The Gujarat High Court has issued a notice to the Archaeology Department after complaints of a foul odor at Sarkhej Roza, a Monument of National Importance designated by the Archaeological Survey of India. The next hearing is scheduled for September 30.
A petition filed by the Sarkhej Roza Committee highlighted long-standing neglect of the historic site. Residents and commuters reported that the stench around the complex has become unbearable.
The petition noted that Makarba Lake (Shingola Talav) within the complex has been connected to illegal sewage and drainage lines. It urged the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to inspect the site and take immediate remedial action.
The petition emphasized that Sarkhej Roza attracts foreign tourists and has even been visited by the President of India, yet repeated complaints to authorities have gone unaddressed.
The AMC opposed the petition, stating that Sarkhej Roza is a protected historic monument under the Archaeology Department’s jurisdiction. They added that the sewage lines were laid with their consent and that the matter, as the site is managed by a Waqf trust, should be taken up with the Waqf Tribunal, not the High Court.