Surat Municipal Corporation throws up its hands on sealed properties

SURAT, GUJARAT : Under pressure from textile traders, schools, and other businesses in Surat, the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has mandated that property owners submit affidavits proving responsibility for any fire-related incidents in absence of fire No Objection Certificates (NOCs) and Building Use (BU) permissions. This action follows public demonstrations against the sealing of buildings devoid of these essential safety certifications.

Following the tragic Rajkot game zone fire event, the SMC sealed more than 900 properties all across the city. Among the sealed assets were game zones, schools, hospitals, textile markets, stores, business complexes, and restaurants. Businesses immediately and directly suffered from the sealing, which resulted in a major uproar from impacted parties—especially Ring Road area textile traders.

Reacting to the demonstrations, SMC started the process of unlocking closed homes depending on owner affidavits. These affidavits being sought by the Surat Municipal Corporation have to say that the owners of their properties acknowledge whole responsibility for any fire-related events. This action is considered as a temporary fix to minimize the effects on companies and guarantee some degree of safety responsibility.

The method calls for a thorough approach whereby property owners have to commit themselves to solve several safety and legal shortcomings within designated periods. For instance, schools now need parents to complete disclosures for children riding in school vans.

Of the 957 closed properties, 7,000 units were impacted. Though most lack BU certificates, the SMC has started unsealing such premises pending fire NOC renewals. Owners have sixty days to acquire the required BU certification, during which they have to pay an impact charge and normalize their constructions or legalize illegal buildings.

Sealed properties split out into 226 temporary buildings, 218 schools and coaching courses, 111 hospitals, 88 restaurants, 56 commercial complexes, 28 cinemas, and 13 game zones. Property owners must turn in three-part affidavits:

Flame Owners have to promise to fix eleven kinds of flaws within ten days.

BU Certificate but No Fire NOC: Owners have to provide an affidavit proving they will not utilize the land for business until safety precautions are put in place.

Owners of no BU certificates have to remove illegal buildings within sixty days and pay the impact cost to normalize them.

Property owners answer in these affidavits for any future safety precautions. It is specifically specified that the property owners have whole responsibility; the municipality will not be held liable should any accident happen after the seal is raised.

Property without both BU and Fire NOC shall stay sealed, the SMC has unequivocally said. The properties in question exhibited major damage and safety hazards during inspections, hence opening them without the necessary certificates is unsafe. Thus, no rules have been established for opening these seals, hence public safety still has first importance.