VADODARA: The son of former MLA Hirabhai Patel, from Lunawada in Mahisagar district, was held with a stash of Indian Made Foreign Liquor from Vadagam in Khanpur taluka of Mahisagar district. The accused had entered into a quarrel with a man in Vadagam and when police reached the spot, it found a high-end car with a plaque ‘MLA Gujarat’ loaded with liquor at the site. The police were called to the residence of Jaswant Patel in Vadagam after two youths including Hirabhai’s son Maharshi Patel and one Shubham Mahajan came to Jaswant’s residence on Monday evening. They had threatened Jaswant over the phone and then came to his residence in an inebriated condition. The accused had come to the village in a white SUV. On checking the car, the villagers and police found a bottle of Scotch whisky and several bottles of other alcoholic beverages. In all, 39 liquor bottles worth Rs 6,100 were found in the car. The plaque with the writing ‘MLA Gujarat’ had been placed on the dashboard of the car. On being questioned, the duo revealed that they had brought the liquor from Rajasthan for their consumption. Maharshi claimed that the car was being used by him, but could not produce documents of the car on Monday evening and hence the car was seized. A separate offence was registered against the duo for beating and threatening Jaswant. Hirabhai was elected on a Congress ticket to the assembly, but joined the BJP recently.
A BJP leader, a minor boy and a deputy sarpanch were among the 41 people arrested after a police raid at a liquor party at Kanjan-Hari village in Valsad district late Sunday. The police also seized 25 litres of IMFL bottles worth Rs 15000, five cars and mobile phones, all worth Rs 35 lakh, in the raid.BJP leader and Valsad taluka Sarpanch Sangh President Vinod Patel and the deputy sarpanch of Nanakwada village were among those arrested and produced before Valsad district Court Tuesday afternoon.Valsad town police station inspector D M Dhol said, ”We have produced all the arrested before the court for obtaining police remand. Vinod Patel had, in his statements to police, mentioned that he had brought liquor from different wine shops in Daman. We are waiting to get the court’s order for obtaining a police remand of the main accused persons in this case.”All the arrested were attending a party hosted by Patel—also the sarpanch of Nanakwada village—Sunday late night. Liquor was also served to the guest, said the police.
GANDHINAGAR: Flagging off the Vande Gujarat Vikas Yatra showcasing the achievements of the government over the past 20 years, chief minister Bhupendra Patel said on Tuesday that development and trust have become synonyms in governance of the state over the past two decades. For a fortnight between July 5 and 19, 82 decorated trucks will pass through eight big cities and all 33 districts where about 2,500 events will be organized. The government will educate people about the welfare schemes that can be availed of, a CMO statement said. At the inaugural function at Sabarmati riverfront, CM Patel said that BJP governments over the past 20 years have delivered on the promises they have made to the people. “Vikas (development) and Vishwas (trust) have become synonyms in Gujarat. BJP governments have consistently pursued development in the state and the people have repeatedly shown their trust by voting BJP to power,” the CM stated. Ministers will visit different districts over the next fortnight and about 2,500 development works will either be inaugurated, or their foundation stones laid, the CM said at the meeting. The CM listed various successful projects implemented in the state over the past 20 years.
The 145th Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra was concluded in old city Ahmedabad amid huge fanfare and heavy police security Friday as Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel flagged off the procession only three days after he tested positive for Covid-19.The annual yatra was held after a gap of two years after the procession was curtailed for the past two years due to the pandemic.On Friday, the ceremony began around 4 am when Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived at the temple premises to conduct the “Mangla Aarti”. Shah left shortly after.Later, CM Patel flagged off the procession. Uncertainty had prevailed over the CM’s presence in the yatra until Thursday after he contracted Covid. However, late Thursday, the Lord Jagannath Temple management was informed that the CM will attend the event as per “doctors’ advice”. On Friday morning, CM Patel was seen wearing a mask and performing the traditional “pahind” ceremony at the Lord Jagannath Temple premises.“On the occasion of the 145th Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra, I pray for the well being, peace and prosperity of the people of Gujarat. I also congratulate the people of Kutch on Kutchi New Year,” said Patel, while addressing reporters outside the temple.Governor Acharya Devvrat, state Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi, Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court Aravind Kumar and former state home minister Pradipsinh Jadeja were also present at the event.A total of 18 elephants and 101 tableau depicting various Akhadas and Bhajan Mandalis and over 2,000 sadhu saints, along with several hundred thousands of devotees were part of the procession that travelled via sensitive pockets of old city Ahmedabad from 7 am to 6 pm.Security was beefed up with over 25,000 police and security personnel in the Jamalpur area of old city Ahmedabad as a high alert was sounded in the wake of the Udaipur terror killing.The procession was surveilled through drone cameras and a helicopter. For the first time, the Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad was roped in for security measures.Meanwhile, as many as 20 persons, including three children, received minor injuries when the slab of a one-room pucca cabin on which they were standing, collapsed, on the route of the rath yatra.According to police, the incident occurred around 1 pm when the roof of a cabin built alongsidethe road collapsed in Shahpur while the yatra procession was going on.Incidentally, state Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi and Ahmedabad city police commissioner Sanjay Srivastava were present at the spot when the incident occurred and they rushed for help.“As many as 20 people received minor injuries when the roof collapsed on which they were standing. The home minister and police commissioner responded to the accident and helped rescuers and took stock of the situation. The victims received minor bruises,” said a senior police official at Gaekwad Haveli Police Station.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, whose presence in the 145th Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra to be taken out Friday morning in old city Ahmedabad was under clouds due to him testing Covid-19 positive, will attend the event under doctors’ advice. “We have got confirmation from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) that the CM will attend the Yatra and do the Pahind Vidhi,” said Jagannath Temple Trustee Mahendra Jha.As per Jha, since Patel’s presence was in doubt, they had also invited Governor Acharya Devvrat to perform the Pahind vidhi ritual, traditionally performed by the CM where the leader of the state sweeps the path of the chariot of the gods before the procession begins.On Friday, the yatra will be flagged off after the mangala aarti to be conducted by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the temple premises.Amid heightened tension in the backdrop of the recent terror killing in Udaipur, the Gujarat Police has been on high alert to prevent any untoward incident during the Yatra.Several lakhs of devotees are expected to attend the 145th Rath Yatra procession, which will be taken out from Lord Jagannath Temple at Jamalpur Darwaza to Saraspur and then back to the temple, in a full-fledged manner after two years of restricted procession due to the Covid-19pandemic.Other cities of Gujarat such as Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Mehsana, Banaskantha, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Sabarkantha and Gandhinagar, among others, will also see several rath yatra processions marking “Ashadhi Beej” diwas of the Hindu calendar, which also marks the Kutchhi new year.In a first, the state police has also roped in the Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) for the security arrangements for the yatra for which over 25,000 police and paramilitary personnel will be deployed along the nine-kilometre route.The yearly Rath Yatra processions in Ahmedabad have had a history of communal violence during the four decades between 1960s and 90s.Ahmedabad Rath Yatra: With ‘docs’ advice’, CM to flag off Yatra; police on high alerthttps://t.co/yC3Kfivz4h pic.twitter.com/1qSqvN8joj— Express Gujarat (@ExpressGujarat) July 1, 2022On Wednesday, a high-level meet was chaired by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi and senior police officials to discuss the security arrangements ahead of the procession in Ahmedabad and other cities of Gujarat.