Ahmedabad: A local commercial court has issued an urgent show-cause notice to the Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) following a suit filed by Ajay Engineering Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, the company that built the Hatkeshwar flyover at a cost of Rs 34 crore. The company has challenged AMC’s decision to demolish the flyover and sought an interim stay to prevent the civic body from recovering demolition and reconstruction costs from it.

The Hatkeshwar flyover, built in 2017 and closed in 2021, was found to be poorly constructed, and the civic body decided to demolish it, blacklist the company, and hold it responsible for the expenses of rebuilding the flyover. In response, the construction firm demanded arbitration under Section 9 of the Arbitration & Conciliation Act, 1996, as per the contract clause, and requested the court to restrain AMC from dismantling or taking any action on the flyover until the arbitration concludes.

The firm’s counsel argued that the company cannot be held liable for the flyover’s demolition or reconstruction, noting that AMC had ignored repeated requests to allow necessary repairs.

The company added that AMC had issued the work completion certificate after construction and that the defects arose beyond the liability period. While considering the plea for interim relief, Commercial Court Judge Prakash Khanchandani stated that the respondent must first be given an opportunity to present its case, prompting the issuance of the urgent show-cause notice. DeshGujarat