share transactions worth crores of rupees took place using Dagali’s Central Bank of India account in 2004. The police are also verifying...

Sample Gandhi’s ambidexterity 31-12-2008 | News - City
Gandhi often cribbed about his bad handwriting. This was perhaps because he did not take his handwriting with left hand seriously. Sample it for yourself. Photographs of his scribbles, both with right and left hands, are
printed alongside. You may decide it for yourself which one is better. Navjivan Press, while coming out with Gandhi’s celebrated book “Hind Swaraj”...

Black is back 29-12-2008 | News - Latest
Aamir Khan’s much-hyped action thriller Ghajini, which hit the cinema halls on December 25, has gone far beyond just setting the cash registers ringing in the city. Running house-full in Amdavad’s multiplexes and
single-screen theatres, Ghajini has achieved what another Aamir Khan starrer, Lagaan, managed to do in 2001. ...

Diktat to book vibrant Gujarat stalls 29-12-2008 | News - City
Wanna woo reluctant investors book stalls spending lakhs at an exhibition amid global meltdown? Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) has the solution: compel them.Apprehending lukewarm
participation in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit (VGGIS) 2009 owing to the global slump and exorbitant stall tariff, GIDC has sent diktat ...

Cops get guns but no bullets 27-12-2008 | News - City
The INSAS rifles look intimidating in the hands of state cops. Meant to equip the police to take on militants, the assault rifle is a gas-operated weapon. But fire it, and it will go ‘click-click’. For now, the weapon is a dud for
the state has not been able to procure its ammunition. All the 2,000 distributed in rifles in border districts of Kutch, Junagadh, Jamnagar...

Our Ministers, MLAs double their salary 27-12-2008 | News - City
Ministers and MLAs have decided to gift themselves a near-100 per cent pay hike after playing Santa to state government officials on Christmas Eve. This when India Inc faces the heat of economic slowdown and many
corporates are forced to cut down on their expenses. Now, a minister will get a pay cheque for Rs 49,816 instead of Rs 25,200...

Masses to feel govt staff pay hike pinch 26-12-2008 | News - City
The state government employees had a merry Christmas with the announcement of implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations, but the masses might feel additional tax pinch in the New Year. The
cabinet’s nod to extend enhanced pay scales to the state government employees would cost the exchequer Rs 4,300 crore, including arrears...

13-cr-yr-old fossils at GEER dinosaur park 24-12-2008 | News - City
Confused where to go this Christmas? Dinosaur and Fossil Park at Gujarat Environmental Ecological Research (GEER) Foundation in Gandhinagar, now rich with trace fossils of Sauropod (a sub-order or infra-order of the
saurischian dinosaurs), could be the right place to be in. The trace fossils scientifically called coprolites — droppings of Sauropod ...

Raids spur closure of computer centres in city 24-12-2008 | News - City
Around 2,000 computer training centres in the city remained closed on Tuesday in protest against alleged illegal raids of the software company agents on the institutions to check software copyright. The objection to a raid
on a computer training centre at Bapunagar on Tuesday afternoon snowballed into a virtual strike of computer training institutions in the city. ...

Shop for a tree 20-12-2008 | News - Latest
Does the barrenness around your house break your heart? Wish your office was located in an area filled with tall, lush green trees? No worries. Soon, you will be able to ‘buy’ fully grown trees — at Rs 6,000 apiece apart
from transportation cost — and get them transplanted to the place of your choice, all within a few hours.It’s not a figment of anyone’s ...

Carnivorous Gujarat 19-12-2008 | News - City
The red meat and poultry production in the state has almost doubled in the last five years to meet a sharp rise in demand of non-vegetarian food. An increasing number of Gujaratis turning non-vegetarian and the state’s
rising migrant population are being credited/blamed — whichever way you want to look at it — for the rise in red meat and poultry production in the state....

AHMEDABAD’S COOLEST CHORS IN POLICE NET 13-12-2008 | News - Latest
They had a passion for sporting formal dress, mostly suits and tie. Clean shaven, they used to make forays into commercial hubs of the city around 7.30 pm. They had a natural craving for electronics gadgets and one of them
has five girl friends. Nope, they aren’t corporate honchos. Meet Vijay Makwana, a resident of Dani Limda, and Kamlesh Shah...

I FOR AN EYE 12-12-2008 | News - Latest
But he wants only Re 1 out of it. He has kept aside the remaining amount for those fighting police and govt excesses Two decades ago, Dr Praful Thakar lost an eye in police brutality. In the years that followed, he lost
successive battles against an insensitive police force which shielded goons he was protesting against. Now at long last, he has won a compensation...

ANTI-TERROR CRACK UNITS IN EACH DIST 11-12-2008 | News - Latest
DGP J K Bhatt says every unit will be led by a DySP and will have 30-40 commandos armed with the latest guns and communication equipment While the nation debates a move to train local police units on the National
Security Guards (NSG) pattern or even having a small NSG contingent in all major cities, Gujarat is clearly a few steps ahead of the rest ...

Cops’ Commando training begins in Gandhinagar 11-12-2008 | News - City
The commando training of 32 police constables who will be part of a Quick Response Team (QRT) began in Gandhinagar on Wednesday. The constables, aged 25-35, will be trained for 10 days at the Gandhinagar police
headquarters to deal with Mumbai-like attacks in the state capital. Two companies of Gujarat’s home-grown unit — the Chetak Commando Force ...

Under cover cameras 10-12-2008 | News - City
There is apparently none to plug security loopholes in the chief minister’s office, forget public places. On December 6, Ahmedabad Mirror reported eight of the 12 cameras meant to monitor Chief Minister Narendra
Modi’s office were not functioning under the title “CCTV cameras in CM’s office on the blink”. Three days on, the scenario is the same....

Terror threat prompts extra cover at dams 09-12-2008 | News - City
Intelligence intercepts suggesting terror strike on dams have prompted the state government to intensify surveillance at 14 prominent embankments, including Sardar Sarovar and Ukai dams, in Gujarat. Sounding a red
alert at the dams, the state government has deployed Special Reserve Police (SRP) personnel besides...

