Despite SC stay,AMC bulldozer razes down Gulbai Tekra hutments

The AMC staff came to the area on Friday along with armed policemen to demolish nearly 75 houses. The demolition drive ended abruptly after strong opposition from the residents. The police reportedly resorted to lathi charge leaving two injured.

In the violence that followed,the AMC driver of the bulldozer was seriously injured.

Gulbai Tekra issue is pending with the court since 1961. The latest being the petition filed by advocate Girish Patel in the High Court. The court directed that 1,130 evacuees should be given alternative accommodation and no demolition should take place until dwellers,the AMC,and other parties sit together to find a solution.

The AMC still collects tax from the occupants of the houses demolished at Gulbai Tekra— a copy of the same is with Newsline.

The AMC had demolished 120 hutments in 2004 to construct a road from Telephone Exchange to Gulbai Tekra police chowky with a promise to shift the evacuees to a place near a private garden and collected their thumb impressions.

One of the affected evacuees,Maga Bathi,said: “We still pay tax of Rs 587 for ‘the relics’ of our two-storied house no. 282 in TP scheme 20 at Gulbai Tekra. Many others have been charged tax for the ‘remains’ here and also at our rehabilitation site at Vasna.”

Gulbai Tekra is the biggest and the oldest slum pockets in Ahmedabad existing for 150 years. A 102-year-old resident of the area,Raami Bhati,said “Five generations of our people have stayed here. Our people worked as labourers when the bridges were being constructed in the city. We have the proof of 1976 cut-off date and we cannot be evacuated.”

According to AMC sources,the roads from Telephone Exchange to the police chowky and Panchavati to Gujarat University surrounding the pocket need to be widened. The AMC has also marked the areas for demolition.

Municipal Commissioner I P Gatuam said,“I have no idea about any demolition taking place.”

Deputy Municipal Commissioner (West Zone) U C Padia was not available for his comments.

Historical perspective

Laxmi Bhati,one of the first families who migrated to Gulbai Tekra,said: “We migrated from Rajasthan in 1856 following a severe drought there. It was British Raj then and this forest land belonged to none. A rich Parsi woman,Gulbai (Gulmoharbai),desired to donate this land to us. We didn’t ask whether the land belonged to her or not,and named it Gulbai Tekra.”

Laxmi said Gulbai’s treasurers,Chotalal and Ramanlal Davaal,used to collect Rs 2 or Rs 5 as rent of the house,which she was unaware of. “When the first municipal corporation was set up,we paid taxes. In 1972,Mangaldas Mathur,the first mayor of the city,acquired the possession of the land and we came to know about it only when the name of the owners changed in the tax bills.” The case regarding the ownership of land moved to court in 1961 followed by Mathur’s petition against the AMC in 1972. The case was dismissed in 1997. The hutments,however,still get tax bills in the name of Chotalal and Ramanlal Davaal.