Ahmedabad, Oct 14 : At least 12 people were feared dead and several others injured in a stampede at the Pavagadh temple in Gujarat's Panchmahal District on Sunday morning.

Around two lakh devotees had gathered at the temple to offer prayers on the occasion of Navratras.

"The stampede occurred between devotees who were coming down the hill and those who were climbing their way up", Resident District Collector of Panchmahals R K Rathod said.

He added that the stampede took place at an area called Patia Pul, which is a narrow uphill that leads to the temple.

The injured have been admitted to hospitals in Halol and nearby towns, a police official said.

New Delhi, Oct 26 : Expressing grief over the death of a Ahmedabad schoolboy during a punishment given for being late, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) today wrote a letter to the Gujarat Chief Secretary asking as to what actions have been taken following the incident.

In the letter addressed to state Chief Secretary Dr. Manjula Subramaniyam, NCPCR Chairperson Shanta Sinha said: “In the light of the foregoing, the Commission is terribly upset and very sad to hear about the death of Milan Tanna, a class 12th student of Sree Narayana Guru School, who was punished for being late to school.”

Ahmedabad, Nov 13 : An Ahmedabad court today rejected the bail petitions of IPS officer D G Vanzara, and six others, who are the prime suspects in the 2005 Sohrabbudin Sheikh fake encounter case.

Rejecting the bail pleas, the sessions court said that no bail could be granted to the main suspects in the case, as they are likely to influence the ongoing investigation or tamper with evidence.

Two IPS officers of Gujarat Police-- Vanzara and Rajkumar Pandyan-- and one of Rajasthan Police-- Dinesh Kumar— allegedly executed the encounter in November 2005.

Ahmedabad, Nov 14: The electoral process for the Assembly polls in Gujarat will begin tomorrow with the issue of notifications.

The notifications will be issued for 87 constituencies, which will go to the polls on December 11. In the first phase, polling will be held in Saurashtra and some tribal-dominated areas.

The remaining 95 seats will go to polls on December 16.

Elaborate arrangements have been made by the Election Commission to conduct polls fairly.

Earlier, Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswamy, Election Commissioners Navin Chawla and S Y Quraishi visited the state to review the poll preparedness.

Ahmedabad/Rajkot, Nov 15: Congress has accused Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi of misusing his powers to influence voters ahead of the Assembly polls, scheduled to be held in December.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists can be seen roaming in the city with framed pictures of Modi and distributing it in shops and showrooms.

Congress leaders feel that Modi is getting his framed picture distributed in every shop and showroom in the state to influence the voters.

Ahmedabad, Dec 7: Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will address two rallies in Gujarat today ahead of the two-phased Assembly elections, scheduled to be held on December 11 and 16.

Dr. Singh will address first public meeting at Rajkot. Later, he will proceed to Surat where he will address another public meeting in the afternoon.

Dr. Singh is expected to focus on the issue of development during his rallies. He is also scheduled to arrive here for a second round of campaign on December 11.

Tight security arrangements have been made in view of his visit.

Ahmedabad, Dec. 8: A large number of Gujarati Non-Resident Indians have landed in the state to lend support to the BJP in the Assembly elections slated for December 11 and 16.

Over 100 NRI supporters of Chief Minister Narendra Modi have arrived in the city till date and many more are to follow suit to lend their support to him.

A majority of them feel that Gujarat has developed under Modi's stewardship.

Although they cannot vote in the elections, NRIs from the USA and the UK are pumping in funds into Modi's campaign kitty.

Ahmedabad, Dec. 8: Latino music, that too figuring Shakira, may be unheard of in the villages of Gujarat, but it is being put to use in the election campaign.

The Congress party is making use of the Gujarati versions of Shakira's songs to woo voters.

A 'political' version of one of Shakira's hit numbers, sung by a Dr. Utpal and Anita Fernadis, is being used to amuse crowds at public meetings. The song, titled 'Panjo', represents the party's electoral symbol of an open palm.

Ahmedabad, Dec 9: Campaigning for the 87 Gujarat Assembly Constituencies that are going to polls on December 11 will end this evening.

The fate of 668 candidates will be decided in the first phase of polling.

Some of the key ministers of the Narendra Modi Government who are contesting election during this phase are Finance Minister Biju Bhai Vala (Rajkot II), Water Resources Minister Narottam Patel (Chaurasy) and Urban Development Minister I K Jadeja.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi who started his poll campaigning focusing development issues ended up in exchanging fiery allegations by Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders.

Ahmedabad, Dec. 10: A graduate of the Ahmedabad-based National Institute of Design (NID), who made an animation film on the 2002 post-Godhra riots, has decided to contest this year's Assembly polls in Gujarat as a candidate of the little-known New Socialist Movement.

Not only that, he has decided to challenge incumbent Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the latter's stronghold -- the Maninagar Assembly Constituency.

Ahmedabad, Dec 10: Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the first phase of Assembly polls in Gujarat to be held on Tuesday.

Around 50, 000 central paramilitary forces have been deployed at all polling booths to ensure free and fair polling.

Apart from this, the Election Commission has also prohibited the use of mobile phones inside polling booths.

As many as 1.79 crores voters will decide the fate of 668 candidates, including 53 female candidates, who are in the fray.

During the first phase, the Chorasi, Assembly Constituency is the largest with 1, 593, 907 voters, while Manavadar is the smallest with 125, 902 voters.

Ahmedabad, Dec. 11: Orkut, the social networking website, gained a new dimension when several of its members congregated here for the first time to showcase their political support for their favourite party and its leader.

About 200 members of Namo, an Orkut community, who knew each other only through their interaction on Orkut, met here on Sunday to hold a rally in support of their favourite Bharatiya Janata Party leader Narendra Modi.

“NAMO” community has about 6,500 registered members from all walks of life who enjoy discussing Gujarat politics and popularising Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Ahmedabad, Dec 11: A low voter turnout was witnessed in the initial hours of the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections that is being held today.

Polling is being held in 87 constituencies of the total 182 Assembly segments. Majority (58) of which are located in the Saurashtra and the Kutch regions, while 29 seats are in South Gujarat.

Reports suggest that the voting is picking up gradually.

Around 1,78,77,771 voters (93,14,640 males and 85,63,131 females) will decide the fate of 669 candidates, including 53 women in the fray.

The Election Commission has set up 19,924 polling stations for voting and as many number of electronic voting machines has been put to use.

Ahmedabad, Dec. 11 (ANI): The announcement of L K Advani’s elevation as the Bharatiya Janata Party's next Prime Ministerial candidate has not gone down well within the state, as the electorate of Gujarat doesn’t seem to be impressed with this sudden development.

Common voters are saying that the elections are being fought on the local issues and the Advani factor will have no bearing on poll results.

Ahmedabad, Dec. 14: Commenting on Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s remarks over senior BJP leader L K Advani being appointed as the saffron party’s prime ministerial candidate, the latter today said that “the Prime Minister is not a political person because a politically aware person cannot make such a comment. "

Advani further said: "He (Dr Singh) is a simple man, and that is why he said something like this. "

Advani said he was surprised at the Prime Minister saying that the BJP's announcement was aimed at countering Modi in Gujarat.

Ahmedabad, Dec 16: Voting for the second and the final phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections began today amidst tight security.

Polling is on in the remaining 95 constituencies of the total 182 seats, which are spread over eleven districts in the central and northern parts of the state.

A total of 18.7 million people are expected to decide the fate of 599 candidates who are in the fray.

Elaborate arrangements have been made to ensure that the voting is held in a free and fair manner.

Tight security arrangements have been made in Anand, Nadiad, Karamsad, Khambhat, Sujitra, Khadga and other assembly segments.

Over 50,000 security personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order in the state.

Ahmedabad, Dec.23: Gujarat will wait with bated breath for the first result from the counting of votes, which is expected to be out by 10 a.m. on Sunday. Counting of votes cast in the two-phased electionscommenced at 8 a.m.this morning in 37 counting stations amidst tight security, with the Congress and the BJP locked in a virtual straight fight.
All political parties are keeping their fingers crossed for an outcome that will alter the country's political landscape in the months to come.
 
Both the Congress and the BJP have expressed confidence about emerging victorious, even as exit polls conducted by several television channels have predicted incumbent Chief Minister Narendra Modi's return to power for a second consecutive term.
 

Ahmedabad, Dec 23: Congress party has expressed confidence that there would be a swing in favour of the party as the day progresses in Gujarat where counting of votes for the Assembly elections is underway.

Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Bharat Singh Solanki said “ultimately the swing will be in favour of Congress. ”

On the question of BJP rebels being absorbed in Congress and given tickets, Solanki said “it is the question of ideology and truth. ”

He said this was done for the State’s welfare and not for “individual war”.

Commenting on his chances of becoming next chief minister, Solanki said: “I am soldier of party. I am happy being it. ”

Ahmedabad, Dec 23: In his first reaction after the early trend showed that the BJP is all set to return to power in Gujarat, Chief Minister Narendra Modi said “I was the CM, I will remain the CM. For me CM means Common Man. ”

Modi said this in a SMS. The BJP is leading in over 100 seats out of 182 constituencies. The main opposition Congress party is lagging at around 60 seats.

BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad said "the victory is the victory of the entire BJP of which Modi is the Man of the Match. We are proud of his performance. "

Ahmedabad, Dec 23: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is all set to return to power as the BJP is poised for a fourth straight victory in the Assembly elections winning 20 seats and leading in 99 constituencies.

Modi, clearly in a celebratory mood, has already sent out an SMS message asserting, “I was the CM, I will remain the CM. For me CM means Common Man.”

Ahmedabad, Dec 24: Narendra Modi will take oath as Chief Minister of Gujarat for a third time on Tuesday.

Modi will be sworn in by Governor Naval Kishore Sharma at Sardar Patel Stadium in Gandhinagar at 12:50 p. m. The ceremony will coincide with the birthday of senior party leader A B Vajpayee.

Earlier, Modi was scheduled to take oath on December 27.

Meanwhile, the newly-elected BJP MLAs met in Gandhinagar today elected Modi as the leader of the Gujarat BJP legislature party unanimously.

Ahmedabad, Jan 2: Expressing concern over attacks on Gujarati expatriates in Kenya, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging him to ensure their safety in that country.

Modi has asked Dr. Singh to take up the issue with the Kenyan Government to ensure safety of Gujaratis in Kenya.

Ahmedabad, Jan. 2 : Uttarayan, the famous kite festival of Gujarat that turns the sky full of colourful kites in Ahmedabad, also serves as chord of communal harmony in Gujarat.

Though the State always leads the country in celebrating every traditional festival in an attractive way, the Gujaratis maintain that Uttarayan strengthens communal harmony the best.

In the Jamalpur Kite market in Ahmedabad, Muslim craftsmen have been catering to the needs of Uttarayan festival celebrated by Hindus.

