Civic body starts campaign to check illegal construction

SURAT: Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has started a campaign to check illegal construction by real estate developers and residents in the city, especially in areas like Varachha and Katargam, during Diwali vacation.
Many people indulge in illegal construction during Diwali vacation as several SMC employees are on leave.
Special teams had been formed by SMC before the Diwali festival for surveys in municipal zones about the ongoing construction and their status.The survey details collected pre-Diwali vacation would be tallied with the details collected post-vacation to find out about the illegal construction, sources said.
SMC was officially closed for Diwali vacation from November 10 for a week. As the municipal staff is on leave for six days during the vacation, there is a big opportunity for the wrong doers to indulge in illegal construction on their premises.
"We have started the survey operation in all the seven municipal zones after the Diwali vacation to find out the status of the ongoing constructions in the residential societies and the residential projects of the realtors. We will not hesitate to take stringent action against the violators," a senior officer said.
People of Katargam, Varachha, Dabholi, Ved Road, Udhana and Pandesara wait for Diwali vacation to take up illegal constructions.
"We have asked the civic staff to fan out in their respective municipal zones and deal strictly with those who have indulged in illegal construction," another SMC officer said.