Diamond Barons Risk Safety of Thousands of Residents in Surat

Surat : Some of the big realtors and diamond barons in Surat are in the spotlight for constructing roads, compound walls, and other infrastructure on their private lands located on the flood plain zone on the bank of River Tapi, thereby inviting flood destruction for tens of thousands of residents in the Bhatha and Pal areas of Adajan, Gujarat. 

There are around 1000 to 1200 bigha of gauchar (pastoral land) and 300 to 350 bigha of private land on the banks of the Tapi river at Bhatha village in  Choryasi taluka of Surat district. 

In the past, the local peasants used rotational farming in this area. The area is a low-lying flood plain zone along the Tapi River. If there is additional rain and flooding in the Tapi River, the region will be submerged. During the monsoon season, rainwater from this area used to drain into the sea via the river. As a result, there was no concern with rainwater flooding. However, the installation of compound walls, roads, and other infrastructure on private properties controlled by builders and diamond barons has jeopardised the flood-like situation. 

Darshan Naik, a social activist, has written to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel demanding the cancellation of Non-Agriculture (NA) orders 608, 627, and 628 for blatantly violating the provisions of the embankment scheme along the Tapi River in Surat, putting the city at risk of flooding.

According to Naik, a large amount of sand filling is taking place along the banks of the Tapi River, in violation of the embankment project. Government land along the Tapi River’s banks is being unlawfully excavated without the district administration’s approval. 

According to the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification 2011-19, block numbers 608 and 628 are within the “Hazard Line” and are part of the CRZ region. Also, when the Tapi River flooded in 2006, BISAG-N prepared maps. According to the maps, a construction zone was established 30 to 150 meters from the riverbank. Survey/Block Nos. 608, 627, and 628 were also shown to have a full erosion area. That is, these block numbers are in the flood plain zone, and there is a high possibility of water filling. 

The Surat district collector directed an investigation to the Provincial Officer of Olpad taluka, and the findings were detailed in a report dated June 25, 2024. However, the proponents of blocks 608, 627, and 628 have disregarded all data by erecting cement walls and filled the ground to a high level.  It appears that it will cause a flood crisis.

Definition of Hazard Line according to CRZ Notification 2019:-

The phrase ‘Hazard Line’ refers to the line drawn by the Survey of India (SOI) for the Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) that takes into consideration tides, waves, sea level rise, and coastline alterations. A hazard line is one that is vulnerable to severe weather and natural disasters like tsunamis. The Coastal Zone Management Plan includes hazard lines for meteorological events and natural calamities such as tsunamis. According to the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification and the Coastal Zone Management Plan, all economic urban development operations must include this line.

“I have addressed a letter to the Gujarat Chief Minister demanding that the NA orders for the land blocks 608, 627, and 628 be cancelled immediately. If this is not done, a large population living in Bhatha and adjacent villages in Adajan may face flooding in the coming days,” Naik stated.