Umar Bhai, a Muslim kite maker, having spent over 35 years in this trade, takes pride in being a part of the 'Uttarayan' festival.

New Delhi/Ahmedabad, Jan 2 : today said that the Indian community in Kenya is not being targeted in particular.

"I admit there has been damage to property in Kenya, but I must add here that Indians are not being targeted specifically," Sharma said.

"Violence is taking place there and Indians living out there are also suffering. But the people living in Mombasa and other such places are being provided with aid," he added.

Ahmedabad, Jan 3: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will form his cabinet at a ceremony in Gandhinagar on Friday.

Governor Naval Kishore Sharma will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the members of the new ministry.

According to sources, 15 to 20 ministers will be inducted.

Portfolios will be allocated in a meeting to be followed by the swearing-in- ceremony.

Among the seniors, Vajubhai Vala, Ashok Bhatt, Anandiben Patel, Narottam Patel, and Mangubhai Patel are likely to be re-nominated.

Ahmedabad, Feb. 2: In a shocking revelation, the Consumer Education Research Society in Ahmedabad during in-house tests on popular clinical thermometers (mercury and digital) has found at least 16 popular brands to be inaccurate in calibration.

The findings are alarming, as at least 16 popular brand thermometers have failed to conform to the norms prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). It is worth remembering that a clinical thermometer is generally used by people at their homes to check body temperature.

Ahmedabad, Feb. 15: Pharmaceutical companies are harbouring huge expectations from Finance Minister P. Chidambaram when he presents the Union Budget 2008-09 at the end of the month.

Starting virtually from scratch, the pharmaceutical industry in India has over the last 30 years evolved into a world leader in producing high quality drugs with the lowest cost of production, and now is ranked fourth globally in terms of volume and 13th in terms of value of production.

Ahmedabad, Feb. 19: Gujarat’s Gulbarg Society, a building located in the heart of Ahmedbad’s Meghaninagar area is today infamously known for the brutal atrocities it suffered during the post-Godhra riots about six years ago.

At least 68 residents of Gulbarg Society had lost their lives in the day-long violence.

Perhaps disappointed with the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s recent win in the State Assembly elections, the survivors of the Gulbarg Society have offered it to be converted into a museum.

The building, at present, stands like the relic of a ghost structure.

Ahmedabad, April 1: A taxi driver in Ahmedabad who lost his source of livelihood during the Gujarat riots, has today reinvented himself as an artist of some repute.

Surviving as an unknown tourist taxi driver, Munnavvar Hussein, 46, used to sketch monuments during his idle time.

He used stippling art, a technique of using small dots to simulate varying degrees of solidity or shading.

But after riots, he was left with no work and took to sketching seriously.

Ahmedabad, Apr 2: A 13-year old girl student was reportedly killed and over ten children were injured this morning after a Delhi Public School (DPS) bus overturned in Shilaj village about 10 km from here.

The bus, carrying about 20 children to the School in the Bopal area on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, turned turtle colliding with a truck it was trying to overtake.

The condition of three of the students is said to be serious.

Ahmedabad Superintendent of Police, SS Trivedi said all the injured have been admitted to the Shah Alloys Limited (SAL) Hospital and the Sola Civil Hospital.

Sadbhav Engineering Ltd has informed that consortium led by the Company has been awarded the project worth Rs 166.88 crore by the Government of Andhra Pradesh Irrigation and CAD Department in joint venture with Gokul Krishna Construction Pvt. Ltd. in the ratio of 52 : 48 respectively.

The scope of contract includes earth work excavation, forming embankment & construction of CD & CM works of main canal, distributory system up to water course level, CC lining to main canal and other allied works including investigation, designing of Gouravelly canal in Karimnagar District.

Ahmedabad, Apr 26 : Members of the Jamaat-E-Ulema on Saturday issued a unity call.

They also demanded fair treatment to Muslims as the community finds itself at the receiving end every time a terror attack takes place.

“A Muslim can tolerate suffering inflicted on him but he cannot withstand any insult to his religion. The conference has decided that we should raise a voice against terrorism and anything wrong that is inflicted on the community,” Maulana Sayeed Mohamad Asad Madni, general secretary of Jamaat-E-Ulema, said.

New Delhi/Varanasi/Ahmedabad, May 14 : Security across the country has been beefed up after eight serial blasts rock Jaipur, claiming the lives of 70 people and injuring over 200 others.

In New Delhi, police jeeps and vans were seen patrolling during the early morning hours.

Madhukar Gupta, Central Home Secretary said that investigations are being carried out to crack the case and punish the culprits.

"We are going to find out what kind of explosives and what kind of devices these are? The teams are going to investigate all this. Our priority apart from vigilance and alert generally would be to get to the bottom of this and try to get hold of the people who are responsible for this," said Gupta.

Ahmedabad, June 10 : High tide in many coastal villages of Gujarat has played havoc as the sea water has flooded farm lands turning almost 4,000 acres of fertile fields into saline stretches.

High tide has hit the coastal areas including Jaswanpura, Kotda, Ganeshgadh, Narmad, Kala talav, Kheta- Khatli, Bavaliyari in Bhavnagar District situated almost 12 - 15 kilometer from the sea.

Seawater broke boundaries of 3-meter high mud edges in low-lying areas stretched around many kilometres on the periphery of these coastal villages.

This sudden high tide has shattered the dreams of the farmers in these villages who were expecting a timely monsoon.

Ahmedabad, June 10 : High tide in many coastal villages of Gujarat has played havoc as the sea water has flooded farm lands turning almost 4,000 acres of fertile fields into saline stretches.

High tide has hit the coastal areas including Jaswanpura, Kotda, Ganeshgadh, Narmad, Kala talav, Kheta- Khatli, Bavaliyari in Bhavnagar District situated almost 12 - 15 kilometer from the sea.

Seawater broke boundaries of 3-meter high mud edges in low-lying areas stretched around many kilometres on the periphery of these coastal villages.

This sudden high tide has shattered the dreams of the farmers in these villages who were expecting a timely monsoon.

ADAG group’s Reliance Money, the broking and financial services arm of Reliance Capital, has entered into an agreement with the Ahmedabad-based National Multi-Commodities Exchange (NMCE), to pick up 26% stake in the bourse, for an undisclosed amount.

NMCE, the third largest commodities bourse in the country in terms of turnover, is strong in three agro commodities pepper, rubber and raw jute. It also has presence in commodities like isabgul, sacking and rapeseed.

Earlier, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the oldest stock exchange in India, had announced in February its intentions to buy a 26% stake in NMCE. The deal is yet to be closed.

Ahmedabad, July 25 : Four teams of CID Crime Branch on Friday raided the Ashram of Asharam Bapu in Ahmedabad.

The ashram in the Gujarat town has been in the headlines ever since the death of two children at its Gurukul.

Earlier on July 18, people of the city had observed a shutdown against the alleged shoddy probe into the death of the children.

The bodies of Dipesh Praful Vaghela, 10, and his cousin Abhishek Shantilal Vaghela, 11, were found in the riverbed near the Asharam Bapu’s Ashram on the outskirts of the city on July 6. The bodies were recovered two days after the boys were reported to be missing.

Ahmedabad, July 25 : Parents of a nine-year-old boy in Gujarat are utterly disappointed after failing to get his custody from his foster parent.

The boy was missing since 2002 Gujarat riots and was traced by a voluntary organization here.

The family that adopted the child, Vivek Patni, has refused to part with him, as it nurtured him. The child too wants to continue to be with his foster parent.

A legal battle followed after a Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigated into the case and found clues suggesting the Shiekhs were Vivek’s biological parents.

New Delhi  - At least six synchronized blasts were reported from India's western city of Ahmedabad city on Saturday wounding seven people, media reports said.

The explosives were planted on bicycles in crowded market places in Ahmedabad which is among the top commercial cities in India, the NDTV network reported.

The blasts occurred in the Maninagar, Sarangpur, Isanpur, Diamond Market, Bapu Nagar and Narol Circle areas, all in eastern Ahmedabad.

The city is located 50 kilometres south-west of Gandhinagar, state capital of Gujarat state.

Ahmedabad, July 26 : At least 19 people were injured when serial blasts rocked different parts of Ahmedabad on Saturday evening.

While reports from Ahmedabad said that there were six explosions, the State Government confirmed three blasts.

According to television reports, the first blast took place at 6.45 p. m. at Mani Nagar Chowk. The other blasts took place at Bapu Nagar, Saranpur Bridge, Sardar Patel Bazaar, Ishaanpur and Raipur.

Mani Nagar is the constituency of Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

According to preliminary investigative reports, the bombs were found in tiffins that were planted on bicycles.

Ahmedabad, July 26 : Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal on Saturdaycondemned the serial blasts in Ahmedabad, describing it as a planned mode of spreading panic across the country.

“All our Metros have lots of people, and it is not possible to have a police presence in every part of the city or cities,” Jaiswal said.

“Terrorists and those behind such heinous crimes are taking advantage of this, but the Government is determined to take firm measures to counter this menace in every way possible,” he added.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh too has condemned this cowardly act.

Ahmedabad, July 27 : The death toll in the Gujarat serial blasts, which occurred a day after multiple explosions in Bangalore, has reached to 38 this morning and is expected to rise further.

Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil has convened a high level meeting on Sunday morning to review the security situation throughout the country.

Saturday’s blasts injured at least 90 people who were admitted in several hospitals including Vadilal Sarabhai Hospital, Civil Hospital and LG Hospital.

Islamabad, July 27 : Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has strongly condemned the serial blasts in Ahmedabad and Bangalore on July 26 and 25, respectively.

He expressed his deep sympathies with the bereaved families and the victims of these acts of violence against innocent people, says a foreign office statement, reported the Daily Times.

Ahmedabad, July 28 : Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi will arrive here today to have an on-the-spot-assessment of the situation after the city was rocked by serial blasts on Saturday.

The duo, who will also be accompanied by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, will meet injured admitted in different hospitals.

The injured are undergoing treatment in Civil Hospital, LG Hospital and Vadilal Sarabhai Hospitals.

Ahmedabad, July 28 : The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Monday visited some of the sites that were affected by Saturday’s serial bomb blasts in which over 40 people were killed.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and senior State Government officials received the three dignitaries from Delhi on Monday afternoon, two days after more than 16 bombs devastated parts of East Ahmedabad, causing grief, shock and panic among its residents and damaging property.

Ahmedabad, July 28: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday commended the people of Gujarat for the resilience shown by them in the wake of terror attacks on Saturday’s serial bomb blast.

The Prime Minister said this during his day-long visit to Ahmedabad.

"I commend the people of Gujarat for the resilience they have shown. These terrorist acts are aimed at destroying our social fabric, undermining communal harmony and demoralising our people," he said.

Singh also announced enhancement of ex-gratia payment from Rs one lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh each to next of kin of those killed in the terror attacks.

