Surat: The ambitious Gopi Talav project, which was renovated at the cost of Rs. 28 crore in 2015, has been facing setbacks due to issues near its main entrance and persistent traffic problems. To resolve the matter, a long-pending proposal to acquire land from the Dawat Property Trust of the Bohra community, through a land exchange, has resurfaced after a decade, aimed at enabling the planned entry gate from the Ring Road side, specifically via Kabir Mandir and Putli.

According to detailed reports, the original Gopi Talav project blueprint had envisioned road access from three sides. While the main entry gate was constructed on the Kot Safil side, the overall reception of the project has been less than enthusiastic, mainly due to troublesome conditions and traffic congestion at the entrance. The plan included implementing a 60-foot-wide DP (Development Plan) road leading from the elevated gate on Ring Road, which would allow for a new approach to the lake and even a bridge. For this development, land from Ward No. 2, Survey No. 4704—currently held by the Dawat Property Trust—was identified as crucial. Acquiring this would enable construction of the 60-foot-wide DP road, creating a direct approach and bridge from Sagramapura to Putli via Kabir Mandir, a potential milestone in the project’s progress.

Previously, the trust had insisted that two narrow lanes passing through the campus of the Arabic University Building and the Al-Jamiya-tus-Sufiyah Academy—which have long served only the community—should remain closed to public traffic, or, alternatively, the land should be bought outright. The proposal, which was shelved in 2014, has now been revived once again before the authorities. DeshGujarat