Jamnagar civic body in Gujarat resumes clearing illegal encroachments along riverbanks
Ahmedabad: The Jamnagar Municipal Corporation (JMC) in Gujarat resumed its large-scale demolition drive targeting illegal encroachments along the banks of the Rangamati and Nagmati rivers near Ranjit Sagar Road on Friday.
The operation aims to free up nearly 66,000 square feet of public land, with an estimated value of around Rs one crore. The demolition action follows prior notices served to 33 illegal encroachers, and marks a continuation of efforts to clear riverbeds ahead of the monsoon.
The initiative is part of a broader plan linked to the Riverfront Development Project, and is intended to prevent waterlogging and flooding in city areas during the rainy season. The operation saw the deployment of significant resources, including six JCB machines, four tractors, and one excavator, along with the coordinated efforts of over 100 municipal staff and a strong police force, which also included women officers from the City A Division.
Earlier this week, on Wednesday, a similar demolition was carried out along the stretch between Kalavad Naka and Nageshwar, where 50,000 square feet of space was cleared between morning and 6 p.m.
Meanwhile, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) completed a two-phase demolition drive around Chandola Lake in the Danilimda area, targeting illegal encroachments that had accumulated over decades.
The operation, which began on April 29 and concluded on May 22, resulted in the removal of approximately 12,500 unauthorised structures, including residences, shops, and religious establishments, reclaiming around four lakh square meters of public land.
The first phase of the drive cleared about 1.5 lakh square meters, while the second phase focused on an additional 2.5 lakh square meters. The AMC deployed substantial resources, including 35 bulldozers, 15 earthmovers, and over 350 personnel, with the support of 3,000 police and State Reserve Police officers to maintain law and order during the operations.
The demolition drive has sparked discussions regarding the rehabilitation of displaced residents. The AMC has stated that individuals who have been residing in the area since before 2010 are eligible for alternative housing under the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) housing scheme. However, concerns have been raised about the adequacy and timeliness of these provisions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
15 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Slice SFB aiming to close FY26 in the black; not looking to raise any capital
Slice Small Finance Bank has turned profitable on a monthly basis and is aiming to close FY26 in the black, a top official has said. The entity, which came out of a surprising merger between the fintech Slice and the North East SFB a few months ago, is adequately capitalised and not looking to raise any capital, its executive director Rajan Bajaj told PTI. The current focus is to build a pan-India business using the low-cost digital channels, and the entity is not interested in any more mergers, Bajaj said, adding that it may look at transitioning to a universal bank in the next five years. Before the merger, the North East SFB had reported a loss of Rs 441 crore, and Slice was also reporting losses. "We have turned profitable post-tax on a monthly basis and will close the year in profits," Bajaj said. The bank is adequately capitalised and the buffers will also be supported by the profits, he added. As per recent media reports, the bank was aiming to raise up to USD 300 million in capital. It is adding up to 3 lakh new accounts to its base on the back of digital journeys, Bajaj said, pointing out that the savings bank interest rate offering is at par with the RBI's repo rate and the fixed deposit offerings are a notch higher, which is helping in attracting customers. The pace of account opening is the fifth or the sixth fastest in the industry and at par with much bigger rivals, he said. On the lending front, it does consumer credit including unsecured personal loans and business credit which includes loans against property, he said, stressing that the focus is on serving people who may be underserved by the banking system. Aiming for a big increase in its borrowers and loan portfolio, the bank launched a UPI-based credit card on Saturday, Bajaj said, pointing out that over 30 crore of UPI users can be the potential target audience for such an offering. The bank stands to make an interchange of up to 1 per cent depending on where the credit facility is availed, and will also make revenues from rollovers and fees, he said. Bajaj said its personal credit vertical has been able to deliver credit at a cost which is a tenth of the industry courtesy digital inputs, and added that the credit costs are also 30 per cent lower than the industry average because of the analytics engine which is used for diligence. The bank also launched a 'UPI-powered bank branch' in Bengaluru, which can be used by any bank's customers for a slew of transactions, including cash deposits into any account using cash accepting machine, and then remitting the money to any mobile number, Bajaj said.
