Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation raises a stink over ASI building toilets at Ahmed Shah mosque complex

In a role reversal, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has sought a reply from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for constructing a toilet block within the protected area of the 15th century Ahmed Shah Mosque complex-one of the earliest buildings in the city.

Interestingly, ASI is the watchdog for ensuring there are no illegal constructions in the perimeter of the protected monuments and is the issuing authority for NOC for any construction within 100-300 meter perimeter of the protected monuments.

The mosque complex is one of the 28 ASI protected monuments in Ahmedabad, India's first World Heritage City, and holds special significance as the mosque of the city's founder.

The letter shot off by AMC on December 26 last year pointed out construction of a 4x10-meter structure on the ground floor. 

At Sultan Ahmed Shah Badshah mosque, city survey number 4638, a slab and shuttering RCC work in 4x10 meter area on ground floor is ongoing.

Deputy TDO of AMC Ramesh Tadvi said AMC has not received any response from ASI on permission to construct the toilet block at the mosque so far.