In a stringent move to tackle chronic traffic congestion, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has announced it will cancel Building Use (BU) permissions or even seal commercial and residential units that fail to provide mandated parking spaces. This crackdown is part of a mega city-wide operation initiated on the directions of the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).
Survey Spurs Action on 64 Key Routes
Acting on a directive from the Chief Minister's Office issued on December 16, 2025, joint teams comprising officials from the NHAI, Railways, AMC, Traffic Police, and Roads and Buildings departments have been conducting extensive surveys across Ahmedabad. Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Estate) Riddhesh Raval stated that these surveys will form the basis for both short-term and long-term measures to alleviate traffic woes.
The drive gained further impetus from Gujarat High Court directions concerning traffic on major corridors like SG Highway and CG Road. The AMC conducted a detailed survey on 64 routes, focusing on complaints that commercial units, malls, religious places, and educational institutions were not utilizing their existing parking facilities. Based on this survey, notices have been sent to 378 units—including commercial offices, hospitals, clubs, malls, and restaurants—spread across 76 roads.
Strict Enforcement of GDCR Parking Rules
The civic body is now shifting its focus to strict implementation. "The action after notices will include cancellation of Building Use (BU) permission or sealing of a unit if parking space is not provided as per the GDCR (General Development Control Regulations). These rules already exist. Now we are focussed on the implementation," Raval emphasized.
For the initial phase, five key routes have been identified for immediate intervention: Sindhu Bhawan Road, CG Road, Vijay Crossroads till Nehru Nagar, Iskcon till Ambli, and Rajpath Club till Rangoli Road. The AMC has also installed "No Parking" and "No Vending Zone" signage and plans to announce a policy on free and paid parking soon.
Wider Decongestion Drive Yields Results
This parking enforcement is one pillar of a larger, intensive decongestion campaign. From April 1 to December 22, 2025, the AMC has collected administrative charges and fines worth Rs 4.02 crore. In a significant cleanup, it has removed 58,000 illegal hoardings and 14,000 lorries obstructing public roads.
The corporation has also opened up approximately 91 kilometres of public roads across the city's seven zones by removing a total of 4,092 structures. Raval highlighted that the drive is not limited to the western parts of the city, noting that areas like Bhadra Chowk and Lal Darwaza-Bhadra have been permanently decongested.
Looking ahead, the AMC plans to create parking facilities for roughly 38,000 two-wheelers and 21,000 four-wheelers. Furthermore, to address railway crossing bottlenecks, plans for constructing railway overbridges at Vatva, Punitnagar, and Maninagar crossings are being advanced following a joint visit with the Railway Department.
The civic body is employing a five-pillar strategy—Engineering, Enforcement, Encouragement, Education, and Evaluation—working in three shifts (morning, evening, and night) to find a permanent solution to Ahmedabad's traffic and parking crisis.
