Ujjain Bulldozer Action: Four-Storey Haryana Seva Ashram Building Near Narsingh Ghat Demolished for Simhastha 2028
Walkers heading towards Narsingh Ghat on Saturday morning would have met poklens, a JCB and a four-storey building coming down. The Ujjain municipal corporation demolished the new resort-like block of Haryana Seva Ashram on Narsingh Ghat Road on Friday, 16 October, on land reserved for Simhastha. If your darshan plan takes you along that ghat road this weekend, expect dust, rubble and restricted access on the approach.
What came down, and when
Nai Duniya reported that the corporation team reached the site at 6am with poklens and brought down the four-storey building of Haryana Seva Ashram on Narsingh Ghat Road. Dainik Bhaskar reported the same demolition, adding that the building covered roughly 8,000 square feet and had been under construction for about a year and a half. The corporation said two notices to remove it had gone unanswered.
The ashram belongs to Mahamandaleshwar Jyotigiri of the Juna Akhara. Nai Duniya reported that he was in Delhi at the time and that the ashram prepares economically weaker students for competitive examinations. The older portion of the ashram was left intact, but a water softener installed alongside the new block was also removed despite the management's request that it be spared.
Why the demolition happened
Additional Commissioner for Simhastha, Santosh Tagore, told Nai Dunia that the action falls under the drive to clear Simhastha-area land for roads, parking and the fair. Dainik Bhaskar's Ujjain edition reported that building officer Rajkumar Rathore said the matter of illegal construction on Simhastha land had reached the High Court, and that after the hearings the court directed the corporation to remove the illegal constructions.
The same report adds background on the drive. A petition filed in 2023 by Ujjain resident Satyanarayan Somani alleged that hotels, monasteries, ashrams, schools and colonies had been built within 100 to 200 metres of both banks of the Shipra, with sewage flowing into the river. After continued hearings, the High Court directed the corporation on 5 May to list all encroachments and act by 15 June.
What has already come down
On 21 September, the corporation pulled down the two-storey Madhavanand Ashram building on Lal Pul Bridge Road, Nai Duniya reported. Earlier in October, the outer structure of the Khade Hanuman temple was removed while the idol was kept safe, and action was taken against houses-cum-warehouses in Madina Colony and a construction in Begum Bagh, according to Bhaskar English.
Bhaskar English also notes that around 70 per cent of the three-storey ashram of Punyanand Giri Maharaj near Karkaraj Parking, on the road to Narsingh Ghat near the iron bridge, came down in a single day; it had 54 rooms across about 15,000 square feet. Nai Duniya reports that roughly 170 illegal constructions and encroachments are still listed in the Simhastha area.
What is not confirmed yet
No fresh list of the next properties to be actioned has been published, and no schedule for further demolition exists. The 170-remaining figure comes from Nai Duniya citing available information, not from a corporation release.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What was demolished in Ujjain on 16 October 2026? A: The four-storey, hotel-like new building of Haryana Seva Ashram on Narsingh Ghat Road, brought down by the Ujjain municipal corporation using poklens and a JCB after two removal notices went unanswered.
Q: Why was it demolished? A: It stands on land reserved for Simhastha. The corporation says the action is part of its drive to clear the area for roads, parking and the fair, and building officer Rajkumar Rathore told Bhaskar English that the High Court directed removal of illegal construction on Simhastha land.
Q: Was the old ashram building also demolished? A: No. Both Dainik Bhaskar and Nai Dunia report that the older portion was left intact. The water softener beside the new block was removed despite the management's request.
Q: How much more demolition is expected? A: Nai Dunia reports that around 170 illegal constructions and encroachments remain listed in the Simhastha area and that action against them will continue. No published schedule exists.
Planning a ghat walk this week
Narsingh Ghat Road is a working approach to one of Ujjain's busiest ghats. Allow extra walking time, keep clear of the demolition stretch and expect dust through the day. Doing the ghats earlier, before the heat and before any active work site, is the gentler option. Our team at Shrim Tours & Travels can sequence your ghat visits, temple slots and pickups around these works — details at http://tours.shrimmaya.com/.
This story is based on reporting by Dainik Bhaskar, with details from the Hindi and English Ujjain editions of the same paper and from Nai Duniya. Read the original report at https://www.bhaskar.com/local/mp/ujjain/news/the-4-storey-ashram-building-in-the-simhastha-area-was-demolished-dbp-139390864.html
