Surat: Surat Municipal Corporation’s (SMC) standing committee has decided to renew lease of two plots in the possession of Surat Textile Market and Sarvajanik Education Society Trust only on prevailing jantri rate. This will help it to earn an additional Rs132 crore in revenue.Standing committee chairman Anil Goplani said, “We have decided to charge prevailing jantri rate for lease renewal. Both the parties would be given new lease for a period of 50 years. Sarvajanik Education Society Trust will be given 50 per cent concession on jantri rate because it is running a school on the plot. If these terms are not acceptable to them, they will have to return the plots to the civic body. The decision will be shortly sent to the state government for its approval.”Sarvajanik Education Society Trust (SECT) runs an experimental school on 11,951 square metre plot which belongs to the civic body but was acquired on lease. The lease of the plot expired in 1999-2000. When the lease expired, the jantri rate in the area was Rs8,000 per square metre. It will have to pay up at the rate of Rs4,000 per sq metre for a period of 50 years from 1999-2000. This totals up to Rs4.78 crore. Goplani said SECT was prepared to pay up the amount.Surat Textile Market (STM) came up on 24,435 square metres of leased land 30 years ago. The prevailing jantri rate in the area was Rs52,250 per square metre. STM will have to pay up Rs128 crore to the civic body for a 50-year lease.STM management had asked for the lease at the rate of just Rs57 per sq metre. Goplani said, “We can’t give this land on charity.”

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