News Analysis India

Tag: Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation

  • How can you stop people from eating what they want?: Gujarat HC on non-veg food row

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat High Court has questioned how people could be stopped from “eating what they want” outside their house as it slammed the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) for its drive against handcarts selling non-vegetarian food items on streets.

    The HC made the remarks on Thursday while disposing of a petition petition filed by nearly 20 street vendors claiming the AMC’s recent anti-encroachment drive was targeted at handcarts selling non-vegetarian food items, an allegation denied by the civic body.

    At one point, Justice Biren Vaishnav, who was hearing the petition, got agitated and asked the AMC “What is your problem? How can you decide what I should eat outside my house? How can you stop people from eating what they want? Suddenly because someone in power thinks that this is what they want to do?” Rights activists welcomed the order, saying no one has the right to infringe upon personal liberty of others.

    Through the petition, street vendors from Ahmedabad, whose handcarts were seized by the BJP-ruled AMC, alleged the drive against vendors selling egg and non-veg food items was launched in the city after an elected representative in Rajkot city gave a negative opinion about such food being sold on roads.

    Advocate Ronith Joy, appearing for petitioners, termed the AMC’s move as an act of “bigotry” and claimed the civic body has removed the handcarts selling non-veg food on the ground they are not maintaining hygiene.

    Joy stated that non-veg vendors were singled out for eviction on the ground that the food they were serving is not vegetarian food.

    Agitated by the submission, Justice Vaishnav said, “Will the Municipal Commissioner decide what I will eat? Tomorrow they will tell me not to drink sugarcane juice because it will cause diabetes. Or tell me that coffee is bad for health.”

    ” When advocate Satyam Chhaya, appearing for the AMC, denied allegations saying the drive is meant only to remove encroachment, Justice Vaishnav said, “You are doing it in the garb of encroachment because you don’t like non-veg. Its always about the convenience of the respondent. Don’t do it to satisfy someone’s ego.”

    In his reply, supported by photographs, Chhaya stated the petition has been filed under misconception as “there was no drive to remove all non-veg stalls. It was all about removing encroachment on roads, which was hindering traffic or pedestrian movement. We have not singled out anyone.”

    Referring to a photo submitted along with the affidavit, Chhaya told the court that the vendors had to be removed as they had occupied an entire footpath.

    “This hampers the AMC’s drive to enforce traffic regulation. It is also in compliance with previous court orders mandating that such drive should be taken up in accordance of law without any bias against a particular group of people as alleged,” noted Chhaya.

    After taking into consideration the AMC’s assurance that the drive is only against encroachment irrespective of food these handcarts are selling, Justice Chhaya disposed of the petition.

    Civil rights activist and lawyer KR Koshiti welcomed the High Court’s observation saying no one has the right to infringe upon fundamental right to personal liberty.

    “Even the Gujarat government had earlier clarified that people are free to eat whatever they want. Article 21 of the Constitution guarantees people’s fundamental right to personal liberty, such as what to eat and what to wear. No government has the right to infringe upon people’s right,” said Koshti.

    Mujahid Nafees, convener of the Minority Coordination Committee, said “This drive of removing handcarts selling only non-veg food items was another tactic by this government to divide the society based on the food they eat. I am glad that the court made some scathing remarks on it. Eventually, the AMC had to announce that there was no discrimination,” said Nafees.

    Civic bodies of Rajkot, Vadodara and Ahmedabad had earlier announced to remove non-veg food carts from city roads.

    However, after Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel overruled such a move by local civic bodies, saying the state government has no problem with what people want to eat, the drive against non-veg food carts was converted into an “anti-encroachment” campaign.

    However, civic bodies were later told by BJP state leadership not to take any actions against street food carts.

    All the civic bodies of the state are ruled by the BJP.

  • Ahmedabad civic body offers Rs 60,000 smartphone to lure people for COVID-19 vaccination

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: In a bid to encourage citizens to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the Ahmedabad civic body has come up with a lucky draw scheme, announcing that its winner, who has taken the second dose of vaccine, will get a smartphone worth Rs 60,000.

    Those who take their second jabs of COVID-19 vaccine between December 1 and 7 will be eligible for the scheme and one winner will be later declared through the lucky draw, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) said in a statement on Wednesday.

    The city civic body in Gujarat has from time to time come up with schemes to lure people eligible for vaccination to take their second dose of vaccine in order to achieve the target of 100 per cent inoculation.

    The AMC had earlier distributed packets of one litre of edible oil to thousands of beneficiaries, especially from slums in the city.

