Gandhinagar: In the aftermath of stone pelting by a Muslim mob on Garba celebrations and the arson of shops owned by Hindus during the recently concluded Navratri in Bahiyal village of Dehgam taluka, the district administration launched a demolition drive against illegal constructions this morning.

The action follows the issuance of notices to around 190 encroachers by the Roads and Buildings Department (Panchayat), instructing them to provide legal documents for their constructions by Wednesday evening. It is learnt that no legal documents were submitted to the administration by the deadline, after which bulldozers and JCB machines moved in to pull down unauthorized structures, sending a strong message against unlawful activities in the area.

Under this operation, which will be carried out in phases, around 186 illegal commercial units are being demolished first. To maintain law and order during the drive, a heavy police force has been deployed at the site. Following the commercial units, demolition action is expected against illegal residential constructions in the second phase after Diwali.

Providing details of the operation, Ravi Teja Vasamsetty, SP of Gandhinagar, said, “A total of 186 illegal structures are being razed today. SDM, R&B (Panchayat), and R&B State are present here, along with around 300 police personnel, deployed in bandobast. The action follows the recent stone-pelting incident, and the illegal commercial establishments of the accused persons involved in this case have been identified. Action is being taken against them. Out of the 186 illegal structures, nearly 50 are linked to accused individuals involved in criminal activities. Today’s action is focused only on commercial structures. Prior notices were issued to all owners of the illegal units.” — DeshGujarat