700 families evicted in Gandhinagar as municipal corporation carries out mega demolition drive

Following the state government’s recent anti-encroachment drives in districts across Gujarat and in Ahmedabad, similar action has now been taken in Gandhinagar to remove decades-old residential encroachments.

A mega demolition drive was launched in Gandhinagar by Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) on Thursday under heavy police security, with more than 500 police personnel deployed by the district administration and police department. The operation focused on areas such as GEB, Pethapur, and Charedi, where people had built and lived in illegal makeshift houses for years.

Bulldozers were rolled in to demolish over 700 such encroachments built on large tracts of government land along the Sabarmati riverbank in these areas. Teams from the district police, officials of the GMC, and demolition vehicles began the operation early in the morning.

This action has now sparked debate among residents about when the corporation will take similar steps against illegal constructions and encroachments in Gandhinagar’s sectors and on main roads. Citizens point out that encroachments continue to exist in Sector 24, Sector 13, and Sector 20, and are questioning when the authorities will move to clear those as well.