    So far, 78.7 lakh people have received vaccine doses in the city, including 47.7 lakh people who have taken the first dose and 31.0 lakh who have taken both the jabs, the AMC’s health department said.

    Those who have not taken even a single dose of vaccine and those due for the second dose will be prohibited from entering public areas, like gardens, zoo and museums, as well as private residential and commercial areas, the AMC said.

    With effect from Wednesday, the civic body has also restricted the entry of such people to the urban/community health centres and hospitals run by it, the civic body said.

    The AMC has set up points at the entrances of all its health centres and hospitals to check the status of COVID-19 vaccination of visitors.

    If a visitor (except a patient) is due for the vaccine dose, he/she will be given the shot at the centre before being allowed to enter the premises, it said.

    Even patients, suffering from other illnesses, who are due for COVID-19 vaccination, will be counselled to take the jabs after recovery and their vaccination status will be recorded in their medical case papers, it added.

  • Gujarat: After public places, COVID vaccination must for access to private establishments in Ahmedabad

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) in Gujarat on Wednesday asked the owners and managements of all private establishments in the city, including large residential societies and commercial complexes, to restrict the entry of those who have not taken vaccine against coronavirus despite being eligible for it.

    Last month, the AMC declared that people wanting to access public services and civic-run amenities, like city buses, BRTS (bus rapid transit system), swimming pools, libraries, sports complexes and various civic centres, will have to show their vaccination certificates.

    Now, the same rule will be applied for people to enter private premises.

    As per an AMC circular, people above 18 years of age who have not taken the first dose of vaccine or those who have not taken the second dose despite being eligible for the same, must not be allowed to enter private establishments like hotels, restaurants, religious places, tourist spots, theatres, clubs, commercial complexes, party plots and large residential societies.

    According to the AMC’s health department, the ongoing vaccination drive against the COVID-19 pandemic in the city received a much needed boost after the civic body made it compulsory for citizens to show their vaccination certificate for accessing public amenities last month.

    “To further boost this drive and make sure that all the eligible people in the city receive at least first dose, the AMC has taken this decision regarding private premises. We urge non-vaccinated citizens to contact nearby health centres to get the vaccine,” the circular said.

    Till now, 66.84 lakh citizens, or 97 per cent of the city’s eligible population, have been given the first dose of vaccine while 44.97 lakh (49 per cent) people have received the second dose also, the AMC release said.

    The AMC aims to achieve 100 per cent coverage of the first dose, it said.

    The civic body also said that it will organise vaccination camps in the premises of those residential societies or commercial complexes where more than 100 occupants are eligible for taking the vaccine.

    reported 23 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, raising the infection tally to 8,26,039, and registered the first COVID-19-related death in more than a month, said the state health department.

    The state reported one COVID-19 fatality in the last 24 hours – the first death in over a month – taking the toll to 10,083, said the department in a release.

    The death was reported from Junagadh.

    The state last reported a COVID-19 fatality on September 3.

    A total 14 patients were discharged in the last 24 hours, which pushed the number of recovered cases to 8,15,776, the department said.

    As many as 180 patients are currently under treatment for COVID-19 in Gujarat and the condition of three of them is critical, it said.

    Over 5.12 lakh people received COVID-19 vaccine doses on Tuesday.

    With this, the number of vaccine doses administered so far in the state rose to 6.25 crore, the department said.

    District-wise, Surat reported the highest number of eight new cases, Valsad seven, Kheda, Rajkot two each, Ahmedabad, Junagadh, Navsari and Vadodara one each, the release said.

    The COVID-19 tally in the neighbouring Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu remained unchanged at 10,644 with no new case reported on Tuesday, officials said.

    With no new recovery, the number of discharged patients stood at 10,638.

    There are now two active cases in the UT, which has reported four deaths so far, they said.

    Gujarat’s COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 8,26,039, new cases 23, death toll 10,083, discharged 8,15,776, active cases 180, people tested so far (figures not released).

  • Ahmedabad to strengthen sewage treatment, stormwater drainage systems using Rs 3,000 crore from World Bank

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat government on Sunday said the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) will strengthen the city’s waste water management and stormwater drainage system using Rs 3,000 crore funds received from the World Bank under its resilient cities project.

    Netherlands-headquartered Royal HaskoningDHV has been hired as consultant for this purpose, it said.

    As part of its planning towards the goal to meet the city’s needs till 2045, the Ahmedabad civic body will increase the capacity of its five existing sewage treatment plants using technology upgrade at an investment of Rs 589 crore.

