SMC ignored repeated complaints on encroachments

Surat: The site of fire at Takshashila arcade in Sarthana has been the hub of illegal encroachments of all kinds in the past too. Large number of makeshift carts, paan kiosks and vendors had come up in the area encroaching the road along with illegal constructions of shops at the arcade. All these activities rendered one side up of the 200 ft road unusable to at least 50-75 feet.
Sharad Jhalawadia, a student and resident of Sarthana Jakatnaka area, registered a complaint (no 999\520191662) on SMC’s website, first in November 2018 and again three times more including one as recent as on February 20, 2019, asking it to remove these illegal encroachments. However, no action had been taken on his repeated plaints.
Talking to TOI, Jhalawadia said, “Every time I got a standard reply saying ‘necessary action will be taken’, but nothing moved till the day of the fire incident.”
SMC junior engineer of Varachha zone B, HD Singh, who was assigned the complaints, never replied or talked to the complainant. He remained unavailable even when TOI tried to contact him twice for his comments.