AHMEDABAD: Some 16 shops were demolished at
Vastrapur Gam, near the IIM flyover in
Vastrapur area of the city on Tuesday. Authorities of the
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) confirmed that the decision was taken after consent of the shop-owners.
Chaitanya Shah, the AMC’s in-charge deputy
estate officer of the New West Zone, said: “We held meetings with the occupants multiple times and explained why the step was necessary.” Shah said the shop-owners had asked for time till March 12 so that they could empty their premises. “We gave them the necessary time,” Shah said. “The decision has been taken to widen the road near Vastrapur Gam which is currently causing a major traffic bottleneck.” He said the flyover on IIM Crossroads is ensuring smooth traffic flow but the stretch in Vastrapur Gam was narrow and was causing traffic hassles during peak hours.
While there was no major hue and cry at the demolition site and the process was smooth, some shop-owners allege that the civic authorities informed them only in January after which no notice was issued. “The officials informed us orally a couple of days ago and did not give us any written notice,” said Ramesh Thakor, whose shop was demolished. “For some of us, it was business as usual this morning, except for an excavator parked nearby. We were then asked to shut shop and the demolition began. We had no choice but to remove whatever we could.”
Most shopkeepers run small businesses, selling flowers, vegetables, or operating a hair-cutting salon. On an average, they earn up to Rs 500 per day. “We pay Rs 3,000 rent for a room and don’t have any alternative source of earning,” said Jayshree Valand, who used to help her husband run a hair-cutting salon. “ AMC officials should at least provide us with space to run our business.”
