The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has sealed a garba venue on the Jagatpur-Gota Road after discovering that the event had been organised on civic land without payment of rent or a deposit, according to a report by Sandesh. The AMC Estate Department is now seeking to recover a total of ₹39 lakh from the organisers towards outstanding rent and deposit.
The venue, identified in the report as the ‘Faliyu’ garba plot, was sealed after the issue was raised during a meeting of the AMC Standing Committee. Estate Department officials were questioned about how a large public event could be held on municipal property without the required payments or permission being completed.
According to the report, the garba programme had already continued for four days before the civic administration became aware of the irregularity. The Estate Department then visited the site and took action by sealing the plot. The incident has raised questions about the department’s monitoring of municipal properties and the approval process for commercial or public events held on civic land.
The report states that no rent or deposit had been paid for the use of the AMC-owned plot before the event began. The proposed recovery of ₹39 lakh includes both the pending rent and the deposit applicable to the site. It does not specify how the amount was calculated, the duration for which the plot had been allotted or whether any formal application had been submitted by the organisers.
Municipal land is a public asset, and its temporary use typically requires an administrative approval process covering allotment, payment and conditions of use. In this case, the Standing Committee’s questioning brought the matter to the attention of the Estate Department, after which enforcement action was taken. The report does not provide details of any disciplinary proceedings against officials or confirm whether the organisers had received any written permission before the event.
The episode also highlights the operational gap between approving or monitoring events and collecting charges for the use of civic property. A delay of four days in detecting the alleged irregularity means the municipal administration’s oversight mechanisms did not identify the issue before the event was under way. The report does not state whether similar checks are being conducted at other AMC-owned plots being used for seasonal or commercial activities.
The AMC Estate Department has initiated recovery proceedings for the reported ₹39 lakh and has sealed the garba plot. Further details on the payment timeline, action against responsible officials and any decision on the organisers’ representations were not available in the supplied report.
