Surat Discussions & General news thread

[GJ10]

Another kind request to please stop clogging up project/infra threads with your "personal opinions" when this thread exists for this exact purpose.

(from Surat roads thread)

Originally Posted by Cosmicbliss

Surat needs an ORR very badly.

Please explain what an ORR for Surat would acheive that NH8 and NH6 dont currently acheive?

Much needed Middle Ring Rd is of course u/c (as Im sure you already knew)

[GJ10]

Article from Feb based on census results, still very topical.

Will Surat overtake Ahmedabad sometime in the Future?

This has not happened in most of the states, perhaps any of the state. In Maharashtra you can not imagine some other city overtaking Mumbai in terms of highest population, in Rajasthan you can’t think any other city overtaking Jaipur in same criteria, and same for Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, for Chennai in Tamil Nadu or for Bangalore in Karnataka.

But in Gujarat, it is all possible that in future Surat may overtake Ahmedabad in terms of population.

Look at the tentative figures based on the household survey of 2011 census published in a report.

The cities of Surat, Rajkot, Jamnagar and Junagadh have overtaken Ahmedabad in terms of population growth over the last decade.

However Surat at the top place in this criteria actually deserves special attention thanks to whooping population growth.

According to a report, Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) area witnessed a huge 56 per cent rise in population between 2001 and 2011. SMC’s population rose from 28.42 lakh to 44.01 lakh.

Compare to this Ahmedabad’s population growth was only 20% in same decade.

This means if trend continues in future years, Surat can possibly leave Ahmedabad behind at some point of time.

[meetmus2fa]

SURAT: The Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (SGCCI) three-day event for textile sector - Fibre to Fashion - was inaugurated at Surat International Exhibition and Convention Centre (SIECC) here on Friday.

This is the first time that SGCCI has made 'Fibre to Fashion' event a business to business (B2B) exercise. Over 3,000 buyers from different parts of the country are expected to visit the event.

"This time around we have kept this a purely B2B event. The exhibition is part of our efforts to create a brand for Surat as hub for textiles. One should know that apart from manufacturing yarns and printed fabrics, the city's textile entrepreneurs are one step ahead when it comes to manufacturing designer sarees, dress materials and value-added embroidery fabrics," SGCCI president Rohit Mehta said.

This year, SGCCI has focused on the fabrics manufactured by the city's textile entrepreneuers like sarees, dress materials, suiting and shirting. About 70 stalls belonging to local textile entrepreneurs have been set up covering 75,000 square feet of area at SIECC. To display the richness of Surat's fabrics, two fashion shows have been organized by Surat Dreams on Friday and Saturday respectively.

Mehta said, "We are expecting more than 3,000 buyers to visit the exhibition. The buyers are likely to come from cities like Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Punjab, Lucknow, Mumbai, Chandigarh, New Delhi, Noida Coimbatore etc."

Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...ow/9328125.cms

[meetmus2fa]

Bharatiya Janata Party will start agitation against central government for the development of Surat airport from 29th of Jul, Surat city President Purnesh Modi and Member of Parliament C.R.Patil announced today.

Narrating the details of agitation, Shri Modi said, “there will be a gathering of around 5,000 citizens of Surat at the airport on 29th. There will be a public meeting there itself. Later a representation of more than 60 persons will take a flight and leave for Delhi where it will meet central Aviation minister.”

“The central government doesn’t want Gujarat progress and Surat’s development. Therefore Deccan360′s service connecting Surat with other cities couldn’t kick off. The company was all set to begin its air service, even the tent for inauguration function was set up, however the central government didn’t want to materialize this and therefore the airline company was threatened and asked to withdraw. We are no more in mood to tolerate this anymore,” Patil further said.

Source - http://deshgujarat.com/2011/07/23/bj...-from-29-july/

[badboy201095]

I like Surat Jay Garvi Guajarat

[GJ10]

Jet Airways to explore flight services from the city

There is some good news for the high flying Surtis. Jet Airways has shown interest in starting domestic flight services from the diamond city, connecting Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore and other important destinations.

A delegation of Jet Airways India Limited led by its executive director, Saroj Dutta is scheduled to visit Surat on July 29 to gauge the possibility of starting domestic flight services from Surat airport. Dutta and his team will hold meetings with representatives from trade and industry including textile and diamond sectors. They will also meet the office-bearers of Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI). Official sources said Dutta confirmed his visit to the diamond city during the Indian Merchants Chamber`s (IMC) managing committee meeting in Mumbai on Friday, which was attended by president of SGCCI, Rohit Mehta.

