Surat administration courts controversy for allowing villagers to clean Hazira’s slag-dumped seabed

Surat (Gujarat) : Gujarat Government needs to take lessons from the Surat district administration on ‘how to keep the beaches and sea beds clean with the help of the villagers’. For the first time, the Surat collectorate’s Choriyasi Mamlatdar—Executive Magistrate Choriyasi taluka—granted permission to a couple of villagers in Hazira village to clean up the government land on the sea bed with their own resources and money.

TBT investigation revealed that the entire sea bed in Hazira was illegally dumped with steel slag from a reputable company. Some unscrupulous elements, with the support of local MLAs and a senior minister in the Gujarat government, are working together to make a fortune by selling steel slag or steel waste dumped on the sea bed on the open market.

TBT has the copy of the permission given by the Executive magistrate of Choriyasi Taluka to one Kalpanaben Chandrakant Patel, a resident of Mata Falia in Hazira for clearing the garbage, waste and filth lying on the sea bed from the government land on the sea bed in Hazira on December 7, 2022.

In his application, Kalpanaben Patel stated that she is living close to the sea-bed and the garbage dumped there is causing major health issues to the villagers. Interestingly, Mata Falia in Hazira is located some 3 kilometers away from the sea bed.

Following the permission given by the Executive Magistrate of Choriyasi taluka, about 150 transport trucks and over 50 JCB machines have been deployed on the sea bed in Hazira for lifting huge amount of steel slag dumped illegally by a reputed company.

Sources said that the senior minister in the Gujarat government and his son along with a local MLA are involved in the racket of clearing the steel slag from the sea bed and selling it in the open market to earn crores of rupees.

Jignesh Patel, executive magistrate of Choriyasi taluka told TBT, “We have not given any permission to clear the garbage or waste on the sea bed in Hazira. We have said they can do it on their own”

When contacted Surat District Collector Ayush Oak responded with the message saying that he will be available for comments after 5 pm..