SMC HQ, theme park remain a distant dream

SURAT: The dream of ruling BJP in the Diamond City to construct new Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) headquarters on sub jail land on Ring Road and setting up a theme park at Dumas sea shore on 400 acres of forest department land is unlikely to become a reality.
Despite repeatedly approaching the government run by their own party at Gandhinagar, no one has given them a positive response in the last three years.
“Every year, the issue crops up and assurances are given during the visit of mayor and municipal commissioner to Gandhinagar before the annual budget is prepared,” said a ruling party councilor.
Sources said that the law provides that forest department land can neither be sold nor given on lease. The 400 acres on Dumas sea shore that SMC is seeking to develop a theme park could only become a reality if the forest department and SMC with mutual consent agreement to development of the park with eco-tourism as an integral aspect. Forest department could also demand some monetary compensation from SMC to give them right of development by mutual consent.
Similarly as far as SMC demand of nearly 10,000 square metres of land on Ring Road is concerned, it is under the home and revenue department. SMC can get this old sub jail land by buying it at 25 per cent of prevailing jantri rate as per a provision that other government departments don’t stake claim to it.
After meeting chief minister Anandi Patel along with Surat’s in charge minister Saurabh Patel a day ago on the pending demand of the city, mayor Niranjan Janjmera said, “We have impressed upon the chief minister and others the need for Surat to have these lands. We hope all inter government procedures would be completed soon.”
Municipal commissioner Milind Torwane told TOI, “A number of departments are involved due to the complex nature of the issues. Till now, there is no precedence and so we don’t have anything to fall back to.”