Demolition drive at Statue of Unity: Government removes 5 illegal luxury bungalows – here’s what we know | Today’s news

The Narmada district administration in Gujarat launched a massive demolition drive earlier this week, demolishing five structures illegally built by serving and retired government officials on land allotted to them near the Statue of Unity.

A local BJP MLA said on Monday that the structures were demolished after authorities found violations of allotment conditions and building regulations, news agency PTI reported.

Here’s why the demolition drive was done

According to the BJP MLA, the government land was allotted for residential purposes; however, some assignees built multi-story buildings with a large number of rooms, apparently for commercial purposes. The action against the violators comes after officials in 2019 initiated proceedings to return 13 residential plots allotted at subsidized rates to senior government officials in the Garudeshwar area, about a kilometer from the Statue of Unity.

According to NDTV, 13 plots were allotted under the tenure of the then District Collector RS Ninam and these highly valuable plots were allotted at huge concessional rates to Class 1 and Class 2 officers, some of whom have since retired while others continue to serve in senior positions such as Additional Collector.

Irregularities were discovered almost immediately after the allocation, prompting the government to withdraw six plots that same year. Two members obtained a preliminary injunction from the court and the remaining five structures were demolished on June 28.

After the demolition, Nandod MLA Darshna Deshmukh addressed reporters and said she had first raised the issue in 2023 at a district coordination committee meeting after reports alleged that government land was allotted to senior officials at preferential rates.

BJP MLA’s remarks on demolition drive

Deshmukh said, “I asked how many officials got these plots and under what conditions. I was informed that about 13 government officials got plots. The government has now demolished five structures where the allotment conditions were violated.”

She further alleged that the local panchayat had issued notices to the officials allotting the plots “about three times” during the construction but they did not comply. Deshmukh claimed, “They did not get approvals for building plans or estimates from the city planning authority. Since the area falls under the Statue of Unity zone, the constructions were found to be in violation of the prescribed conditions.”

The lawmaker further stated that the plots were allocated for housing, but it later emerged that some officials had built three to four-story buildings with roughly 15 to 25 rooms. She added: “It appears there was commercial construction going on.”

Deshmukh stated that no one should be spared action if they violated the rules, adding, “Whether it is an official, a public representative or anyone else, the government’s decisions are firm. This action reflects transparency and sends a message that no one will be spared if rules are violated.”

She also questioned why the officials were interested in finding land in the rapidly developing Kevadia-Garudéshwar region.