Surat: In one more residential society, the Hindu residents have protested the construction of a Jain mandir on a common space of the society illegally by Jain community residents without consulting all the members.

Vesu-based Sumero Residency has 120 flats (housing units). Out of them, 40 are owned by Jain community people while the others are owned by Hindus. The Jain community members have started constructing a Jain temple in the common space of the society. The construction is in progress. On a complaint by the Hindus, the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) had served notices twice. On the third occasion, the SMC team arrived to demolish the Jain temple which is being constructed in violation of the plan. The members of the Jain community however at that time told SMC staffers that they shall dismantle the Jain mandir on their own. This assurance was given on 8 August 2022.

However, later the construction of the Jain temple resumed, following which the Hindu residents of the society approached RERA. However, RERA opined that SMC was a suitable agency for the demolition of the illegal structure. The Hindu residents, therefore, approached the SMC. However, even after dozens of applications were filed, the SMC didn’t act. The residents, therefore, served a notice to a responsible official in SMC through a lawyer. As the flooring work in the Jain temple resumed again recently, the members of the Hindu and Jain communities rushed to common space over the dispute.

After intervention by Vesu police station, the issue was sorted for a while. According to the Hindu members of the society, the Jain community members had applied for approval to the Derasar structure under the Impact fee law. The Hindu members also alleged that the signature of the builder in the file submitted under the impact fee law was different from the file in the document. The Hindu community members have also filed an application objecting to any move to approve the structure in society’s common space under the Impact fee law.