Weeks after resigning from her job citing “less time to spend with her kids”, Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) deputy commissioner Swati Desai has decided to withdraw her resignation.
Her resignation letter was in the process of being cleared, in a month from the time of submission, as per the rule.
Desai, 43, who rose from the ranks of a clerk to be deputy municipal commissioner in charge of Udhna zone, had resigned after working over
20 years in the SMC stating that her “tough work schedule” was not giving her enough time with her 11-year-old twin boys.
Desai, who is the first woman to hold the post, has 15 years of service left.
While resigning early this month, she had told her boss and Municipal Commissioner M Nagarajan that she wanted to spend time with her children “who are growing up and whose school grades are going down”, but on Saturday (February 21) she wrote another letter to the Commissioner seeking to withdraw it.
Hailing from a wealthy landlord family in Antroli village in Surat district, Desai had told The Indian Express that after her resignation she got “seven job offers from private firms”.
Story continues below this ad
She had asked the companies to wait as her decision would have to be ratified by the standing committee and the general board of the SMC.
After receiving the resignation letter, Nagarajan had urged her to reconsider it and not to take a “hasty decision”.
Nagarajan told The Indian Express, “First we got the resignation letter from Swati Desai, and on Saturday we received a letter seeking to withdraw the earlier resignation letter. Generally, in such cases wherein an officer hands over the resignation letter to us, we have one month to decide. Later, the process is carried out. I have told Swati Desai that she should think twice while taking such an important decision. She is a regular, honest, and hardworking officer, and to date, there is no complaint against her.”
Desai said she changed her decision after speaking with near and dear ones. “I have resigned to spend time with my children. However, after holding discussions with family members, relatives and in-laws, I have decided to withdraw my resignation letter, and I acted on it,” Desai told The Indian Express.
Story continues below this ad
Desai joined the SMC as a clerk in the accounts department in 2007, and she was appointed as municipal secretary in 2017. She became the first and youngest female municipal secretary of the SMC at the age of 32. In 2021, she was promoted and appointed as deputy municipal commissioner.
Daughter of Central government and state government officials, Swati had completed her MBA, M Com and Company Secretaryship during her service period with the SMC.
Kamal Saiyed is a senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, providing extensive, on-the-ground coverage from Surat and the broader South Gujarat region and the Union territories of Daman, Diu & Dadra Nagar Haveli. With a reporting career at the publication spanning back to 2007, he has established himself as a high-authority voice on the industrial, social, and political pulse of one of India’s fastest-growing urban hubs.
Expertise
Industrial & Economic Beat: Based in the "Diamond City," Saiyed offers expert reporting on the diamond and textile industries. His work tracks global market shifts (such as De Beers production changes), local trade policies, and the socio-economic challenges facing the millions of workers in Surat’s manufacturing hubs.
Civic & Infrastructure Coverage: He consistently reports on urban development and public safety in Surat, including:
Traffic & Urban Planning: Monitoring the city's 13-fold increase in traffic violations and the implementation of new municipal drives.
Public Safety: Investigative reporting on infrastructure failures, fire safety NOC compliance in schools and commercial buildings, and Metro rail progress.
Political Reporting: Tracking the shifting dynamics between the BJP, Congress, and AAP in South Gujarat and the neighboring Union Territories (Daman, Diu, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli).
Crime beat: Armed with a good source network Saiyed has been able to bring out the human side of crime stories in his region ... Read More
