RAJKOT: Police have intensified compliance checks under the Disturbed Areas Act in the Rajkot West legislative assembly area, uncovering violations in multiple properties.
The Gandhigram police, during inspections in Ward No. 2, identified breaches in Subhash Nagar, Vimal Nagar, Shreeji Nagar, Alka Nagar and Dhruv Nagar. Legal action has been initiated against three property owners — Tariq Himani (33), Firdosh Sheikh (37), and Shailesh Patel — for failing to register their non-local tenants with the police, as mandated by the Act.
ACP (West) Radhika Bharai, addressing a press briefing, stated that the inspections were aimed at ensuring compliance with the police commissioner’s directives. The investigation revealed violations in 13 properties, of which three landlords were found guilty of renting out their homes without proper tenant registration to non-locals.
This crackdown follows concerns raised by Rajkot West MLA Darshita Shah and locals, who met with collector Prabhav Joshi to demand stricter enforcement of the Disturbed Areas Act. Shah highlighted repeated complaints from Wards 1, 2, 3 and 8 regarding unchecked violations and advocated for expanding the Act’s coverage to additional areas. Proposals for such an expansion were discussed as early as 2022 but have seen limited progress.
MLA Shah questioned the progress of the implementation and advocated for strict action against violators.
