Getting six fire NOCs approved apparently came with a price tag. An alert complainant approached the ACB, alleging that Rs 36,000 was demanded for it—Rs 6,000 per NOC—by a middleman, Bhavsinh Jhala, who had links with Ahmedabad Chief Fire Officer Amitkumar Dongar. Following verification, the ACB laid a trap near Memnagar in Ahmedabad, where accused Jhala was allegedly caught red-handed accepting the cash. The plot thickened during investigation when Jhala’s phone records and conversation allegedly revealed contact with Chief Fire Officer Dongar. What was meant to ensure fire safety had turned into a six-NOC “collection counter”.
BJP’s ‘Samadhan’ post triggers match-fix jibes
A chair-flinging clash inside Surat BJP MLA Kanti Balar’s office may have ended on paper, but the political embarrassment is far from over. Sources said corporator Jayshreeben Vora and her husband Manhar Vora allegedly confronted TP Committee chairman Mahendra Desai during the spat. As the row escalated, BJP state general secretary Prashant Korat rushed to Surat and held closed-door parleys. On August 6, the party declared the dispute “amicably resolved” through dialogue and coordination. But the comments section had its own verdict: “Match fixing has happened.” Critics questioned why no strict action was taken.
Who’s responsible for Surat ghost demolition?
The transfer of Surat civic body chief M Nagarajan is now widely expected within one or two months, sources in the Gandhinagar power corridor said. However, the bigger question doing the rounds in administrative circles is, ‘Who actually ordered the Nasirnagar demolition?’ The action landed in court, triggering action and scrutiny of the decision-making chain. The sources maintain that the demolition was not a unilateral decision but followed a multi-level process, allegedly based on high-level instructions. Yet, accountability appears to have stopped at one officer, fuelling speculation that Nagarajan could be made the “scapegoat”.
Dilip Singh Kshatriya
Our correspondent in Gujarat
dilipsingh@newindianexpress.com