Construction slump makes workers jobless 09-12-2008 | News - City
The global economic slowdown has hit the construction sector hard, affecting builders as well as the hundreds of labourers who come to the city looking for work. While 2007 witnessed a construction boom in the city, things
have gone steadily downhill this year. Last year, construction work on around 24 buildings with 10 floors or more...

Mumbai CARNAGE wakes G’nagar into protecting its VIPs 08-12-2008 | News - City
In a bid to nip any terror threat in the bud, the state is set to establish its own commando force. But you and I would hardly benefit. For, the focus of the sophisticated weapon-wielding personnel would be on VIPs. The duty
of the special commando force has been cut out. The security of ministers, chief secretary, top IAS-IPS officials ...

CCTV CAMERAS IN CM’S OFFICE ON THE BLINK 06-12-2008 | News - Latest
The state Home Department, which has an ambitious plan of bringing sensitive areas of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar under close circuit television camera (CCTV) surveillance as counter-terrorism strategy, is in for a
major embarrassment as eight out of the 12 cameras meant to monitor none other than Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s office are not functional....

Neta, babu battle at Old Secretariat 06-12-2008 | News - City
The mass leave agitation of the state government employees demanding pay package at par with their Central government counterparts took a dramatic twist at the Old Secretariat in Gandhinagar on Friday morning with
an IAS officer and a union leader engaging in a scuffle. The 20-minute drama was enacted at the office of the settlement commissioner...

Cops will now catch every move of yours as ahmedabad, gandhinagar set to get... WIRED 05-12-2008 | News - Latest
‘Every step you take, we’ll be watching you’ is the latest counter-terrorism strategy adopted by the security agencies as they plan to put Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar — the state’s financial and political capitals
respectively — under closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera surveillance. For the first time, streets of sensitive areas in old Ahmedabad...

Dealer likely to be arrested in faulty X-ray machine case 05-12-2008 | News - City
The probe into the alleged harmful radiation from the 108 X-ray machines installed in several health units in the state over, the Gandhinagar police have decided to arrest the Ahmedabad-based dealer and an official of
the company supplying the gadgets.
Sources in the Gandhinagar police said, Ketan Rawal, the Ahmedabad-based...

Piracy eating into theatre revenues 05-12-2008 | News - City
Piracy is playing a spoilsport for cinema halls, if their plummeting revenues are any indication. Not less than 10 years ago, the state government’s annual revenues obtained from movie theatres stood at Rs 63 crore. This
has now dropped to Rs 15 crore in the past couple of years. “The losses can be attributed to greater access to newer technologies ...

NEW GUNS FOR GUJARAT COPS 03-12-2008 | News - Latest
The latest mayhem in Mumbai has finally resulted in upgradation of the outdated firearms used by our police force, which stands little chance against automatic weapons-wielding terrorists. The Gujarat police have begun
replacing the .303 rifles, which they have been using for the last five decades, with the sophisticated INSAS assault rifles....

Amdavadi girl dies in Oberoi terror strike 29-11-2008 | News - City
Ami Thaker, a 24-year-old receptionist at the Spa Gymnasium department of Oberoi hotel, died in the terror attack after she was shot in the neck and stomach. Her body was found outside the hotel at 3 am on Friday.
Ami’s family used to stay in Naranpura area of the city till a couple of years ago. She had visited the city last during Raksha Bandhan....

Gujarat to raise army of marine commandos 29-11-2008 | News - City
A tad late, but the state will soon have its own Marine Commando Force to guard its long coastline from terror threat emerging from the sea route. State home department sources said the elite marine force would be raised
on the lines of the famed National Commando Force and be headed by additional director general of police (arms unit) S S Khandwavala. ...

Coastal temples, industries being secured in Guj 28-11-2008 | News - City
Security at industries, temples and ports along the coast of Gujarat was heightened soon after the terrorist attacks at hotels and railway stations in Mumbai on Wednesday night. Anticipating the likely threat along the
state’s coast close to Pakistan, the state home department rushed large contingents of security forces at sensitive installations...

Sleuths from A’bad headed for Mumbai 28-11-2008 | News - City
Chief minister Narendra Modi convened an urgent high-level meeting in Gandhinagar to assess and strengthen internal security in the state. the home department spokesperson said the chief minister directed officials to
send a team of sleuths to Mumbai consisting of Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), Crime Branch and other officers involved in investigations...

Terrorists’ ship returning to Pak seized off Valsad 28-11-2008 | News - City
Security forces pursued and stormed a ship which reportedly was on its way back to Karachi after ferrying terrorists to Mumbai. Security commandos took control of the vessel off Valsad at 3.30 pm on Thursday. The
occupants of the ship, whose numbers were not disclosed, were being interrogated by Mumbai Coast Guard in Valsad. ...

Sadhus threaten to rebuild razed G'nagar temples 26-11-2008 | News - Latest
Backed by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), prominent godmen from Delhi, Haridwar and Gujarat have threatened to rebuild fallen temples in Gandhinagar. Over the last two months, 200 illegally constructed temples
were brought down in the state capital, which invited stinging criticism from the religious heads. The demolitions were keenly supported ...

Anganwadis in discarded state transport buses soon 26-11-2008 | News - City
Facing serious lack of infrastructure, but determined to make a success of anganwadis, the state government has decided to convert discarded buses into mobile kindergarten. The buses will also be used to transport fortified
sukhdis for the children between 3 and 6 who attend the anganwadis, according to Rajeev Gupta, Principal...

Women’s panel indicts Pilavai PTC trustee, son 25-11-2008 | News - City
The State Women’s Commission (SWC) has upheld the
contention of Pilavai PTC girls that they were subjected to sexual harassment by the son of the institute’s trustee. In its report submitted to the home department, the commission said the allegations of harassment made by
the girls against Kamlesh Dave, the son of trustee...

NRI grooms dupe six Gujarat girls 25-11-2008 | News - City
A large number of non-resident Indians (NRIs) — flush with foreign currency and amusing anecdotes — stampede into Gujarat every year during the wedding season, starting October. However, some simply disappear
after exchanging vows with gullible girls.
As many as six cases of glib-tongued NRIs duping their...

Single screens fast disappearing amid multiplex boom 22-11-2008 | News - City
Single screen theatres in the city are fast disappearing. Thanks to a rapidly-growing multiplex culture, and a government ordinance that ensures total entertainment tax waiver and other sops to multiplexes, the death knell
of single screens has been sounded. The city, which once had 35 single screen theatres now is left with only 18. ...