Surat, July 29: Surat Police today recovered two more live bombs, two days after serial bomb blasts killed over 40 people in Ahmedabad.

According to police officials, one bomb was found near the Labheshwar Police Chowki in the city''s Varachha area, while the second bomb was found in Santoshi Nagar.

The bomb disposal squad are at the site looking for further clues.

On Monday, three live bombs were defused in Surat.

Meanwhile, Ahmedabad Police and officials of other investigative agencies are coming around to the view that the banned Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) could be behind this latest attack

New Delhi  - India's western state of Gujarat was on high alert Tuesday after police found nine bombs in Surat city, three days after synchronized blasts killed up to 50 people in the state's main city of Ahmedabad.

Police defused all nine bombs, which were found in residential areas, in markets and along roads in the Varachha area of Surat, which is among the world's biggest diamond-polishing centres and is located 200 kilometres south of Ahmedabad.

"Most of these were crude bombs and have been sent to the forensic lab for analysis," Inspector P Mangabe at the Surat police control room said by telephone.

New Delhi  - A live bomb was found in the western Indian city of Surat Wednesday, bringing the number of unexploded bombs found there over two days to 19, police said.

The explosive was found in a busy market area a short distance from a site visited by Narendra Modi, chief minister of Gujarat state, four days after 21 bombs exploded in Ahmedabad, the state's principal city, killing at least 50 people and injuring 200.

Modi, who visited five Surat sites where bombs were discovered Tuesday, said terrorists were waging a "proxy war" against India.

Ahmedabad, July 30 : Schoolchildren in Ahmedabad have been badly affected by the recent violence caused through serials blasts. The psychological setback is so intense that many of them are scared and often talk about terrorists in classrooms in school.

As part of an initiative to take out fear from their minds, one school here conducted peace prayers by schoolchildren.

Preeti Jai Shah, supervisor of Jai Hind Doon school, told that the kids have been very much disturbed by the recent blasts. To take out that fear of their minds, the school authorities recently organised peace prayers.

Ahmedabad, July 31: High alert has been sounded across the malls in Ahmedabad that was rocked by a series of blasts on July 26.

As calls grow to beef up its intelligence apparatus, malls are taking no chances and customers are being increasingly frisked.

"After the bomb blast, we are physically frisking each and every customer that who is walking in. Besides this, in the basements where we have two-wheeler and four-wheeler parking, we are checking every component of any vehicle that is coming in. Besides video recovery of each vehicle, we are manually noting down the number in case somebody leaves a vehicle behind we would be able to trace them," said Anshu Mathur, manager of a mall.

Ahmedabad, July 31 : In the wake of July 26 serial blasts in Ahmedabad city, which claimed 53 lives and injured over 140 people, the Crime Branch has carried out combing operations in various areas here today.

It has also detained several people for questioning, police said.

Joint Commissioner of Police H P Singh said, "Massive combing operations were conducted by different teams in various parts of the city last night. Several people have been detained for questioning. However, reports from all the teams are yet to be consolidated."

Ahmedabad/ Surat, July 31 : The Gujarat Government and police believe that the planting of bombs in the city was impossible without the support of the locals.

A government official said: "Though the conspiracy has a pan-national angle, it could not have been possible without the local support."

Surat Police Commissioner R M S Brar said: "The terrorist operations of such massive scale is not possible without local support. The planting of bombs, the selection of places, transportation of explosive materials was impossible without their support."

The Surat Crime Branch carried out massive combing operations this morning.

The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Ahmedabad has made announcement about the launching of Wi-Max service in the city by mid-August.

State-owned BSNL said that Wi-Max service will allow internet buffs to surf internet at high speed from anywhere in the city.

But, security features of this advanced technology will be examined in the coming times.

Ahmedabad, Aug 13 : Heavy monsoon downpour flooded streets and disrupted life in Gujarat during the last 24 hours.

The Worst affected areas are south and central parts of the State where eight people were killed. Vadodara, Surat, Navsari, Valsad and Bharuch districts were totally out of gear.

About ten thousand people have been evacuated from the five districts of South Gujarat.

The district administration has started the relief works. (ANI)

Ahmedabad, August 13 : Heavy downpour for the last 24 hours has thrown life out of gear in Gujarat. Incessant rains have brought entire region to a near standstill with water logging on many major crossroads.

The worst affected areas are south and central parts of the State where eight people have been killed.

Life in Vadodara, Surat, Navsari, Valsad and Bharuch districts has been thrown totally out of gear.

Ahmedabad, Aug. 16 : Archaeologists of the Department of Archaeology in Gujarat have unearthed a plaque depicting carved scene from Buddha’s life dating back 1900 years.

According to the web portal DeshGujarat. com, the discovery was made at the Ghaskol Darwaja archaeological excavation site in Vadnagar, around 65 kilometers north of Ahmedabad.

Yudbir Singh Rawat, the director of the department, was quoted as saying that the grey color half cut slate stone plaque belongs to the Mahayana period of Buddhism, after first century.

Ahmedabad-based Navneet Publication (India) Limited, a leading manufacturer of syllabus and non-syllabus based education materials is planning to launch more variants in paper stationery. The products will be of a premium range under corporate category. The company plans to launch the same under the 'EXCL' brand name. The company plans to cover the full range in paper stationery, apart from extended products in the non-paper stationery category. Recently the company also launched e-Book.

Ahmedabad, Aug 17 : Nine Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) activists, who were arrested on Saturday in connection with the Ahmedabad serial blasts, will be presented in court today.

The alleged mastermind Mufti Abu Bashir, a SIMI activist from Uttar Pradesh, was produced before the special CBI Judge (Lucknow) Rekha Dixit, who allowed three-day transit-remand of Bashir to Gujarat police.

The Gujarat Police said Bashir and the others arrested were behind the serial blasts that killed 57 people in Ahmedabad three weeks ago.

Police officials claimed that the group headed by SIMI leader Safdar Nagori had executed similar blasts in Jaipur, Hyderabad and Bangalore.

The Indian Cricket League (ICL) will be able to organize its league matches in Ahmedabad as Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has decided to charter out its Sardar Patel Stadium, in Narapura area to the League (ICL) for the next ten years.

Deputy Commissioner of AMC Captain Dilip Mahajan said, “AMC's Standing Committee today cleared the proposal to lease the stadium to ICL for ten years with Rs 12 lakh per year. ICL matches will be played here in two phases - during October and November and then in February and March.”

Ahmedabad, Aug 19 : The alleged mastermind of the serial blasts in Ahmedabad, Mufti Abu Bashir, has admitted that he was involved in the July 26 bombings that left
55 people dead.

Bashir, whose arrest was announced on August 16, is currently in 14-day police custody and being grilled by the city Crime Branch officials.

“So far in his interrogation, he has confessed to his involvement in the Ahmedabad blasts,” Crime Branch sources said.

Ahmedabad, Aug. 25 : An Ahmedabad school is setting a unique example before the society by educating many mentally challenged students having below-average intelligent quotient (IQ) along with students having normal IQ level.

School authorities at the Sri Ram Vidyalaya say that the objective of the experiment is to instill confidence among the mentally challenged students by offering them an opportunity to learn along with students with normal mental abilities.

Ahmedabad, August 26 : Families of the victims killed in the serial blasts that rocked Ahmedabad on July 26 offered prayers for the victims on Tuesday.

At least 16 bombs exploded in Ahmedabad on July 26, a day after another set of blasts in Bangalore killed a woman. Three days later, several unexploded bombs were found in the Gujarat''s Surat town.

A mass prayer, including fire rituals for each victim, were organised by the families.

Ahmedabad, Sept 13 : Former president A. P. J. Abdul Kalam will take classes at the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) from Saturday to November 
27 on energy security and water conservation among other key issues.

Ahmedabad, Sept 16 : The city crime branch has arrested two more persons in connection with the Ahmedabad serial blasts that took 55 lives.

Police have also released photographs of four more suspects for their alleged involvement in the blast.

According to sources, the two persons arrested belong to Juhapura and Bapunagar areas of Ahmedabad.

At least 16 bombs exploded in Ahmedabad on July 26, a day after another set of blasts in Bangalore killed a woman. Three days later, several unexploded bombs were found in Gujarat''s Surat town.

New Delhi, Sept 18: Ahmedabad blasts mastermind Mufti Abu Bashir has been brought to Delhi for questioning in connection with the serial blasts in the national Capital.

The interrogation report of Bashir, a cleric from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, had revealed that he stayed in Delhi between July 24 and 27 at two different places.

His brother Abu Zar was working as a parking attendant in Old Delhi while two of his other contacts Danish and Aftab were staying in South Delhi.

Ahmedabad, Sep. 18 : Gujarat Higher Secondary Education Board has decided to introduce ''open book examinations'' system for standard VIII to X students, enabling them to refer the books while taking exams.

The Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB), which is half way into this academic session (2008 to 09), has decided to introduce the Open Book format of examination for the VIII, IX and X standard classes.

Ahmedabad, Sep 18 : A two-member commission headed by Justice G T Nanavati today submitted the first part of its report on the 2002 Sabarmati train carnage at Godhra and subsequent riots to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

The Commission, appointed by the Modi Government after the worst-ever riots in the state and comprising retired Justices Nanavati and Akshay Mehta, examined more than 1,000 witness during the period of six years.

Ahmedabad, Sep. 18 : Gujarat Higher Secondary Education Board has decided to introduce ''open book examinations'' system for standard VIII to X students, enabling them to refer the books while taking exams.

The Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB), which is half way into this academic session (2008 to 09), has decided to introduce the Open Book format of examination for the VIII, IX and X standard classes.

Ahmedabad, Sept 25 : The first part of the Nanavati Commission report, tabled in the Legislative Assembly today, says that the burning of S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express on February 27, 2002, was a pre-planned conspiracy and not an accident.

The Godhra report, tabled in the House as it met for a three-day session, gave a clean chit to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

New Delhi/Ahmedabad, Oct 2 : President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh led the nation in paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi on his 139th birth anniversary at his memorial ''Raj Ghat'' here today.

Besides the President and the Prime Minister, a host of political and social leaders including Congress chief Sonia Gandhi offered tributes at the memorial.

An all religion prayer was organised on the occasion.

In Gujarat, followers of Mahatma Gandhi organised a prayer service in his remembrance at Sabarmati Ashram.

Ahmedabad, Oct 4 : A Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) court in Ahmedabad sentenced five accused of 1993 twin bombings of Surat including a former minister to 20-year imprisonment on Saturday.

In 1993, a bomb exploded in Varachha area on the outskirts of Surat in which a young girl was killed and a grenade was lobbed at a train stationed on a platform leaving 38 injured.

Former State Minister for Fisheries, Mohammad Surti of Congress party along with eleven others, was found guilty in bombings.

Ahmedabad, Oct 7 : The “Nano” which is being manufactured by Tata Motors, is likely to roll out of Gujarat, according to reports.

