Surat: After the building collapse incident in Pali village in the Sachin area of Surat, the administration has initiated efforts to evacuate old dilapidated buildings. Today, after several notices to vacate the buildings, the district administration carried out an operation to cut off the power and water supply to these dilapidated buildings.

During the operation, tensions escalated between the police and locals, leading to confrontations. As a large crowd gathered, police dispersed them and detained several youths. The situation remained tense for a while as people protested against the ongoing actions.

In its official statement, the district administration noted, “In Block No. 170/B, R13, 8P8, R17 of Kansad in Sachin, the Gujarat Slum Clearance Board has identified a total of 171 houses that are over 35 years old. These buildings have been declared dilapidated by the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), and notices have been issued as per the provisions of The Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporations Act.”

“The matter has also been reported to the Gujarat Housing Board regarding the evacuation of these dilapidated dwellings. However, as of now, the inhabitants have not vacated the premises,” the note added.

Water supply to these 171 houses was previously provided by the Gujarat Housing Board in the Sachin area but has been discontinued. Today, the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) also halted water supply to 6 buildings across 7 locations in the Kansad area. Additionally, electricity supply to these buildings has been disconnected by DGVCL, cutting off the main supply connections.

The operation involved 100 police personnel, 20 Gujarat Housing Board office staff including the Executive Engineer, 70 SMC personnel including the Zonal Chief of South Zone-B (Kanakpur) and Executive Engineer, and DGVCL staff including the Deputy Engineer.

There are 2,666 houses belonging to the Gujarat Housing Board in a dilapidated state in the Sachin area, where 10,000 poor and middle-class residents have lived for over 30 years. Notices to vacate these houses were issued by authorities over the past 7 to 8 years, but instead of complying, locals became angry when the eviction process started today. DeshGujarat