Now a fair value formula for sale of govt land 21-11-2008 | News - City
The unprecedented boom in the real-estate sector, under-valuation of property and the resultant revenue loss seems to have acted as a wake-up call for the State Government. It has finally come up with a formula to fix the
fair value of the land it owns. The land policy, decided by the district evaluation committee and passed by the state evaluation...

Bomb squads, data centre to check terror 20-11-2008 | News - City
With Gujarat figuring prominently on the terror map, the government has decided to set up bomb squads in 24 districts of the state. The state government has also decided to set up a data centre at the Gandhinagar FSL to
keep track of all the blasts occurring in the country....

Doc cliaims HIV cure 19-11-2008 | News - City
An Amdavad-born doctor claims to have invented a drug that will turn global research into treating the dreaded HIV virus on its head. Slogging away for the last 22 years in the nondescript town of Surendranagar, Dr
Mukesh Shukla, 59, has developed a drug that eliminates from an HIV-infected person the HIV-1 P17 matrix protein. This protein ...

FSI you can buy 18-11-2008 | News - Latest
The state government has decided to relax floor space index (FSI) norms for all areas under AUDA and industrial zones under Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s jurisdiction. The move will free a larger space for
construction on any given plot, reduce the pressure on land and thereby check spiralling land prices. ...

76 Sanand villages to be merged with AUDA 18-11-2008 | News - City
Land in 76 villages in and around the Nano plant in Sanand may soon be merged into Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority for regulated development. AUDA has presented a proposal to the state government
seeking such a transfer on an urgent basis.
“Currently, just Sanand town and five villages fall under AUDA jurisdiction...

Ashwin Patel is a patriot, not traitor, says Zadaphia 17-11-2008 | News - City
Gordhan Zadaphia, former home minister and now president of the newly-floated Mahagujarat Janata Party has thrown his lot behind Vishwa Hindu Parishad arrested member Ashwin Patel and sought his release
claiming the state government was being vindictive. The VHP man was arrested recently and charged with sedition for allegedly circulating ...

Arun Jaitley to contest LS elections from Surat 15-11-2008 | News - Latest
Election strategist Arun Jaitley will be Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidate from Surat in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, if the buzz in party circles is to be believed. Insiders have revealed that the move could serve
two purposes for Chief Minister Narendra Modi — reward Jaitley for aiding him to put up a splendid show in the assembly elections ...

Tree growth in Gir cause of lions straying out 14-11-2008 | News - City
Lions are straying out of the Gir forest, and that’s not because they have grown in numbers and are short of space. Experts say it has to do with the change in the landscape of their natural habitat, that is becoming crowded
with trees, which deny the lions a free run during hunts. The most recent case of the big cats straying away from Gir ...

X-ray machines cause radiation scare at government hospitals 13-11-2008 | News - City
One can only hope that cases of cancer are not reported by the hundreds from government hospitals across the state in the near future. Or a worse case scenario doesn’t unfold where many have already contracted the
disease but don’t know of the lurking danger. In any case, the enormity of the health scare can give you the shudders....

State officials tight-lipped on ‘Nano’ incentives 12-11-2008 | News - City
The state government’s generous sops to the Tatas have come in for criticism, after a confidential note relating to the Rs 30,000 cr worth of benefits the government would give to Tatas for the Nano project got leaked. The
note was presented to the state Cabinet for discussion on Monday. The chief minister’s personal secretary, who is heading an inquiry ...

Bank agent dupes bizman, gives fake DD of Rs 9.5 cr 12-11-2008 | News - City
A Veraval industrialist was duped of more than Rs 7 lakh by a city agent who promised to get him a huge loan to expand his business and even buy him prime land at a throwaway price. According to Darshan Narottam
Palan, director of Messrs Haswanti Exports Pvt Ltd, GIDC Veraval, he came into contact with one Vishal Vyas...

Gandhi to come ‘alive’ at K Lal’s Magic Show 11-11-2008 | News - City
Want to see Gandhiji on stage? Wait until Friday. Renowned magician K Lal has taken it upon himself to make people “see” Mahatma Gandhiji in his show. Kantilal Vora, or K Lal, as the wizard from the city is popularly
known, in a pilot show in Amreli district a few days ago “presented” Gandhiji “live.” The 82-year-old magician ...

Govt note detailing Rs 10,000-cr benefits to Tatas leaks out 11-11-2008 | News - City
According to late-night reports, a confidential note relating to the benefits the government would give to Tatas for the Nano project got leaked after it was presented to the state Cabinet for discussion on Monday. Sources
said, the government set up an inquiry headed by G C Murmu, personal secretary to the CM, immediately after the incident. ...

Now, satellite system to tackle malaria 08-11-2008 | News - City
ISRO Chairman Madhvan Nair was not boasting when he said: “Gujarat is one of the few states in the country which uses science and technology in its governance.” After identifying land for Nano project through
Geographic Information System(GIS) and remote sensing, Gujarat may rope in the same technique to tackle malaria. ...

Scientists check out proposed coral transplantation sites 08-11-2008 | News - City
Scientists trying to save Gujarat’s diminishing coral reefs are using new approaches to help damaged reefs recover and survive a changing climate. The Gujarat Ecological Education and Research Foundation has
proposed transplanting coral reefs from the Gulf of Kutch to two new sites. To check the feasibility of the sites proposed in the project, ...

Dolphins in Dwarka can be a major tourist attraction 08-11-2008 | News - City
One of the few places in India where dolphins are found, the Kutch peninsula has witnessed a significant rise in its numbers, a study conducted by the Marine National Park of Jamnagar says. The coastline from Poshitra to
Pirotan islands in Jamnagar has seen a notable increase in the number of dolphins, the survey says. A total of 102 dolphins ...

Nihao Ma, Amdavad 07-11-2008 | News - Latest
Don’t be shocked if your tot walks in from school and greets you with “Nihao Ma” or “Con nee chee waa.” He’d merely be practising the Mandarin and Japanese lessons his teachers would have taught him in the
classroom. The state government is planning a mega project wherein schools and colleges across the state will include Mandarin ...

