Amid protests, Nandoli to merge with Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation

AHMEDABAD: For the past two days, residents of Nandoli in Kalol taluka of Gandhinagar have been sitting on a dharna near the village entrance.
The banner reads ‘AMC bhagaado, Nandoli bachaao’, which translates to ‘stop AMC, save Nandoli’.
The villagers have been organising meetings and dharnas to protest the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority’s proposal to merge their village with Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.
They claim that AUDA had prepared and submitted the proposal to the state government based on a single society’s demand.
They allege that the AUDA did not consult the remaining residents of the village.
While AUDA is keen on bringing Nandoli to AMC limits despite these protests, it is ignoring the demands made by residents of Shela village, which has developed in every aspect in the past few years.
Residents of Shela village, which also falls under AUDA have been asking for the village to be merged with AMC as the area has developed quickly.
“Two years ago, the state government merged around 150 survey number areas from AUDA with AMC. These areas included Bopal, Ghuma, Kathwada, Nana Chiloda, Sanathal, and Bisalpur. AMC also proposed bringing Zundal, Koteshwar, Khoraj, Khodiyar, and Sughad in its limits. However, the government did not sanction this and merged these areas with Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation. At the time, no civic body had proposed merging Nandoli village,” said the sources.
Recently, members of a residential society in Nandoli wrote to the state housing and urban development department, suggesting that the village be merged with AMC to boost the development of the place. Soon after this letter, AUDA proposed to bring Nandoli under AMC and approved the proposal during a meeting.
The proposal has been sent to the state government for final approval.
The state government may soon issue a notification to merge Nandoli, which is located near Bhadaj and Shilaj areas, with AMC.
Sources said that Nandoli village covers 375 land survey numbers and most of them include agricultural zones where farming is done. The residents, including the sarpanch of the village, have opposed this autocratic decision and are preparing to approach the state government to stop this merger.
“We oppose AUDA’s decision. What kind of development can we expect from AMC which has failed to provide basic facilities in areas like Bopal and Ghuma? It is just a ploy to force farmers of this village to sell their lands at cheap rates,” said Rajuji Thakor, a Nandoli resident and a local leader. He said the village residents have decided to write to AUDA and the state government.
Vishnuji Thakor, the village sarpanch said that the decision was not in the interests of the villagers.