With the Gujarat Cabinet approving the allotment of 1,000 acres of land to the company, a formal announcement is expected to be made by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata.

The land for the “Nano” project is located within a 2200-acre campus owned by the Anand Agriculture University. The university has already transferred 1,000 acres back to the government.

The Gujarat Government has gone all out to woo Tata Motors ever since Singur project in West Bengal came unstuck.

Ahmedabad, Oct 7 : Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for setting up ‘Nano’ car project in Gujarat.

The project plant will be set up in Sanand, 30 kms from the Ahmedabad, on the land of Anand Agriculture University (AAU).

Officials said that 1,000 acres of land would be given to the Tata Motors.

Ahmedabad, Oct 9 : Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today relives India’s ancient tradition of worshiping weapons on ''Dussehra'' day in Ahmedabad sending out a message to the nation to join hands against terrorism.

After performing a traditional ritual of offering prayers to weapons, Modi declared war against terrorism as Gujarat is one of states hit by the recent spate of terror attacks in the country.

Modi urged people to interpret the festival of Dussehra (Dasa-Hara- which means the slaying of the ten heads of Ravana) to kill the demons of the society.

Ahmedabad, Oct 10 : The two Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) members accused in the Jaipur blasts have been brought to Ahmedabad for interrogation in connection with the July 26 serial bomb blasts that rocked the city.

On Friday, Joint Commissioner of Police, Ashish Bhatia, heading the probe team, said "We have brought two SIMI members from Jaipur for interrogation in the serial blasts case. The two accused were present at the terror training camp in Halol near Vadodara."

Ahmedabad, Oct 12 : Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today said that Tata Group''s ''Nano'' car project is good for state''s economy in spite of global economic recession.

Speaking at the inauguration of a flyover at Chanakyapuri in Ghatlodiya of the city, Modi said, "Some people who are trying to create problems in the project''s path will not get success."

The Chief Minister added that people are happy that Nano project is in the state.

Ahmedabad, Oct 12 : Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasudhara Raje have taken strong exception to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government’s decision of not including terrorism in the agenda of the National Integration Council (NIC) meeting to be held on Monday.

The two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have shot letters to Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in this regard.

Future Group, India's leading business house with strong presence in retail sector, has launched a new retail chain of stores to market ethnic brands and products of India.

The Kishore Biyani-promoted retail giant today announced that the company has rolled out its first store for ethnic brand called ‘Ethnicity’ in Ahmedabad. The stores will offer wide collections of ethnic and fusion wear, jewellery, handicrafts, home decor, beauty products and accessories and gifts. However, all products in these stores will be Indian.

Presently western brands have a wider platform than the ethnic brands across the country. So, the company comes with new concept of ‘Ethnicity’, aimed at providing a space for smaller Indian brands and ethnic products.

Earlier it was Former President APJ Abdul Kalam and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav. Now Bollywood stars and filmmakers will come down to teach management students at Ahmedabad.

The premier B-School Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, will rope in Bollywood’s intelligent brains to elucidate the nitty-gritty of the film industry.

IIM-A will introduce an elective course on "Introduction to Contemporary Film Industry", which will be offered to students of the institute's flagship post-graduate diploma programme. The course will start in December.

Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila has informed that the company has received an approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to market Risperidone Tablets.

Risperidone is indicated for the acute and maintenance treatment of schizophrenia and the company has got approval to market the drug in the strength of 0.25, 0.5,1,2,3 and 4mg.

Recently, Zydus Cadila has filed an Investigational New Drug application with Drugs Controller General of India for ZYT 1, which is used to prevent heart attack and stroke.

Till date, the group has 41 approvals and has so far filed 79 ANDAs since the commencement of filing process in FY 2003-04.

Ahmedabad-based Sadbhav Engineering has informed that the company has secured a contract worth Rs 268.34 from Gujarat Industries Power Co. Ltd. (GIPCO).

Under the arrangement, the company would carry out the work of removal of Over Burdon (OB) for total 44.40 million CuM and lignite extraction of 4.68 million tons during a period of seven years.

The scope of work involves, hiring heavy earth moving equipments with operators, maintenance staff & facilities for excavation work at Mangrol Lignite Mines.

Sadbhav Engineering Limited undertakes infrastructure and engineering projects in India. It executes civil engineering construction projects primarily in the areas of roads, highways, irrigation, and mining operations.

In four matches conducted so far, Ahmedabad Rockets have won a single match against formidable Royal Bengal Tigers. However, on Wednesday at the ICL 20s Championship at the Sardar Patel Stadium, it was an emphatic win by the Ahmedabad Rockets over Bengal Tigers. 

The bowlers of the rockets team displayed a fine performance when they restricted Tigers batting to 131. The batting for Rockets was opened by Murray Goodwin and Ryan Campbell, who scored fours and sixes as the Tigers’ attack weakened under the assault and the Rockets speed away to 137 without loss in 12 overs. 

Ahmedabad, Oct 25 : With the festival of lights ''Diwali'' just round the corner, companies caught up in the global financial crisis have cut down on corporate gifts.

Every year during this festive season, the demand for corporate gifts is on an all time high, especially in Gujarat.

But with the US meltdown trickling down to India as well, many companies have resorted to cost cutting and are refraining from purchasing expensive gifts or token gifts usually presented to employees on Diwali.

Shopkeepers and traders say that their business has gone down by more than 30 per cent.

Now, MP's can efficiently handle the complaints lodged by common people. Students at the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad (IIM-A) would assist Parliament members for complaint handling through a project named "Connect with Leaders".

Students would present a web based interface called information and communication technology (ICT), to lodge complaints. The complaints would be lodged through voice response system (IVRS) and feedback can be received from the concerned departments.

The students would opt for the most convenient medium of communication to link MPs with their respective constituencies. Initially, the facility will be offered for three MP's. It would be extended to other members after its success during the initial phase.

Ahmedabad, Nov.9 : Gujarat, a hub of tobacco production, is today a major raw material provider to Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala in the country. 

About 70 per cent of the population in Anand, Kheda, Vadodara, Sabarkantha and Banaskantha districts of Gujarat is connected to this unorganized sector.

But a sense of uncertainty prevails among the tobacco growers of Gujarat, following the Indian health ministry’s directive on mandatory pictorial warnings on all tobacco products from December 1. 

Government''s directive has put a question mark on the livelihood of a majority of the crisis-ridden Gujarat tobacco industry. 

The Madhya Pradesh Special Task Force has arrested Quayamuddin Kapadia, prime accused in the Ahmedabad serial blasts on Monday.

He was nabbed by a joint opration between Madhya Pradesh Special Task Force and Ahmedabad crime branch in Bhopal.

Quayamudin was also a suspect in the Delhi blasts.

Quayamudin has confessed to his involvement in the Ahmedabad blasts, and has admitted that he is member of Indian Mujahideen said a top officer of Ahmedabad crime branch

Ahmedabad, Nov 19 : The summer campus placements at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) remain unaffected for the present by the global economic meltdown, says director Samir Barua.

All 300 students in the Post-Graduate Programmes (PGP) in the management and the entire 21 PGP Agri-Business management 2008-10 batch have been placed for the next year''s on-job training projects, as per officials.

Barua said that the major recruiters of the previous years were present for the placements reaffirming their commitment to select talent from IIMA campus but actual position would be clear only after long-term recruitment commitments are out.

Ahmedabad, Nov 26 : The Cotton ginners in Gujarat are facing a hard time as the Government has raised the Minimum Support Price (MSP) by almost forty percent.

Gujarat is considered to be the hub of the cotton producers who say the rise in the prices may bring the industry to a standstill as the ginners find the purchasing prices of cotton higher than the selling price of processed cotton.

The Adnani Group has announced the launch of the Adani Institute of Infrastructure Management (AIIM) at Navrangpura in Ahmedabad. The institute takes off its academic activities with a one-year (fulltime) residential Post Graduate Programme in Infrastructure Development (PGPIM) for executives.

Ahmedabad, Dec 12 : With the advantage of low production cost, trained manpower and increasing demand of low priced quality drugs, the Indian pharmaceutical sector has come up as a favourite destination for investment among the developing countries.

The Pharma Industry is estimated to be worth 4.5 billion dollars, growing at about 8 to 9 percent annually.

Part of this success story belongs to Gujarat, which has developed into a major hub of pharmaceutical industry with spectacular growth during the last two decades in the sphere of production of drugs and pharmaceuticals.

The state''''s two principal industrial cities Ahmedabad and Baroda have evolved as major drug and healthcare equipment manufacturing hubs.

Ahmedabad, Jan. 8 : Uttarayan or Makar Sankranti is one of the biggest Hindu festivals celebrated in Gujarat. A large number of people here mark it as a kite festival, in which people from all communities participate.

These kites are chiefly made by members of the Muslim community. Ahead of the festival, there is usually high demand for kites that are made available in the in attractive hues and sizes in the markets.

Many Gujaratis believe that Uttarayan festival is not just about an occasion when people fly kites but it is a time which also promotes and strengthens harmony among Hindus and Muslims in communally sensitive State.

Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Jan. 10 : Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and the party''s prime ministerial candidate in the forthcoming general elections this year, L. K. Advani, on Saturday said ethics and values are inseparable elements of every business.

Advani was speaking at the global summit of the Jain International Trade Organization (JITO).

Commenting on the financial fraud of IT major Satyam Computer Services, he said business without ethics is a sin.

Ahmedabad, Jan. 14 : Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has said that the state has received promises of 12,000 billion rupees of investment during the two-day ''Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit-2009''.

"The state has received tremendous response from the investors and which in a way would generate vast employment avenues," Modi said while addressing a gathering on the second day of the summit.

Ahmedabad, Jan 31: Congress General Secretary and MP Rahul Gandhi hit out at divisive politics and vowed to adopt Mahatma Gandhi''s philosophy of uniting people.

Addressing Youth Congress members here on Friday, Rahul said, "There are two kind of politics one which divides is played by creating fear psychosis among the people" while the second one which was practiced by Mahatma Gandhi "is meant to liberate people from fear and install a sense of self- confidence among them."

Ahmedabad, Feb 3 : In Gujarat, the Supreme Court''s Special Investigating Team (SIT) has declared Minister of State (MOS) for Higher education Dr. Maya Kodanani and Vishwa Hindu Parishad(VHP) leader Jaidip Patel as absconding.

Kodanini has been accused in the Naroda Patia and Naroda Gam riot cases. Patel is also an accused in the Naroda Gam case.

Both the leaders have filed an anticipatory bail to evade their arrest.

Ahmedabad, Feb. 8, : Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan visited Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Ahmedabad to deliver a lecture on ''Introduction to Contemporary Film Industry''- a newly introduced subject.

Khan also interacted with nearly 80 second-year students of the institute.

He spent over two hours interacting with the students. (ANI)

Ahmedabad, Feb 9 : Valsad Deputy Superintendent of Police K G Erda, who was arrested in connection with his role in the 2002 Gujarat riots, was on Monday remanded in police custody till February 13.