“Police commissioners of all four cities and superintendents of police of all districts were present in the meeting where the CM gave directions to ensure law and order and facilitate water and other necessary arrangements for the devotees expected to join the procession. In the wake of a recent incident in the neighbouring state (Rajasthan), the CM has asked police to be on high alert for maintaining law and order in the state,” read a statement issued from the Information Department, Gandhinagar.According to police sources, Sanghavi has asked the police to keep a strict watch on social media for any instigation or attempt to disrupt law and order related to Yatra and the Udaipur incident. After the meeting, the police of at least 15 districts issued advisories Thursday asking citizens to refrain from commenting on anything instigating or rumour-mongering on social media.“In the past two days, we have conducted over 350 peace committee meetings in localities of old city Ahmedabad to ensure harmony between communities. We are anyway on high alert and we have been preparing for the yatra for the past three months. The recent Udaipur incident will have no effect on the yatra,” RV Asari, additional commissioner of police, sector 1, Ahmedabad, told The Indian Express.Amit Vasava, the deputy commissioner of police, Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Cell, said, “We are being vigilant on social media but no adverse impact of the Udaipur incident has been witnessed yet.”Meanwhile, the temple trust management informed The Indian Express that a total of 18 elephants, 101 trucks with different tableaus depicting India’s culture, 30 Akhada Dal groups and 18 Bhajan Mandalis will be part of the procession. A total of 1,200 persons will be pulling the three different chariots in the procession.“We have been requested by the Ahmedabad Police to accompany the procession of elephants. We will have teams of vets from the animal husbandry department and experts from Indroda zoo in Gandhinagar and the Junagadh forest department. The elephants are well-trained and acquainted to walk in public places. If in case any elephant is to be controlled, it can be done by another elephant,” RK Sahu, director of Kankaria Zoo, told The Indian Express.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, whose presence in the 145th Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra to be taken out Friday morning in old city Ahmedabad was under clouds due to him testing Covid-19 positive, will attend the event under doctors’ advice. “We have got confirmation from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) that the CM will attend the Yatra and dothe Pahind Vidhi,” said Jagannath Temple Trustee Mahendra Jha.As per Jha, as the CM’s presence was in doubt, they had also invited Governor Acharya Devvrat to perform the Pahind vidhi ritual, traditionally performed by the CM where the leader of the state sweeps the path of the chariot of the gods before the procession begins.On Friday, the yatra will be flagged off after the mangala aarti to be conducted by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the temple premises. Amid heightened tension in the backdrop of the recent terror killing in Udaipur, the Gujarat Police has been on high alert to prevent any untoward incident during the Yatra.Several lakhs of devotees are expected to attend the 145th Rath Yatra procession, which will be taken out from Lord Jagannath Temple at Jamalpur Darwaza to Saraspur and then back to the temple, in a full-fledged manner after two years of restricted procession due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Other cities of Gujarat such as Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Mehsana, Banaskantha, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Sabarkantha and Gandhinagar, among others, will also see several rath yatra processions marking “Ashadhi Beej” diwas of the Hindu calendar, which also marks the Kutchhi new year.In a first, the state police has also roped in the Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) for the security arrangements for the yatra for which over 25,000 police and paramilitary personnel will be deployed along the nine-kilometre route.The yearly Rath Yatra processions in Ahmedabad have had a history of communal violence during the four decades between 1960s and 90s.On Wednesday, a high-level meet was chaired by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi and senior police officials to discuss the security arrangements ahead of the procession in Ahmedabad and other cities of Gujarat.“Police commissioners of all four cities and superintendents of police of all districts were present in the meeting where the CM gave directions to ensure law and order and facilitate water and other necessary arrangements for the devotees expected to join the procession. In the wake of a recent incident in the neighbouring state (Rajasthan), the CM has asked police to be on high alert for maintaining law and order in the state,” read a statement issued from the Information Department, Gandhinagar.According to police sources, Sanghavi has asked the police to keep a strict watch on social media for any instigation or attempt to disrupt law and order related to Yatra and the Udaipur incident. After the meeting, the police of at least 15 districts issued advisories Thursday asking citizens to refrain from commenting on anything instigating or rumour-mongering on social media.“In the past two days, we have conducted over 350 peace committee meetings in localities of old city Ahmedabad to ensure harmony between communities. We are anyway on high alert and we have been preparing for the yatra for the past three months. The recent Udaipur incident will have no effect on the yatra,” RV Asari, additional commissioner of police, sector 1, Ahmedabad, told The Indian Express.Amit Vasava, the deputy commissioner of police, Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Cell, said, “We are being vigilant on social media but no adverse impact of the Udaipur incident has been witnessed yet.”Meanwhile, the temple trust management informed The Indian Express that a total of 18 elephants, 101 trucks with different tableaus depicting India’s culture, 30 Akhada Dal groups and 18 Bhajan Mandalis will be part of the procession. A total of 1,200 persons will be pulling the three different chariots in the procession.“We have been requested by the Ahmedabad Police to accompany the procession of elephants. We will have teams of vets from the animal husbandry department and experts from Indroda zoo in Gandhinagar and the Junagadh forest department. The elephants are well-trained and acquainted to walk in public places. If in case any elephant is to be controlled, it can be done by another elephant,” RK Sahu, director of Kankaria Zoo, told The Indian Express.
AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court is to introduce quick automatic listing of certain categories of fresh criminal cases for the purpose of hearing from July 7. On the instructions of chief justice Aravind Kumar, the HC administration is to introduce pilot implementation of auto-listing of certain categories of fresh matters. In this system, the fresh applications for regular bail will be automatically listed for hearing on the second day of their being filed. Similarly, anticipatory bail applications and quashing petitions are to be listed on the third day of their being filed in the registry. According to a statement from HC’s registrar general, if the unlisted fresh matters related to bail, anticipatory bail and quashing are found without any office objection, they may come up for hearing even before the time fixed. The HC administration has said that the advocates concerned will be notified about the auto-listed matters through SMS or email.
AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court is to introduce a quick automatic listing of certain categories of fresh criminal cases for the purpose of hearing from July 7. On instructions of chief justice Aravind Kumar, the HC administration is to introduce pilot implementation of Auto Listing of certain categories of fresh matters. In this system, the fresh applications for regular bail will be automatically listed for hearing on the second day of their filing. Similarly, anticipatory bail applications will be listed on the third day of filing, and the quashing petitions are to be listed on the third day of their being filed in the registry. According to a statement from HC’s registrar general, the unlisted fresh matters, whether registered or at filing number stage and with or without objections, will be listed latest by the day fixed according to their categories. Thus, if the matter is ready and does not have any objections therein, the same shall also be listed in the regular course which may be even before the day is fixed. “Based on the auto listing methodology fresh cases may be auto-listed in the causelist named “Auto Listing Board 1” / “Auto Listing Board 2”,” a statement said. The HC administration has said that the advocates concerned will be notified about the auto-listed matters through SMS or email.
AHMEDABAD: AAP convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal promised that people of Gujarat will get free electricity if his party is voted to power in the forthcoming assembly election. He was speaking at an interactive session, 'Bijli Jansamvaad', organized by the AAP in Ahmedabad on Monday. A number of people listed out the difficulties they are facing in relation to power supply. Kejriwal announced that he will visit the state next Sunday "with a solution to Gujarat's electricity problem." Kejriwal said: "Gujarat can also get free, 24-hour electricity, but the condition is only one, and that is you will have to change the politics, the government, and bring in an honest party." The AAP chief said he will visit the state every week to interact with the public on various issues such as corruption, agriculture, and MSP.
AHMEDABAD: AAP convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal promised that people of Gujarat will get free electricity if his party is voted to power in the forthcoming assembly election. He was speaking at an interactive session, ‘Bijli Jansamvaad’, organized by the AAP in Ahmedabad on Monday. A number of people listed out the difficulties they are facing in relation to power supply. Kejriwal announced that he will visit the state next Sunday “with a solution to Gujarat’s electricity problem.” Kejriwal said: “Gujarat can also get free, 24-hour electricity, but the condition is only one, and that is you will have to change the politics, the government, and bring in an honest party.” The AAP chief said he will visit the state every week to interact with the public on various issues such as corruption, agriculture, and minimum support price. Asserting that it was possible to provide free power to citizens without burdening them with additional taxes or piling up loans, the Delhi CM said his experience has shown that 70-80% of electricity bills are inflated. “Today, 73% of Delhi’s power users get zero electricity bills and about 80% of the users of Punjab will get zero electricity bills,” he said. These achievements have been possible without taking any loans or levying additional taxes, Kejriwal said.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said that “free” and “uninterrupted” electricity will be available in Gujarat, provided people are ready to “change politics” in the 2022 Assembly elections and bring the party to power.The Delhi Chief Minister was on a two-day visit to the state where he attended a town hall event near Vaishno Devi circle in Ahmedabad on Monday noon on the issue of free electricity, where he reiterated his poll promise of providing power free of cost.“Free and uninterrupted electricity supply is a talisman and I only possess it. No one else in the world has introduced free power supply except our government. We are honest people with noble intentions and we don’t want to make money from power companies. Electricity can be free, cheaper and uninterrupted in Gujarat as well, provided you are ready to change politics and bring us to power,” said Kejriwal.Kejriwal attacked the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress for their alleged failure to make power supply an election issue.“Elections are coming in Gujarat and today we have assembled to discuss the problem of electricity here. I would like to ask you all that AAP is contesting elections for the first time in Gujarat but there have been many elections contested by the BJP and Congress. Has any party sat with you people to discuss the issue of electricity?” Kejriwal said.“They come, organize huge rallies, deliver big speeches and make big promises but then they loot the people for the next five years. Our party workers have been visiting villages in Gujarat, listening to the grievances of the people. Such people who only have 2-3 fans and bulbs, even they are getting electricity bills of thousands of rupees. If poor people have to pay electricity bills of thousands of rupees every month, then how are they supposed to send their kids to school and ensure two times meals? Why is electricity so expensive in Gujarat?,” he further said.Kejriwal accused ministers and elected representatives in the state of “consuming thousands of units of electricity” for free.“Ministers and elected representatives are making merry in Gujarat…they have several ACs in their bungalows yet their electricity bill comes to zero. Whereas you people, despite having only a few fans, bulbs, TV and a fridge at your home, have to spend thousands on the bill. This is unfair. The facilities given to these politicians must be extended to the common people also,” he added.Kejriwal also attacked the BJP government over the power supply provided to state’s farmers.“I got to know that farmers in Gujarat get electricity only during night hours. What is the logic behind this? On top of that, the rate of steep and there are frequent power cuts. I think the Gujarat secretariat Bhawan should get electricity only during night hours for a few days and these ministers should work only during this time. If our farmers will stay awake all night for electricity, when will they sleep?” said Kejriwal.At the end of the event, Kejriwal also promised the audience that he will return to Gujarat next Sunday, “with a solution for free electricity in Gujarat.”
