Surat Doctor Fights SMC Corruption Amid Illegal Row House Construction

Surat : Dr. Gunjan Puri, an eminent doctor and athlete from Surat, has uncovered corruption among senior Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) officials in connection with the illegal construction of a luxury row house in the Althan area. Despite repeated written and verbal protests to the SMC authorities, the illegal construction continues. According to Dr. Puri, his bungalow is located in front of the illegally built row house, denying him basic rights such as adequate light, air, and wind. 

The unlawful construction of a row house project is underway on plot 32 of town planning (TP) scheme 36 in Althan. Dr. Puri brought the issue to the SMC’s notice on June 5, 2024, but despite 41 days, no action has been made to halt the development.

Giving up all chance of action, Dr. Puri used social media platforms such as X (formerly known as Twitter) to contact the Prime Minister of India, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, the Surat Municipal Commissioner, the Surat Mayor, and the Surat District Collector to bring the issue to their attention. 

“Every time I visit the SMC office, I am told that the individual responsible for the illegal building has been alerted, and I am given the phone number of the assigned officer on duty. However, my calls go unanswered, and I am eventually barred by those authorities,” explained Dr. Puri. 

“Despite their verbal commitments to stop the activity, I have kept the SMC heads informed about the ongoing construction via WhatsApp. It appears that political influence is required to halt the project, forcing ordinary people like myself to traverse a bureaucratic maze without any significant support.”

Dr. Puri has thus inquired about the status of the officially approved plan, building use certificate (BUC), and other approvals for the construction project.

” It appears that these documents are only important when a disaster occurs.” “I urge the SMC to take immediate action to stop the illegal construction and provide justice to the affected citizens,” Dr. Puri stated. 

“Ultimately, it emphasizes the hardships of ordinary people in accessing basic resources and services as a result of illegal building activities that appear to have the support of some SMC officials. SMC personnel also altered the subtitle of an online complaint from Complaints Code: New Illegal Construction to Road Encroachment/Non-Permanent.”