- विज्ञापन -
Surat: As unseasonal rains approach Surat and the monsoon season draws near, the municipal authorities are actively addressing a long-standing urban safety concern — dilapidated buildings. With the rains expected to intensify in the coming weeks, the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has intensified efforts to crack down on unsafe structures, especially in the vulnerable Limbayat area.
Each year, SMC conducts surveys of the city’s aging infrastructure to prepare for the monsoon, issuing notices to property owners to repair or demolish dangerous buildings. This year, given the early rains, the urgency of these actions has heightened.
According to SMC data, 1,563 properties across Surat still require repairs, while 91 have been declared highly unsafe, presenting significant risks to residents and neighboring structures. Recently, in Kumbhariya village within Limbayat, a hazardous residential building was voluntarily demolished following discussions with its owners. This effort aims to reduce potential casualties during the monsoon season. In another case, officials removed a dangerous balcony from a building in Jalaram Nagar, Dindoli, part of ongoing safety measures.
More such demolitions and safety interventions are planned as authorities race against time—and the weather—to minimize urban hazards in one of Gujarat’s most flood-prone cities.
Similarly, Vadodara faces its own issues, with 1,012 buildings considered structurally unsafe, particularly in the Char Darwaja area. Residents fear collapses, but municipal action has been limited, leaving many dangerous structures standing.
In Ahmedabad, the problem is exacerbated by the deterioration of government housing for economically weaker sections. Notably, 1,664 houses in Vatva were demolished after being unoccupied for over ten years and assessed as structurally unsafe. Nearly half of the 18,928 units built under the Rajiv Gandhi Housing Scheme have exhibited structural issues over the past decade.
Rural areas are not exempt from this crisis, with data indicating that 2,433 gram panchayats either lack usable structures or have dilapidated ones.
