Lease terms violated, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation moves to reclaim plot of Seventh Day Adventist school in Khokhra

Ahmedabad: After weeks of deliberation, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's town planning committee has cleared the way for taking back a large plot in Khokhra that had been leased to the Seventh Day Adventist Higher Secondary School more than two decades ago. The committee, which met on Tuesday, directed officials to begin the repossession process immediately, setting a one-week deadline to complete all formalities. Chairman Pritesh Mehta confirmed that the school had violated key conditions of the lease deed, leaving the AMC with no option but to cancel the agreementThe move comes after the estate department issued a show-cause notice to the school administrators on Nov 15. In 2001, the AMC had allotted a 10,465 sq m plot on a 99-year lease to the ‘India Financial Association of Seventh Day Adventists' for running the school. However, investigation revealed that the organisation itself was not running the school — a direct breach of the lease terms. Despite being issued three notices and being asked to appear on Nov 21, no school administrator attended the hearing or submitted documents. With no response, officials said the AMC is proceeding with lease cancellation and repossession.The plot had been reserved for educational use. In 2001, the AMC initiated the process of selling the plot at a base rate of Rs 1,200 per sq m. The Seventh Day Adventist association offered Rs 1,301 per sq m, an offer approved by the then municipal commissioner in Sep 2001, the standing committee in Oct 2001, and the general board in Jan 2002. The institution deposited Rs 1.36 crore as premium and earnest money, after which AMC handed over possession on Oct 12, 2001. The annual lease rent was fixed at Rs 10,465 at Re 1 per sq m, and rent has been paid up to Dec 31, 2029.AMC officials said construction plans for Block A of the school were approved in Sep 2002, with BU permission granted in June 2003. Plans for Block B were approved in June 2009, with BU permission issued in April 2015. A higher secondary school later began operating from Block B. Officials added that impact fees for additional structures had also been collected over time. However, multiple irregularities emerged during the recent investigation. The AMC's show-cause notice stated that the plot was being used by three different educational bodies: primary education by Ashlok Education Society; secondary and higher secondary education by The Council of Seventh Day Adventist Education Institutions; and college-level education by the same council. None of these activities were being directly run by the institution to which the plot had been leased. The college operating on the premises, AMC found, did not have authorised usage permission. These breaches of conditions formed the basis for the cancellation notice and the decision to reclaim the land.