Amreli bank officer faces notice for threatening to dig up runway

Amreli: A Nagar Sevak and bank officer in Amreli has landed in trouble for participating in a protest demanding that low-flying planes be rerouted away from residential areas of the city. Sureshbhai Shekhva, a BJP member of the Nagarpalika and manager in the Internal Audit Department of Amreli District Cooperative Bank, has been issued a show cause notice for threatening to dig up the runway if the demand is not met.

The protest, held on June 29, 2025, at Rajkamal Chowk, followed earlier representations seeking the diversion of training aircraft that regularly fly over Amreli’s residential zones. During the demonstration, Shekhva reportedly stated that if planes are not diverted, people would be forced to gherao the airport and dig up the runway in protest. The bank’s General Manager, B.S. Kothiya, in the notice, stated that such a statement from a senior cooperative bank official violates staff rules and damages the bank’s reputation. The notice further points out that issuing illegal threats regarding government operations is a serious matter, and Shekhva has been given seven days to explain why disciplinary action should not be taken against him. DeshGujarat