QAhmedabad: Two Kashmiris Held in Bhuj; Airport Staff to Protest
The top news from Ahmedabad.
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1. ‘Separatists Paid Me to Pelt Stones’
One of the two Kashmiris arrested from a guest house in Bhuj confessed during interrogation that he was paid to pelt stones at security forces when protests were held in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir.
According to sources in the intelligence community, Altaf Nazar (21) a resident of Natmasa village in Kupwara also confessed that separatists provided help to his family to secure his bail in one of the three cases of alleged assault on Jammu and Kashmir Police.
The duo from Kupwara, which includes a 16-year-old boy were detained by local police in Bhuj and handed over to the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad for questioning. The duo had wire cutters and contacts of some persons in Gujarat. They have claimed that they came to the state in search of jobs.
(Source: The Times of India)
2. Tribal Converts Will Forfeit Benefits: Ramanlal Patkar
Ramanlal Patkar, the minister of state for forests and tribal development made a controversial statement where he said that according to an amendment in law, Hindu tribal folk who convert to other religions will not be able to claim benefits of any of the 200 state government welfare schemes.
A video of Patkar sharing this information with some Adivasis went viral on social media. On the video Patkar can be heard saying, “According to the new amendment for the protection of tribal rights which was passed by the State Assembly, non-Adivasis cannot claim rights as tribals under various government schemes.”
He further said, “There is nothing wrong if they are Christians following Christianity. However, they can no longer call themselves Adivasis and follow Christianity. As a tribal leader it is my responsibility to prevent such deaths of Adivasis in the name of conversion.”
(source: The Times of India)
3.Airport Staff Sits on Relay Hunger Strike Against Privatisation
A relay hunger strike was held by 30 representatives of the Ahmedabad Authority Employees Union (AAEU)- Ahmedabad Branch, against the privatisation of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport.
AAEU members have been holding ‘lunch hour demonstration’ outside the Airport Authority of India (AAI) office since last week as a protest against the proposal to privatise the airport. They’ve alleged that the privatisation is neither in the interest of the public nor AAI employees.
They claim that like Delhi and Mumbai airports which are privatised, Ahmedabad airport too will soon start overcharging the public for passenger facilities including entry charge, parking, food and refreshments among others.
(Source: The Times of India)
4. Number of Dengue Cases Spike in Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad saw 14 dengue cases in the first 8 days of December along with 13 cases of falciparum and three cases of chikungunya. Last year in December the city registered 65 Dengue and 61 falciparum cases.
According to an Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s (AMC) health official, as temperature falls during night the number of cases drop, but during the day when the temperature remains between 30 and 35 degrees Celsius the number of cases may rise.
Besides this, AMC hospitals registered 173 cases of diarrhoea and vomiting, 62 cases of typhoid and 55 cases of Jaundice in the first 8 days of December.
(Source: The Times of India)
5. Guj CM Inaugurates Honorary Consulate Office of Republic of Kazakhstan
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani inaugurated the honorary consulate office of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Gandhinagar on Monday, 10 December. Kazakhstan Ambassador to India Bulat Sarsenbayev and newly-appointed honorary consul Dilip Chandan were present at the inauguration office, located in Sector 8 of the state capital.
Rupani also invited a Kazakhstan delegation to take part in the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Summit, to be held between January 18 to 20 next year. The chief minister informed the audience that Kazakhstan is keen to build a jetty on the western cost of India. He also urged Kazakhstan to take advantage of 40 small ports of Gujarat.
Ambassador Bulat said the honorary consulate office will add a new dimension to the holistic growth of his country. Accepting Rupani's invitation, Bulat said a business delegation from his country will participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Summit.
(Source: PTI)
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