Textile Traders In Surat End Protests Following Agreement On Market Reopenings

Surat, Jun 21 (KNN) Protests by hundreds of textile traders at the Millennium 2 market in Surat have concluded following an agreement between the market's builder and local authorities.

The demonstrations, which took place on Wednesday and Thursday, were sparked by the Surat Municipal Corporation's (SMC) decision to seal four textile markets, including Millennium 2, on May 28 due to lack of proper documentation.

Vasant Gajera, Builder of Millennium 2, has committed to initiating the process of obtaining a Building Use Permission (BUP) certificate within the next 15 to 20 days.

This agreement came after meetings with protestors and Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association (FOSTTA) representatives.

The SMC's recent drive targeted commercial properties lacking BUP certificates and fire No Objection Certificates (NOCs).

While 17 markets were initially sealed, most reopened after submitting undertakings to comply with regulations. However, Millennium 2, Hira Panna, Shree Om, and Asian markets remained closed.

FOSTTA President Kailash Hakim expressed optimism that all four markets would reopen by Friday, allowing traders to resume business.

He also indicated plans to meet with SMC officials to discuss implementing power safety certificates for textile traders, aiming to reduce fire incidents.

Shailesh Shah, President, Hira Panna market, acknowledged that some of the affected markets were constructed before current regulations were in place.

He confirmed that these older establishments are now taking steps to obtain the necessary BUP and fire NOCs.

(KNN Bureau)