Surat : Dawoodi Bohra Trust Defies Mayor Order, Reinstalls Barriers on Vohrawad Roads

Surat | Gujarat — The Dawoodi Bohra community’s Dawat property trust has literally overruled the decision taken by Surat Mayor Daxesh Mavani ordering the removal of iron gates, barricades and bouncers at the historic street roads leading to the Vohrawad and Devdi Mubarak. Now, the Dawat property trust has installed traffic iron barriers on the roads to prevent vehicular traffic from entering the historic streets, allowing only pedestrian entry. 

In a challenge to Surat Mayor Daxesh Mavani, the iron rods have been placed in such a way that all the four important lanes cannot be accessed by vehicles. In case of fire, the firefighters could not even enter the streets to douse fire, keeping the human settlement inside the streets on the tenterhooks. 

A controversial resolution of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has turned a year-old public road located in the city’s central zone, Zamba Bazaar, into a center of controversy. Due to this decision of the Municipal Corporation, about two lakh locals and city people have to change their regular route and travel about 2 kilometers. This controversy further escalated when, although the resolution only prohibited vehicular traffic, a private trust illegally installed iron gates, blocking the movement of everyone, including pedestrians, and placed bouncers. As the controversy escalated, the mayor ordered an investigation. However, the gate was removed after the mayor’s order.

Land swap resolution is the cause of the controversy

The root of the entire controversy lies in SMC’s resolution No. 1804/2025 dated September 26, 2025. This resolution is related to the streets named Vohrawad and Devdi Mubarak owned by the ‘Dawat Property Trust’ of the Bohra community located in Zhapa Bazaar. This proposal was originally to take land from the trust for the development of Gopi Lake in 2014 and close this public road for vehicular traffic, which was being postponed at that time. Now, the Surat Municipal Corporation has suddenly presented this old swap proposal before the standing committee and approved it.

These streets can be used only for pedestrian traffic

According to the resolution, these streets can only be used for pedestrian traffic and vehicular traffic has been banned. The argument from the Municipal Corporation was that this area used to have the most traffic problems, hence this decision has been taken.

Serious dispute over gate and bouncer

As soon as the resolution was passed, the controversy gained momentum. Although the resolution only prohibited vehicular traffic, the trust immediately installed three illegal iron gates here. Not only this, four to five bouncers were deployed at these gates.

According to the locals, these bouncers do not allow other people, including local residents, to pass through this street. However, it is clearly seen in the scenes that people of the society are easily passing through this gate on the road with their vehicles, but other locals are not allowed to enter. Due to this, the locals feel that the road that is open to the public has become private property. Since people have to take their vehicles and go 2 km away, time is wasted and the traffic load has also increased.

Statement of former corporator and mayor

This issue was raised by former corporator Vijay Pansuriya after the locals complained. He had also filed a written complaint in this regard twice. Vijay Pansuriya has said that as per the resolution number 1804/2025 passed by the Standing Committee on 26 September 2025, the decision to close the public road in the central zone of Surat city for vehicular traffic for years in exchange of land to a private trust is an injustice to the people of Surat city and local residents. The work of using the road only for pedestrians has been approved. If these roads are closed, people will have to go back and forth, inconveniences will arise, time will be wasted and traffic load will increase.

Cannot close the road for pedestrians: Mayor

However, as the controversy escalated, Mayor Daxesh Mawani had ordered an investigation into the entire matter and took a strict stand against the arbitrariness of the trust. Mayor Mavani clearly said that action will be taken if there is any work against the resolution. Mavani ruled that the trust cannot close the road for pedestrians and even install gates and deploy bouncers. The iron gates and bouncers were removed after Surat Mayor’s order, but now the Dawat Property trust has installed iron traffic barriers to restrict the entry of vehicles.