Gotalawadi tenement residents calls off hunger strike

Surat: About 1,304 families from the economically weaver section (EWS) affected by the redevelopment of the Gotalawadi Tenement have put off the indefinite hunger strike plan following assurance from the authorities of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) to resolve the issue within a week’s time, on Friday.
The residents had threatened to go on indefinite hunger strike outside the SMC headquarters from Friday over the non-payment of rent by the developer for last 10 months. The developer has already demolished the tenements. During the lockdown, the residents were put in severe financial crisis as they were living rented houses.
Last year, the SMC had taken up the redevelopment of Gotalawadi tenement under the Redevelopment of Public Housing Scheme 2016 on the public private partnership (PPP) basis. The developer of the tenement was asked to pay rent to the beneficiaries till the time the project is not completed.
Since the project is located just 130 m away from the heritage Dutch Cemetery near Gotalawadi in Katargam, the developer had approached the NMA (National Monuments Authority) for approval of the project under the Heritage Impact Assessment with the height of 45 metres. The NMA approved the project and issued no-objection certificate (NOC) for the total building height of 22.80 metres, which comes to around six-storey.
As the required height was not approved by the NMA, the developer stopped paying rent to the beneficiaries. .
Swati Sosa, former BJP councillor from Katargam, who is spearheading the campaign told TOI, “We had gone to the SMC headquarters at Mughalsarai for indefinite hunger strike. The senior SMC authorities including mayor and Surat MP Darshana Jardosh assured that they will find solution to the non-payment of rent to the residents within one week.”
Sosa added, “The rent amount for last 10 months comes to about Rs 10 crore, which the developer is yet to pay as per the redevelopment plan norms.”
Talking with TOI, Surat MP Darshana Jardosh said, “A revised plan with 35 metre height will be submitted soon to the NMA for approval. Once the approval is given, the redevelopment of the Gotalawadi tenement will be taken up on war footing.”