Gujarat | The 'ghost demolition' stalks Surat
Without warning or notice, 117 homes get flattened. A municipal and police posse was there—and not there
SHAKY GROUND: Residents of demolished houses, Katargam, Surat, Jun. 10. (Photo: ANI)
ISSUE DATE: Sep 28, 2026 | UPDATED: Sep 18, 2026 19:46 IST
It was like an army had massed at dawn for a surprise attack. On the morning of May 30, bulldozers arrived out of the blue at Nasirnagar, a slum settlement near Ved Darwaja in Surat’s Katargam area. Without much ado, they began doing what bulldozers do: flattening homes. The residents, uncomprehending as their lives turned to debris, spoke through the shock. They had not been given any notice or hearing, they said. Impassive officials of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), duly accompanied by a posse of policemen for protection, went ahead regardless. Over three days, the JCBs took down 117 dwellings.