Ahmedabad: The demolition drive in the known hub of illegal migrants and encroachments, Chandola Lake, resumed again this morning. The Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) today razed several remaining illegal religious structures. In an operation carried out amid heavy police presence, teams from the Corporation’s South Zone and other zones took down structures including the Garib Nawab Mosque, Hanuman Temple, and several other temples and mosques. Some small, unregistered houses near the Dasha Mata Temple in Isanpur were also demolished.

Previously, over 12,000 illegal structures, ranging from temporary shelters to permanent buildings, had been cleared from the area. However, certain religious sites were left untouched during earlier phases. With the removal of 20 such structures already completed, authorities have now begun dismantling the remaining seven to eight.

The Garib Nawab Mosque, located between Isanpur Suryanagar Chowki and Shah Alam, is considered the largest mosque in the Chandola Lake vicinity. It was among the first to be evacuated and demolished today. Prior to demolition, religious artifacts and books were carefully removed from the site.

The operation is being conducted under the supervision of senior officers including the DCP of Ahmedabad Crime Branch, Sector 2 JCP, and Zone 6 DCP. Over 500 police personnel were deployed to ensure law and order during the process. Five Hitachi machines and several JCBs were used for the demolition activity.

This follows an earlier phase of demolition on May 21, 2025, during which 20 religious structures and around 500 mud-brick houses were brought down amid a similar security setup due to crowd gatherings.

On May 20, the first day of Phase-2, a large-scale demolition drive cleared 8,500 illegal structures in a single day. Using 35 Hitachi machines and 15 JCBs, AMC cleared most of the encroachments from the 2.5 lakh square meter area surrounding the lake. DeshGujarat