At least 106 units were demolished on May 30, allegedly under the guise of demarcating a public road. A total of 26 of the displaced residents moved the HC seeking justice and compensation, claiming they were not notified before the action.ACTING ON the Gujarat High Court’s (HC) directive, Surat Municipal Commissioner M Nagarajan on Tuesday announced a three-member monitoring team, comprising two deputy commissioners and an additional city engineer, for allotment of houses to those displaced in the wake of the controversial demolition at Nasirnagar on a private piece of land in Ved Road area of Surat on May 30.Later on Tuesday, SMC officials carried out a survey at the demolition site and also met several of the affected persons and collected information.The monitoring team comprises Deputy Commissioners Nidhi Siwach and Swati Desai and Additional City Engineer M A Chavda, who also holds charge of the affordable housing department of the SMC.SMC Additional City Engineer M A Chavda said, “We got the appointment letter from the SMC Commissioner on Tuesday afternoon. We will first contact the petitioners and provide them a list of documents they should submit to us regarding their stay in Nasirnagar. These include property tax bills, electricity bills, etc. There is a condition that the beneficiary or his family member should not have another house in the city and at least they should have stayed for one year at Nasirnagar.”He added, “Once we get the documents, we will verify and note down details of the people. We will prepare a report on such beneficiaries and submit it to the SMC commissioner within the next four-five days. We are planning to relocate the affected families to the Jehangirpura EWS colony. We have around 130 empty units there.”On Tuesday afternoon, a team of SMC officials visited the Bharimata community hall, where people affected by the Nasirnagar demolition were accommodated by SMC authorities temporarily. The officials counted the number of affected families and told them to prepare to submit the documents. The teams, accompanied by some of the affected persons, also visited the site of the demolition in Nasirnagar and counted the houses that were partially or completely demolished.Congress councillor Arshad Jariwala told The Indian Express, “The houses demolished at the site had multiple floors but now SMC officials told us that they will give a one-bedroom hall-kitchen house to each beneficiary. There are many houses with ground plus two or three floors, where around 10 to 15 members reside, including parents, their married sons and their families. How will they accommodate themselves in such a small flat? We will request SMC officials to allot flats on the specified floors to the families. Presently, the SMC teams told us that they will allot houses to 16 petitioners, so what about the remaining ones?”Story continues below this adAt least 106 units were demolished on May 30, allegedly under the guise of demarcating a public road. A total of 26 of the displaced residents moved the HC seeking justice and compensation, claiming they were not notified before the action. The HC, which has been raising questions on the SMC action, is due to hear the petition again on August 10. Kamal Saiyed is a senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, providing extensive, on-the-ground coverage from Surat and the broader South Gujarat region and the Union territories of Daman, Diu & Dadra Nagar Haveli. With a reporting career at the publication spanning back to 2007, he has established himself as a high-authority voice on the industrial, social, and political pulse of one of India’s fastest-growing urban hubs. Expertise Industrial & Economic Beat: Based in the "Diamond City," Saiyed offers expert reporting on the diamond and textile industries. His work tracks global market shifts (such as De Beers production changes), local trade policies, and the socio-economic challenges facing the millions of workers in Surat’s manufacturing hubs. Civic & Infrastructure Coverage: He consistently reports on urban development and public safety in Surat, including: Traffic & Urban Planning: Monitoring the city's 13-fold increase in traffic violations and the implementation of new municipal drives. Public Safety: Investigative reporting on infrastructure failures, fire safety NOC compliance in schools and commercial buildings, and Metro rail progress. Political Reporting: Tracking the shifting dynamics between the BJP, Congress, and AAP in South Gujarat and the neighboring Union Territories (Daman, Diu, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli). Crime beat: Armed with a good source network Saiyed has been able to bring out the human side of crime stories in his region ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram