The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has decided to take back two plots in Motera and Ognaj that were allotted to the Uttar Gujarat Vij Company Limited (UGVCL) after the utility failed to pay the required amounts or take further action for about two-and-a-half to three years.
The decision was approved by the AMC Standing Committee after the municipal estate department reported that UGVCL had not completed the payment process despite repeated communications. The plots had been sought by UGVCL in 2023 for constructing sub-division offices.
According to Standing Committee chairman Kamlesh Patel, the municipal corporation receives plots of different sizes under town planning schemes for sale and public-oriented activities. Since UGVCL is a government undertaking, the then Standing Committee had approved allotment of the two plots on a 99-year lease.
The allotment, however, did not progress to payment and possession. The AMC estate department repeatedly wrote to UGVCL, asking the utility to deposit the plot amounts and take possession. No such action was completed during the intervening period, following which the estate department placed the matter before the municipal commissioner.
The commissioner subsequently proposed that both plots be taken back. The Standing Committee approved the proposal and also directed officials to prepare details of other municipal reserve plots that were allotted to agencies, institutions or organisations but remained unpaid after the applicable time limits had expired.
The committee instructed the civic administration to complete action in such cases within the prescribed time limits and in accordance with policy and rules. The direction places the focus on how municipal land allotments are monitored after approval, particularly when the receiving agency does not complete payment or begin the intended public project.
The Standing Committee meeting also reviewed the condition and cleaning schedule of Ahmedabad’s water tanks after bones were reportedly found in a water tank in the Asarwa area. Municipal officials informed the committee that the city has 243 water tanks and that they are cleaned twice a year. Officials also reported that 96 tanks had been cleaned according to the schedule.
The committee chairman directed the water department to maintain strict supervision of cleaning work so that tank maintenance is carried out regularly and residents receive clean and safe water. The AMC’s next steps on the reclaimed Motera and Ognaj plots will involve completing the formal process of taking back the allotments and presenting details of other delayed or unpaid municipal plot allocations before the Standing Committee.
