Madhya Pradesh CM wields pickaxe in Ujjain — to pull down own home for Simhastha preparation

After partial demolition of his home, Yadav said people of Ujjain had voluntarily moved portions of their houses to make way for the development works, calling it an “ideal example” of public participation. He said the city, with a population of around eight lakh residents, was preparing to handle the arrival of nearly 40 crore people during Simhastha.

“Everyone has contributed,” Yadav said, adding that he also thanked his government for carrying out the exercise without discrimination.

“Whether Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian or Parsi, people have even moved their places of worship back,” he said.

The road project runs for about 730 metres, from Khajurwali Masjid through Abdalpura and the Jiwajiganj police station area to Ganesh Chowk. The existing road is being widened to 15 metres, with the state government sanctioning about Rs 9.80 crore for the work. The municipal corporation has identified 272 buildings that will be affected by the widening.

For Yadav, the impact is personal. Around 2.3 metres of his ancestral house falls within the proposed road alignment. His sister, Kalawati Yadav, whose house is also affected, has said the family is willing to give up that portion for the city’s development.

A government official abreast with the events said, “The CM himself decided to demolish a portion of his home to send the message that even his own home or in fact any VIP’s property would not be spared. It was a symbolic gesture which should help build confidence.”

But the demolition of Yadav’s home comes at a particularly sensitive moment in Ujjain, where road widening for Simhastha has already triggered resistance from residents and a legal battle over the proposed partial demolition of Shahi Masjid mosque.

Legal battle

The Madhya Pradesh High Court, earlier this month, dismissed two petitions challenging the Ujjain Municipal Corporation’s decision to remove a portion of the Shahi Masjid for widening the Gopal Mandir Road to 15 metres. The mosque’s management had argued that the proposed action affected part of its prayer hall, a 120-foot minaret and the Mazhar Chowk Shahi, and challenged the action on constitutional grounds. The mosque is registered as a Waqf property.

Justice Sandeep N Bhatt, however, held that the corporation had followed the required legal process and rejected the argument that the mosque was being singled out because it was a religious structure. The court noted that portions of 10 temples and one mosque had already been removed on the same road, while authorities had taken action involving about 80 religious structures across Ujjain as part of road-widening plans.

For Simhastha 2028, Ujjain is set to witness a sharp increase in the movement of pilgrims and vehicles. The administration says widening the route will improve traffic movement through this part of the old city and make the network better suited to the expected surge in crowds.