Metropolitan Magistrate C. B Patel passed the order after a Special Investigating Team (SIT) submitted a report of its investigation.

Erda was an inspector at the Meghaninagar police station during the riots.

Ahmedabad, Feb 13 : The police custody of Valsad Deputy Superintendent of Police K G Erda, who was arrested in connection with his role in the 2002 Gujarat riots, ends today.

On February 9, Erda was remanded in police custody till today.

Metropolitan Magistrate C. B Patel passed the order after a Special Investigating Team (SIT) submitted a report of its investigation.

Erda was an inspector at the Meghaninagar police station during the riots.

Ahmedabad, Feb 14, : Scores of literary figures and other local residents in Ahmedabad on Saturday march a massive rally to mark their love and respect for their mother tongue Gujarati.

Many bigwigs from Gujarati literature took part in the rally hailed at the time of Valentine's Day.

A three-member rescue team of B J Medical College, Ahmedabad, led by Nayan Qadri conducted a raid in premises of 10 private medical practitioners. A FIR has been registered against one doctor who was found using same syringes without sterilizing them. These raids were initiated to find possible cause behind increasing cases of deadly hepatitis D virus. 12 persons have died and 35 have fallen ill due to the deadly hepatitis D virus since a week in Modassa town. To create awareness about this disease, health administration has distributed 25,000 pamphlets.

Ahmedabad, Feb 19 : The Hepatitis B death toll in Modasa, Gujarat has risen to 34, with ten more deaths reported on Thursday.

A Sabarkantha District helath official said: "Ten people have lost their lives on Thursday, taking the number of deaths due to hepatitis infection to 34."

There have been several new cases reported, taking the total number of cases registered to over 100, off which 34 have died.

Some of the infected are undergoing treatment in various hospitals in different districts.

Ahmedabad, Feb 19 : Gujarat High Court judge A. S. Dave on Thursday declined to hear the petition of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that challenged the anticipatory bail granted to State Minister Maya Kodnani and the former VHP leader Jaydeep Patel in connection with the Godhra case.

"Not before me. The case will now be transferred to the court of another judge and the date of hearing would be decided later, Dave said.

Justice Dave did not give any reason for his decision.

Holds meetings with youth at 10 different places in city as well as in Gandhinagar 

Following the seizure of cigarettes last Friday, an investigating team, under the supervision of Arvind Kumar, assistant commissioner, customs, Ahmedabad, on Monday afternoon raided flat number 104 of Animesh Apartment at CG road which houses the office of ACX International Courier Pvt Ltd, owned by one Sunil Patel. The team also raided house number-412, Sukh Sagar Complex, near Fortune Landmark belonging to Mumbai- based Alex David, owner of Amigo Logistic India Pvt Ltd.

City traffic cops' awareness drive is bearing fruits. Since the Ahmedabad traffic department started classes on road safety in December 2008, the number of cases of road accidents involving minors has come down drastically from 30 in December to nine in January. The department had organised 3,200 lectures on traffic rules in December, followed by 3,500 the next month. Students, teachers and parents of those kids who had violated traffic norms participated in the special classes.

The department believes that the awareness classes played an important role in the decrease of accident cases. Traffic department officials told DNA that the minors were booked for rash driving, triple ridding and driving without proper documents.

Two people were killed and one sustained serious injuries when portions of a wall of an underground sewage collapsed in Danilimda on Tuesday evening. The deceased have been identified as Viru Singh Rukma, (22), and Uday Bhai, both belonging to Rajasthan.

Sources said the incident occurred close to Danilimda police station where construction of an underground sewage was going on. Labourers were digging pit when a portion of the sewage wall collapsed, killing two labourers. Another worker, Tola Ram, sustained critical injuries.

This is a news the guys in Ahmedabad may rejoice over. A staggering 97 per cent girls in the city believe that a cellphone is the best way to keep in touch with men. The ratio in other big five cities is much less — 93 per cent for Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, and 91 and 87 per cent for Pune and Chandigarh respectively.

A survey, conducted by AXE Research Lab, has shown Amdavadi girls in a new light. It revealed that they are sexually more liberated nowadays, do not hesitate in making advances if they find the men attractive enough and are willing to ignore the social code meant for the conservative, traditional Amdavadi girls.

Municipal councillor Bipin Patel & ex-councillor Chunilal Prajapati arrested

Former second inspector of the Naroda police station, VS Gohil surrendered before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Wednesday. The move came after metropolitan magistrate GM Patel rejected an application submitted by him, saying he wanted to surrender before court.

In his application, he said Gohil had reported an excellent performance as a police official, that he had not gone absconding, but had been on sick leave, and that his mobile phone had been switched off since February 6. Gohil further submitted that he had filed the application fearing he would be declared an absconder.

The incident took place in front of Juna Wadaj police chowki

One killed and two, including a five-year-old boy, sustained serious injuries after a speeding AMTS bus rammed into them near Juna Wadaj police chowki on Wednesday morning.

The deceased has been identified as Sonu Suryavanshi, 18, a resident of Hanuman ni Chali, Juna Wadaj. Suryavanshi along with the two injured, Ankit Marwadi, a minor and Virendra Mishra, autorishshaw driver, were rushed to the VS hospital. While Suryavanshi succumbed to her injuries, Marwadi's condition is reported to be critical.

The incident took place at around 10 am when a 40/3 AMTS bus plying between Gayatri Mandir and Bhoot Bhawani Mandir hit an auto-rickshaw near Juna Wadaj police chowki.

It seems the global meltdown will have an impact on placements at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) this year, too. There was a general air of disappointment at the institute on Wednesday - Day Zero of final placements for 2009 - as only 9 companies had turned up for recruitment.

Sources said this was 16 companies less than the number that had turned up for recruitment at IIMA on the first day of placements last year. Placement officials at the institute, however, declined to confirm or deny the figures.

Last year, 25 companies had arrived on Day Zero and 65% (i.e., 161 students) of the graduating batch had either received job offers or opted out by the end of the day.

Exercise makes the body more efficient and lends greater endurance

Are there negative markings for exceeding the word limit? A student from Ahmedabad

No marks are cut for exceeding the word limit. However, it is better to adhere to the specified word limit. This should be practised at the time of revision, which will also help in completing the paper in the allotted time.

Will a student lose marks if he or she opts for Hindi as the medium of answering more than two papers? A student from Surat

Certainly not. The board gives students the option of answering questions in Hindi or English. Marks are deducted only in the case of wrong answers.

The dip in number of companies coming for recruitment on the first day of placements at IIMA has left the students disappointed. However, an IIMA student who is yet to be offered a job at the placement said, “It is not only IIMA but all other institutes that have been affected by the recession adversely.” 

Colleges, NGOs join hands to help students & parents overcome stress

With board exams drawing close, the stress level of the students is on the rise. Digging their head into the pile of books for last-minute revision, the building pressure is taking a toll on the young panicky minds. In a bid to offer nervous students with some amount of respite, colleges and NGOs have come up with a helping hand.

Gujarati Business Association will celebrate this day for the first time

The Gujarati Business Association (GBA), with 675 members, has taken the initiative to celebrate Gujarat Day for the first time in Canada this year. Apart from being a major occasion for networking, it will also highlight to the non-resident Gujaratis (NRGs) settled in Canada to get an update on how Gujarat has progressed on various fronts.

Ahmedabad becomes the first WiMax city in the country

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has finally launched WiMax technology in Ahmedabad, which enables users a much faster downloading on internet. With launch of this advanced technology, the city has become the first WiMax city in the country. The telco targets around 50,000 WiMax connection in a year.

Ahmedabad, Feb. 27 : Gujarat Government will soon issue the Gujarat Public Health Ordinance following the recent epidemic of Hepatitis B in some parts of the state.

State Health Minister Jaynarayan Vyas on Friday made the announcement in the State Assembly.

He said that the main objective of the ordinance was to secure the treatment of the patients by regulating health services provided by the private doctors and medical practitioners.

Ahmedabad, Feb. 27 : The Municipal Corporation of Ahmedabad on Friday considered several raids across the city and recovered huge quantities of used syringes and other medical wastes, suspected to be the reason behind the recent Hepatitis B outbreak.

District health officials and police raided various go-downs of scrap dealers. Five go-downs were sealed from where a large quantity of used syringes, needles and bio-medical wastes were found.

DNA unearths four ‘godowns of death’ in the vicinity of AMC offices

AMC officials swing into action and raid the virus warehouses after DNA’s alert

DNA unraveled a network of ‘godowns of death’ that were injecting Gujarat with deadly hospital waste. Your paper accomplished in just a few hours what the AMC could not in three years. Three of the four godowns were operating from locations that are about 100 feet from the Health Muster Station of Naroda road ward

DNA EXPOSE

DNA looks for the source of waste and ends up at Asia’s largest civil hospital

Even as experts try to trace the spread of hepatitis-B in Modasa, Ahmedabad may be sitting on a pile of discarded biomedical waste, waiting for disaster to happen.

An investigation by DNA has found that hazardous biomedical waste from Asia’s largest civil hospital, the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, is collected by rag-pickers and others to be sold to scrap dealers. The hospital, it seems, has not put in place a waste disposal system to handle the 1,000 kg or more of biomedical waste it generates everyday.

Nitin Parikh of Nitin Parikh & Company said that there is every possibility that RIL, a profit making entity, is merging with RPL (which is a loss-making company) to get SEZ status for RIL’s old refinery. “If the merger happens, one should not be surprised if RPL’s name changes to Reliance Industries a couple of months later,” Parikh said.

Parikh believes that the merger will also enable RPL to sell its products in the domestic market, thereby avoiding the risks involved in selling them overseas where market conditions are turbulent. 

DNA Correspondent/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication

The caller may have been mentally disturbed, say police

The crime branch officials have nabbed a youth who allegedly called up a private news channel on Thursday claiming that bombs had been planted in six Bhuj-bound trains and they would explode anytime. The call had the police rushing to sanitise Kalupur railway station premises.

Officials from crime branch and railway police hurriedly conducted a search operation at every nook and corner of the railway station, but the call turned out to be a hoax.

The ATS officials on Thursday nabbed a person found possessing charas (narcotic drug) worth Rs63,000. Acting on a tip off, the ATS officials raided a spot near Galaxy Cinema in Naroda. They caught hold of Ishrul alias Khoda, who was passing from the area and on checking they recovered a bag containing charas.

After interrogating Khoda the police learnt that a police constable, Gambhir Sinh Khot, posted at Naroda had given the charas to him. Police later interrogated Khot, who alleged that the charas was provided to him by police personnel, Vinod Khot, posted with Sabarkantha police.

The ATS have arrested all the three accused in the case under various sections of Narcotics Act, and have sent them to police remand till March 3.

