SMC offers shelter, Nasir Nagar residents refuse to move in

Surat: A day after 26 residents whose homes were demolished in Nasir Nagar approached the Gujarat high court, the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) arranged temporary accommodation for them at a community hall in Bharimata.

However, the affected families refused to move, choosing instead to continue living amid the debris of their demolished homes or in makeshift arrangements nearby.Civic officials told the court that alternative accommodation was offered to the families earlier as well, but they declined to relocate. On Friday, the assistant commissioner of SMC’s central zone issued a fresh order asking the residents to shift to the community hall.The SMC-managed facility, located about 900 metres from the demolition site, has been equipped with basic amenities, including electricity, drinking water, fans, toilets and bathrooms.“All essential facilities have been provided at the community hall so that the affected families can stay there comfortably for a few days. However, they are still unwilling to shift,” an SMC official said.Even as the rehabilitation efforts continued, the surrounding Variavi Bazaar and Bharimata areas wore a festive look on the occasion of Muharram.

People gathered to witness the Tajiya processions, while volunteers distributed ice cream, cold drinks and fruits along the roads. Amid music and heavy police deployment for the processions, groups of local youths were also seen arranging drinking water, food and other essentials for the homeless residents of Nasir Nagar.

The demolished settlement is located between Variavi Bazaar and Bharimata.“The residents were offered alternative shelter earlier too, but they chose not to move. We are continuing our efforts to persuade them,” another civic official claimed.