    This is being done to meet the new standards set by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the government said in an audio-visual presentation made at a programme here.

    The civic body will also invest another Rs 434 crore to set up four new sewage treatment plants to increase its drainage water treatment capacity, it said.

    Three tertiary treatment plants of 120 MLD each will be set up to supply treated water to industry and other uses at a cost of another Rs 290 crore, it said at a programme on Chief Minister Vijay Rupani completing five years in office.

    The civic body will also undertake rehabilitation of old sewage trunk lines to reduce issues of breakdowns, at a cost of Rs 285 crore, it said.

    With another Rs 205 crore, trenchless microtunneling lines will be laid in populated areas.

    Besides that, Rs 447 crore will be earmarked for stormwater lines and Rs 456 crore for Kharicut canal and lake development, it was revealed in the presentation.

    Kharicut canal is one of the oldest irrigation schemes that passes through the eastern part of the city and is also used to drain stormwater during monsoon.

    In a video message on the occasion, Country Director-India of the World Bank, Junaid Kamal Ahmad, said that Gujarat is at a stage of being called upon to speak on behalf of India, where the level of movement of people into cities and towns is unparalleled across history.

    “India needs to create resilient cities and cities that are capable of delivering services to its people.

    And today, what you will do in Gujarat by responding and strengthening urban governance will indeed lead the way for the future,” he said.

     

  • Over 80 per cent Ahmedabad population has COVID-19 antibodies: Survey

    People who have taken both doses of coronavirus vaccines had high levels of seropositivity as compared to those who were yet to be inoculated, officials said, citing findings of the recent survey.

  • Ensure civic bodies conform to state government’s policies on handling pandemic: Gujarat HC

    By PTI
    AHMEDABAD: Taking exception to a few decisions of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), the Gujarat High Court on Tuesday directed the state government to ensure that civic bodies act in accordance with its policies for containing the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The direction came after the AMC informed that it has withdrawn the rule that only those patients who are brought by ‘108’ ambulances be admitted to municipal hospitals or in the AMC’s quota in private hospitals for COVID-19 patients.

    “The state has to take care that none of the (municipal) corporations do their `manmani’ (behave arbitrarily). Corporations have to act in accordance with the policy of the state and in conformation with the state, and they cannot act on their own,” the court said, hearing a PIL, taken up suo motu (on its own), about the government’s handling of the pandemic.

    The court had last week directed that hospitals must attend to patients irrespective of whether they arrive in private vehicles or ‘108’ ambulances.

    The AMC on Tuesday said its order has been withdrawn, but also maintained that the policy was neither “mischievous” nor “overriding the state.”

    Advocate General Kamal Trivedi told the court that this `only 108 ambulances’ policy was sound till April 15, but not thereafter when the number of cases started rising fast.

    The court asked if he accepted that the state has been failing to supervise the situation and the AMC was behaving like an “undisciplined child.”

    AMC’s lawyer Mihir Joshi said the civic body was working “in tandem ” with the state government and it “still believes that a more efficient system is the centralised one” while it abides by the court’s orders.

    “It is not with a view to go against the state, it was felt necessary in the interest of the common man, and for an efficient administration process,” he said.

    In its earlier order, the court had said the ‘108’ ambulance facility is a state government scheme, and the corporation is bound to follow whatever guidelines or policy the state government formulates about its use.

    The court also refused to accept the AMC’s request to allow Ahmedabad residents to return to the city from other states without an RT-PCR test so far as the person is “leaving and returning within 72 hours.”

    The court said it was not inclined to make an exception for the city residents.

    The HC had in a past order said the AMC’s press note exempting residents of the city from obtaining RT-PCR negative report before returning from other states was contrary to the state’s notification that required anybody entering Gujarat to carry such a report.

    The court also highlighted inconsistency in the government’s data on the number of RT-PCR test machines available in various districts and the claims made in subsequent affidavits.

    AG Trivedi said 72 RT-PCR machines are operating in the state at present.

    When the court said it failed to understand how, despite an increase in the number of RT-PCR machines, the number of test results went down from 1,89,902 to 1,37,714 between Apr 23 to May 2, the AG said the test figures are “dynamic,” and nobody who seeks a test has been turned away.

    “People are being encouraged to take the test. If the number has gone down, it is because the test figure is dynamic,” he said.

    Government Pleader Manisha Lavkumar Shah, however, conceded that there were “some discrepancies with regard to the number (of tests).”

