AHMEDABAD: The Morbi Municipal Corporation has reversed its demolition order for the slum on Panchasar Road. This decision came after 115 residents approached the Gujarat High Court, alleging that the civic body was attempting to evict them without offering alternative housing.
The slum-dwellers filed a petition, asserting that they have lived in the area for decades, with government acknowledgment of their presence dating back to the Machchhu floods in 1979. Since then, they have been requesting government action to regularize their settlement. During a road-widening initiative carried out by the municipality between 2020 and 2023, the slum residents cooperated by removing parts of their structures that encroached on the road.
On March 17, following a series of notices, a junior town planner issued an order under the Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporation (GPMC) Act, giving them seven days to vacate their constructions and threatening demolition after March 24. The authority did not consider any responses to this order.
The petitioners approached the High Court, arguing that the municipal decision violated the principles of natural justice, as they had not been heard. Furthermore, they contended that the civic body planned to evict them without providing any alternative accommodations, despite various housing schemes being initiated by both the state and central governments for economically disadvantaged groups facing eviction.
In court, the Morbi municipal commissioner announced the withdrawal of the demolition orders and requested permission to issue a comprehensive, reasoned decision regarding the slum dwellers’ request for alternative housing based on documentation validating their long-term occupancy on the land.
