The Times of India            21.11.2013

AMC sends acquisition notice to ASI-protected Baba Lu Lui mosque in Behrampura

AHMEDABAD: A major controversy is about to erupt with Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) issuing notices to the almost 550-year-old ASI-protected monument Baba Lu Lui's mosque in Behrampura.

The notice stuck at the entrance of the mosque gives the tomb's caretakers seven days to clear 74 sq m of space for a proposed road-widening activity. The ASI's Ahmedabad office is yet to receive a copy of the notice.

The saint is believed to be one of the 12 saints present when the foundation of the city was laid.

"If the proposed road expansion plans to usurp the ASI-protected area around the tomb, this can never be possible," says a senior ASI official. Earlier, ASI issued notices to the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation Limited (SRFDCL) as construction was taking place within the 100m restricted zone.

The AMC notices asks that the caretakers of the tomb hand over possession of the said land in seven days and that they would be compensated for the acquisition.

"This is embarrassing, if the AMC is claiming a protected site. Revenue records have to be referred to before moving for any such acquisition," adds the ASI official.