The Gomtipur police on Friday arrested three Congress municipal councillors, after they ransacked and burnt down the furniture of AMC muster office at Gomtipur Darwaja. Sources said that the councillors took to violent demonstration after the corporation failed to respond to the repeated complaints made by the residents of the area about non-availability of clean drinking water.

Police arrested Ikbal Sheikh, Dahya Parmar, Bhanu Makwana and their supporters involved in the destruction. "They entered the municipal office, started arguing and assaulted officers. Later, they even burnt the furniture of the office," a police source told DNA. A total of 15 chairs and four tables were burnt outside the office.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's (AMC) health department has came down heavily on doctors not adhering to norms of medical practice, including the system to dispose biomedical waste. The officials on Friday raided and sealed a total of 27 clinics in Rakhial, Rajpur, Amraiwadi, Bhaipura, Odhav, Vastral, Behrampura and Maninagar areas. It also sealed two warehouses for recycling medical wastes. Earlier on Thursday, the civic body had sealed 15 clinics, said an AMC official.

When you visit a bank, you always see a sign reading 'Single window', meaning you can conduct your all banking operation just through that particular window. On the same lines, if things go as planned for Ahmedabad-based Amrita Therapeutics, a single drug can cure many disease. The company is working on multiple diseases targeting drug development, in which one drug will be able to cure diseases like cancer, AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis with fewer side-effects and less cost.

Civil rights organisation the Jan Sangharsh Manch (JSM) has demanded that the Justice Nanavati Commission be dissolved and that IPS officer Rahul Sharma be appointed as part of the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

Briefing the media on Friday, JSM convenor Mukul Sinha said, “The Supreme Court and the Gujarat high court have upheld the opinion of the Central Pota Review Committee that there had been no conspiracy involved in the burning of coach S-6 of the Sabarmati Express and that the Prevention of Terrorism Act (Pota) could not be invoked in the case. The Supreme Court also refused to grant a stay on this judgement of the Gujarat high court.”

11 others have been transferred in the 2nd round within a month

Ten foresters have been promoted and 11 officials transferred in the second round of movement in the forest department within a month.

The Asiatic lions in Gir have got a new superintendent, Dr Sandeep Kumar, who has been promoted from assistant conservator of forests (ACF), Rajpipla (East), to deputy conservator of forests (DCF), sanctuary superintendent, Sasan. Incumbent IA Chauhan has been transferred.

Six officials have been promoted from DCF to conservator of forests (CF), while three have been promoted from ACF to DCF.

Ahmedabad-based Sadbhav Engineering has informed that its joint venture has won an order worth Rs 1571 crore from Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation for modernization and computerization of integrated border check posts at 22 locations in Maharashtra.

The project will be build on Build Operate and Transfer Basis in the name of Joint Venture known as 'Sadbhav - SREI- SREI Sahaj Consortium' in the ratio of 51:39:10 respectively.

The project has concession period of 24 years six months inclusive of construction period of 18 months.

Traffic police stop 40 vans and autos ferrying kids to school; children made to sweat it out on the roads

Many schoolchildren in the city were literally made to sweat it out on the roads on Tuesday, when they found themselves caught between a zealous traffic police department and the private vans and auto-rickshaw owners who ferry them to school in overloaded vehicles.

The city’s traffic police launched a campaign on Tuesday against vans and auto-rickshaws that were found carrying more than the stipulated 14 and 6 schoolchildren, respectively. As many as 40 school vans and auto-rickshaws ferrying children to school were stopped at Commerce six-roads and Darpan six-roads at 7 am. The vehicles were not released till 5 pm.

DCP (traffic) MM Anarwala added that they hoped the drive would draw the attention of parents and school principals to the unsafe manner in which many schoolchildren were ferried to school. “Parents and principals ought to pay more attention to the children’s safety,” he said.

The traffic department has constituted a 30-member task force under one PI to enforce traffic rules in the city. The task force has been active in different parts of Ahmedabad to check violation of traffic rules.

City police have achieved little besides recording statements of suspects

The city was rocked recently by some cases of crime that happened almost back to back. If the sensational shootout at Paldi, rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl at Bapunagar, gruesome murder of city-based physician in the outskirts of the city, a daring dacoity in an angadia firm besides a host of thefts and break-ins that are almost a regular occurrence have shocked citizens, their days of trauma aren't yet over, thanks to our city police's inability to solve the cases and catch the culprits.

Narendra Parmar had a pistol with him when he was shot dead

A Gujarat Electricity Board (GEB) contractor on Tuesday night was shot dead by unidentified criminals near his office in Mithakali area. The victim, Narendra Jitendrasinh Parmar, had served in the army for 15 years before retiring to become a contractor for the GEB.

Sources said Parmar left his office, Parth Earth Movers, located in Sil Complex, Mithakali, and came down to the road. He was about to get into his Scorpio four-wheeler when 4-5 criminals fired at him. Parmar, who was shot in the head, died on the spot.

Parmar, a resident of Chandrapuri society, Vastrapur, is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Noted social worker and environment activist Alex Sandra Jhala was brutally assaulted by her neighbours late on Monday night. Jhala, who sustained injuries on her head, legs and right hand, was rushed to hospital in a critical condition.

According to Jhala, who lives in Parth Apartment near Jodhpur road, she was attacked by Nainesh Patel, Shailesh Patel, Alpesh Patel, Deepak Patel and Daya Patel. She said her neighbours forcibly entered her house and attacked her with sharp weapons including pipes, knives and swords.

Jhala, a former journalist, is a social worker and founding member of Garibi Sijdi and is also president of an NGO, Animal Lover.

Father, mother and son hospitalised after taking overdose of sleeping pills

In a shocking incident, three members of a family tried to commit suicide by taking overdose of sleeping pills on Tuesday afternoon at Safal Parivesh building in Satellite area.

Parvez Bharucha, 60, Beroz Bharucha, 57, and their son Roozan Bharucha, 27, allegedly tried to commit suicide by consuming overdose of sleeping pills at their house, said the Satellite police. The police have recovered three suicide notes, written in English, from their house.

They want him cross-examined in the case of kids'mysterious death

The fathers of Dipesh and Abhishek Waghela, two students at the Asaram ashram run gurukul, who had died under mysterious circumstances in July last year, have filed an application before the justice DK Trivedi Commission formed to probe the deaths, to summon Asaram Bapu in connection with the case.

The Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) has finally swung into action. On Wednesday, it sent closure notices to the 11 godowns in the city from where large quantities of biomedical waste were recovered by the AMC. It also slapped a show-cause notice on Rajasthan Hospitals for not disposing of its biomedical waste in the proper manner.

Rivals were envious of his hold in GEB

Police suspect hand of professional killers in the assassination of Gujarat Electricity Board (GEB) contractor Narendrasinh Parmar, who was shot dead at Mithakali on Tuesday. Police sources said business rivalry could be the reason behind the murder.

According to sources, police could interrogate two contractors - Lalji Masani and Premaji Oad - to gather more information. Four years back, Masani was the main contractor with the GEB but his monopoly ended as soon as Parmar started taking GEB contracts. Sources said Masani was not happy with Parmar's hold in the business as the deceased was clinching all major contracts.

The city sessions court on Wednesday deferred the hearing on the revision application filed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) till Thursday after investigating officer, assistant commissioner of police PL Mal, forgot to bring the case diary of the Naroda case to court. The application had been filed against an earlier order of the metropolitan court sending former second inspector of the Naroda police, VS Gohil, to judicial custody. “Mal forgot the case diary at the Gujarat high court during a hearing. Because of this, he could not bring it to court today and the sessions court deferred hearing in the case till Thursday,” a highly placed source said.

Roozan Bharucha, who allegedly attempted suicide on Tuesday afternoon at his residence in Satellite area by consuming over 40 anti-depression pills, has regained consciousness.

However, his parents, Parvez Bharucha and Beroz Bharucha, who had also tried to end their lives in a similar fashion, are still unconscious.

The Satellite police recovered three suicide notes from the spot written by Roozan, in which he mentioned about the mental torture he was going through because of his family members, said a source in the police.

A policeman chasing a criminal on a busy road with revolver in his hand! No, this is not a scene from an action thriller from Bollywood but what actually happened at Bapunagar on Wednesday.

How can parents help the child after an examination? A parent from Ahmedabad Praise your child for doing his or her best on the test. Talk about what was asked in the test and how to manage the performance in the next one. Try to avoid your analytical thinking about the children on that day and encourage your child for the next subject paper.

What should parents do on the night before and the day of an examination? A parent from Anand

Be encouraging. Let your child know you think he or she will do well on the test. Avoid difficult family issues before the test to prevent unnecessary anxiety. Make sure your child gets plenty of sleep the night before the test. Have him or her wake up early, eat a nutritious breakfast and wear comfortable clothes.

Last year's dummy writers scam has hit students genuinely in need of writers; GSHSEByet to implement new rules

Despite last year's dummy writers scam, the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) hasn't taken a lesson. The annual board examination is set to start from March 17, but the board hasn't implemented new rules to hire writers till date. On the other hand, owing to the scam, genuine students, mainly visually and physically challenged, are finding it difficult to get writers. Admitting the fact, GSHSEB chairman Hasmukh Adhia told DNA that because of last year's incident students are not willing to be writers even in genuine cases such as for physically and visually challenged students.

Placement drive at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) has entered in eighth day with many students still waiting to get placed in the midst of global slowdown.

The companies which visited the campus this year include McKinsey, Frost & Sullivan, Boston Consulting Group and Booz and Co. The list also includes many leading banking and insurance firms like Standard Chartered Bank, ICICI Bank, UAE Exchange, SIDBI and SEBI.

In the Saurashtra-Kutch region, around 2,800 private doctors struck work on Monday to protest what they called as harassment from civic officials in the drive to guarantee safe disposal of bio-medical waste.

The officials have been raiding the doctors’ clinics after the death of 62 patients in the state in February-March because of the suspected use of contaminated syringes.

Ahmedabad, Mar 13 : Telugu actor turned politician Chiranjeevi has geared up for upcoming elections as he has decided to begin his campaign with masks that depict the face of the regional superstar.

Chiranjeevi, Chief of Praja Rajyam party, has placed an order with Ahemdabad-based mask designers for making the masks, which his party workers will wear to propagate him.

In a shocking development, 21 more cases of typhoid have come to light on Monday in Bavla taluka of Ahmedabad district.

With this the total number of people infected with typhoid has risen to 127.

According to reports, the new typhoid cases, all of them are children, from the three villages of Bhayla, Keirala and Kalyangadh in Bavla, which were registered at the Sola Civil Hospital today.

Ahmedabad, Mar 21 : The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Gujarat unit president, Jayant Patel, on Saturday said the party has decided to field Bollywood actress Amisha Patel from the Rajkot parliamentary constituency in the general elections.

"I called up Amishaji yesterday and sought her consent. She agreed immediately," Patel said.

