Surat: Suspended IAS officer and former Surat District Collector Ayush Oak has been accused of demanding ₹51 lakh to convert a land parcel to non-agricultural status.

In a written complaint, landowners Jayesh Patel and Karthik Patel claim that Ayush Oak and Chitnis Mamlatdar Jignesh Jivani demanded ₹51 lakh to convert the land in Block No. 201 in the Palanpore area to non-agricultural status. The complaint, submitted to the Additional Secretary of the Revenue Department and the Surat District Collector, alleges that the application for conversion was not processed because the bribe was not paid.

The land with survey number 150/1, block number 201, in the Palanpore area of Adajan is owned by Jayesh Magarbhai Patel and Karthik Maganbhai Patel. Adjacent to it is land owned by their brother, bearing survey number 98, block number 208. Both land titles are identical. In 2018, the land with block number 208 was converted to non-agricultural by Mahendra Patel, then Surat Collector, who considered it an old condition.

In 2023, when Jayesh Patel applied to convert the land of Block No. 201 to non-agricultural, the then Surat Collector, Ayush Oak, deemed it a new condition and demanded the payment of a premium. Jayesh Patel alleges that Chitnis Mamlatdar Jignesh Jivani demanded ₹51 lakh in cash, demanding it be sent to Ahmedabad. A written complaint has been filed with the Additional Secretary and District Collector regarding these allegations. DeshGuajart