Gujarat

Even as the COVID-19 contagion hits new peaks, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani is pushing his slogan of “Harega corona, jeetega Gujarat” (Corona will lose, Gujarat will win) to convey an 'all is well' picture and underline the fact that COVID-19 will not halt the state’s development. But what did come as a surprise was the recent announcement of the expansion of the civic limits of the municipal corporations of Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, Surat, Gandhinagar and Bhavnagar. The reason for this soon became obvious--- elections are due in these six municipal corporations, all controlled by the ruling BJP in November-December. Poll…

They came. They saw. They left. The Central team that visited Gujarat on July 17-18th to assess the state’s response to the continuing surge in COVID-19 cases in Ahmedabad and Surat did just that, even as the Ahmedabad Medical Association (AMA), on July 17th, filed an SOS writ petition in the Gujarat High Court. The petition expressed serious concern over the low number of tests being conducted and on the state’s dilly-dallying on granting approval for more testing laboratories. The AMA also sought a direction that tests at the OPD level should be permitted. It was only on July 15th,…

The percentage of deaths from COVID-19 in Gujarat is among the highest in the country, even as the number of tests remains among the lowest, government denials to the contrary notwithstanding. Numbers apart, the fact that the state was consistently trying to cut down on testing got some credence, when on May 10th, it made it mandatory for all private hospitals to get government approval before testing patients, admitted for treatment of other ailments, for the coronavirus infection. The Gujarat High Court however rescinded the order on May 29th, in response to a PIL. Another evidence of the Gujarat government’s…

The  strains of music from the neighbour's house can be heard, the flavour of baking from another wafts in, while another neighbour calls to ask if I wanted bread as he has decided to brave the odds and venture out to get some. Had there not been a lockdown, street traffic would have blocked the music, my neighbour would not be baking, and getting groceries would not have been akin to an adventure trip. Ambavadi area, where I stay, is considered one of Ahmedabad’s upmarket areas, comprised of bungalows and some of the city’s oldest housing societies. The area also…

For the first time ever, the largest of the flamingo species, the Greater flamingos, one of the most widely recognized waders in the world, were spotted in the newly developed Sabarmati river front in Ahmedabad, much to the delight of citizens, especially the birders’ community. “I was delighted when I spotted a huge flock of about 50 flamingos when I went for a walk on the riverfront,” said hobbyist wildlife photographer Vicky Chauhan, a chartered accountant residing just 200 metres from the riverfront. “While we have seen flamingos in areas near Ahmedabad in the Fatewadi area, this was the first…

The videos were all over the Internet and social media. Expectedly so, because you don't often see crocodiles swimming in flooded urban streets, sneaking up on strays. But that's precisely what happened shortly after news of ‘urban floods’ in Vadodara hit headlines in early August. The city witnessed scary flash floods following spells of intense rain, bringing back memories of what the city had witnessed in June 2005 and then again in the monsoon of 2014, the latter perhaps leading to the coinage of the phrase ‘urban floods’. Back in 2014, ecologists had spoken up to communicate their worries to…

The news on gender ratios in urban India is not only bad, it is also getting worse. In May 2018, a study published by Lancet disclosed that 239,000 girls below five die in India every year. Census 2011 documents that the worst Child Sex Ratios  are found in the cities.  The declining graph over the decades shows that urban Indian gender ratios are more skewed than rural Bharat's, with an average of 902 girls per 1,000 boys between 0-6 years in the cities, compared to 923 girls in rural India. The urban figures have pulled down the national average to 918.  The worst city…

Gone are the stormy days of bifurcation of the erstwhile state of Andhra Pradesh and the bitter battles over the city of Hyderabad. Today, as Telangana is governed from its centre of power in Hyderabad, neighbouring Andhra waits eagerly for the completion of its planned seat of administration, Amaravati.   In the government’s own words, Amaravati, “the People's capital of Andhra Pradesh, is envisioned to be a city of world-class standards” and one that will provide “cutting-edge infrastructure, comfortable livelihood and immense prosperity”. However, most remarkable about this planned city, being developed from scratch, is the way it has been…