Surat textile traders slam civic body

Textile traders in the city have blamed the Surat Municipal Corporation for the water logging in the markets and the consequent losses incurred by them in the previous week.

This was stated by traders at a meeting of the Steering Committee of Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association held late on Tuesday.

Federation vice president Devkishan Manghani said, "Around 2,500 shops in 20 to 25 markets on the Ring Road, were submerged under the flood waters. In Anupam Textile Market alone, about 200 shops were flooded. This has resulted in losses of Rs 60 to Rs 70 crore to the traders."

"We believe that the SMC was responsible for these losses, mainly because water logging in the textile markets was caused owing to flooding in the culverts. Despite incessant rains, there was hardly any effect on the water level of Tapi river, but water level in culverts increased," Manghani said.

"Owing to encroachments, water from culverts was unable to flow into the river or the sea, for which SMC is solely responsible. Lack of a protective wall along the culverts, also contributed a great deal to water flooding in the market area," Manghani said.

"The textile traders of Anupam Market, who have suffered the highest losses, had requested the corporation to provide a de-watering pump, to remove water from the market. Surprisingly, SMC authorities rejected the request. The textile industry contributes crores of rupees to the government exchequer. We also pay several taxes to the SMC, so the least it could have done was to provide the pump to us," Manghani added.

The steering committee meeting, however, had to be adjourned after reports that some textile traders had been beaten up by security guards of Millennium Textile Market, reached the federation office bearers.

The federation office bearers rushed to the scene and learnt that a huge crowd, numbering about 500, had gathered at the scene.

The traders have demanded that a police complaint be lodged against the guilty security guards and that services of the security agency be terminated by Millennium Market as well as the other textile markets.