The BJP and the Congress MLAs in Ahmedabad are at loggerheads over illegal constructions and heritage buildings in the eastern part of the city, even as concerns are being raised over the preservation of heritage buildings.
Ahmedabad was accorded UNESCO World Heritage City status in 2017.
It all began when BJP MLA from Ellisbridge Amit Shah alleged that an illegal scrap market on a land worth Rs 200 crore had come up in Jamalpur. This was in addition to one unauthorised complex in municipal school numbers 3 and 4 in Jamalpur.
Shah’s allegations prompted Congress MLA from Jamalpur-Khadia Imran Khedawala to allege that heritage houses in Khadia and the Walled City were being demolished to construct flats. He further alleged that this was being done under the patronage of local BJP leaders.
In a letter to the Municipal Commissioner, Khedawala warned that “political maneuvering” of the leaders in the Central Zone could cost the World Heritage status. He further alleged that nearly 2,800 heritage properties, including havelis, houses, mosques, temples, and churches in the central zone, are under threat. He demanded that all the heritage structures be surveyed and preserved.
According to Khedawala, two havelis in Desai ni Pol, as well as structures in Haveli ni Pol and Madan Gopal Haveli Road, have been demolished to construct flats like Sundaram Flats and Akha Smriti Flats.
On 20 September 2024, the Central Zone Estate Department of the Municipal Corporation issued a notice to SB Builders for constructing a three-storey building on Madan Gopal Haveli Road without prior approval. The notice directed them to halt construction and demolish the unauthorised structure.
It is also alleged that a BJP ward president resides in a flat in Desai ni Pol, which houses the highest number of heritage properties in Khadia.
Shah told Vibes of India that illegal construction in Jamalpur is just an example as his attention was drawn. He said that he is for the demolition of all such illegal structures in the city. The BJP MLA categorically said that he is for preservation of all the heritage structures and that the responsibility is that of the municipal corporation.
Efforts to reach out to Khedawala did not yield results till the time of filing the report.
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