The NCP leader said the actress has her roots in Gujarat, which would help to secure victory for the party.

Ahmedabad, Mar 27 : The Gujarat High Court has rejected the anticipatory bail of Gujarat Women Development and Child Welfare Minister Maya Kodnani.

Kodnani, who is accused for having led a mob in the post-Godhra riots in 2002, had seeked a stay in the judgement for a period of six weeks.

The Gujarat high court on Monday had reserved its order on the application filed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) challenging the anticipatory bail granted to Kodnani, and VHP leader Jaideep Patel.

Ahmedabad/New Delhi, Mar 27 : Gujarat Women Development and Child Welfare Minister Mayaben Kodnani, who was forced to resign from the State Ministry as the High Court cancelled the anticipatory bail granted to her, on Friday surrendered.

Kodnani surrendered at the Supreme Court constituted Special Investigation Team''s office (SIT).

Kodnani, a three-time MLA from the Naroda constituency, is an accused in the Naroda Gam and Naroda Patiya massacre cases in which around 95 people were killed in the communal violence of 2002.

Ahmedabad, Mar 29 : India''s premier management institute, the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) plans a hike in fees for its Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGPM) by Rs 50,000 from 2010-11.

Talking to reporters after a meeting of IIM-A Board of Governors headed by Vijaypath Singhania in Ahmedabad on Sunday, institute Director Samir Baura said, "Last year we had decided that the fee for PGPM for 2008-09 would be Rs 5.5 lakh and for 2009-10 it would be Rs 6 lakh. The board today decided that the fee for year 2009-10 for the incoming batch will remain the same."

For its two-year postgraduate programme (PGP) in management, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) has raised its fees by Rs. 1 lakh, which means a rise of Rs. 50,000 in each of the two years.

The new fee structure will affect the students securing admission in the academic year 2010. They will have to pay Rs. 12.5 lakh for the PGPM - which means a break-up of Rs. 6 lakh instead of the earlier Rs. 5.5 lakh for the first year; and Rs. 6.5 lakh in place of Rs. 6 lakh for the subsequent year.

Ahmedabad, March 30 : Handspun cotton popularly known as 'Khadi' is becoming less popular among political parities in Gujarat.

Khadi had emblematic status during India's freedom struggle. Gujarat is one of the hubs of Khadi outlets in the country.

With the coming of the elections, the shopkeepers believe that that election would make up for their declining trade which has been already affected by the economic slowdown.

The shop owners are claim that as compared to previous years this time the business has gone down by 10 to 15 percent.

Ahmedabad, Apr 1 : The police custody of former Gujarat Minister of State for Women''s Welfare, Mayaben Kodnani, and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader, Jaideep Patel, ends today.

On March 29, Kodnani and Patel were remanded in police custody till today by a local court in connection with the 2002 post-Godhra riots case.

Kodnani and Patel''s anticipatory bail was cancelled by Gujarat High Court, after which they had surrendered before the Special Investigation Team (SIT), appointed by the Supreme Court to probe some of the riot cases afresh.

Ahmedabad, Apr 1 : A local court here on Wednesday extended the police custody of former Gujarat Minister of State for Women''s Welfare, Mayaben Kodnani, and Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader, Jaideep Patel, till April 4.

Metropolitan Magistrate G M Patel extended their police custody after the Special Investigation Team (SIT), appointed by the Supreme Court to probe some of the riot cases afresh, asked for further remand.

Ahmedabad, Apr 4 : The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Saturday announced the names of eight candidates in Gujarat for general elections.

The party's decision indicated that its tie-up with the Congress in the State has broken.

NCP Gujarat president Jayant Patel blamed the Congress for the break-up.

Ahmedabad, Apr 9 : Rejecting an application of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for extending the police remand of former Gujarat Minister Maya Kodnani, a local court sent her to judicial custody on Thursday.

Kodnani, an accused in 2002 riot case, was produced before the court by the SIT after the expiry of her four-day police remand.

Special Public Prosecutor VP Atre on behalf of the SIT, submitted before the Metropolitan Magistrate G M Patel that Kodnani was not cooperating with the investigation and not answering questions properly.

Ahmedabad, Apr 9 : The bookings for Nano, the world's cheapest car, began here on Thursday.

The booking amount ranges between Rs. 2,850 and Rs. 4,110.

While the base model of the car `Tata Nano Std' is priced at Rs. 95, 000, the other variants `Tata Nano CX' and `Tata Nano LX' are available at Rs. 1,20,000 and Rs. 1,40,000 respectively. Customers can either pay the entire booking amount themselves or seek financing of the booking amount.

A large number of people visited the Tata Motors showroom to enquire about the bookings of the car.

Ahmedabad, Apr 11 : The travel business in Gujarat is likely to decline this year due to general elections.

Travel agents in Gujarat fear that they may see a decline of 25-30 percent in business. Many voters in the state have postponed their vacation trips in order to cast their votes.

Considering the upcoming elections, tourists from Gujarat are afraid of travelling to troubled regions like Jammu and Kashmir.

Ahmedabad, Apr 11 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday launched `referendum' to seek people's view about getting back the black money stashed by Indians in illegal accounts abroad.

The results of the two-day referendum, which is being carried out on the instructions of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, would be made public later.

Voters were seen exercising their franchise in the cardboard-made `ballot boxes' here.

Ahmedabad/Jammu, Apr 12 : Bollywood actor Om Puri joined the campaign trail of Mallika Sarabhai in Gandhinagar, who is pitted against L K Advani, prime ministerial candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Om Puri recalled dancer Sarabhai family''s contribution to the society.

Ahmedabad, Apr 15 : Election Commissioner Dr. S. Y. Qureshi will arrive here today to review poll preparedness in Gujarat for the coming Lok Sabha polls.

During his visit, Qureshi will hold meeting with Chief Electoral Officer Anita Karwal, Director General of Police S. S. Khandwawala, the Chief Secretary and the Home Secretary.

Qureshi along with Deputy Election Commissioner J. P. Prakash is also scheduled to meet the representatives of several political parties.

With the Wall Street Journal reporting that some problems had occurred in Suzlon Energy Ltd's supply of blades to REpower Systems AG for a project in China, the shares of the company - India's foremost wind-turbine generators' manufacturer - plunged 19 percent to Rs 55.95 on the National Stock Exchange on Thursday.

While Suzlon's blades have reportedly been rejected, the company - which owns 74 percent of Germany's REpower and is looking at increasing its stake beyond 90 per cent - denied any problem, saying that prototypes were being tested and the actual delivery would begin in a couple of months.

Ahmedabad, April 24: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Shourie on Friday said that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi should become the Prime Minister after party’s prime ministerial candidate Lal Krishna Advani.

“In my personal opinion, the next Prime Minister should also be elected from Gujarat after Advani becomes the Prime Minister after ongoing general elections,” Shourie told a press conference here.

Arun Shourie further said that Gujarat has made rapid development under Modi’s leadership, which made him the best candidate for PM’s post.

Ahmedabad, May 1: A charge sheet was filed against former Gujarat minister Maya Kodnani on Friday.

Kodnani has been slapped with a murder charge in connection with the Naroda Gam riot case.

Kodnani, who is now behind bars, is one of the prime accused in the Naroda Gam riots in which 11 persons were killed during the communal clashes in 2002.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has gone soft on the suspension orders of the 28 resident doctors of ‘V S Hospital’ molested nursing students of the hospital during Holi celebrations on March 11.

In a declaration, Dy MC Dilip Mahajan stated that the suspension of all the doctors was withdrawn with immediate effect.

Mr. Mahajan also said that however, the doctors will not get any stipend for the 42 day suspension period.

Earlier, the suspension period of the 28 accused doctors was three months.

Ahmedabad based Cadila Pharmaceuticals is eyeing to achieve revenue worth Rs 100 crore in the first year, from the sale of its patented combination drug, Policap.

The company believes that Policap has the potential of becoming a blockbuster drug and revenue earnings from it should be more than Rs 100 crore per annum. The firm has scheduled to launch the drug, by the middle of next month.

It should be noted that the company has already applied to Drug Controller General of India, to seek permission regarding the launch of drug in the country, and company officials are hopeful that it may get the nod, by mid-June.

Gujarat NRE Coke, the largest independent producer of Met Coke in India, has informed that its Australian unit, Gujarat NRE Minerals Ltd (GNM) has secured a $50 million long-term loan from a consortium-led by Axis bank.

The loan was sanctioned by consortium of banks in Singapore, London, Hong Kong and Antwerp, to support and sustain mine developments that are in progress at the NRE No. 1 Colliery and NRE Wongawilli Colliery (in Australia).

It should be noted that company's Australian unit (GNM) is currently developing at its NRE No 1 Colliery three new roadways (for conveyor, rubber-tyred vehicles and track vehicles) into the Wongawilli Seam.

Raising fears over flourishing business of hookah bars in Ahmedabad, the Gujarat High Court on Friday started suo moto trials and issued notices to the state government, AMC (Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner) and city police commissioner respondents in this regard.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice K S Radhakrishnan and Justice C K Buch started the suo moto proceedings on the back of some vernacular media reports.

Torrent Pharmaceuticals, a leading Ahmedabad-based pharma company has announced that it has recorded a steady growth of 13.40% in its standalone net profit for the quarter ended March 2009.

During the quarter under review, the profit of the company stood at Rs 349 million as against Rs 308 million in the same quarter previous fiscal. Net sales of the company, during quarter went up by 30.80% to Rs 2,895 million, while total income for the quarter surged 24.44% to Rs 2,876 million, when compared with the prior year period.

Police commissioner SK Saikia has issued notification containing strict guidelines regarding hookah bars. All the hookah bars ownerswill have to adhere to these guidelines.  

The new set of regulations includes installation of CCTVs and other rules regarding sitting arrangements. Recordings made by the cameras would be submitted to the area police station periodically.

Ahmedabad, May 18: Reacting to Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav's comment that the projection of Narendra Modi as a prime ministerial candidate was a mistake, the Gujarat Chief Minister on Monday said it was a media projection only and he had never projected himself as a candidate for the top post.

"My stand has always been clear that I am from Gujarat and will keep working for the state," Modi told reporters here.

Modi also hoped that the new government at the Centre would help his state accelerate the pace of development.

Ahmedabad, May 19: A local court on Tuesday granted bail to former Gujarat Minister Maya Kodnani.

Kodnani is one of the prime accused in the Naroda Gam riots in which 11 persons were killed during the communal clashes in 2002.

Kodnani is also a prime accused in the Naroda Patia massacre in which over 90 people were killed.

According to sources, the Ahmedabad city sessions court has granted bail to Kodnani in the Naroda Gam case while in the Naroda Patia case, the bail hearing would continue.

The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has arrested two people for allegedly trying to extort Rs 50 lakh from RIL for withdrawing an affidavit filed against the likely merger of Reliance Industries Limited and Reliance Petroleum Limited.

