HC stays IMC’s massive demolition drive on Kanadia road

A division bench of the Madhya Pradesh high court on Thursday ordered the Indore Municipal Corporation and district administration to halt the massive demolition drive on Kanadia road and clear the debris from the area until it pronounces final orders on the matter.

A division bench of the Madhya Pradesh high court on Thursday ordered the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) and district administration to halt the massive demolition drive on Kanadia road and clear the debris from the area until it pronounces final orders on the matter.

IMC conducted a massive demolition drive for the second day on Kanadia Road in Indore on Thursday. (Shankar Mourya/HT photo)

However, before the high court ordered to stay the proceedings, the IMC, with the use of heavy machinery and over 150 men, demolished at least 90% of the encroachments in Samvid Nagar on Kanadia Road.

The interim orders were passed by the high court in response to a PIL moved by advocate Akash Sharma. The division bench will hear the matter again on Friday.

Earlier, on Thursday morning, carrying forward the demolition drive that was started on Wednesday, the corporation razed almost all the encroachments, barring a few religious places, to widen the 50-60 feet road to 104 feet.

However, the corporation did not remove the debris left after the demolition drive, inconveniencing residents and commuters. The court took notice of the matter and ordered the corporation to remove the debris at the earliest.

The city’s 2021 master plan was drafted in the year 2005, and came into force in 2008.

Earlier, many political leaders had intervened in the process, and the corporation had to abandon its anti-encroachment plans at least thrice.