Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Thursday, 9 July announced a ₹500 crore allocation for creek development in Surat, pledging a permanent fix to the city's chronic tidal flooding problem after heavy rainfall inundated large parts of Surat city and district. The announcement came during a high-level review meeting chaired by Patel at the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) in Althan.

Key Announcements from the Review Meeting

'To provide a permanent solution to Surat's tidal flooding problem, the state government will allocate ₹500 crore for creek development,' Patel said at the meeting. He directed officials to prepare an immediate action plan ensuring that administrative shortcomings exposed during the recent floods are not repeated in future emergencies.

Patel also instructed the administration to expedite the disbursement of cash doles and household assistance to flood-affected residents, and called for stronger coordination across all departments to prepare a comprehensive strategy against creek-related flooding.

Scale of the Flooding and Relief Operations

Surat Municipal Commissioner M. Nagarajan revealed that the city received nearly 30 per cent of its entire seasonal rainfall within a single week. He confirmed that 3,600 people had been rescued and 4,100 affected residents shifted to relief centres, with two NDRF teams and five SDRF teams still deployed across the city.

Surat District Collector Tejas Parmar said Palsana and Kamrej talukas recorded the highest rainfall in the district. Rapid damage assessment surveys were underway, with cash doles and household assistance distribution having begun on Wednesday. Around 40 kutcha and pucca houses in the city and district had sustained damage, according to Parmar.

Government's Warning on Infrastructure Quality

Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, who attended the review alongside Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil, Finance Minister Kanu Desai, and Health Minister Praful Pansheriya, confirmed the ₹500 crore allocation was specifically aimed at permanently addressing waterlogging from tidal flooding.

Sanghavi issued a sharp warning over infrastructure quality: 'If any poor-quality work or hidden deficiencies come to light in road construction, other public works or flood-related projects, a thorough investigation will be conducted. Strict legal action will be taken against all those found negligent or involved.' He said the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), district administration, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and Fire Brigade had all participated in flood response, supported by more than 5,000 volunteers.

Navsari Also Under Review

After concluding his Surat visit, Patel travelled to Navsari, where he held a separate meeting with district collectors of Navsari and Valsad, superintendents of police, district development officers, and elected representatives to review relief measures following heavy rainfall in Navsari district. The state government said it remained in continuous coordination with local administrations across the affected districts throughout the monsoon.

With the ₹500 crore creek development project yet to be tendered, the timeline for delivering a permanent flood solution to Surat's residents remains to be seen.