"We have strongly represented the air connectivity issue at the IMC meeting in Mumbai. We are expecting the visit of Jet Airways executive director will be fruitful towards realizing the dream of the denizens of having a fully operational airport," said Mehta. Now, the airline companies have reason to turn their eyes towards the diamond city. The city has been ranked fourth in the global study of fastest developing cities in the world conducted by the City Mayors Foundation, an international think tank on urban affairs.

Mehta said Surat airport is equipped with all the state-of-the-art facilities needed by the airline companies. The airport is functional only with a single flight of Indian Airlines between Surat and Delhi. The city BJP leaders, however, will launch an agitation to protest the injustice meted out to the people of Surat with regard to the air connectivity issue.

[meetmus2fa]

Can anyone tell me why SMC is not allowing high rises towers in Surat and does anyone knows which is the tallest standing structure in the city

[meetmus2fa]

SURAT: Ghanshyam Gabani, a small diamond trader from Surat, boarded the Flying Ranee for Mumbai on Monday morning with polished diamonds worth Rs 80 lakh. "As there are summer holidays in Israel and Belgium, we expect the market to perform well because there are likely to be more buyers from these countries," said Gabani, who is going back to Mumbai for the first time since the serial blasts of 13/7.

More than 5,000 small diamond traders like Gabani boarded Mumbai-bound trains on Monday from Surat, the world's biggest diamond cutting and polishing centre. Mumbai, where polished gems worth Rs 1,000 crore are traded every day, gives them the best price for their sparklers.

Unlike the big and medium diamond firms which have their trading offices in Opera House, small diamond traders from Surat travel to Mumbai to sell polished stones . Industry sources say that about 40 per cent of the polished gems traded in Mumbai come from Surat's diamond traders.

Every Monday, these traders board Mumbai-bound trains carrying diamonds worth up to a crore of rupees in small packets concealed in their clothes. They stay in rented houses in Walkeshwar and Napean Sea Road areas and return to their families in Surat on weekends. A miniscule percentage of traders, though, travel daily between Surat and Mumbai as trains such as Flying Ranee reach them there in five hours.

Gabani confessed that the fear of being caught in a blast haunts him. "Yes, I am afraid. But I have to go to Mumbai to sell my stock," he said.

Suresh Patel, a diamond trader who was witness to the bloodbath at Opera House on 13/7, said "The images of the dead are fresh in my mind but there is no option. I can sell the polished gems to the local dealers in Surat, but they fetch a better price in Mumbai as they are directly purchased by big merchants."

Dinesh Navadia, president of Surat Diamond Association (SDA), said, "Although no diamond trader from Surat was killed in the serial blasts at Opera House, there is a fear psychosis among diamond traders here. Despite this, most of them have gone to Mumbai carrying polished gems worth crores of rupees."

Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...ow/9364157.cms

[meetmus2fa]

Surat’s diamond market will observe one day strike on Friday in support of BJP’s agitation against central government over better air connectivity issue. About five thousand people are likely to gather at Surat airport on 29th of July to see off those representatives who are going to Delhi to meet the Civil aviation minister. In support of them, large number of Surat diamond workers will hold a vehicle rally between Anuvrat dwar to airport.

Meanwhile Federation of Surat Textile Association (FOSTA) has also supported BJP’s agitation for better air connectivity in Surat.

It should be mentioned that only one flight is presently operated from Surat airport every day while the city demands more. This one token flight connects Surat with Delhi, but charges double compare to flights operating on nearby Mumbai-Delhi or Rajkot-Delhi route.

Local BJP MP has charged that recently when Deccan360 wanted to operate several flights from Surat to different destinations in Gujarat, it was the central government’s ‘anti-Gujarat’ approach that played spoiler’s role and the central govt threatened the company to withdraw from its plan. Therefore even if the tent of inauguration was set up and everything was finalized, the proposed service couldn’t materialize.

Source - http://deshgujarat.com/2011/07/26/su...ity-agitation/

[meetmus2fa]

Surat: Two months ago Surti group 'We want a working airport at Surat' on Facebook got immense support of more than 10,000 members from the city and abroad. Now, the movement for a fully operational airport is all set to take to the streets of the diamond city. Industrialists and traders from the diamond and textile sectors and trade and industry associations have joined hands to start an agitation from July 29.