LPG dealers to go on strike from Monday 07-11-2008 | News - City
The state government will supply LPG gas cylinders from fair price shops in view of the strike call given by LPG dealers. The dealers have announced a strike from Monday, demanding abolition of inspector raj. The
dealers want the state government to strike-out the rule which gives government the authority to control stock and issue licences to LPG dealers....

Coba plot owners accuse builder of cheating them 06-11-2008 | News - City
A group of people who bought land on the outskirts of the city mobbed the builder at the site and accused him of cheating them by denying them of its possession with the intention of selling to others for a higher price.
About 70 persons, who claimed to have bought plots at Jain Vatika near Coba circle, descended at the site on Wednesday ...

Admission of 142 engg, med students to be cancelled 06-11-2008 | News - City
The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment has recommended cancellation of admissions to engineering and medical colleges of at least 142 students who had produced fake certificates, claiming they belonged
to socially and economic backward class (SEBC). As many as 66 students who got into engineering faculty and ...

Water in city outskirts poses health risks 05-11-2008 | News - City
The ground water in areas on the outskirts of Ahmedabad may pose a health hazard to people who consume it. The Gujarat Water Supply & Sewerage Board (GWSSB) has found that the ground water in places like Gota,
Lilapur, Sanand and Bopal, among others, has high nitrate content. “Excess nitrate content has been found in the ground water ...

Illegal temple pulled down in Gandhinagar 05-11-2008 | News - City
Protests and cries of devotees could be heard at the Shani Dev temple in Gandhinagar on Tuesday, but they had nothing to do with the prakop of the dreaded deity. His followers were witnessing the demolition of the
temple, constructed illegally on forest land, being razed on the order of the Collector. With the help of police and two bulldozers, the temple ...

BJP govt wants to finish VHP: Rawat 03-11-2008 | News - City
He gave up comforts of home to render his services for the VHP. During elections, he went round the slums in the city to mobilise support for the BJP. Now, the BJP-run state government has been harassing him because he
is with the VHP. Devji Rawat says, “The state government wants to finish the VHP as it do not need its help anymore.”...

Rationalists make a bhajia of kaala jadu 28-10-2008 | News - City
Lemon, coconut and bhajia are food items and can be put to better use than be cast away on roads by way of ritual. And if bhajia can be had at home, the spicy snack can well be had at a crematorium too, for there is nothing
sinister about the eatable or anything demonic about the place. The Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha carried out a state-wide drive on Kali Chaudas ...

G’nagar man buys a bit of the moon 28-10-2008 | News - City
This real estate is fake and notional. But is still traded like hot property. US-based Lunar Republic Society has been selling tracts of land on moon to millions of eager buyers all over the world. And Gandhinagar lad Sachin
Dasani, 20, becomes a rare Gujarati to have bought himself a patch of land on the moon. The business of selling land on moon...

Pragyadevi campaigned for BJP in Lok Sabha polls, says ex-Union minister 28-10-2008 | News - City
While the revelations about former ABVP activist Sadhvi Pragyadevi’s alleged involvement in the Malegaon blasts have shaken the wits out of the BJP, in what could be a fresh embarrassment for the party, a former
minister in the Vajpayee government told Mirror she had even joined him in the election campaign during the ...

Lion family spotted for first time in Gondal 28-10-2008 | News - City
Farmers and cattle herders in Panchiyavadar village of Gondal taluka, Rajkot district, are a frightened lot, after a lion, lioness and its two cubs were spotted in the village on Sunday. Following news of killing of cows on
Sunday night, a team of Forest department officials have been camping in the village. A forest official, who did not want to be named, ...

Infocity to take legal battle to US 27-10-2008 | News - City
Infocity plans to take its legal battle with the state government to the United States. State-owned Gjuarat Informatics Ltd (GIL) had taken control of Infocity complex in Gandhinagar from private developer Creative
Infocity Ltd (CIL), citing breach of terms and conditions on Thursday. The notice says that CIL is no longer entitled to collect any payments, rentals,...

US meltdown affects Gujarat’s textile companies 27-10-2008 | News - City
American economic meltdown has affected the textile business in Gujarat. A chain of department stores in the US orders textile from the state around this time of the year, but there has been no big orders this month.
“Textile mills get orders for 4 to 5 lakh meters every year, but this year no big order has been placed. Those who had ...

Sarkar raj at Infocity 25-10-2008 | News - Latest
The Gujarat government-owned Gujarat Informatics Ltd (GIL) has taken control of the Infocity complex in Gandhinagar from its private developer, Creative Infocity Ltd (CIL), citing violation of terms and conditions. In
notices issued to over 55 IT companies in the complex, GIL has asked them to stop dealing with Creative Infocity. “...

State swimmers denied entry into SAI campus 25-10-2008 | News - City
Around 30 state employees were denied entry into the Sports Authority of India (SAI) complex when they went there for a selection trial for a national level swimming competition. The General Administration
Department of the state government on Friday took the 30-odd aspirants to the SAI campus in Gandhinagar for the trial for the national event ...

Rare hornbills sighted in city 24-10-2008 | News - City
Grey Hornbills, once common in Gujarat, had gone out of sight for the last four decades. However, forest officials have reported sighting the large birds in the green foliage in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. The birds have
been sighted primarily in Kankaria and Shahibaug areas of Ahmedabad and the lush green patches of the Capital. ...

Gujarat to develop 2,200 km highways with World Bank aid 23-10-2008 | News - City
The Gujarat government has decided to develop and upgrade 41 state highways on its own following the Centre’s refusal to convert them into national highways. It will do this with World Bank aid. The state wanted its
highways to be converted into national highways to enable quick development that could ease transportation between ports...

Funds squeeze hampers state’s battle against terror 23-10-2008 | News - City
The need to modernise the police force in Gujarat has become more acute than ever in the aftermath of the deadly serial blasts in Ahmedabad on July 26 and the spurt in terrorist activity across the country. But the flow of
funds from the Centre to the state has been much too slow to allow any meaningful modernisation of the police.
This year, assistance to the Ahmedabad ...

