Gandhinagar witnessed a massive anti-encroachment drive on Thursday as bulldozers rolled into the Pethapur area along the Sabarmati riverfront. The Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC), Roads and Buildings (R&B) department, and police launched the operation at 4 am, targeting nearly one lakh sq m of encroached land, valued at about Rs 1,000 crore.
Officials said around 700 illegal structures were marked for demolition, of which 150 houses and shops were already razed by afternoon. Over 700 police personnel and 20 joint teams supervised the action.
Authorities said the reclaimed land will be used for key infrastructure and public projects, and the demolition drive will continue for the next two to three days.