Ahmedabad, May 19 (IANS) The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) will begin the second phase of its large-scale demolition drive around Chandola Lake from May 20, intensifying efforts to clear illegal settlements in the area.

The upcoming operation follows the clearance of 1.5 lakh square metres of land during phase one earlier this year. A high-level meeting to review preparations was held on Monday, with top AMC officials and Police Commissioner G.S. Malik in attendance.

The focus of the second phase will be to remove encroachments from an additional 2.5 lakh square metres, as the civic body looks to reclaim public land that has increasingly been taken over by unauthorised structures, many of which are said to obstruct roads and civic infrastructure.

The area around Chandola Lake has become a hub for illegal settlements, with several reportedly occupied by Bangladeshi nationals.

As part of security arrangements, the AMC will be backed by a deployment of over 3,000 police personnel and 25 State Reserve Police (SRP) teams.

“Our primary task will be to ensure law and order during the demolition,” said Police Commissioner Malik, confirming that the operation is expected to continue for the next two to three days.

AMC officials also stated that arrangements have been made to provide housing to eligible families displaced by the drive, as part of the urban resettlement plan.

The AMC’s demolition drive around Chandola Lake is one of the largest anti-encroachment operations in recent urban history in Gujarat. With over 4 lakh square metres of land (1.5 lakh sq m in Phase 1 and 2.5 lakh sq m in Phase 2) being cleared, this is equivalent to roughly 100 acres, an area larger than 75 football fields.

Such large-scale reclamation of public land in a densely populated city is rare and signals a serious push towards restructuring unregulated zones.

The AMC has officially linked many of the encroachments to undocumented Bangladeshi migrants, bringing the issue into the spotlight of national security and illegal immigration discourse.

In 2025 alone, 250 Bangladeshi nationals have been arrested in Ahmedabad, with 207 from the Chandola area, and over 200 have already been deported. This points to a migrant hotspot in the city and has led to increased surveillance and stricter enforcement actions. This also intersects with larger political narratives around national security, citizenship, and urban law enforcement, making this not just a civic issue but also a political one.

–IANS

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