Illegal mobiles in Sabarmati central Jail, Jailors in a jam over Low frequency jammers 23-10-2008 | News - City
While prisoners inside the Sabarmati Central Jail merrily chat away on their Nokias and Motorolas, the authorities — facing the heat after a huge cache of mobile phones was discovered from the prison barracks in a Crime
Branch raid last week — are lamenting the low frequency of mobile phone jammers installed in the jail premises....

350 Northcotepura villagers face ‘eviction’ 23-10-2008 | News - City
The residents of the Northcotepura, where the Tata Motors’ Nano car plant is coming up, have alleged that they have been asked by the state government to vacate their generation-old residences.
The land belongs to the state government and is used by employees of the Anand Agricultural University (AAU). The village is on revenue record of Ahmedabad ...

State MPs to lobby with Centre for rly projects 22-10-2008 | News - City
The state government has issued a circular to its MPs and state ministers containing a list of proposed railway projects that need the central government’s ministry’s approval, with a view to get the central legislators to take
up the issue with the Union railway ministry. The circular details projects that would contribute towards that state’s development ...

Trust seeks money for Morarji memorial land 22-10-2008 | News - City
Former Prime Minister Morarji Desai was cremated on a plot of land near the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad. A monument in Desai’s memory was later created on this piece of land which came to be known as Abhay
Ghat. However, even 12 years after giving the land worth Rs 1 crore to the government for setting up the memorial...

S G Road is no Highway 21-10-2008 | News - Latest
The S G Road and the Naroda-Narol route should not be called highways, according to the state government. The government says due to rapid development in the city, these two routes are like any other busy Ahmedabad
stretch and the highways should be re-routed. It has also been suggested that the 200-feet Ring Road that encircles ...

AAU sows last paddy crop in Sanand 21-10-2008 | News - City
This is the last time, the famous rice brand — Anubhav — has been sown in Northcotepura. With Nano project rolling into Sanand, it will displace 50 acres of paddy and wheat fields owned by Anand Agricultural
University (AAU). These fields produce at least 1.25 lakh kilogrammes of modified seeds. The land will be handed over to the Tatas ...

Kankreji bulls vacate shelter for Nano 20-10-2008 | News - City
With the Nano project coming up in Sanand, the world’s best bulls are now searching for a new shelter. The North Cote Cattle Breeding farm, owned by Anand Agricultural University (AAU), will soon be transferred from
North Cotepur to some other place in the state. The farm was established in 1899-1900 in Chharodi to preserve and maintain ...

Narmada water a pipe dream for state’s farmers 18-10-2008 | News - City
Narmada water is currently a pipe dream for a larger number of farmers in the state. This, not because the river water is not adequate enough but because the canal network laying has not been completed yet. According to
the plan, the Narmada canal will extend 74,626 km across nooks and corners of the state, but till date work on a mere 18,078 km has been done. The entire network should have been l...

Nano land: Officials struggle for relevant papers 17-10-2008 | News - City

About 115 years after the British formulated the land acquisition Act in 1894, its provisions have turned full circle and come back to the present day dispensation. Invoking the provisions of the law that entailed acquiring land on long lease i.e. 99 years, farmers of Khoda village of Sanand taluka have contended that leasing land does not amount to relinquishing ...

Nano land to cost Tatas Rs 900 a sq m 16-10-2008 | News - City

The state Cabinet in its on Wednesday meeting decided to transfer 1,100 cares of land at Sanand to Tatas for the Nano plant for Rs 900 a square metre. The entire parcel will fetch the government Rs 400.65 crore. The deal requires Tata Motors to pay up the price in instalments over eight years. In case of delay in payment, the company ...

Pay deficit amount of stamp duty, Reliance told 16-10-2008 | News - City

The Jamnagar district administration has issued notices to Reliance Industries in Jamnagar to pay up deficit of Rs 2.7 crore as stamp duty on four plots it bought to expand the refinery in 2007. Reliance officials denied received the notices. The state government had allotted land from the Kanaloos, Padana, Moti Khavdi ...

Rani ki Vav has its sight trained on UNESCO list 15-10-2008 | News - City

Patan’s Rani ki Vav is making a bid for World Heritage status. And, to give this attempt a push, the Archaeological Survey of India along with CEPT held a workshop on ‘Rani ki Vav as a potential World Heritage Site’ at the CEPT campus in Ahmedabad. The two-day workshop, also attended by UNESCO officials, came to an end on Tuesday....

Did ‘bug biscuit’ factoray use banned colours? 15-10-2008 | News - City

The colours found in a biscuit factory, M R Foods, which was closed down by health officials on Sunday, are ‘banned’ under the food safety laws, says a civic official. “The colours used in the factory for manufacturing biscuits and confectioneries are inedible,” the official, who didn’t want to be named, said.
“They are synthetic and dying colours...

To solve land dispute, govt meets farmers and royalty 14-10-2008 | News - City

A week after the government handed over land to the Tatas for the Nano project, there seems to be a battle brewing between the farmers, who are claiming compensation for their land or return of their land, and Prince Jayshivsinh Vaghela (better known as Tikabapu) who claims it is his land. To resolve the land issue amicably ...

YOUR BISCUIT HAS A WORM! 13-10-2008 | News - Latest

Those cheap confectioneries you buy for your children may actually leave a sour effect on their health. Officials of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) on Sunday closed down a factory, M R Foods, in Naroda GIDC after they found their products — biscuits, sugar candies and chocolates — were being manufactured in unhygienic conditions....

Devotee to donate 12th century idol to c 13-10-2008 | News - City

Donations to temples have always been in cash and kind, but few as priceless as the one a city-based antiques collector plans to hand over. Ardent devotee Bhaskar Dave will donate a priceless idol from the 11th century that is sure to the newest attraction in Swaminarayan temple at Akshardham. Dave says the rare idol from the Solanki era ...

Notice to revenue secy on Nano land dispute 11-10-2008 | News - City

A group of farmers from Khoda village near Sanand have issued a notice to the revenue department to seek possession of the land earmarked for the Nano project claiming they are its rightful owners following the end of the lease period. The group, comprising 23 farmers, claim that their forefathers had given a stretch ...

