The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) last week demolished around 10 hutments and four deris (small temples) at Gulbai Tekra despite a stay order from the Supreme Court.

It was only recently that a contempt of court petition was filed in the Gujarat High Court against the state government and the AMC for ignoring the Supreme Court’s stay on demolition of slums in Ahmedabad.

The AMC staff came to the area on Friday along with armed policemen to demolish nearly 75 houses. The demolition drive ended abruptly after strong opposition from the residents. The police reportedly resorted to lathi charge leaving two injured.

In the violence that followed, the AMC driver of the bulldozer was seriously injured.

Gulbai Tekra issue is pending with the court since 1961. The latest being the petition filed by advocate Girish Patel in the High Court. The court directed that 1,130 evacuees should be given alternative accommodation and no demolition should take place until dwellers, the AMC, and other parties sit together to find a solution.

The AMC still collects tax from the occupants of the houses demolished at Gulbai Tekra— a copy of the same is with Newsline.

The AMC had demolished 120 hutments in 2004 to construct a road from Telephone Exchange to Gulbai Tekra police chowky with a promise to shift the evacuees to a place near a private garden and collected their thumb impressions.

One of the affected evacuees, Maga Bathi, said: “We still pay tax of Rs 587 for ‘the relics’ of our two-storied house no. 282 in TP scheme 20 at Gulbai Tekra. Many others have been charged tax for the ‘remains’ here and also at our rehabilitation site at Vasna.”

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