Demolition drive near Statue of Unity: Govt removes 5 illegal luxury bungalows — here’s what we know

Published 2 July 2026 · india

The Narmada district administration in Gujarat launched a massive demolition drive earlier this week, razing five structures illegally built by serving and retired government officials

The Narmada district administration in Gujarat launched a massive demolition drive earlier this week, razing five structures illegally built by serving and retired government officials on plots allotted to them near the Statue of Unity. A local BJP MLA on Monday said the structures were demolished after authorities found violations of allotment conditions and building regulations, news agency PTI reported. Here's why the demolition drive was carried out According to the BJP MLA, the government land was allotted for residential purposes; however, some allottees raised multi-storey buildings with a large number of rooms, apparently for commercial purposes. The action against the violators comes after officials initiated proceedings to reclaim 13 residential plots allotted at concessional rates to senior government officials in the Garudeshwar area, roughly a kilometre from the Statue of Unity, in 2019.

According to NDTV, the 13 plots were allotted under the tenure of the then District Collector R S Ninama, and these highly valuable plots were allotted at huge discounted rates to class 1 and class 2 officers, some of whom have retired since then, while others continue to serve in senior positions such as additional collector. Following the allotment, discrepancies were detected almost immediately, prompting the government to withdraw six plots the same year. Two allottees obtained interim relief from the court, and the remaining five structures were demolished on 28 June. After the demolition, Nandod MLA Darshna Deshmukh addressed reporters and said that the issue was first raised by her in 2023 at the District Coordination Committee meeting, after reports alleged that government lands were allotted to senior officials at concessional rates.

BJP MLA's remarks on demolition drive Deshmukh said, “I asked how many officials had been allotted these plots and under what conditions. I was informed that around 13 government officials had received the plots. The government has now demolished five constructions where the allotment conditions were violated.” She further claimed that the local panchayat had issued notices to the officials assigned the plots "about three times" during construction, but they failed to comply. Deshmukh alleged, "They did not obtain approvals for building plans or estimates from the town planning authority. Since this area falls under the Statue of Unity zone, the constructions were found to be in breach of the prescribed conditions." The legislator went on to say that the plots were allotted for residential use, but it later emerged that some officials had built three- to four-storey buildings with roughly 15 to 25 rooms.