Udaipur, November 4, 2024 - One of the landowners of the Fatehpura intersection demolition site, Shabbir Paliwala, whose 14 shops were demolished yesterday, says that the UDA has always had his full support in the road widening project.

 What Shabbir Paliwala says:

“I have always been in agreement with the authorities that the intersection needs to be widened and earlier too had given up around 10-15 feet in the first phase of the work”.

“There are two owners of the demolished area. I own 3,000 sq feet of the demolished part while there is another individual who owns the rest.”

When asked by UdaipurTimes about the protest by tenants during the demolition drive, Paliwala said “those who were protesting were not the actual tenants but individuals who had been sub-let the shops by the tenants. The actual tenants did not even come forward".

“I had given the shops on rent at Rs 250-500 per month and the tenants then sub-let the shops at round Rs 25,000 per month”, said Shabbir.

“On October 8, the Rajasthan High Court had dismissed the tenants' petition to bring a stay on the demolition order and the Court had ordered to demolish the shops immediately. But the tenants requested that it be delayed because of Diwali to which the Court acquiesced. And demolition order was put off till November 4.”

“But just after Diwali, the UDA found out that the tenants were planning on filing another plea to the Double Bench to bring about a stay. Therefore, the UDA acted swiftly. The morning before the demolition, officials visited the area, did videography of the proposed demolition site and told the shopkeepers that they would have to vacate immediately. Then the next morning, a team arrived for demolition.”

UdaipurTimes contacted the UDA office for their views on the demolition but no one was available at the time.