Nano’s big link with Rajkot 10-10-2008 | News - City

The Tatas’ decision to move the Nano project to Gujarat has led to much cheer in the state, especially in Rajkot. No doubt, the project is bound to benefit Gujarat in many ways. Even if the Rs 1-lakh car had not come to Gujarat, there was no dispute that many critical parts, which will make the dream car zoom would have been made in Rajkot — the engineering ...

Thakore-Kshatriya Samaj to worship weapons today 09-10-2008 | News - City

Dusshera, the festival that marks the triumph of good over evil, will be celebrated on Thursday. On the occasion, the Thakore-Kshatriya Samaj of north and central Gujarat will take an oath to give up bad habits like tobacco consumption and drinking. They will perform a shastra puja on the auspicious day at the Town Hall.
“We will perform puja...

Nano plant on disputed land? 09-10-2008 | News - City

The Tata’s Nano project in Gujarat isn’t going to come without its share of land disputes. A group of farmers of Khoda village in Sanand taluka claim that the stretch of land where the plant is proposed to be set up belonged to them before it was given to the British on 99 years’ lease for an annual rent of Rs 800 in 1902. With that lease tenure ...

Women’s super-tonic gets a boost 07-10-2008 | News - City

Undergoing menopause or delivered a baby? Chances are your amma will whisk out that bottle of Dashamularishtam — the magic cure for most ‘womanly troubles’. Made of 10 herbs, as the name suggests, it is used across the country as a super-tonic by women. Such high demand has led to over-exploitation of plant resources. In fact, over-harvesting ...

Tata MD, Modi to meet today 07-10-2008 | News - Latest

In what could be the beginning of the Nano journey, Tata Motors’ MD Ravi Kant is scheduled to arrive in Gujarat on Tuesday. The Tata Group MD will hold a press conference jointly with Chief Minister Narendra Modi at 4.30 pm, although no official word is out on whether they will hold the meet in Gandhinagar or Ahmedabad.
The occasion holds...

GOOD KARMA DRIVING NANO TO AMDAVAD? 06-10-2008 | News - Latest

If Ratan Tata takes into account good karma and auspiciousness while deciding where to shift the Nano car project from Singur, he need not look much beyond Ahmedabad.For, his great-grandfather and founder of the House of Tata, Jamsetji Tata, had sowed the seeds of piety more than 100 years ago on the very land that the state government has offered ...

‘Tata’s grandpa did a pious thing for this land. It will bring him luck’ 06-10-2008 | News - City

We couldn’t help this cliche: Singur’s loss is definitely Sanand’s gain. Even before Ratan Tata gave his nod to the state government’s offer of giving Tata Motors 922 hectares at Chharodi and Charal villages of Sanand district for the Nano project, the villagers in Gujarat are already celebrating. Dreams of economic stability which they hope ...

Water meant for farms used to produce power 04-10-2008 | News - City

Narmada water meant to be used for irrigation purposes is being diverted to the power station at Sardar Sarovar Dam, according to sources. While the government claims the Sardar Sarovar Hydro power station produces 44.35 mega watt (443 crore units) electricity, experts say if the water is left in the canal itself, it could benefit the state more. ...

Builder to pay Rs 16 crore for evading duty 03-10-2008 | News - City

A city builder, Ashish Patel, has been served a notice by the deputy collector of the Jamnagar stamp duty assessment office, asking him to pay up Rs 16.43 crore as stamp duty and penalty. Patel, a resident of Sardar Patel Colony in Naranpura and co-owner of Radhe Developers, has been served the notice for evasion of duty on purchase ...
‘Face truth’s consequences’ 03-10-2008 | News - City

Gandhiji talked about the importance of loyalty in a marriage. Considering she has publicly accepted her mistake, she should be given another chance, which her husband has rightly granted her...

State govt roped in officials to collect donations for I-Day fete 02-10-2008 | News - City

That the government’s pet projects are funded by donations from businessmen is an open secret, but now there is hard evidence that government machinery is indeed used for the purpose.
An RTI application filed recently revealed that the state government had drafted the administration for the extra- constitutional task. Information got in ...

Know your MLA 01-10-2008 | News - City
You know his name is Narendra Modi. You know he is a BJP member elected from 77, Maninagar constituency. But did you that the Chief Minister of Gujarat lists social service as his occupation, or that he has an MA in political science? If not, then turn to the Who’s Who of the Gujarat Assembly which tells you everything you wanted to know about your MLAs ...

Corrupt practices cost state hundreds of crores: CAG 30-09-2008 | News - City
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on government revenue was tabled in the Assembly on Monday points out that the state has been losing thousands of crores by way of irregularities in collection of direct and indirect taxes and non-tax revenue. Irregularities occur by way of corruption, inadvertent errors in calculating figures and deliberate ...

A’bad the most corrupt of state’s cities 30-09-2008 | News - City
The major cities of the state contribute large sums of revenue to the state exchequer, but they also play host to corrupt officials and businessmen who deny it large chunks of money. According to the Vigilance Commission report tabled in Assembly on Monday, the list of most-corrupt cities was headed by Ahmedabad city and rural where 118 and 31 cases ...

Police worst human rights ABUSERS 27-09-2008 | News - Latest
The police are the worst violators of human rights in Gujarat, says a State Human Rights Commission report.The cops have more complaints of rights violations registered against them than any other government department not only in the city but across the entire state, the report says....

‘KILLER’ LIC OFFICER GETS 5 YRS IN JAIL 24-09-2008 | News - Latest
A Bhavnagar-based Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India official, who faked certificates to show three policy holders as dead and robbed them worth Rs 2.7 lakh, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court number three in Mirzapur here on Tuesday.
...
Khadi returns to Gandhi Ashram after 28 years 24-09-2008 | News - City
About 90 years after his great grandfather initiated Mohandas Gandhi into manufacturing khadi at Sabarmati Ashram, Dhimant Badhiya has taken the lead to revive the practice discontinued about 28 years ago. “The idea is not to let the younger generation forget our legacy. Khadi played a major role in our struggle for freedom...

Warning Gujarat slept on 23-09-2008 | News - Latest
The state government had information about the July 26 blasts accused way back in March but the authorities slept over it, claimed the opposition Congress party. The central Intelligence Bureau had forwarded to the Gujarat Crime Branch a statement of SIMI boss Safdar Nagori, made before the Madhya Pradesh police, said the party....

