Ahmedabad: A protest erupted today at Snehanjali Society in the Thaltej area after the Estate Town Planning Department of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) served demolition notices to residents of 25 bungalows.

Snehanjali Society was developed by Anjana Builders in 1986. However, it later emerged that 25 houses were constructed on land belonging to another builder, rather than on the society’s designated plot. The dispute over land ownership surfaced in 2006 and eventually reached the courts. A lower court directed the residents to deposit ₹3.71 crore with the AMC, which was subsequently paid by the builder.

The original landowner, however, sought a substitute plot in return for the disputed land and took the matter to the Supreme Court. The apex court later ordered society members to pay ₹41 crore. Amid the prolonged legal battle, the AMC issued demolition notices to the owners of the 25 affected houses, sparking the latest round of protests.

Nearly 20 of these houses were purchased by ONGC officers and employees through bank loans. The residents claim they have been living in the society for nearly four decades and state that they are being penalised for errors committed by the builder.

On Sunday, residents approached the Vastrapur police station to file a complaint against builder Kantilal Patel but alleged that the police refused to register their complaint. With no relief in sight, residents have warned of intensifying their agitation and have even threatened self-immolation if demolition is carried out.

Meanwhile, tensions flared when the BJP corporator from the Thaltej ward, Samir Patel, visited the society and was met with strong opposition from agitating residents, forcing him to leave the premises. DeshGujarat