Demolition of the construction.

AHMEDABAD: After the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation issued notice to Prahlad Modi , the younger brother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for carrying out construction near his public distribution system shop in Rabari Colony in Amraiwadi area, he began demolition of the construction which has been in question.

The corporation has issued three notices to Modi, with the last one issued in June 17, which expired in July 17. Modi who was in Chhattisgarh in July has sought time and claims that a petition has also been filed challenging the move of the corporation.

Modi, 66, said, “After the corporation issued three notices, I decided to demolish the first-floor construction as the corporation claims it to be illegal.” He said, “I had got the illegal construction regularized after paying the impact fee. But way back in 2015 I realised that the construction may collapse any time as it was dilapidated.”

Modi said he had written several letters to the estate department of the south zone of the AMC. “I had requested them to come and certify that the construction was old and could collapse. But no one from the AMC visited the site,” he said. Finally the structure which was old collapsed. “Luckily no one was injured or else it would have been a major controversy,” said Modi.

“Since the construction was regularized by AMC after paying the impact fee, I again began constructing. Now after two years the corporation has suddenly woken up and has issued notice terming it as illegal.”

Despite the petition pending in the court, Modi said, he decided to carry out the demolition on his own.

Kuldeep Arya, the deputy municipal commissioner south zone said, “If the illegal construction is regularised by the corporation, it cannot be demolished and constructed afresh.”

Arya added, “As soon as the same is demolished, the impact fee becomes null and void. No one can construction afresh even if it has collapsed.”

He said, “We had issued notices to Modi and would have demolished the structure. But he informed the AMC that he was doing it himself.”

An officer from AMC’s estate department said that earlier officers had been busy with the Rath Yatra and the demolition in Prahlad Modi’s house was planned during the major demolition drive. But before AMC team could reach Rabari Colony, Modi began the demolition.

