Around 55 mills owners have agreed to shift their dyeing and printing mills located within Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) areas out of the city limits to help reduce the problem of air and water pollution. This was decided at a meeting held under the leadership of South Textile Processors’ Association (SGTPA). A SGTPA delegation will meet chief minister Vijay Rupani and Industries Minister Saurabh Patel to demand allotment of land on the outskirts of the city for the mills.

About 65 mills operate in the city’s residential areas like Khatodara, Udhana, Ashwani Kumar Road, Ved Road, Bombay Market and Puna Kumbharia. Particulate Matter (PM10) level in these areas is exceedingly high than the national annual average at 184 per micrograms per cubic meter of air (UG/M3) per annum in these areas. In the past, diamond industry leaders and residents in Rustompura had organised protests to demand shifting of these polluting textile mills.

Three years ago when the original development plan of Surat Urban Development Authority (SUDA) was prepared, a plot of land in Pinjrat near Olpad was earmarked for relocation of the textile mills in the city. The plan was shelved due to CRZ and opposition from villagers. It is expected that new development plan of SUDA will have a specified area marked for the textile mills.