy Municipal Commissioner Mahesh Jani told PTI that around 1,500 properties were issued notices, which included around 681 houses along the riverbank. Of these, the RMC had demolished around 1,350 houses along the Aji River as of 2 pm on Tuesday, civic chief Tushar Sumera told PTI.

Local police, surveillance teams, drone surveillance units, Special Operations Group personnel, Quick Response Teams (QRT) and State Reserve Police Force were present at the site to ensure peaceful completion of the drive.

The 2.5-km area of Jangleshwar along the river will be covered in the demolition drive, with more than 1,400 of the total illegal settlements located there.

Displaced to be accommodated under housing scheme: Dy Municipal Commissioner

He said the municipality is firm on removing the illegal settlements, while stating that the displaced families will be accommodated under the housing scheme. Jani said a new road will be developed there within a week, as planned.

The demolition is taking some time owing to the presence of multi-storey buildings and palatial bungalows, which are also being torn down, PTI reported. For the demolition, the area was divided into seven zones, with Class-1 officers and technical teams deployed for the drive.

Over 260 machines, including JCBs, tractors, breakers, and dumpers are being used. More than 65 earth-excavating machines and extra-large hydraulic excavators have been deployed to raze the palatial bungalows, according to PTI.

Deputy Municipal Commissioner Jani said the demolition has, so far, been peaceful, and there has been strong local cooperation during the drive.