Arvind Kejriwal claimed that 73 per cent of the people in Delhi get zero electricity bill.Ahmedabad: Ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections due later this year, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said he will visit the state every week to interact with the public on various issues like corruption and farming, and claimed it was possible to provide free electricity to people if they bring an "honest party" to power in the state.The Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) national convener said his party has shown in Delhi and Punjab that they stick to their promise."Gujarat can also get cheap, free, 24-hour electricity, but the condition is only one, and that is you will have to change the politics, government, and bring in an honest party...I will be back on Sunday with a solution to Gujarat's electricity problem," Mr Kejriwal said during a town hall organised on the issue of electricity.When some members of the general public raised various issues affecting them, the AAP leader said he will discuss them separately."Today, we should discuss electricity. We will discuss other issues as well. I will visit Gujarat every week and hold 'jan samvad' (public dialogue) on the issues of corruption, agriculture, MSP (minimum support price)," he said.Mr Kejriwal said if Gujarat ministers can enjoy zero electricity bills despite consuming thousands of units, then why not the general public.If farmers in Gujarat are supplied electricity at night, then ministers should also be given the opportunity to work at night for some time at the secretariat, he said during the town hall, referring to an issue raised by a farmer that power supply for agriculture at night adversely affects their life.Mr Kejriwal, without naming anyone, also accused BJP leaders of lying by claiming that there are no power cuts in Gujarat.He said a "very big leader" from Gujarat said people of the state do not want anything for free. "First you give up free electricity...," he said."They are scared that if people are provided free electricity, then they will have no money left to loot," he said.Mr Kejriwal said the "magic" behind their ability to provide free electricity is their clean conscience and honesty."We do not ask for money from power companies, we improve them, we work in the interest of the public. Other parties seek donations for elections from such companies, but we do not seek donations. You are our donation," he said.Sharing the experience of Delhi where the AAP government provides free electricity up to 200 units, Mr Kejriwal said as soon as his party assumed office, power companies were warned not to raise the unit rates."We said we have nothing to do if you gave money to former governments, but our government is honest, we will not ask for a single penny from you. But, you should not raise the electricity rates. They have not raised the rate in the last seven years," the Delhi CM said."We provide subsidies to the public after saving money on corruption, which is why they are enjoying free electricity. When we managed to do so in Delhi, the BJP and Congress said this cannot be done in a larger state, so we won in Punjab," he said.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comHe claimed that 73 per cent of the people in Delhi get zero electricity bill. In Punjab, where the scheme was introduced from July 1, it will be around 80 per cent, he added.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
AHMEDABAD: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal promised that people of state will get free electricity if his party is voted to power in the forthcoming Gujarat assembly election. He was speaking at an interactive session - 'Bijli Jansamvaad', organised by the party in Ahmedabad on Monday. Even as a number of power users listed out the difficulties they are facing regarding electricity, Kejriwal announced that he will visit Gujarat next Sunday "with a solution to Gujarat’s electricity problem." Asserting that it was possible to provide free power to citizens without burdening them with additional taxes or piling up loans, the Delhi CM said that his experience has shown that 70% to 80% of electricity bills are inflated. "Today 73% of Delhi power users get zero electricity bills and about 80% users of Punjab will get zero electricity bills," he said. Kejriwal said that this has been possible without taking any loans or levying additional taxes. "I am a literate man, an engineer and I have worked in the IT department. I have done my calculations well." he quipped to a round of applause. Hinting at a complete overhaul of the electricity distribution system, he said that providing free power is like performing magic. An art which only he knows. "The secret to free electricity is that I have stopped electricity companies from fleecing people," he said. Commenting on the Gujarat government providing power to farmers during the night hours, the Delhi CM remarked, "If farmers get electricity at night, then the secretariat should also get power only at night." "Elected representatives are using thousands of units of power without paying anything. Some may have installed air conditioners in their toilets too and yet get zero electricity bills. People of the state should get the same benefits as the elected representatives," he said.
Arvind Kejriwal also condemned the killings in Maharashtra's Amravati and in Rajasthan's Udaipur.Ahmedabad (Gujarat): With just a few months left for the Gujarat Assembly election, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday urged the Gujrati people to vote for AAP saying that "those who are not satisfied with BJP should vote for us"."We are not here to engage in dirty politics or corruption. We are here to help people. We are doing good work in Delhi and Punjab. Don't waste your vote on Congress. Those who are not satisfied with BJP should vote for us," said Arvind Kejriwal addressing a gathering in Ahmedabad.As many as 6,988 AAP office-bearers took oath on Sunday."The common man in Gujarat wants a change. They are joining hands with the AAP... There are no Congress office-bearers or volunteers in Gujarat, but lakhs from AAP. Within a month, we'd be bigger than even BJP," said Mr Kejriwal.Expressing hope and confidence over the AAP's victory in the 2022 Gujarat elections, the Delhi Chief Minister said, "AAP is expanding on a huge scale in Gujarat. People are tired of the 27 years of BJP. BJP thinks Congress can't replace them so they have developed ego. People are looking with hope towards AAP this time."The Delhi Chief Minister also condemned the killings in Maharashtra's Amravati and in Rajasthan's Udaipur.On June 28, a tailor Kanhaiyalal Kumar was murdered by two men inside his shop in Udaipur in the broad daylight, while a chemist shop owner Umesh Kolhe was killed by several men in Amravati on June 21.On the incident, the Delhi Chief Minister said, "Whatever is happening is wrong, the country can't move forward like this. There should be peace and unity. I condemn this and hope that the accused get the strictest punishments."AAP's Gujarat hope has been fuelled by its performance in the February 2021 Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) polls in which the BJP won 93 seats, while Aam Aadmi Party bagged 27 seats in the Surat Municipal Corporation election.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comThe Assembly election in Gujarat is scheduled for December 2022.