Surat’s first woman deputy municipal commissioner steps down, puts motherhood before office

In a decision that underscores the relentless pressures of public service, Swati Desai, the first woman to serve as Deputy Municipal Commissioner of Surat, has resigned from her post, citing family responsibilities and the need to care for her 11-year-old twins.

Desai submitted her resignation to Surat Municipal Commissioner M Nagarajan recently. The matter will now be placed before the Standing Committee and the General Board meeting of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) for approval.

Explaining her decision, Desai said the demands of her office left her with little time for her children at a crucial stage in their lives. “I am responsible for my twins. I have been working for 12 hours every day, including Saturdays and Sundays, so I did not have time to take care of them, which affected their education,” she was quoted as saying by The Indian Express. She added that during office hours, she would monitor her children’s activities at home through her mobile phone.

Her in-laws currently live in a village near Surat, while her husband works at a private firm in the city, leaving her without consistent support at home.

Desai made it clear that her resignation was not prompted by any external pressure. She also said she has not yet decided on her next course of action, with her resignation still awaiting formal acceptance.

Her journey in civic administration has been marked by several firsts. Desai joined the SMC in 2007 as a clerk in the accounts department. In 2017, at the age of 32, she became the first woman to be appointed Municipal Secretary. She was promoted to Deputy Municipal Commissioner in 2021 and also headed the Udhna zone.

Having completed nearly two decades in service, Desai still has 15 years left in her tenure. Her exit, however, brings into sharp focus the difficult trade-offs faced by working mothers in high-pressure public roles — a reminder that behind official designations are personal battles rarely visible in government corridors.