Surat Diamond Association (SDA), apex body of diamond manufacturers and traders, has announced a day's bandh on July 29 in the diamond markets of Varachha and Mahidharpura, safe deposit vaults and diamond manufacturing units to press for domestic and international air connectivity.

"The diamond traders and manufacturers will observe a day's bandh in a show of strength and unity for a working airport in Surat on July 29," said SDA president Dinesh Navadia.

"Surtis are facing injustice for the past many years. We are not going to endure this for long," Navadia added.

Meanwhile, a delegation of industry leaders from textile, diamond, chemical and Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry ( is visiting New Delhi on July 29 to meet the officials of Airport Authority of India (AAI) and Union ministry of civil aviation on the air connectivity issue.

Sources said hundreds of people are expected to converge on Surat airport on July 29 when the industry leaders will board the Indian airline flight to New Delhi.

Devkishan Manghani, president of Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association (FOSTTA), who is taking about 10 industry leaders to New Delhi, told TOI "We are going to New Delhi to give a final ultimatum to the government to either give more flights to the city or close down the airport forever. Cities like Srinagar, Nagpur, Guwahati and Coimbatore have more than six daily flights and we have only one."

Deccan Charters Limited's (DCL) case is a classic example of neglect of Surat. The private airliner was scheduled to start its intra-state flight services connecting Surat and Ahmedabad with important destinations in the state. But, the intra-state air connectivity from Surat and Ahmedabad still hangs in balance with Director General of Civil Aviation's (DGCA) raising objections to the proposed services.

Rohit Mehta, president of SGCCI, told TOI, "Deccan's is the classic example of utter neglect of Surat. We have talked to many leading airline companies, but they are not getting support from the DGCA and other concerned departments in the Union civil aviation ministry on starting flight operations from Surat."

Recently, the South Gujarat Hotel and Restaurant Association conducted an exercise of counting actual number of business tourists who arrive in the city on a daily basis.

When asked about their travel preference, about 35 per cent of the approximate 15,000 people who visit the city daily, opted for air travel. They said if they had the option they would have travelled by air directly to Surat and flown back on the same night. Most of these business travellers come to Surat from Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Jaipur, Bengaluru and Chennai.

Similarly, about 10,000 traders from textile and jari sector and another 2,000 from the diamond sector travel to different parts of India on a daily basis.

Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...ow/9375050.cms

[meetmus2fa]

SURAT: The man-made fabric industry of Surat will be in the limelight in an international conference on man-made fibre textiles at IIM, Ahmedbad on November 18-19. The conference is organised jointly by the Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI), Surat Art Silk Cloth Manufacturers' Association and the textile portal, Fibre2Fashion.

The international conference on man-made fibre textiles, which is likely to witness some of the leading national and international experts in the field of textile, will focus on the research and development in man-made fibres and their meaningful role in the textile sector to balance the needs in apparel, household and technical textiles.

The Rs 37,000-crore textile sector in Surat consumes about 60-65 per cent of the man-made fibres manufactured in the country and produce about 45 per cent of the polyester fabrics of the national production. There are about 6.5 lakh powerloom machines in the city, weaving three-crore metre worth of fabrics using various kinds of man-made fibres.

Experts said that despite the fact that Surat has been playing the most important role in the country in the production of man-made fabrics with the immense use of man-made fibres namely polyester and viscose, there has not been any concerted effort to promote this sector on national and international platforms.

"Cotton as a dominant natural fibre has been much talked about in the recent years, but it is expected that there would be a cap in terms of its yield and availability to cater to a huge growing global population. However, man-made fibre is all set to play a vital role in human clothing, housing textiles and technical textiles in the coming years" said Arun Jariwala, chairman of Federation of Indian Art Silk Weaving Industry and president of SASCMA.

Jariwala said that the first international conference on man-made fibres was organised in Surat in 1985 under the leadership of late Dhirubhai Ambani of Reliance Industries Limited. At that time only five to seven kinds of man-made fibres were manufactured in the country, today we have more than dozens of fibres.

Indian textile and apparel industry urgently needs to address important issues like labour shortage and lack of modern technology soon, if it wants to stand at a level higher to China, which is a matured market with a fully verticalised modern industry, said Jariwala.

