Surat: As the prices of realty in Vesu and Dumas areas have skyrocketed following the announcement of proposed diamond bourse, diamantaires spearheading the movement for a world-class diamond bourse in the city have started lobbying with the state government for land, reports The Times of India.

Members of Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB) committee, which includes chairman of leading diamond companies in Surat and Mumbai, are likely to meet Saurabh Patel, minister of finance and energy, who is visiting the city on Sunday to inaugurate the new office facility of the regional office of Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC).

Earlier, during a meeting with the diamantaires in Gandhinagar, Saurabh Patel is learnt to have promised state government’s help in the construction of the diamond bourse.

The realty prices have skyrocketed overnight when the diamantaires floated the idea of a diamond bourse on a 2 lakh square metre land between Vesu and Dumas.

Nanu Vanani, minister of state for education, who is the former president of Surat Diamond Association (SHB) and vice-president of Gujarat Hira Bourse (GHB), is acting as the facilitator between the state government and the diamantaires. Vanani, who is also attending Sunday’s meeting, is likely to represent the case strongly, sources said.

Dinesh Navadia, president, Surat Diamond Association, said, “Nothing is possible without the support of the state and the central governments. However, we have high hopes from the Sunday’s meeting with Saurabh Patel.”

Meanwhile, the diamantaires claimed that over 5,000 diamond traders and manufacturers from Surat and Mumbai have deposited the application forms for their requirement of office space at the proposed diamond bourse, out of the total 14,000 forms distributed till date.

A DTC sightholder said, “Maharashtra government allotted a huge patch of land at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) for the construction of Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB). We expect Gujarat government also to do the same.”