Surat: Residents of the 700 demolished homes of Pragya Nagar in City Light are facing a strange situation. The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) is demanding property tax for properties it demolished itself a year ago.Notices to vacate the buildings for redevelopment were served two years ago, after which residents began moving out. Despite the evacuation, SMC continued to collect property tax for two years, residents said. They added that bills were raised even when no structures existed on the land. Pragya Nagar was a colony for the economically weaker sections (EWS) with 44 buildings, each having 16 flats. Around 3,000 people lived there, many of whom shifted to rented accommodation. Residents said they did not receive any financial help for rent as redevelopment work is yet to begin. The flats were owned by residents and were bought under a govt-subsidized scheme. Developed around 20 years ago, the buildings were demolished due to their poor condition, SMC officials said. Residents said that in redevelopment projects, once a project is handed over to a developer, demolition is carried out and the developer pays rent to flat owners until they get their redeveloped homes. In Pragya Nagar’s case, residents said they are neither getting rent nor relief from property tax for homes that no longer exist. Savita Patel shifted with her family to a rented home in Parvat village a year ago. “There are many families like mine facing a financial crisis. When our homes were demolished, we had to move to rented accommodation. I struggle to manage the rent and now property tax is also being demanded for the demolished home,” Savita told TOI. “The residents were served notices in 2024 to vacate and people gradually started moving out. In 2025, demolition began and most of the buildings were razed. SMC issued property tax bills for 2024-25 while serving evacuation notices, and again after demolition for 2025-26,” said Anil Redekar, a goods vehicle driver. Residents said that of the 44 buildings, only residents of 15 buildings were charged water charges. They also said redevelopment is yet to start and they do not know when they will get their homes back. “I am receiving not only the property tax bill but also additional water charges. Most of the flats are of the same size, yet a few towers have been issued bills with an extra water charge of around Rs 500, while residents of other towers receive bills for a lower amount,” said Himanshu Patel, an insurance firm employee. SMC officials in Athwa Zone were unable to explain why the bills were being issued after the colony was demolished.