The international conference will have world renowned textile expert from UK, Robin Anson, who is the managing director of Textiles Intelligence Limited. Anson will be deliver a key lecture on the emerging trends in the man-made fibre industry world-wide and the need for the Indian entrepreneurs to open up for technology upgradation.

Rohit Mehta, president of SGCCI, said, "The international conference will be attended by the traders, powerloom weavers, textile processors, embroidery entrepreneurs from Surat and across the country."

Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...ow/9387356.cms

[meetmus2fa]

SURAT: For the first time, the air-connectivity issue concerning Surat airport came up in the general board meeting of Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) here on Wednesday. Though not within the civic body's purview, the ruling BJP and opposition Congress corporators fought over it during the zero hour.

BJP's Jagdish Patel and Bhimji Patel held the Congress policies responsible for the city not getting a functional airport and proper air connectivity. Bhupendra Solanki of Congress alleged that the BJP has started an agitation for airport to score political points. He said it was during Congress' tenure that the airport was built in the city.

BJP corporators maintained that to make Surat a number one metro city, air connectivity was a crucial factor. They alleged that it was the central government that stopped the Deccan airways services from starting its services in Surat.

It was only after Deccan gave in writing that it would not use the aircraft for flights to Surat that they were given customs clearance, the corporators alleged.

"Now medical tourism has entered the city and it is bound to make a name for itself like textiles, diamonds and embroidery sectors have done. In such a situation, air connectivity is very important. We must get it and so we are starting the agitation from tomorrow," Mayor Raju Desai said.

Sourc - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...ow/9400528.cms

[meetmus2fa]

SURAT: Effects of global warming have hit hard Surat city's climate this year. It is experiencing uneven rainfall patterns even as the southwest monsoon was yet to arrive in the city. The city has not recorded even half the rainfall that it receives during this time of the year.

Against an average of 1,450mm of rainfall in the season, the city gets at least 600mm by July-end every year. This year none of the seven zones has received over 500mm mark.

An official of the Indian Meteorological Department said, "We are short by at least 200mm in the city. If the trends continue, there will a shortage by almost 500mm this year by October."

Professor Mahesh Desai of SVNIT said,"The city has become like an island. We are experiencing all weathers in a single day. On one side we have Ukai dam, at the other the sea and on the third side, the Narmada dam. Hence, the south-west clouds are coming to the region only as passing dignitaries."

He said, "Main clouds have just passed over the region without much rain this year. These are the effects of climate change and global warming."

The central zone has recorded 338mm, Varacha 203mm, Rander 425mm, Katargam 246mm, Udhna 187mm, Limbayat 175mm and Athwa 184mm of rainfall this season in the city.

Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...ow/9400559.cms

[AjayGJ21]

Originally Posted by meetmus2fa

Can anyone tell me why SMC is not allowing high rises towers in Surat and does anyone knows which is the tallest standing structure in the city

Mustaffa, Good updates by your side. Keep it on...
Also suggesting you to post all the airport news on "Surat Airport thread" and keep that thread updated.

Gujarat urban Development authority restricts construction of highrise towers exceeding 13 floors. Even in Ahmedabad maximum floor permission is restricted to 13 but it has release to 16 floors, while it is 13 floors in other three cities.

Currently the tallest building is Bombay market's Aadatiya's house in Surat in whole Gujarat.

[meetmus2fa]

Originally Posted by AjayGJ21

Mustaffa, Good updates by your side. Keep it on...
Also suggesting you to post all the airport news on "Surat Airport thread" and keep that thread updated.

Gujarat urban Development authority restricts construction of highrise towers exceeding 13 floors. Even in Ahmedabad maximum floor permission is restricted to 13 but it has release to 16 floors, while it is 13 floors in other three cities.

Currently the tallest building is Bombay market's Aadatiya's house in Surat in whole Gujarat.

Any particular reason behind that why they are not allowing bldgs more than 13 floor

[AjayGJ21]

Originally Posted by meetmus2fa

Any particular reason behind that why they are not allowing bldgs more than 13 floor

Sorry....Don't know what may be the reasons behind that. But only know the maximum floor permission i.e.13 and in future it may released to 16 looking to the future urban development and Modi approach.

[meetmus2fa]

Originally Posted by AjayGJ21

Sorry....Don't know what may be the reasons behind that. But only know the maximum floor permission i.e.13 and in future it may released to 16 looking to the future urban development and Modi approach.

