Seven of 37 illegal houses near Asaram Ashram demolished

2 min readUpdated: Jun 7, 2026 08:45 AM IST

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation demolished seven illegally built houses near Asaram Ashram in Motera after a High Court order, while offering alternative housing and rental assistance to affected residents. (Express Photo)

The Estate Department of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) on Saturday demolished seven of the 37 houses illegally built on government land near Asaram Ashram in the city’s Motera area.

In a statement on Saturday evening, the AMC said, “The government had allotted 50 sq.m. of land to 37 families years ago in the Shivnagar area next to the Asaram Ashram in Motera. As per the terms of the deed, the beneficiaries were allowed to construct only on 37.50 sq.m. of the allotted land and 12.50 sq.m. was to be kept open.”

The statement added, “But illegal construction was done by some residents on government land, besides the 50 sq m allotted. A regular notice was given by the Estate Department of the West Zone in this regard. The matter reached the High Court and the court gave a clear order to remove the illegal construction done in more than 50 sq m.

In accordance with the order of the High Court, the residents were informed several times. However, as the illegal construction was not removed, action was taken as per the rules today.”

On compensation, the AMC said, “In exchange for this land, which has become necessary for public purposes, it has been decided to allot new houses at Chandkheda to the residents of Shivnagar. In addition, as an alternative arrangement, a decision has been taken to provide rental assistance of Rs10,000 or provide temporary accommodation at Keshavnagar, Chandkheda.”

“Expressing confidence in this rehabilitation scheme of the government, so far 7 out of 37 families have accepted the benefit and vacated their accommodation. The AMC has appealed to the other residents also to take advantage of this scheme,” the statement said.