Centre wary of GUJCOC’s draconian provisions 23-09-2008 | News - City
A Gujarat home department note detailing the stringent provisions of GUJCOC that give limitless freedom to the police to act against persons involved in organised crime may hold the reasons for the Centre dithering in giving its assent to the Bill.Chief minister Narendra Modi may have upped his ante demanding immediate approval of the Bill...

‘Mujavar’ exploits teenager, fathers illegitimate child 22-09-2008 | News - City
A baby born to a teenage girl out of wedlock was branded by villagers as a ‘child of the Jinns’ in an attempt to hush up the matter and avoid police complaint.Unmarried girl Farzana delivered a baby girl in early September in Devadi village of Talala Gir in Junagadh district. The girl’s parents refused to believe she had physical relations ...

Satellite images paint grim picture of Saurashtra 22-09-2008 | News - City
Torrential rain in Saurashtra has turned the region into a virtual island. Satellite images show that around 12,000 sq km of area in Saurashtra has been badly affected by the heavy downpour. Moreover, most agricultural land in the region is submerged in water. Homes have been flooded, and people have to wade through waist-high water.
...
Hardly vibrant, industrial output declines 22-09-2008 | News - City
Despite three consecutive Vibrant Gujarat summits held to attract investments in the state, industrial production in Gujarat is declining steadily,” said the office of commissioner of industries, Gandhinagar.According to sources, the government claims the state has received investments totalling about Rs 6.7 lakh crore in the form of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) ...

Special panel to study terrorist activities in Guj 18-09-2008 | News - City
The state home department has formed a special co-ordination committee to study and analyse terrorist incidents that took place in the state and the country in last three years.Official sources said the committee was set up on September 11 under the chairmanship of Balvant Singh, principal secretary, home, and consisting of nine other members. State director general of police PC Pande and aditiona...

Sniffing danger for Modi 12-09-2008 | News - City
He’s a key member of Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s security squad for the last eight years! Meet Bhoju, a labrador, who daily routine includes a meticulous check inside the chief minister’s office and residence for explosives. At 11, Bhoju is one of the oldest dogs in the Gujarat Police squad, but he is also regarded the best in the pack. Said ...

After much ado, the rollback 11-09-2008 | News - City
It will not be implemented. A day after stating that it had got nothing to do with The Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board’s decision on open book system, the state government on Wednesday said that the format will not be implemented. That was it, at least at the press conference called at Gandhinagar by Jaynarayan Vyas, ...

BJP rebels float new 11-09-2008 | News - City
Rebel BJP leaders on Wednesday floated a new political outfit ‘MahaGujarat Janata Party’. The outfit’s president Gordhan Zadaphia said his party aimed to take become an effective alternative to BJP and Congress in the state. “We are here as an alternative to the BJP and the Congress,” Gordhan Zadaphia, former minister who ...

Nothing loo-dicrous about GANDHI’S toilet 11-09-2008 | News - City
Mahatma Gandhi once said: Sanitation is more important than independence. And when tourists visited his famous Sabarmati ashram, guess what they found missing? The loo! The original toilet — a mobile one, no less — was taken apart 22 years ago by the then management as they felt it would spoil the Ashram’s ambience. To remedy this, ...

It doesn’t work 10-09-2008 | News - City

Top: The Nutan Vidyalaya School in Bareja which began testing the new format in 2004. Principal David Patel(above) says the results speak for themselves. Students have flunked in subjects they once topped in. The records of marks scored during the mock exams have plenty of numbers unde...

CBI set to come up with second office at Vadodara 09-09-2008 | News - City

In the wake of serial blasts and spurt in export and trade activities in the industrial towns of the Golden Corridor, the Central Bureau of Investigation is all set to come up with its second office in the state, at Vadodara. The CBI’s state headquarters is located at Gandhinagar. A proposal regarding the same was sent to the Personnel and Training ...

Feisty 63-yr-old fights off TB with ayurveda 09-09-2008 | News - City

Jyotsna Shah, who until recently was suffering from multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), approached several doctors — including five in her family — for treatment, but returned home grim-faced. The doctors, though willing to offer help, gave her only one answer: you are living on borrowed time. However, the tenacious 63-year-old has proven ...

Cong counters Modi, Advani’s terror charges 05-09-2008 | News - City

The Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) on Thursday called a press conference on Thursday to counter the BJP’s allegations that the government was going soft on terror. BJP leader L K Advani and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had at a press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday asked the Centre to re-enact the Prevention ...

Ahmedabad ‘god’ held in Junagadh 04-09-2008 | News - City
The police arrested a self-proclaimed godman, Mahendra Ram Chauhan, from a farmhouse in Talala near Junagadh on Wednesday on sexual harassment charges. Chauhan, 38, has been accused of ‘misbehaving’ with women who approach him to get treated for various diseases.It has been alleged that Chauhan, who tells people that he ...

Nail painter 03-09-2008 | News - City
Ganeshostav is round the corner and the market is flooded with Ganesha art. Paintings and idols all vie for attention, and in the rush to be different, artist Bhati N has hit it right on the nail. He uses his thumbnail to creating paintings of Ganesha, and he is probably the only one in the country to dabble in ‘nail art’. While regular painters use...

Buchanan sir, we are ready 02-09-2008 | News - Sports
After the successful completion of selection trials in Mumbai and Delhi, the Kolkata Knight Riders caravan has moved into the city.
The prospect of playing for Knight Riders in the next IPL season has the youngsters excited and they are anxiously awaiting the Talent Hunt to being on Tuesday. With the likes of Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, ...

‘Renovation’ of well at ashram riles Gandhians 02-09-2008 | News - City
The decision of Sabarmati Ashram’s management to ‘refurbish’ a 93-year-old well near Hridaykung has rankled some Gandhians, who say the structure should not be tampered with as it has great historical importance. They say Mahatma Gandhi had insisted on the construction of the well. In fact, Gandhiji, and several other national and world ...

ELECTRIC SHOCK FOR JAMNAGAR MARINE PARK 30-08-2008 | News - Latest
If the Gujarat Electricity Board (GEB) has its way, the fabulous corals and fish at the Marine National Park in the Gulf of Kutch would be destroyed. In a proposal, which will be forwarded to the government for approval by the officials of the state wildlife department on September 1, the GEB-affiliated Western Gujarat Electricity Company wants ...

