AMC Scraps ₹68.44-Crore Makarba Land Auction to Build Police Station, Foregoes ₹38.52 Crore

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has cancelled a lucrative commercial land auction on Makarba Road, opting instead to allocate the prime prime-location plot for a new police station. The decision, approved by the AMC Standing Committee on Thursday, September 24, 2026, forces the civic body to forfeit over ₹38.52 crore in revenue to address local security and law-and-order concerns.

Under the revised allocation, the final plot number 96 under Town Planning (TP) Scheme 84/A will be transferred to the police department at a base rate of ₹80,000 per square metre, generating ₹29.92 crore for the municipality. The plot was previously slated for commercial sale to Tameer Infrastructure, whose winning e-auction bid of ₹1.83 lakh per square metre would have fetched ₹68.44 crore for the civic exchequer.

Security Demands and Disturbed Areas Act Concerns

The policy shift follows strong representations from Vejalpur MLA Amit Thaker, who petitioned the Municipal Commissioner to secure the strategic plot near Al Buruj Crossroads.

Citing the sensitive nature of the locality—which falls under the Disturbed Areas Act due to adjacent Hindu and Muslim populations—Thaker highlighted the need for enhanced policing. The site will house an upgraded station for Sarkhej police, relieving operational pressure on existing facilities including M Division Traffic, SG-1 Traffic, and the Sarkhej police station, while leveraging proximity to the Sarkhej Police Headquarters for quick reinforcements.

Key timeline and financial metrics of the Makarba plot decision:

• August 8, 2024: Standing Committee and Board approve commercial e-auction for TP 84/A Plot 96.
• Top Bid: Tameer Infrastructure bids ₹1.83 lakh/sq m (Total value: ₹68.44 crore).
• April 16, 2026: Municipal Administrator cancels the initial e-auction process.
• September 24, 2026: Standing Committee formally approves cancellation and reallocation for police use.
• Revised Rate: Base price of ₹80,000/sq m (Total value: ₹29.92 crore).
• Net Revenue Loss: ₹38.52 crore foregone by AMC.

Controversy Over Merged Shilaj-Thaltej Plot Sale

Alongside the Makarba decision, questions have surfaced over another major AMC land deal involving the merger of two adjacent plots: Final Plot 93 (TP 216 Shilaj) and Final Plot 103 (TP 214 Thaltej).

After failing to sell the plots individually, the AMC merged the 10,194-square-metre land parcel and sold it via e-auction to Dineshchandra Heavy Manufacturing Private Limited for ₹201.43 crore at a base price of ₹1.75 lakh per square metre.

The transaction has drawn criticism within civic circles because the base price for the Thaltej plot was previously set at ₹2.91 lakh per square metre (with Shilaj at ₹1.70 lakh per square metre). Merging the plots effectively slashed the reserve price for the Thaltej land by ₹1.16 lakh per square metre, prompting allegations that the base rate was intentionally lowered to favour preferred developers.