Ahmedabad: The demolition of illegal structures around Chandola lake seems to have resulted in the expansion of the lake area, a discovery that caused controversy to ripple through authorities. Ten months ago, the AMC removed over 12,000 structures around the Danilimda lake in a concerted drive against encroachments.However, following the demolition, a discrepancy of approximately 40,000 square metres was noted in the size of the lake area, when the town planning department’s data and govt’s revenue records were compared. The AMC’s town planning scheme showed the area as 12.4 lakh square metres, while govt records listed the area as 12 lakh square metres. It was discovered that the town planning department had mistakenly included govt land as part of the lake. The town planning committee has recently approved a proposal to correct this error. Additionally, errors in the final allocation of plots outside the lake’s area were identified and corrections were approved. A new record has been proposed to rectify these errors in the town planning scheme. The controversy stems from town planning schemes created a decade ago in the Danilimda area, where the lake’s land was divided. Errors made by the town planning committee officials during the drafting of these schemes were only recently discovered. The Ahmedabad city police had identified illegal settlements around the lake and launched a mega demolition drive on April 29, 2025. The AMC and the police removed illegal structures from approximately 100,000 square metres on the first day. By May 5, the corporation and the police had removed over 12,000 illegal constructions and encroachments, opening up all of Chandola lake’s land. In time, the resident additional collector of Ahmedabad district wrote to the town planner of the AMC, requesting the allocation of a joint final plot for govt and private land near Chandola lake. In the ensuing investigation by the corporation, the surprising details of the lake’s ‘expansion’ were revealed.