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Last week’s rebel Shiv Sena MLA who turned Maharashtra’s Shiv Sena Chief Minister this week; a former Maharashtra CM facing prospect of losing control of a party founded by his father; an activist and a former police officer arrested after Supreme Court’s clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2002 Gujarat riots case; two Lok Sabha bypoll candidates — a winner from Punjab’s Sangrur while another who lost from UP’s Azamgarh yet made the biggest impact.New Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath ShindeA day after Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray resigned as CM ahead of a floor test, bringing to an end the 31-month rule of his Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition, Shiv Sena rebel leader Eknath Shinde was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra with BJP leader and former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy on Thursday. From working in a beer brewery in Thane and driving an autorickshaw to make ends meet, to becoming the most powerful leader in the Shiv Sena after the Thackerays, to splitting the party and becoming the 20th Chief Minister of the state, Eknath Shinde, 58, has had an eventful career. In this crisis, two other qualities helped Shinde prevail: the fact that he has the loyalty of many party MLAs for being an accessible leader – especially when appointment at Matoshree got tough – and being generous with economic largesse.Former Maharashtra Chief MinisterIn the last few days, Uddhav Thackeray faced the worst crisis in his short political life, emerging from the overarching shadow of father Bal Thackeray. Not only did he lose chief ministership after taking a gamble with an unlikely coalition, he is facing the prospect of losing control of a party founded by Balasaheb and deriving sustenance from the Thackeray name. In hindsight, it seems Uddhav sowed the seeds right at the beginning when, on November 28, 2019, he took over as Chief Minister. He thus became the first Thackeray to hold a public office, with Balasaheb choosing to let a Sainik be CM while he held full control over the party.Activist Teesta Setalvad and retired Gujarat DGP R B SreekumarA day after the Supreme Court upheld the clean chit by the SIT to then Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 Gujarat riots, the Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) earlier this week arrested Mumbai-based activist Teesta Setalvad, who backed petitioner Zakia Jafri, and retired Gujarat DGP R B Sreekumar, whose role had been called into question by the Court. Teesta Setalvad, a journalist and activist based out of Mumbai and a Padma Shri, is a founding trustee and secretary of the NGO Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) established in 2002 in the aftermath of the Gujarat riots, with one area of work being providing legal assistance to victims of the riots. She was among the first activists to take up the cases of riot victims in Gujarat in 2002, finally leading the Supreme Court to set up a special investigation team to probe the post-Godhra riots, six years later, under former CBI director R K Raghavan. Setalvad has also faced several allegations over the years.A decorated police officer, R B Sreekumar challenged the Narendra Modi government’s claims of peace in Gujarat in the aftermath of the 2002 riots, spoke of the alleged collusion between government agencies and rioters, and was shunted out and denied promotion while in service. The Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch arrested the 75-year-old former Gujarat Director General of Police (DGP) from his home in Gandhinagar on charges such as forgery and criminal conspiracy. This came a day after the Supreme Court called into question his role in the petition against Modi in the riots. The court made the observation while upholding the clean chit Prime Minister Modi, then the chief minister of Gujarat, had received from a Special Investigation Team (SIT) in connection with the riots.Guddu Jamali, the BSP candidate in Lok Sabha bypollsThe Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Shah Alam — a two-time MLA — lost the Azamgarh Lok Sabha by-election but made the biggest impact. Alam, popularly known as Guddu Jamali, garnered 2.66 lakh votes, with a vote share of 29.27 per cent, effectively damaging the Samajwadi Party’s (SP) chances of retaining the seat that its president Akhilesh Yadav had won in 2019 with a 60.36 per cent vote share. The SP had contested the election in alliance with the BSP. With Jamali, 49, putting in a strong performance, the SP saw its vote share slide to 33.44 per cent even as the BJP almost held on to its vote share, which dipped marginally to 34.39 per cent. The SP ultimately lost to the BJP by 8,679 votes. Sangrur Lok Sabha bypolls victor Simranjit MannDealing a severe blow to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president, Simranjit Singh Mann, emerged as the victor Sunday in the crucial bypoll in the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency, the bastion of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, defeating AAP candidate Gurmail Singh in a neck-and-neck fight. The bypoll was necessitated when the incumbent Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann resigned from the seat after becoming the CM in March following the AAP’s landslide victory in the state Assembly elections. It was considered to be the first test of the fledgling Mann-led AAP government’s popularity. Pushed to the margins of Punjab’s mainstream politics for over two-and-half decades, the 77-year-old pro-Khalistan leader and ex-IPS officer Simranjit Singh Mann’s stunning win is likely to boost the Panthic politics in the border state.
AHMEDABAD: The special investigation team (SIT) formed to probe charges of fabrication of evidence against activist Teesta Setalvad, former DGP R B Sreekumar, and former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt began an inquiry into the case on Monday and interrogated Setalvad and Sreekumar. The newly formed SIT will analyse the documents of the SIT appointed in 2008 by the Supreme Court and headed by former CBI director R K Raghavan. The old SIT had probed whether the state's functionaries were involved in the 2002 riots. "We will examine all the documents, especially the affidavits, filed with the 2008 SIT and with the Justice Nanavati panel that had inquired into the 2002 riots," said an officer of the SIT. The apex court had on June 24 dismissed a petition filed by Zakia Jafri, the wife of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri who was killed in the February 28, 2002 massacre at Ahmedabad's Gulbarg Society. The petition filed by Jafri and Setalvad had demanded a probe into the "larger conspiracy". The petition had challenged the clean chit given to then chief minister Narendra Modi and 62 others in the post-Godhra riots. A team headed by Gujarat ATS chief Deepan Bhadran, along with ATS SP Sunil Joshi and DCP (crime) Chaitanya Mandalik, on Monday jointly interrogated Setalvad and Sreekumar, who are in the custody of the Ahmedabad crime branch. The two were arrested after the Ahmedabad crime branch filed a complaint against Setalvad, Sreekumar, and Bhatt over the alleged fabrication of documents with the intention to prosecute certain innocent people for the riots. The SIT officer said the investigators will try to ascertain why and how the accused had prepared the fabricated documents and whether they were aided and instructed by some other people. To a query about how the accused had hatched the conspiracy and when they had met for the first time, the officer said: "The investigation is at a very early stage and it will take a few days to gather more evidence to establish how they had conspired against innocent persons." Police officials said that Bhadran and all the officers of the SIT will camp at the Ahmedabad crime branch office in Raikhad to interrogate the accused. On Bhatt's arrest, another special investigation team officer said they were yet to move a transfer warrant in the case. Denied venue twice, activists hold meet at lawyer’s officeMembers of People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and Ahmedabad civil society had to change their venue twice to hold a meeting on Monday evening to express solidarity with recently arrested social activist Teesta Setalvad, former DGP R B Sreekumar and former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt.
