Devastating floods push Surat backwards by 25yrs

The floods that ravaged Surat has taken the city backwards economically by at least 25 years, and it is likely to remain so for at least the next five years, according to industry experts who have watched the economic progress of the diamond-cutting city.

Phenomenal progress in the last two decades had established Surat as one of the foremost cities on the financial map of the country, which has now been washed away in five days of devastating floods.

The question being asked is - will Surat regain its lost place?

Surti Lalas are banking on the indomitable Gujarati entrepreneurial spirit to help Surat bounce bank from the crisis.

"As per our estimate, the worst floods in the history of Surat has eroded the progress the city had achieved in the last 25 years," Pravin Nanavati, president of Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told PTI.

Economist and professor M D Desai said the city could remain in a bad patch for the next five years. "The diamond and textile industry of Surat and neighbouring Hazira's progress has not only been halted but also taken a severe financial setback. Entrepreneurs will hesitate before investing in the city due to its vulnerability," he added.

"Development of the city will suffer due to the economic losses, degradation of living conditions and psychological effects of the floods. It will take a lot of time for Surat to regain its lost position," Desai added.

"We have seen in history that floods have ruined cities and civilizations that have grown on the banks of rivers. Many of us might find it difficult to believe it while reading history books, but Surat's floods have proved that the fury of water can destroy cities. Surat has survived the flood due to modern RCC houses and technological advances, but it has received a tremendous blow," Satyakam Joshi of city-based Centre for Social Studies said.

"Though people are giving different figures, losses faced by the city cannot be counted as every family has suffered some or other kind of loss," he added.

Former Textile Minister and Surat MP Kanshiram Rana said: "I request the central and state governments not to allow the city to die. The people of Surat have spiritedly fought disasters like floods and plague in the past, and have overcome them successfully. They still have the spirit to fight this disaster. The central and state governments should give two years of tax holiday for Surat."

S R Rao, chief co-ordinator for relief and rescue of  Gujarat government, said: "We will restore normalcy in Surat in the next few days."

Rao, who as Municipal Commissioner of Surat after the plague changed the face of the city, believes that the city will regain its position on the economic map of the nation.