A demolition drive launched by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation to remove slums along the Sabarmati riverfront suffered a setback on Friday when the Gujarat high court bench stayed further demolitions.
A demolition drive launched by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to remove slums along the Sabarmati riverfront suffered a setback on Friday when the Gujarat high court bench stayed further demolitions.
More than 300 people living in the slums on the Sabarmati riverfront rushed to the high court when the civic body began razing their houses.
At the request of the leaders of the slum-dwellers, chief justice SJ Mukhopadhya, who had concluded his day's work, called the leaders and their lawyers for an urgent hearing in his chamber.
After a preliminary hearing of the case, the bench of chief justice Mukhopadhya and justice JB Pardiwala stayed the demolitions and adjourned the case till June 13.
Manoj Shrimali, counsel for the slum-dwellers, submitted before the bench that the high court had earlier granted a stay order on any demolition of slums that was undertaken without providing the slum-dwellers an alternative place of residence.
The Rehabilitation Committee, which is working under retired high court judge DP Buch, is also not taking effective steps for the rehabilitation of the slum-dwellers, Shrimali said.
In 2005, advocate Girish Patel had filed a petition seeking alternative residence for slum-dwellers who had become a victim of the demolition drive. The high court had then stayed all such demolitions.
“We approached the high court as the AMC had started demolishing our houses. We are happy that the chief justice has given us relief,” said Bina Jadhav of Rahethan Adhikar Manch.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}