United News of India
20 minutes ago
- United News of India
Jammu ED attaches immovable properties worth crores in PDA case
Jammu, June 29 (UNI) The Enforcement Directorate Jammu has attached the immovable properties worth crores in the case of Patnitop Development Authority (PDA) under the PMLA, 2002. "Enforcement Directorate, Jammu has provisionally attached several immovable properties worth Rs. 15.78 Crore (approx.) on 27.06.2025 in the case of Patnitop Development Authority (PDA) under the PMLA, 2002," Enforcement Directorate posted on X. It further posted, "The provisionally attached properties comprises land, building and Income generated from running of Hotel Pine Heritage, Hotel Dream Land and Hotel Shahi Santoor, all located in Patnitop." UNI VBH GNK 1657
Indian Express
27 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘Forced to downsize': Once hubs for live performances, Gurgaon's BYOB venues hit by new restrictions
'While we are being forced to downsize without being heard, other states are looking at Gurgaon's Bring Your Own Booze (BYOB) joints as an example. Every year, there are new restrictions,' complains Gaurav Katyal (31), proprietor, Ebowla, Sector 30. After new restrictions kicked in earlier this month, Gurgaon's BYOB joints like Ebowla – once thriving hubs for live performances and hotspots to have alcohol at prices that are not marked up — have become shadows of their former selves. Referred colloquially as 'ahatas' and as 'taverns' in the excise policy, these joints have been restricted from hosting live events and musical performances. In the new Haryana excise policy, which came into effect on June 12, the licensing fee has also been increased, and the joints cannot expand beyond one floor — they have to operate within a 1,000 square metre area. Not just Katyal, many proprietors across the city are upset. Ebowla, he says, had to reduce its operational area by half, shut down its first floor, and pay Rs 1.8 crore as a licence fee to operate its BYOB unit. For its adjoining liquor store, it had to pay Rs 45 crore as license fees for 21.5 months. Its stage, including a space for the DJ, is now defunct. 'We would recover a significant amount of the hefty liquor store license fees through BYOBs. We would have (local) celebrities and dancers perform here to draw crowds. That's no longer the case. With the rise in expenses, our planned expansions in the city are on hold,' Katyal adds. According to him, new players would now be apprehensive of entering the sector. 'Even we are only in this business because we have a reputation of being solid players in this space. Varna ab kya rakha hain? (Otherwise, what is left now?),' he asks. The scene is no different for such joints at Golf Course Extension Road. 'Fifty workers at my joint lost their jobs, and their families are now suffering. If I cannot have music and you're increasing taxes, who will come anymore to even my joint?' says an owner on condition of anonymity. The state government, he adds, has ignored the middle segment of consumers. 'Can everyone afford to go to bars and restaurants to drink, with their marked-up prices? Ultimately, it will cause losses to the government in terms of revenue,' he says. Notices from the Excise Department on unpaid dues and pending rent under the previous policy have been pasted at the premises of several joints — Machan in Sector 29, Dakotta in Sector 32, and Where Else in Sector 59. 'We have been closed since June 11. Things are uncertain. Ab license renew hone ka koi aasha bhi nahi hain (now there is little hope of securing a new license),' says a staff member at Where Else. Dakotta, too, has been closed for now. Amit Bhatia, Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner (DETC), Gurugram East, tells The Indian Express that it is common for time to be taken for the renewal of licences and agreements between policies. 'The agreements between the liquor store operators and proprietors of taverns take time. Some initial losses and a drop in business with any rise in taxes is natural. Projected excise collections are on course, it is still early days to look too far ahead,' Bhatia says. Jitender Dudi, DETC for Gurugram West, says a clearer picture of the revenue impact can be known only once the auctions for vends in the 37 zones remaining are complete. 'These places were unregulated. We had got representations from restaurant associations about their business being impacted,' he says.