THE GUJARAT government on Sunday formed a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by the state’s Anti-Terrorism Squad DIG Deepan Bhadran to investigate retired DGP R B Sreekumar, Mumbai-based activist Teesta Setalvad and former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt for criminal conspiracy and forgery, and other charges, “as per directions of the Supreme Court”, a top official told The Indian Express.The move follows an FIR lodged against the three at the Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) on Saturday, a day after the Supreme Court upheld the clean chit given to the then chief minister Narendra Modi, his council of ministers and bureaucrats on their role in the 2002 riots.Setalvad, who was brought from Mumbai to Ahmedabad by an ATS team, and Sreekumar, who was arrested from his home on Saturday, were produced before Metropolitan Magistrate S P Patel on Sunday with the police seeking remand.According to sources, even as the hearing was on, Setalvad was taken to hospital for a “medical check-up” after she complained of injuries caused by an alleged assault by the police while detaining her. The police have denied the allegation.Sources said Bhatt was taken under custody on Sunday by a DCB team from Palanpur jail in Banaskantha where he has been lodged in a 1996 narcotics case. DCP (Crime) Chaitanya Mandalik told The Indian Express that the process of bringing Bhatt to the DCB office in Ahmedabad on a transfer warrant and arresting him “will take two to three days”.Mandalik is part of the new SIT under DIG Bhadran. The other members are: ATS SP Sunil Joshi, Deputy SP (Special Operations Group) B C Solanki, who will be the Investigating Officer, police inspectors P G Vaghela and A D Parmar, and a woman inspector H V Raval. The terms of reference include collection of evidence to investigate the case “as per the directions of the Supreme Court”.On Friday, while dismissing a petition filed by Zakia Jafri against the clean chit given to Modi, the Supreme Court had ruled that “no material was discovered pointing towards any meeting of minds/ conspiracy in the higher echelons of the administration or the political establishment conspired with other persons to cause such riots or turned a Nelson’s eye when the riots had triggered and continued”.It pointed to a “coalesced effort of the disgruntled officials of the state of Gujarat along with others… to create sensation by making revelations which were false to their own knowledge. The falsity of their claims had been fully exposed by the SIT (in the Gujarat riots case) after a thorough investigation”.It noted that “intriguingly, the present proceedings have been pursued for the last 16 years…to keep the pot boiling, obviously, for ulterior design…all those involved in such abuse of process, need to be in the dock and proceeded with in accordance with law”.Asked about the charges against the three, DCP Mandalik said: “The charges are forging government records, submitting forged documents and abuse of power. The arrested accused have been uncooperative so far and we are investigating the case from all angles. Prima facie, the charges against two ex-IPS officers are their affidavits and documents submitted in the case. We are also in the process of retrieving the documents they have submitted in front of commissions, courts and the SIT for further probe. The investigation is at an early stage but we believe that there could be other persons also behind the conspiracy.”Asked why the time frame of the offence in the FIR was recorded as “January 1 2002 to June 15, 2022”, Mandalik said: “The entire case began after the Godhra riots in February 2002 , therefore we have kept a time period bracket of 2002 to 2022 to investigate all angles in it.”Setalvad was brought to the DCB office in Ahmedabad’s Jamalpur early on Sunday after which she was taken to civil hospital for a RT PCR test. Later, while being presented in court, Setalvad told reporters that she is “not a criminal”.Setalvad, Sreekumar and Bhatt have been booked under IPC sections 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 468 (forgery), 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), 194 (giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of capital offence, 211 (false charge of offence made with intent to injure) and 218 (public servant framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save person from punishment or property from forfeiture).Based on the Supreme Court verdict, the FIR states that the accused would be investigated for “finding out the behind the scene criminal conspiracy and financial and other benefits, inducements for commission of various serious offences in collusion with other individuals, entities and organisations”.(With Sohini Ghosh)
AHMEDABAD: AAP convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal promised that people of Gujarat will get free electricity if his party is voted to power in the forthcoming assembly election. He was speaking at an interactive session, 'Bijli Jansamvaad', organized by the AAP in Ahmedabad on Monday. A number of people listed out the difficulties they are facing in relation to power supply. Kejriwal announced that he will visit the state next Sunday "with a solution to Gujarat's electricity problem." Kejriwal said: "Gujarat can also get free, 24-hour electricity, but the condition is only one, and that is you will have to change the politics, the government, and bring in an honest party." The AAP chief said he will visit the state every week to interact with the public on various issues such as corruption, agriculture, and MSP.
