Each year, prior to the monsoon, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) conducts surveys to identify buildings classified as unsafe. In 2024, the AMC identified 9,736 units across 786 buildings as hazardous. The following year, 2025, the figure decreased to 5,643 units in 390 buildings. Over the past two years, an alarming total of 14,907 units in 1,151 buildings throughout the city have been marked as structurally unsafe.
Among the various zones in the city, the Northwest Zone reported the highest number of hazardous units, totaling 4,242 in 374 buildings. The Eastern Zone followed closely with 4,799 units in 327 buildings, while the Central Zone accounted for 939 units in 317 buildings. An official from the AMC, who wished to remain anonymous, remarked, “We identify old and structurally compromised buildings and issue notices to residents.
In many instances, residents are requested to vacate, but they often refuse until redevelopment plans are approved. In cases deemed severely dangerous, buildings are sealed and occupants are forcibly evacuated. We have also conducted demolitions prior to this monsoon.
Sources within AMC have also pointed out legal and logistical challenges. “In the old city, frequent collapses have resulted in fatalities. Although stringent measures are implemented, disputes between tenants and owners often postpone evacuations. This year, prior to the Rath Yatra, demolitions were executed in various locations.
In western Ahmedabad, aging societies are also in decline, and redevelopment initiatives are in progress. Some colonies under the Gujarat Housing Board are in a state of disrepair, with redevelopment plans approved for a few and others still in the pipeline.” Despite numerous tragedies in the past, the enforcement of safety regulations continues to be inadequate. After several deadly collapses, the state government required structural stability certificates for all buildings older than 15 years.
Nevertheless, adherence has mostly been superficial, with notices being issued but minimal actual enforcement. Ahmedabad has experienced several fatal building collapses in recent decades. On February 3, 2008, the Shakunt Hotel near Kalupur railway station fell, resulting in 16 fatalities and nine injuries. On January 28, 2011, a structure in Sodagar’s Pol, Kalupur, collapsed, leading to five deaths. In 2018, a housing block in Odhav fell, resulting in one fatality. In 2019, a house in Amraiwadi’s Bungalow Chali collapsed, claiming three lives.
