The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has suspended five officials following the demolition of nearly 100 houses in the Nasirnagar slum area, even as the civic body has maintained that it did not authorise the action. The suspension comes days after the Gujarat High Court was informed that the demolition was not carried out by the municipal corporation, raising questions over how the large-scale operation was executed.
The suspended officials include Executive Engineers Sujalkumar Dharamshibhai Prajapati and Jayang Rajnikant Jivanramjiwala, Deputy Engineer Arpan Mansukhlal Parmar, Assistant Engineer Monik Babubhai Gadhiya, and Junior Engineer Nareshkumar Binalbhai Galchar. According to SMC officials, the disciplinary action has been taken to ensure that an internal inquiry can be conducted in a fair, neutral, and unbiased manner, while the circumstances surrounding the demolition are being thoroughly examined.
The controversy stems from a demolition drive carried out in Nasirnagar, where nearly 100 houses were razed. However, during proceedings in the Gujarat High Court, Surat Municipal Commissioner M. Nagarajan stated that the civic body had not carried out the demolition. This contradiction has prompted further scrutiny, with questions being raised about which authority or group was responsible for the large-scale operation.
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Lawyers representing the state government and the civic commissioner later informed the High Court that the incident “should never have happened” and that a specialised team has been formed to investigate the matter. The state government also stated that police had been informed in advance to maintain law and order during what was reportedly intended to be a land demarcation exercise, not a demolition drive.
The High Court expressed strong concern over the incident, questioning the presence of a large police force if only demarcation was planned. The bench also criticised the delay in administrative action and noted that the situation appeared to have unfolded without effective oversight. Observing that the matter raised serious procedural and accountability issues, the court said it was not satisfied with the municipal commissioner’s handling of the case and indicated that the investigation would continue under judicial scrutiny.
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