Surat: The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) on Wednesday removed an unauthorised shed structure from the rooftop and ground floor of Avadh Ruturaj Market in Limbayat zone, freeing around 9,900sq ft of encroached area. The action was taken after a major fire gutted at least 10 shops in the building on May 16.The open space on the ground floor between two wings of the building was covered with a shed, while the terrace — around 6,100sq ft — was also enclosed and used for commercial activities. After the fire, the building management was asked to remove the illegal structures. When no action was taken, the SMC stepped in.Unauthorised rooftop sheds and structures have long been a fire hazard in Surat, with civic action typically following major fire incidents rather than preventing them. Similar illegal sheds have obstructed firefighting operations in previous fires, including at Shiv Shakti Textile Market on Ring Road, where a fire in Feb raged for two days, and sheds had to be dismantled during the operation. Textile goods worth crores were destroyed.In the tragic Takshashila Arcade fire of May 2019, which claimed the lives of 22 students, a floor developed under an unauthorised dome later regularised under impact fee provisions was cited as a key factor. In Sep 2024, two workers died in a fire in an illegal unit operating under a shed in the Simada area.As per SMC protocol, the responsibility of monitoring and acting against such unauthorised structures lies with the zonal offices. Fire department officials have pointed to lax enforcement by the civic body, allowing such constructions to proliferate.“Once a building is issued permission for use, it is the duty of the zonal office to ensure that no unauthorised structures are added. Regular inspections and enforcement are their responsibility,” said an SMC official.In the Takshashila fire case, eight govt officers have been booked — seven from the SMC and one from Dakshin Gujarat Vij Company Ltd (DGVCL). Among those arrested are executive engineers Parag Munshi and Jayesh Solanki, and other junior officers including Vinu Parmar, Himanshu Gajjar, Atul Gorsawala, Sanjay Acharya, and Kirti Modh. DGVCL’s deputy engineer Dipak Naik was also held for his role.
