Land encroachers shrink Ahmedabad pond

With land prices soaring, land encroachment in the city has also seen a rise. In fact, the land mafia is not only eyeing government land but is also keen on seizing water bodies.

One such incident has come to notice in Sardarnagar area of AMC’s north zone.

The pond located opposite the ‘G’ ward post office has mysteriously shrunk to just 30% of its original size, thanks to earth filling in a systematic manner. The residents of the area feel that some group is behind the land filling activity and the aim is to encroach on the land.

The people in the area did not want to talk about the issue as they fear being at the receiving end of the encroachers’ ire. But they agreed to talk to this newspaper following assurance that they will not be named.

The residents said that most of the earth filling happened in the last eight to 12 months.

This has hindered the natural flow of rainwater, leading to severe waterlogging in the area and considerably reducing the storage capacity of the pond. “It is not that we did not face any waterlogging problem before the earth filling began. But now the situation has worsened as the pond has shrunk,” said a resident of the area.

“Earlier only around 10 hutments were built near the pond but now it has increased to more than 30 and a temple has also been constructed on the land reclaimed by filling the pond,” said a resident.

Sources in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation said that they received complaints about encroachment, but they cannot take any action as the land falls under the purview of the state government.

AD Katara, additional resident collector of Ahmedabad, said that he was not aware of any such incident. However, he said that his office will take action against any encroacher after visiting the spot.

“If any encroachment is found on the water body, we will remove it immediately and take possession of the land,” said Katara.