Anglican Church annexe prayer hall demolished for Surat Metro Rail project

Surat : Tens of hundreds of Christians in Surat are outraged following the demolition of the 20-year-old annexe structure of the mediaeval Anglican church in Chowk Bazaar on Thursday for the extravagant Surat Metro rail project. The church members are equally upset and enraged as the committee of the CNI Christ Church is allegedly paid a handsome amount by the Metrol Rail Corporation and that they are yet to reveal it to the congregation members.

The annexe structure was built as an extension to the existing Anglican church in Chowk Bazaar, which was built by Britishers in 1824. The 100×27-foot structure was built on the main stretch from Chowk Bazaar to the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) headquarters.

The structure served as an extension to the Anglican church, where protestant members of the CNI Christ Church gathered for prayers and other religious activities.

According to official sources, the Surat Metro rail project is moving at a breakneck pace in the city. Many months ago, the Church’s occupants were served with notices to vacate the structure. Along with the Church annexe structure, the Metro railway department demolished three other structures: the Janta Farsan mart, the Torrent Power Surat electricity substation, and the Petrol Pump.

According to sources, the Anglican church is located on survey number 2038, which measures 8,000 square metres. The Ministry of Defense, Government of India, owns the land. During British rule in India, the area surrounding the Anglican church was used to store the British army’s arms and ammunition.

The East India Company began construction on the Anglican church in 1800 and finished it in 1824. The British appointed Albert Thomas as the first secretary of the Anglican church and provided him with a luxurious bungalow on the grounds, which is still used by his fourth generation.