After flood fury, notices sent to encroachers along Vishwamitri River in Vadodara

Vadodara: After several parts of Vadodara in Gujarat faced flood fury in August, the city's municipal corporation has issued notices to people and entities for encroachments along the Vishwamitri River.

The flood fury had severely impacted the people and following the public outrage, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has issued notices for 13 locations, including Agora Mall, for unauthorised constructions along the river.

The corporation conducted thorough drone surveys, record inspections, and on-site visits, identifying various encroachments, such as kitchens, clubhouses, and retaining walls. The encroachers have been given three days to respond, after which the VMC will act to remove the illegal structures. Some have already begun voluntarily dismantling their encroachments.

The VMC has issued notices to several sites, including Water Lily in Vadsar, where a labour camp and retaining wall were identified, and voluntary removal has already been initiated. Similarly, Maryland Party Plot and Global Discovery School, both with canteen encroachments, have also begun voluntary removal efforts. Other sites include a site office near the bridge opposite Somnath Villa in Harni, a building opposite Urmi School in Harni, and a 55-room structure at Kashiba Children Hospital in Karelibaug.

The Shruti Mandir Ashram in Harni was found to have unauthorised construction, including a temple dome and prayer rooms. Agora Mall in Sama was identified for its clubhouse and retaining wall encroachments, while an industrial estate on Bahucharaji Road in Karelibaug and Vishwakunj Society both had temporary fabrication sheds. Lastly, the R.C. Patel Estate in Akota had a labour camp and retaining wall, and two buildings near Global School in Harni were also identified as encroachments.

The floods, which caused widespread disruption, intensified public demands for the removal of illegal constructions along the riverbanks.

Vadodara Municipal Commissioner Dilip Rana confirmed that action is being taken after identifying the violations and stressed that those failing to comply with the notices will face further enforcement.

In August, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel gave in-principle approval to a Rs 1,200-crore project to revive and rejuvenate the Vishwamitri River.

This follows a similar proposal by the BJP-led Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) in 2010 for the Vishwamitri Riverfront Development Project, for which a special-purpose vehicle was created, but no progress was made.

In 2019, after another round of flooding, the BJP government under then-Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced a large-scale project to rejuvenate the Vishwamitri River. Although the National Green Tribunal had approved the detailed project report, it was never implemented.