AHMEDABAD: AAP convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal promised that people of Gujarat will get free electricity if his party is voted to power in the forthcoming assembly election. He was speaking at an interactive session, ‘Bijli Jansamvaad’, organized by the AAP in Ahmedabad on Monday. A number of people listed out the difficulties they are facing in relation to power supply. Kejriwal announced that he will visit the state next Sunday “with a solution to Gujarat’s electricity problem.” Kejriwal said: “Gujarat can also get free, 24-hour electricity, but the condition is only one, and that is you will have to change the politics, the government, and bring in an honest party.” The AAP chief said he will visit the state every week to interact with the public on various issues such as corruption, agriculture, and minimum support price. Asserting that it was possible to provide free power to citizens without burdening them with additional taxes or piling up loans, the Delhi CM said his experience has shown that 70-80% of electricity bills are inflated. “Today, 73% of Delhi’s power users get zero electricity bills and about 80% of the users of Punjab will get zero electricity bills,” he said. These achievements have been possible without taking any loans or levying additional taxes, Kejriwal said.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said that “free” and “uninterrupted” electricity will be available in Gujarat, provided people are ready to “change politics” in the 2022 Assembly elections and bring the party to power.The Delhi Chief Minister was on a two-day visit to the state where he attended a town hall event near Vaishno Devi circle in Ahmedabad on Monday noon on the issue of free electricity, where he reiterated his poll promise of providing power free of cost.“Free and uninterrupted electricity supply is a talisman and I only possess it. No one else in the world has introduced free power supply except our government. We are honest people with noble intentions and we don’t want to make money from power companies. Electricity can be free, cheaper and uninterrupted in Gujarat as well, provided you are ready to change politics and bring us to power,” said Kejriwal.Kejriwal attacked the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress for their alleged failure to make power supply an election issue.“Elections are coming in Gujarat and today we have assembled to discuss the problem of electricity here. I would like to ask you all that AAP is contesting elections for the first time in Gujarat but there have been many elections contested by the BJP and Congress. Has any party sat with you people to discuss the issue of electricity?” Kejriwal said.“They come, organize huge rallies, deliver big speeches and make big promises but then they loot the people for the next five years. Our party workers have been visiting villages in Gujarat, listening to the grievances of the people. Such people who only have 2-3 fans and bulbs, even they are getting electricity bills of thousands of rupees. If poor people have to pay electricity bills of thousands of rupees every month, then how are they supposed to send their kids to school and ensure two times meals? Why is electricity so expensive in Gujarat?,” he further said.Kejriwal accused ministers and elected representatives in the state of “consuming thousands of units of electricity” for free.“Ministers and elected representatives are making merry in Gujarat…they have several ACs in their bungalows yet their electricity bill comes to zero. Whereas you people, despite having only a few fans, bulbs, TV and a fridge at your home, have to spend thousands on the bill. This is unfair. The facilities given to these politicians must be extended to the common people also,” he added.Kejriwal also attacked the BJP government over the power supply provided to state’s farmers.“I got to know that farmers in Gujarat get electricity only during night hours. What is the logic behind this? On top of that, the rate of steep and there are frequent power cuts. I think the Gujarat secretariat Bhawan should get electricity only during night hours for a few days and these ministers should work only during this time. If our farmers will stay awake all night for electricity, when will they sleep?” said Kejriwal.At the end of the event, Kejriwal also promised the audience that he will return to Gujarat next Sunday, “with a solution for free electricity in Gujarat.”
Arvind Kejriwal claimed that 73 per cent of the people in Delhi get zero electricity bill.Ahmedabad: Ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections due later this year, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said he will visit the state every week to interact with the public on various issues like corruption and farming, and claimed it was possible to provide free electricity to people if they bring an "honest party" to power in the state.The Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) national convener said his party has shown in Delhi and Punjab that they stick to their promise."Gujarat can also get cheap, free, 24-hour electricity, but the condition is only one, and that is you will have to change the politics, government, and bring in an honest party...I will be back on Sunday with a solution to Gujarat's electricity problem," Mr Kejriwal said during a town hall organised on the issue of electricity.When some members of the general public raised various issues affecting them, the AAP leader said he will discuss them separately."Today, we should discuss electricity. We will discuss other issues as well. I will visit Gujarat every week and hold 'jan samvad' (public dialogue) on the issues of corruption, agriculture, MSP (minimum support price)," he said.Mr Kejriwal said if Gujarat ministers can enjoy zero electricity bills despite consuming thousands of units, then why not the general public.If farmers in Gujarat are supplied electricity at night, then ministers should also be given the opportunity to work at night for some time at the secretariat, he said during the town hall, referring to an issue raised by a farmer that power supply for agriculture at night adversely affects their life.Mr Kejriwal, without naming anyone, also accused BJP leaders of lying by claiming that there are no power cuts in Gujarat.He said a "very big leader" from Gujarat said people of the state do not want anything for free. "First you give up free electricity...," he said."They are scared that if people are provided free electricity, then they will have no money left to loot," he said.Mr Kejriwal said the "magic" behind their ability to provide free electricity is their clean conscience and honesty."We do not ask for money from power companies, we improve them, we work in the interest of the public. Other parties seek donations for elections from such companies, but we do not seek donations. You are our donation," he said.Sharing the experience of Delhi where the AAP government provides free electricity up to 200 units, Mr Kejriwal said as soon as his party assumed office, power companies were warned not to raise the unit rates."We said we have nothing to do if you gave money to former governments, but our government is honest, we will not ask for a single penny from you. But, you should not raise the electricity rates. They have not raised the rate in the last seven years," the Delhi CM said."We provide subsidies to the public after saving money on corruption, which is why they are enjoying free electricity. When we managed to do so in Delhi, the BJP and Congress said this cannot be done in a larger state, so we won in Punjab," he said.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comHe claimed that 73 per cent of the people in Delhi get zero electricity bill. In Punjab, where the scheme was introduced from July 1, it will be around 80 per cent, he added.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
AHMEDABAD: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal promised that people of state will get free electricity if his party is voted to power in the forthcoming Gujarat assembly election. He was speaking at an interactive session - 'Bijli Jansamvaad', organised by the party in Ahmedabad on Monday. Even as a number of power users listed out the difficulties they are facing regarding electricity, Kejriwal announced that he will visit Gujarat next Sunday "with a solution to Gujarat’s electricity problem." Asserting that it was possible to provide free power to citizens without burdening them with additional taxes or piling up loans, the Delhi CM said that his experience has shown that 70% to 80% of electricity bills are inflated. "Today 73% of Delhi power users get zero electricity bills and about 80% users of Punjab will get zero electricity bills," he said. Kejriwal said that this has been possible without taking any loans or levying additional taxes. "I am a literate man, an engineer and I have worked in the IT department. I have done my calculations well." he quipped to a round of applause. Hinting at a complete overhaul of the electricity distribution system, he said that providing free power is like performing magic. An art which only he knows. "The secret to free electricity is that I have stopped electricity companies from fleecing people," he said. Commenting on the Gujarat government providing power to farmers during the night hours, the Delhi CM remarked, "If farmers get electricity at night, then the secretariat should also get power only at night." "Elected representatives are using thousands of units of power without paying anything. Some may have installed air conditioners in their toilets too and yet get zero electricity bills. People of the state should get the same benefits as the elected representatives," he said.