Infocity promoters threaten to move court over rent 30-08-2008 | News - City
The acrimonious dispute between Gujarat government undertaking Gujarat Informatics Ltd (GIL) and promoters of Infocity, Creative Infocity Limited (CIL), seems to be headed for the courts.
The GIL has charged CIL with non-payment of rent as part of its 5 per cent share from Infocity revenue. The CIL rejects the allegations claiming ...

Paresh ban gaya Salim 29-08-2008 | News - City
What’s in a name? A lot, at least for the office secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) state headquarters in Khanpur.
Paresh Patel, who manages the party’s Khanpur office for the last 15 years, was so enraged over the fact that the office sweeper’s name also happened to be Paresh, he passed orders to address the worker as Salim!...

Owner of ‘shrunk Macbeth’ receives a deluge of calls 27-08-2008 | News - City
One of the first things Prabhaben, the wife of Ratilal Mandalik, did on Tuesday morning was to put a book owned by her husband in a safe. You, too, would have done the same if you had known that the book’s value is in lakhs. The book Prabhaben kept in a safe is three centimetres wide, five centimetres long and weighs 16 gm. More importantly, the ...

SHAKESPEARE SHRUNK 26-08-2008 | News - Latest
Should Christie’s or Sotheby’s roll out a fat cheque to lay their hands on this one? A city teacher has in his possession since the last 33 years, perhaps the tiniest version of Macbeth — one of William Shakespeare’s greatest tragic play. The play is squeezed in a book, which its owner claims is around 200 years old, measuring three ...

Threat to blow up Ambaji Temple 23-08-2008 | News - City
Chilling memories of the Akshardham temple attack were revived after one of the state’s most revered and oldest temples, the Ambaji Mandir, received a letter threatening a series of blasts on Friday. The police, thrown in a tizzy all of a sudden, were quick to react and reached the spot with a sizeable force, scanned the temple and eventually ...

Tantra tangle relieves family of life’s savings 23-08-2008 | News - City
The believers and the practitioners of ‘tantra’ swear by it even as rationalists pooh-pooh it as hocus-pocus. But tales of deceit, exploitation and disappointment that come to light from time to time remind one the of futility of reposing trust in ‘tantra’ or black magic. The predicament of the gullible like the Rathods, who spent their life’s savings in search ...

A first in 50 years: An animal expo at Vautha 22-08-2008 | News - City
The state government has decided to organise a three-day animal expo at the world-famous Tarnetar Mela in September. The expo will be on the lines of Vautha fair, where trading of donkeys takes place.Last year, at least seven lakh people thronged to the Tarnetar fair held near Chotila. This is the first time after the merger of Saurashtra ...

MODI’S WEEKEND PLAN: A FILM ON TERRORISM WITH ANUPAM KHER 22-08-2008 | News - Latest
Chief Minister Narendra Modi is not a movie buff, but veteran actor Anupam Kher has managed to convince him to watch his latest film on terrorism, Wednesday. Obviously honoured at Modi’s nod of approval, Kher, who plays Mumbai’s police commissioner in the movie, will fly down to Ahmedabad on Saturday for the screening, which will take place the ...

Sleaze overflows from Asaram ashram’s underground chambers 15-08-2008 | News - City
The CID (Crime) raid on the Asaram ashram on Wednesday has unearthed 10 underground chambers in the premises. The sleaze that went on in there will be brought out only after the investigation agency completes its probe, but some disciples from the ashram have already decided to let the public gaze in on the dirt inside after they felt cheated in ...

CID DENIED ACCESS TO ASARAM’S CHAMBER 14-08-2008 | News - Latest
Minders of Asaram Bapu’s Motera ashram refused to let a CID team that raided the ashram premises enter the godman’s kutir on Wednesday despite the cops demanding access to his chambers.
The cops, however, examined about ten chambers in the ashram’s basement but didn’t find any evidence that can prove that tantra-mantra activities take ...

GUJARAT TO GET 10,000 MORE COPS 13-08-2008 | News - Latest
For a tired, worn-out and completely out-of-shape Gujarat police force, this is just what the doctor ordered — some fresh blood.
The state government, shaken by the July 26 serial blasts and the severe manpower crunch faced in policing the city in their aftermath, has decided to recruit 10,000 more men and women in the police force....

IB Director meets DGP to discuss security 12-08-2008 | News - Latest
Intelligence Bureau Director PC Haldar made a surprise visit to Gujarat on Monday. He held a private meeting with DGP PC Pande, Gujarat IB chief P P Pande and top IB officials to discuss involvement of terror outfits in Gujarat blast case. He even sought details from these officials. His visit is being considered very important considering the police officials have not yet made a breakthrough in t...

ATs to get 39 officers in a few days 09-08-2008 | News - Latest
Stung by the fact that the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) is not involved in the probe of the July 26 blasts in Ahmedabad due to lack of officers, the government has ordered an immediate filling up of 39 vacant posts in the ATS. Once empowered with sweeping powers, the ATS was allotted a staff of 77 officials but today, 39 posts are lying vacant....

State to upgrade its intelligence and police 09-08-2008 | News - City
The serial blasts in Ahmedabad and recovery of bombs in Surat seem to have woken up the state home department into improve state intelligence and police services. Reliable sources in the department said that the measures are being taken after an analysis of the state security system. Vacancies in the intelligence bureau will be filled with...

‘The bomber rolled down the window. It was dark, I could not see his face’ 07-08-2008 | News - Latest
He could be the eyewitness the police are seeking desperately to get to the masterminds of the July 26 serial blasts. A security guard at LG Hospital had talked to the driver of the car that later blew up in a parking lot on the evening of July 26, killing four persons and injuring 30. Guard Pritambhai Koshti told the Crime Branch on Tuesday that...

itterati have a blast at Rupala’s party 07-08-2008 | News - City
All roads led to the big bash at Karnavati Club’s Golden Glory hall. The occasion was the grand engagement ceremony of Jigar, the son of state BJP president Purushottam Rupala, with Sheetal Patel. The who’s who of politics (yes, Mr CM did pay a visit) and industry were there. Adding Page 3 flavour to the opulence were folk artistes and