Ahmedabad: The Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has undertaken a major road-opening and encroachment removal drive under Town Planning Scheme No. 35/2 (Saijpur Bogha), paving the way for the full-width development of a key arterial road in the city’s northern corridor.

The road forms part of the busy Ahmedabad–Himmatnagar stretch of National Highway No. 8, and apart from local AMTS and BRTS services, it is extensively used by Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) and interstate buses operating towards Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Abu Road, and Ambaji.

The area opposite Saijpur Tower, near Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan and the AMC North Zone office at MEMCO, falls under Town Planning Scheme No. 35/2 (Saijpur Bogha). The scheme remained at the draft sanction stage since 1992, during which efforts were initiated under the Gujarat Town Planning and Urban Development Act, 1976, to open the proposed road from Saijpur Tower junction to Kubereshwar Mahadev Tran Rasta as per the approved town planning layout.

However, the project faced prolonged legal challenges, with multiple claims being filed before the City Civil Court. The scheme was eventually sanctioned by the state government as a preliminary town planning scheme in 2012. More recently, three petitions challenging the implementation of the scheme were filed before the Gujarat High Court. The court disposed of the petitions on May 4, 2026, in the larger interest of justice and public welfare.

Following compliance with the High Court’s directions, AMC launched the implementation drive on June 12. A team of around 150 personnel from the Estate Department, Urban Development Department, North Zone administration, Krishnanagar Police Station, G-Division Traffic Police, Fire Department, and medical services participated in the operation.

The civic body deployed one Hitachi excavator, four JCB machines, four dump trucks, two hand breakers, two gas cutters, five pressure vans, a fire tender, and an ambulance for the exercise. The operation involves the removal of structures and mixed-use developments obstructing the planned 30-meter-wide (100-foot) TP road.

AMC officials said the drive is aimed at opening a 450-meter-long stretch of road and reclaiming approximately 15,000 square feet of land required for the road network under the town planning scheme.

Officials stated that after a delay of nearly 14 years, the road has finally been opened to its sanctioned width in the larger public interest.

The newly opened stretch also forms part of the BRTS corridor. Since the road had not been fully opened earlier, BRTS grills and barricades could not be installed along this section. With the road now available at its full width, AMC will be able to complete the pending BRTS infrastructure works, including the installation of grills and barricades.

The development is expected to improve traffic management, enhance road safety, and help resolve long-standing traffic congestion issues in the area. DeshGujarat