The accused, Jayesh Shah and Dilip Motwani, condemned the merger and termed it as illegal. They filed a petition in the High Court opposing the merger and had also written to the SEBI and the registrar of companies in this regard.

Crime Branch inspector Tarun Barot said, "The duo had asked RIL official to pay Rs50 lakh for withdrawing affidavits filed by them in the Mumbai High Court opposing the merger between RIL and RPL."

Ahmedabad, May 24 : Villagers in Anand and Kheda in Gujarat can now avail medical benefits of up to Rs. 5000 at Rs. 90 or ten kilograms of food grains.

The Shri Krishna Hospital is promoting this unique initiative called the Krupa Arogya Suraksha (KAS) social security scheme.

The insurance cover will increase on higher subscription.

Ahmedabad, June 3 : The unfortunate victims of the communal riots that took place in Gujarat in February, 2002 lament over the fact that they have not yet received any compensation from the government.

More than 2,000 people were killed in riots, which broke out after a suspected Muslim mob had torched a train, burning to death 59 Hindu pilgrims and activists.

Hundreds of families were also rendered homeless with a majority among them losing their sole means of daily bread.

The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) has ordered Dr. Arvind Shah, who runs a polyclinic in the Saraspur region, to pay Rs 2.5 lakh as compensation to the mother of a patient, who died on September 6, 1997 due to medical negligence.

According to reports, Dr. Shah treated 20-year-old Prakash Kushwaha in his polyclinic in 1997.

However, Prakash died after taking medicine prescribed by the doctor.

The report also said that Dr. Shah had failed to record provisional diagnosis of Prakash’s problem before recommending treatment.

In a significant move, Ahmedabad-based drug firm, Zydus Cadila, have submitted an investigational new drug (IND) application to Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for its anti-diabetic drug.

In a disclosure to the BSE, the healthcare service firm said that the application has been filed for its ZYD1 drug, used in the treatment of diabetes, Cadila Healthcare, the flagship company of Zydus Cadila group.

The drug has been designed and developed at the company's research centre.

According to the company, the said drug has shown the valuable results in pre-clinical animal models on glucose reduction and weight loss.

The big news doing the rounds is that the Indian soccer skipper, Bhaichung Bhutia is all set to play for East Bengal in the forthcoming I-League season.

Sources asserted that the ace forward player just needs to complete all the required formalities with East Bengal.

Speaking on this, Subhas Bhowmick, coach, East Bengal said: "Bhutia is an Indian icon and still remains the best Indian striker. A player of his calibre is always welcome at East Bengal."

In a significant move, the Gujarat government has named the Special Public Prosecutors (SPP) in seven of the nine cases being investigated by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Supreme Court.

The government also made it clear that the public prosecutors for the two remaining cases, the Gulberg Society massacre in Ahmedabad and the incident at Ode near Anand, would be appointed in the coming days.

Apart from this, the government has also announced the names of the eight advocates who will be acting as Assistant Public Prosecutors to the seven SPPs.

Ahmedabad, June 11 : Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the government should adopt ''zero tolerance" towards terrorism.

After paying tribute to Major Rishikesh Ramani, who was killed in a fierce gunabattle at Khurhama, near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir''s Kupwara District, he said, "There should be "zero tolerance towards terrorism"."

Ahmedabad, June 13 : At least twelve people were killed and six others injured when a cement-laden truck overturned on the Badra-Hingorala Highway, 30 km from Amreli this morning.

According to sources, the incident occurred when the truck carrying labourers was going towards Kutch.

The injured have been admitted to a district hospital. (ANI)

Carz Spa, a division of M/s Fortune Multiple Services Pvt. Ltd, plans to expand its retail network by taking the total number of outlets to 50 by end of the financial year 2009-10.

Carz Spa, a Surat based company, is a car professional detailing Centre, dedicated to Automobile Beautification and Preservation.

The company has short-listed some cities names including, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Ludhiana, Ghaziabad, Cochin and Calicut, for expansion.

The second suspected case of swine flu in Gujarat came to light on Thursday.

A 30-year-old woman, who had returned from the US some two days back, has been quarantined at the VS hospital after she had fallen ill with swine flu symptoms.

She consulted a local physician who referred her to the VS hospital.

Ahmedabad, June 23 : Gujarat police has said that they were taking all precautions ahead of the Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra, which commence on Wednesday.

Security forces staged a flag march in the city on Monday.

Police have planned foolproof security on the entire 14-kilometer route of the procession and particularly in the sensitive areas of the city.

As per the affidavit submitted by the officials of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) before the Gujarat High Court, black magic may have been practiced inside the Asaram ashram in Ahmedabad.

In the court, CID said that lie detector test conducted on the three sadhaks of the Asaram ashram, reveal that black magic is being performed inside the ashram and that the three are aware about the same.

Ahmedabad, July 8 : In connection with the recent hooch tragedy that claimed 25 lives in Gujarat, two police inspectors were suspended today, while a DySP-rank officer was shifted.

"Two police inspectors of Kagdapith police station have been suspended and the process of suspension of a DySP is on," Gujarat Minister of State for Home Amit Shah told the state Assembly.

According to police sources, suspended police inspectors were R G Patel and A A Pathan, while G L Khunti was the DySP officer being transferred.

Ahmedabad, July 9 : With the death of 17 more people, the death toll following the consumption of spurious liquor in Ahmedabad rose to 65 on Thursday.

According to police, 17 more people died during treatment at various hospitals. Several are still undergoing treatment.

The new cases were reported from Odhav and Amaraiwadi during the last 24 hours.

Meanwhile, police has detained one suspected bootlegger Harishankar Kahar alias Hariom, who allegedly supplied spurious liquor in the Majoor Gam and Odhav areas where most of the deaths have occurred.

Ahmedabad, July 9 : With the death of 25 more people, the death toll following the consumption of spurious liquor in Ahmedabad rose to 73 on Thursday.

According to police, 25 more people died during treatment at various hospitals. Over hundred people are still undergoing treatment.

The new cases were reported from Odhav, Amaraiwadi and Rakhial.

Residents and shop-keepers from the affected areas took to the streets, shouting anti-government slogans and demanded stern action against the bootleggers.

Ahmedabad, July 10 : The Gujarat hooch tragedy death toll has risen to 103.

According to police, the number of fatalities could go up as about 200 people are still undergoing treatment. The new cases were reported from Odhav, Amaraiwadi, Rakhial and Raipur.

On Thursday night, Gujarat Police rounded up over 800 bootleggers and sealed scores of illicit liquor dens across the state.

Ahmedabad, July 10 : Schools and colleges remained closed in Ahmedabad in Gujarat on Friday as a mark of protest over the death of around 105 people due to consumption of spurious liquor.

Cases of people dying after consuming spurious liquor were reported on Monday and by Thursday (around105 deaths were reported.

Consumption and sale of liquor is officially banned in Gujarat.

Ahmedabad July 11 : The toll in Ahmedabad hooch tragedy has rises to 122after nine more deaths were reported.

The police said that now 122 people have died and 227 were admitted to various city hospitals. The city is witnessing deaths from spurious liquor since last five days.

The Crime Branch, of the Gujarat Police is investigating the case. The investigation has revealed that the spurious liquor was supplied from Mahemdabad town in Kheda district.

Ahmedabad, July 11 : Rejecting liquor baron Viajy Mallya’s suggestion to rethink the state’s prohibition policy, the Gujarat government said, that he should look at his liquor business and keep out of state’s affairs.

Sad and surprising but true. The toll in Ahmedabad hooch tragedy has claimed over 122 lives, while about 300 affected are still undergoing treatment at various hospitals.

The city is witnessing deaths from specious liquor since last five days.

A spokesman of the government-run Civil Hospital said postmortem of 108 people, who died after consuming the toxic brew distributed by bootleggers, had been performed so far.

Over 62 affected are still undergoing treatment at Civil Hospital, where 18 in-patients have died so far.

Recently, there have been two more cases of swine flu in Ahmedabad. With that, the number of swine flu cases in the city has reached four.

The two girls, suspected of swine flu, were among the ten girls - all aged between 15 and 16 years - who were part of a group of 40 Indian students, sent to the US in August
2008, through an exchange programme facilitated by the All Friend's Society (AFS). These students belonged to Maharashtra (9), Gujarat (18), Karnataka (1), Tamil Nadu
(7) and Delhi (5).

Ahmedabad, July 15 : The Gujarat government on Wednesday declared that it would soon bring a new law having a provision to punish dealers of spurious liquor with seven years in imprisonment to capital punishment.

The State government has come into action following wide uproar over the death of 152 people in Ahmedabad due to drinking illegally brewed liquor.

Ahmedabad, July 17 : The Crime Branch of the Gujarat Police arrested Vinod Dargi, the key accused in the Gujarat hooch tragedy, here on Friday.

Police also arrested two other associates of Dargi, Ajay Thakkar and Sunil along with him.

In a massive crackdown after the hooch tragedy the Gujarat Police booked more than 6,000 people for violating prohibition.

Narendra Modi Government came under criticism after the death of nearly 140 people in Ahmedabad hooch tragedy earlier in this month.

Ahmedabad, July 24 : A Gujarat High Court on Friday dismissed the petition seeking a stay on investigating state Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his role in the 2002 Godhra riots.

The court said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the riots is free to interrogate Modi. The court directive came in response to a petition filed by Zakia Jaffrey, whose husband Ehsan Jaffrey, ex-Congress MP was killed during the Gulburg society riots along with 39 others.

Ahmedabad, July 28 : People in Gujarat's Mangrol city are forced to use boats after stepping out of their homes, as the floodwater has marooned the city leading to massive water logging.

Heavy rainfall throughout this week has inundated many low-lying areas in this port city, submerging many houses and other buildings.

"For the last three days we are draining water into the sea but the amount of water is not getting less and this is causing a heavy damage," said Madha Bhai, a local.

Ahmedabad, Aug. 3 : With the price of gold going through the roof, the number of customers of yellow metal has fallen drastically and left a majority of goldsmiths in Ahmedabad city of Gujarat sit literally idle.

Most of the goldsmiths fear a jobless situation. Already, thousands of gold workers have lost their jobs due to poor business in Gujarat.

Financial services major Kotak Group has finally bought a 51 per cent stake in the Ahmedabad Commodity Exchange (ACE).

The group has purchased a 51 per cent stake in ACE after getting an approval from the regulator Forward Markets Commission (FMC).

The Ahmedabad Commodity Exchange, which deals in castor seeds futures, has an average daily trading volume of about 5,000 tonnes.

According to a Thursday notification by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmadabad (IIM-A), on its website, the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2009, which goes online this year onwards, would be held between November 28 and December 7.

While the earlier paper-based CAT was held on only one particular date, the candidates appearing this time round can take the test on any day falling between the two mentioned dates, that too, from the comfort of their homes!