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Time of India

Auda's past plans erode Ahmedabad's urban lakes

Ahmedabad: Several ponds and lakes across the city have witnessed a significant reduction in their land area due to past Town Planning (TP) schemes drafted by the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA)—despite state govt policy prohibiting such reductions, sources have revealed. Areas such as Thaltej, Bopal, Memnagar, Vastrapur, and Charodi—once under AUDA's jurisdiction—have recorded shrinking lake and pond areas after being integrated into the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) limits. According to official sources, AUDA's TP scheme drafts—originally prepared for village lands that were later merged into the city—reduced the designated land for several water bodies. In at least five cases, the final plot area allotted for ponds was smaller than the original, leading to long-term disputes and stalled development. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad For instance, in Bopal, AUDA's TP Scheme No. 2 shows the village lake's original area as 46,438 sq m, but the final plot was reduced to 44,432 sq m. Similarly, in Vastrapur TP Scheme No. 1, the pond—developed by AUDA nearly two decades ago—was originally allocated 73,957 sq m, but the final plot was only 51,761 sq m. In Thaltej, the situation is more complex. AUDA's TP Scheme No. 38 combined four original plots—three containing ponds and one with village land—into a single final plot. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo While the total original area was 1,54,692 sq m, the final plot was reduced to 1,12,642 sq m. This has led to disputes over the exact size and boundaries of the Thaltej pond. The AMC has not yet taken possession of the land, and illegal encroachments continue to block development. An AUDA official, speaking anonymously, explained that during TP scheme drafting, a standard 40% land deduction was applied even to government lands—including ponds, wastelands, and grazing lands. This often resulted in merged or reshaped water body plots, inadvertently reducing the functional area of ponds. An AMC official clarified that, as per state government directives, no reduction or reshaping of pond land is allowed in TP schemes. "However, AUDA's earlier TP drafts did reduce and reshape pond areas. In finalized schemes where this has already occurred, no further changes can be made," the official said. Authorities now claim that new TP schemes comply with the no-reduction policy, but past decisions continue to pose legal and environmental challenges, with encroachments and disputes delaying the conservation and development of critical urban water bodies. Head: Status City Lakes (area in sq m) Name Original Area Final Area Thaltej Lake 1,54,692 1,42,642 Vastrapur Lake 73,957 51,761 Memnagar Lake 75,373 53,924 Bopal Lake 46,438 44,432 Charodi Lake 42,593 40,271