Ahmedabad: Gujarat High Court has directed Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation to conduct an inquiry into the status of property occupants affected by a road-widening project in Sarangpur and pay compensation in accordance with law.Residents facing eviction over the AMC project had moved the high court challenging notices issued by the civic body. Their counsel, Nitish Nair, submitted that the petitioners were tenants who had occupied the premises for more than five decades. He raised concerns over their eviction, livelihood and compensation.AMC argued that the petitioners were only occupants and not property owners. The civic body said it was willing to pay compensation to the property owners.The court noted AMC’s submission but observed that the petitioners had been living on the premises for over 50 years. It also noted that the petitioners were not owners and may not have rent agreements to prove possession.“…merely because the name of the original owner continues in the records, the petitioners could not be shortchanged. Hence, to this court it would appear that the corporation could be directed to disburse the money only after it conducts an appropriate inquiry as regards the status of the petitioners and pay to the petitioners appropriate compensation as per law, more particularly, after affording opportunity to the petitioners as well as the owner of the property in question,” the court said.
