Video Editor: Sandeep Suman
Video Producer: Aastha Gulati
Located near Ahmedabad’s Geeta Mandir bus station, a 400-year-old Mughal era gateway was razed to the ground in November to construct a new bus depot.
A new industrial complex is being constructed at the spot for the last three months.
A private builder, who was given the development plan by the Ahmedabad/Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC), has said that the gate was demolished as per the plan.
When I got to know about this, I informed the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Culture, who, after understanding the seriousness of the situation directed the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation to take necessary action.
The AMC has now cancelled the license of the builder and sealed off the construction site, albeit too late.
Not the First Incident of its Kind
Ahmedabad is the first city in the country to get the ‘World Heritage City’ tag. Ever since then, there have been many incidents where our national monuments have been attacked.
The first incident was the construction of a pit line at Kalupar Railway station by DRM near the Brick Minars. I filed a petition against this in the Gujarat High Court.
The second incident was in Paldi. To lay drainage lines, a department of the AMC dug a pit 500 square meters deep, 20 meters away from a national monument, causing it great damage.
I knocked on the doors of the Gujarat High Court for that too. I reported on both of these cases for The Quint’s My Report.
What needs to be addressed is the contribution of our governments and departments in conserving, preserving or destroying our national monuments. Ahmedabad’s civic bodies must be reminded that these are clear violations of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act and they need to act with more seriousness in these matters.
AMC’s Response to The Quint
Sources in the Heritage Department of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation have told The Quint that the demolition was illegal and there was no direction given for the same. AMC is contesting this in the Gujarat High Court as well.
The construction is at a standstill till the court passes an order.
(All 'My Report' branded stories are submitted by citizen journalists to The Quint. Though The Quint inquires into the claims/allegations from all parties before publishing, the report and the views expressed above are the citizen journalist's own. The Quint neither endorses, nor is responsible for the same.)
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