16 is very less i think they shud give permission to make atleast 35 floors

[vnkotak]

Originally Posted by meetmus2fa

16 is very less i think they shud give permission to make atleast 35 floors

I guesss, with more number of floors, even the other utilities / infrastructure should be able to handle the load of extra number of person coming there.. I mean water and sewage pipelines, etc.. and probably gujarat govt. infrastructure is not as good as it should be, hence they are not allowing to build highrise bldgs....This is all my guess...

Personally, I don't know how does it matter by building high rise building... Rather than building 2 highrise, probably 4 midrise can be build... I know the ur point will be extra land... but I guess that's probably for cities like Mumbai, where they definitely have no space left and that's why now they are going for High rises.... but Surat (or any other Gujarat city) still has more than enough space to build as many buildings they want and don't need highrise bldgs..

[meetmus2fa]

SURAT: Schools, colleges and government institutions functioned normally during the bandh called by the BJP in the city on Friday. However, in the afternoon the roads wore a deserted look once the diamond markets and over 100 textile markets pulled the shutters down.

Some of the retail outlet owners also closed their shops. Though a vast majority of the people supported the demand for a functional airport and proper air connectivity, normal life in the city remained unaffected by the bandh.

"We had called for the bandh not with a view to disturb the routine of the people but to press for our demand for better air connectivity for Surat. We have been successful in our aim," said CR Patil, MP Navsari, who is spearheading this agitation.

Dharmang Shah, a State Bank of India employee, said, "It is a just demand. Our senior officials don't come to Surat because there is no direct connectivity between Surat and Mumbai. They will fly to Ahmedabad or Vadodara but avoid Surat."

Basab Ghose, who arrived in the city a few days ago from Kolkata with his family, said, "I don't understand the logic of the city not having a proper air connectivity. Close relatives of my 100 patients in Kolkata live in Surat. They always complain about the difficulty in travelling to Surat quickly."

Rajen Desai, an MBA student, said, "We support this cause whole-heartedly. For the city to prosper, proper air connectivity is required."

An officer of Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) said, "Our officials frequently travel to Delhi in connection with work. It generally happens that their meetings get over by late evening and by that the time Surat flight has gone. They have no alternative but to fly down to Vadodara and then travel by road to Surat."

It is estimated that more than half of the air traffic of Vadodara is due to Surat. Besides, 30 per cent of Ahmedabad's international air traffic is because of people travelling from Surat and Bharuch districts. Therefore under the existing scenario, absence of a functional airport in Surat is beyond reasoning, people said.

Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...ow/9412961.cms

[meetmus2fa]

SURAT: It was a real show of strength when people converged in huge numbers outside Surat airport on Friday to press for the long pending demand for a fully operational airport.

Sentiments ran high when the trade and industry representatives stood up to address the gathering on the need for better domestic and international air connectivity for the fourth fastest growing city in the world.At present, there is only one flight that operates from Surat to New Delhi on a daily basis.

"Look at the cities having half of the population compared to Surat, each has an average of eight flights daily. So, why only we are deprived of air connectivity?" questioned Chandrakant Sanghavi, regional chairman of Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), while addressing the gathering.

For the last couple of years, the trade and industry bodies in the city have been demanding a functional airport and better air connectivity from Surat. Now, the city unit of the BJP has joined the bandwagon and has promised to fight for the issue in Parliament.

A delegation of about 60 representatives from all the trade associations were to go to New Delhi to meet the authorities of Airport Authority of India (AAI) and the Union civil aviation minister Vyalar Ravi to seek domestic air connectivity to important cities such as Mumbai, Coimbatore, Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur, Chandigarh, a change in the scheduling of the present flight between Surat and New Delhi, affordable fares starting from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 per destination etc.

Dinesh Navadia, president, Surat Diamond Association (SDA) said, "A whole lot of small and medium manufacturers and merchants in Mumbai want to shift their operations to Surat as the realty prices are increasing there. But due to the lack of air connectivity they are helpless."

Devkishan Manghavi, president, Federation of Surat Textile Traders' Association (FOSTTA), said, "Textile industry is the worst hit due to lack of air connectivity. Our buyers from northern and southern India are reluctant to visit only due to the non-availability of the flight services."

Mayor Raju Desai said, "Surat is fourth fastest growing city in the world and it is a pity that we have only one flight for 45 lakh population."

Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...ow/9412965.cms