Nadiad Municipal Corporation in Gujarat carried out a major demolition drive on 46 disputed shops located at Sardar Bhavan in Vadodara city on Tuesday, December 23. According to local media reports, the shopping complex had been under dispute for a long time as it was allegedly constructed on a water body, and the matter had reached the Gujarat High Court.
The High Court had given shopkeepers until December 22 to voluntarily vacate the premises. After the deadline expired, the civic body demolished the structures using JCB machines under tight security arrangements. More than 100 municipal staff and police personnel were deployed at the site from Tuesday morning.
"The court had ordered the municipal corporation to explore alternative arrangements to prevent any potential accident. The process of demolishing the building is underway after notifying the shopkeepers within 6 months," Municipal Commissioner, Nadiad, G H Solanki said.
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According to the Municipal Commissioner, the construction was in a highly dilapidated condition and posed a serious risk to public safety, making its removal necessary. However, the administration said it adopted a humanitarian approach by providing temporary alternative arrangements for the displaced traders in tin sheds. To prevent any untoward incident, the entire area was cordoned off during the operation.
Solanki said, "The building at Sardar Bhavan had been in a dilapidated condition for a long time. Even in the proceedings before the High Court, the corporation was instructed to remove the unsafe structure as soon as possible to prevent any harm to people or property."
"Accordingly, the demolition work has begun early this morning, after informing all shopkeepers and providing them adequate time to vacate. The operation involves municipal staff, corporation officials, and police personnel. Work is being carried out from early morning, with traffic management in place to ensure minimal disruption," Solanki said reported by the news agency IANS.