ગુજરાતી
English
600,000 Illegal Homes Regularized Through ‘Impact Fees’
Dilip Patel
Ahmedabad, May 18, 2026
Now that the local government elections have concluded, the BJP’s Bhupendra Patel has once again begun demolishing the homes of the poor. In stark contrast, the illegal homes of the wealthy—as well as encroachments on *Gauchar* (pasture) lands—are being regularized.
In Gujarat, despite encroachments on over 160,000 hectares of *Gauchar* land, these illegal structures are not being removed; instead, bulldozers are rolling over the homes of the poor.
Encroachments currently exist on 7,650 plots of *Gauchar* land; these are not being cleared because BJP leaders and major corporations have vested interests in them.
On the other hand, during the Modi era, a special law was enacted specifically to regularize hundreds of thousands of illegal homes belonging to the wealthy.
This demolition drive was carried out amidst scorching heat in a residential colony near Jadeshwar Park in Jamnagar.
Nanduben stated, “We purchased this land 40 years ago from a man named Shantilal. My son has passed away, and I live here with his widow and two children, supporting the family.”
The law is not applied equally to everyone; bulldozers invariably target the homes of the poor and the helpless.
In the name of “development,” havoc is being wreaked, leaving the poor destitute and out on the streets.
The police detained an elderly woman after physically assaulting her. She was bundled into a police van and taken to the police station. On May 14, 2026, the Estate Branch of the Jamnagar Municipal Corporation—assisted by 35 municipal employees and 20 police personnel—reclaimed government land valued at ₹3.50 crore; however, in the process, all sense of humanity was cast aside.
It is estimated that over the 25 years of the “Modi Raj” (Modi’s rule), 500,000 huts and homes have been demolished across Gujarat. Metropolis
Between late 2025 and 2026, 25,000 huts and houses were demolished in Ahmedabad.
During 2025 alone, a total of over 8,000 structures were demolished; this included 3,831 houses and 4,216 encroachments removed to facilitate road widening projects. In 2026, land was cleared across several locations: 2,000 huts (covering 12,500 units across 400,000 sq. m.) were removed in two phases at Chandola Lake; 450 illegal houses were removed at Bapunagar–Malek Saban Lake; and 450 structures (covering 54,883 sq. m. of land) were cleared at Vatva–Vanarvat Lake.
In the Makarba area, 13 illegal shops (covering 7,597 sq. ft.) were removed.
Somnath
700 encroachments were removed. Government land worth ₹39 crore was freed from illegal occupation: 11 encroachers voluntarily vacated the land, while legal action will be initiated against two others.
Grazing Lands (Gauchar)
The illegal encroachment of grazing lands designated for livestock is a persistent issue.
Across 26 districts of Gujarat, a total of 7,653 instances of encroachment have been recorded.
In Porbandar district alone, 1,932 instances of encroachment have been recorded.
965 in Mehsana
784 in Anand
636 in Junagadh
589 in Gir Somnath
586 in Banaskantha
511 in Rajkot
369 in Gandhinagar
232 in Amreli
223 in Bhavnagar
182 in Ahmedabad
109 in Kheda
83 in Morbi
80 in Narmada
78 in Kutch
80 in Botad
66 in Valsad
38 in Sabarkantha
26 in Dahod
21 in Aravalli
18 in Vadodara
11 in Navsari
7 in Mahisagar
7 in Bharuch
4 in Surendranagar
3 in Panchmahal—these are the pending cases.
Impact Fees
The Government of Gujarat’s “Gujarat Unauthorized Development Regularization Act, 2022 (GRUDA)”
Some details derived from Assembly responses and city-wise reports:
In Ahmedabad, under the “Modi Act” of 2011, out of 250,000 applications received, 126,000 constructions were regularized (under the 2011 Act).
Those structures that were entirely illegal did not apply. Thus, it can be estimated that there are 300,000 illegal homes in Ahmedabad alone.
Furthermore—even though illegal homes should not have been constructed in the first place—
An additional 75,973 applications were received after 2022.
In Surat, the volume of regularized structures is half that of Ahmedabad. It is possible that all 300 cities [in the state] harbor as many illegal homes as Ahmedabad does.
In Gandhinagar, 4,000 applications were received for the regularization of illegal constructions.
In Bhavnagar, 4,375 applications were received. There are 3,000 illegal houses in Jamnagar. They are not being demolished, while the homes of the poor are being torn down. (Google Translate from Gujarati)
