33,520 Illegal Units to Be Demolished After Diwali
As of now, 66,135 applications have been submitted for regularization under this law. Of these, 17,319 have been approved, generating ₹182.53 crore for the municipality. However, 33,520 applications have been rejected, indicating that these structures cannot be legalized.
Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner M. Thennarasan announced on Tuesday that the demolition of illegal constructions that cannot be regularized under the Impact Fee law will begin after Diwali. This law allows individuals to legalize certain illegal structures by paying a fee to the municipality, but not all constructions qualify for regularization. Those that do not meet the criteria are subject to demolition, with a particular focus on commercial illegal structures.
As of now, 66,135 applications have been submitted for regularization under this law. Of these, 17,319 have been approved, generating 182.53 crore for the municipality. However, 33,520 applications have been rejected, indicating that these structures cannot be legalized.
Sources from the Estate-TDO department report that illegal residential and commercial constructions have been increasing in the city’s seven zones for years. Although many structures have been regularized under the Impact Fee law—an initiative that has been extended multiple times to help those who built illegally—Thennarasan emphasized the necessity of addressing the rejected applications.
In a recent meeting, the commissioner reviewed the status of these applications and instructed officials to create a plan for demolishing the illegal constructions whose regularization requests were denied. He stressed the importance of prioritizing the demolition of illegal commercial buildings. Additionally, Thennarasan directed ward officers to distribute the applications among inspectors and sub-inspectors to initiate the demolition process promptly.