Arvind Kejriwal also condemned the killings in Maharashtra's Amravati and in Rajasthan's Udaipur.Ahmedabad (Gujarat): With just a few months left for the Gujarat Assembly election, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday urged the Gujrati people to vote for AAP saying that "those who are not satisfied with BJP should vote for us"."We are not here to engage in dirty politics or corruption. We are here to help people. We are doing good work in Delhi and Punjab. Don't waste your vote on Congress. Those who are not satisfied with BJP should vote for us," said Arvind Kejriwal addressing a gathering in Ahmedabad.As many as 6,988 AAP office-bearers took oath on Sunday."The common man in Gujarat wants a change. They are joining hands with the AAP... There are no Congress office-bearers or volunteers in Gujarat, but lakhs from AAP. Within a month, we'd be bigger than even BJP," said Mr Kejriwal.Expressing hope and confidence over the AAP's victory in the 2022 Gujarat elections, the Delhi Chief Minister said, "AAP is expanding on a huge scale in Gujarat. People are tired of the 27 years of BJP. BJP thinks Congress can't replace them so they have developed ego. People are looking with hope towards AAP this time."The Delhi Chief Minister also condemned the killings in Maharashtra's Amravati and in Rajasthan's Udaipur.On June 28, a tailor Kanhaiyalal Kumar was murdered by two men inside his shop in Udaipur in the broad daylight, while a chemist shop owner Umesh Kolhe was killed by several men in Amravati on June 21.On the incident, the Delhi Chief Minister said, "Whatever is happening is wrong, the country can't move forward like this. There should be peace and unity. I condemn this and hope that the accused get the strictest punishments."AAP's Gujarat hope has been fuelled by its performance in the February 2021 Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) polls in which the BJP won 93 seats, while Aam Aadmi Party bagged 27 seats in the Surat Municipal Corporation election.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comThe Assembly election in Gujarat is scheduled for December 2022.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
AHMEDABAD: Gujarat reported 419 Covid-19 cases and one death on Monday, which took the tally to 12,34,117 and the toll to 10,948, a state health department official said. So far, 12,19,657 persons have recovered, including 454 during the day, leaving the state with an active caseload of 3,512, he added. The official said Ahmedabad reported 155 new cases, Surat 96, Vadodara 40, Mehsana 19 and Bhavnagar 17, among other districts, while the lone death took place in Mehsana. A government release said 43,981 persons got vaccine jabs on Monday, which took the overall number of doses administered in the state to 11.15 crore. The adjoining Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu has 13 active cases, a local official said.
AHMEDABAD: The city on Sunday recorded 203 new Covid positive cases, an 11.4% drop compared to 229 on Saturday. For Gujarat, the drop was 21.4% — from 580 on Saturday to 456 on Sunday. Other cases included 86 from Surat city, 38 from Vadodara city, 13 each from Bhavnagar city, Kutch, Mehsana, Navsari, 12 from Valsad, 11 from Surat, and 10 from Gandhinagar city. With the discharge of 156 patients, the active cases in Ahmedabad reached 1,536, whereas for Gujarat the figure was 3,548. Out of 33 districts, four have zero active cases, whereas seven have more than 100 active cases. Most of the cases are concentrated in the urban areas primarily with higher testing. In the past 24 hours, Gujarat vaccinated 937 persons for the first dose and 4,423 for the second. In all, 5.41 crore were administered the first and 5.34 crore, the second dose of Covid vaccine. The state administered booster doses to 7,012 persons, taking the total to 40.94 lakh.
AHMEDABAD: Gujarat on Sunday reported 456 Covid-19 cases, which took the tally to 12,33,698, while the death toll remained unchanged at 10,947, a state health department official said. The recovery count increased by 386 during the day and reached 12,19,203, leaving the state with an active caseload of 13,548, he added. He said Ahmedabad led with 207 cases, followed by 97 in Surat, 41 in Vadodara, 15 Bhavnagar, among other districts. A government release said 11.15 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Gujarat so far, including 12,372 on Sunday. Two new Covid-19 cases were reported in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, raising its tally of active cases to seven, local officials said. Gujarat's Covid-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 12,33,698, new cases 456, death toll 10,947, discharged 12,19,203, active cases 3,548, people tested so far - figures not released.
Gujarat on Saturday reported 580 COVID-19 cases, which took the tally to 12,33,242, while the death toll remained unchanged at 10,947, a state health department official said.The recovery count increased by 391 during the day to touch 12,18,817, leaving the state with an active caseload of 3,478, he said.Ahmedabad reported 236 new cases, the highest in the state, followed by Surat with 106 cases, Vadodara 36 and Mehsana 29 cases, among other districts, he added. A government release said 11.15 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far, including 39,438Saturday.
AHMEDABAD: The active Covid-19 cases in Gujarat rose to 3,042 after 126 days or more than four months on Thursday with 547 new cases and 419 discharges being recorded across the state. Ahmedabad accounted for 43% of the active case tally with 1,318 cases. The city recorded 222 fresh cases and the discharge of 184 patients. According to the state health department, 82 cases were reported from Surat city, 46 from Vadodara city, 22 from Valsad, 18 each from Mehsana and Navsari, and 16 from Gandhinagar city.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel tested positive for Covid-19 Wednesday and has been isolated at home with mild symptoms, sources in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said.“He (the CM) was having mild symptoms yesterday (Tuesday) following which he got himself tested. Today, the result came positive. He has got himself home isolated,” the source said.The development has put a question mark on the CM’s attendance at the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Ahmedabad scheduled Friday. As a tradition, the CM flags off the Rath Yatra while performing the Pahind Vidhi ritual.“The CM has tested positive for Covid-19. But he is fine and home-isolated. About attending the Rath Yatra, he will be following the advice of the doctors,” an official in the CMO said.Meanwhile, CM Patel Wednesday virtually reviewed the alertness and preparation of the Gujarat police to ensure that the 145th Rath Yatra is carried out in Ahmedabad in a safe and harmonious manner.An official release from the CMO stated that Patel participated in a video-conference that was also attended by Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi, and police commissioners of four metro cities and superintendents of police of all the districts. Chief Principal Secretary to the CM K Kailashnathan, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Rajkumar, and Director General of Police Ashish Bhatia were also present in the virtual review meeting.As per the release, the CM also gave suggestions for maintenance of law and order in the state while keeping in mind the developments in neighbouring states.As per the state government’s daily bulletin on Covid-19, Gujarat recorded 529 new cases Wednesday. With that, the total number of active Covid-19 cases in the state is 2,914.Out of the total 529 fresh cases, Ahmedabad city reported the maximum cases at 220, followed by Surat (79) and Vadodara (53).
