The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has decided to take back two municipal plots in Motera and Ognaj that were allotted to the Uttar Gujarat Vij Company Limited (UGVCL) for sub-division offices but remained unused after the utility did not pay the required amounts or take possession.
The decision was approved by the AMC Standing Committee after the civic estate department reported that UGVCL had taken no action for nearly two and a half to three years. The plots had been sought by UGVCL in 2023, and the Standing Committee had subsequently approved their allotment on a 99-year lease because the electricity distribution company is a government entity.
According to Standing Committee chairman Kamleshbhai Patel, the AMC receives plots of different sizes under town planning schemes for sale and public-oriented activities. The Motera and Ognaj plots were among those allotted for the proposed UGVCL sub-division offices. However, the utility did not deposit the plot-related payments required to proceed with the allotment.
The AMC estate department had reportedly sent repeated letters to UGVCL asking it to pay for the plots and take possession. After no action was taken, the department referred the matter to the municipal commissioner. The commissioner then placed a proposal before the Standing Committee to cancel the allotment and repossess both plots.
Along with approving the repossession, the Standing Committee directed the civic administration to prepare details of other municipal reserve plots that may have been allotted to agencies, institutions or other organisations without payment. The review is also expected to include cases where the stipulated time limit for completing the allotment process has expired. The committee instructed officials to complete such action within the applicable rules and timelines.
The meeting also reviewed the maintenance of Ahmedabad’s water tanks after bones were reportedly found in a water tank in the Asarwa area. Officials told the committee that the city has 243 water tanks and that each tank is cleaned twice a year. They further reported that 96 tanks had been cleaned according to the current schedule.
The Standing Committee chairman directed the water department to maintain strict oversight of scheduled cleaning so that residents receive clean and safe water. The source report did not provide the names, measurements or monetary values of the two plots, nor did it state whether UGVCL has responded to the repossession decision.
