The Gujarat High Court has disposed of a petition filed by 169 occupants of Bapunagar Shamshan, Jangleshwar, Ekta Colony, and Shala No. 70 in Rajkot.
The petitioners, mostly poor and illiterate, challenged notices issued under Section 260(1) of the Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporations Act, 1949, for alleged illegal constructions.
The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Pranav Trivedi, directed individual responses to the notices, along with submissions for rehabilitation under the Regulations for Rehabilitation and Redevelopment of Slums, 2010, and allotment of houses under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana.
The Municipal Commissioner or authorized officer must deal with each reply individually, passing reasoned orders within three weeks.
The petitioners, residents of the affected areas, claimed they lacked alternative residences and means to file separate petitions.
They argued that the Rajkot Municipal Corporation’s Riverfront development project would displace approximately 900 households.
Previous notices issued in 2022 were challenged, and the court ordered consideration of representations.