Days after a major demolition around Chandola Lake, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and city police on Monday carried out another large-scale operation at Isanpur Lake in the South Zone, razing more than 900 encroachments.
Officials said that of the lake’s total area of around 95,640 sq metres, nearly 90,000 sq metres of illegal constructions have now been cleared. The site had 167 commercial and 925 residential structures; all commercial units had already been removed earlier.
The demolition began at 7 am and continued till 6 pm, using 12 Hitachi machines, eight JCBs, 12 dumpers and 12 pusher machines. Around 700 AMC personnel from the estate, engineering, health, fire and UCD departments, along with 550 police personnel, were deployed. Twenty joint teams were formed to execute the drive.
The lake area was divided into four zones for systematic removal. Two fire teams and two medical teams were stationed on standby. “For safety, electricity connections were disconnected beforehand, and residents were given time to remove their belongings.
The UCD department also arranged AMTS buses to shift 44 families to a nearby shelter home,” an AMC official said.AMC stated that its estate department had issued three notices over the past two months, including personal notices urging residents to vacate. Despite repeated warnings, the encroachments remained occupied.
“To accommodate long-time residents, applications with supporting documents were invited for housing under the PMAY 2.0 scheme. After verification, eligible families will be allotted homes,” the AMC said. Public notices were also issued through newspapers, hoardings and auto-rickshaw announcements. A final eviction notice was served on November 20, followed by a four-day extension on humanitarian grounds.
Officials said nearly 1,000 illegal structures had sprung up inside and along the boundary of Isanpur Lake over the years. Many residents watched as their pucca and kutcha houses were demolished under heavy police security.
The AMC added that development of the lake is part of this year’s civic budget. “After clearing the debris, the lake will be revived and filled with rainwater through the stormwater line, helping eliminate nearby waterlogging. Further lake development and removal of remaining encroachments will continue,” the official said.