    The court directed the state government to submit the exact number.

    The Advocate General also informed that 32 PSA plants would be set up at government hospitals for the supply of medical oxygen.

    The delivery time for the import of raw material for these plants from Germany and France was two-three months, he said.

    The court also directed the government to give information about the availability of COVID-19 vaccine doses, and set up a mechanism for real-time allocation of beds for COVID-19 patients across all hospitals in municipal areas.

    It also sought a chart on the distribution of remdesivir injections in the state over the last 15 days, adjourning the hearing till May 11.

  • Ensure civic bodies conform to state government’s policies on handling pandemic: Gujarat HC

    By PTI
    AHMEDABAD: Taking exception to a few decisions of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), the Gujarat High Court on Tuesday directed the state government to ensure that civic bodies act in accordance with its policies for containing the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The direction came after the AMC informed that it has withdrawn the rule that only those patients who are brought by ‘108’ ambulances be admitted to municipal hospitals or in the AMC’s quota in private hospitals for COVID-19 patients.

    “The state has to take care that none of the (municipal) corporations do their `manmani’ (behave arbitrarily). Corporations have to act in accordance with the policy of the state and in conformation with the state, and they cannot act on their own,” the court said, hearing a PIL, taken up suo motu (on its own), about the government’s handling of the pandemic.

    The court had last week directed that hospitals must attend to patients irrespective of whether they arrive in private vehicles or ‘108’ ambulances.

    The AMC on Tuesday said its order has been withdrawn, but also maintained that the policy was neither “mischievous” nor “overriding the state.”

    Advocate General Kamal Trivedi told the court that this `only 108 ambulances’ policy was sound till April 15, but not thereafter when the number of cases started rising fast.

    The court asked if he accepted that the state has been failing to supervise the situation and the AMC was behaving like an “undisciplined child.”

    AMC’s lawyer Mihir Joshi said the civic body was working “in tandem ” with the state government and it “still believes that a more efficient system is the centralised one” while it abides by the court’s orders.

    “It is not with a view to go against the state, it was felt necessary in the interest of the common man, and for an efficient administration process,” he said.

    In its earlier order, the court had said the ‘108’ ambulance facility is a state government scheme, and the corporation is bound to follow whatever guidelines or policy the state government formulates about its use.

    The court also refused to accept the AMC’s request to allow Ahmedabad residents to return to the city from other states without an RT-PCR test so far as the person is “leaving and returning within 72 hours.”

    The court said it was not inclined to make an exception for the city residents.

    The HC had in a past order said the AMC’s press note exempting residents of the city from obtaining RT-PCR negative report before returning from other states was contrary to the state’s notification that required anybody entering Gujarat to carry such a report.

    The court also highlighted inconsistency in the government’s data on the number of RT-PCR test machines available in various districts and the claims made in subsequent affidavits.

    AG Trivedi said 72 RT-PCR machines are operating in the state at present.

    When the court said it failed to understand how, despite an increase in the number of RT-PCR machines, the number of test results went down from 1,89,902 to 1,37,714 between Apr 23 to May 2, the AG said the test figures are “dynamic,” and nobody who seeks a test has been turned away.

    “People are being encouraged to take the test. If the number has gone down, it is because the test figure is dynamic,” he said.

    Government Pleader Manisha Lavkumar Shah, however, conceded that there were “some discrepancies with regard to the number (of tests).”

    The court directed the state government to submit the exact number.

    The Advocate General also informed that 32 PSA plants would be set up at government hospitals for the supply of medical oxygen.

    The delivery time for the import of raw material for these plants from Germany and France was two-three months, he said.

    The court also directed the government to give information about the availability of COVID-19 vaccine doses, and set up a mechanism for real-time allocation of beds for COVID-19 patients across all hospitals in municipal areas.

    It also sought a chart on the distribution of remdesivir injections in the state over the last 15 days, adjourning the hearing till May 11.

  • COVID-19 vaccination for people aged above 45 suspended in Ahmedabad

    By PTI
    AHMEDABAD: The COVID-19 vaccination for people above the age of 45 was suspended at the civic-run facilities in Ahmedabad on Tuesday due to unavailability of vaccines, officials said.

    According to a release issued by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), the vaccination was also suspended for frontline and healthcare workers at the urban health centres, community health centres and civic-run hospitals and halls.

    The inoculation drive will resume for eligible citizens and workers once the AMC receives fresh vaccine stocks, the civic body said.

    The state had started vaccinating people in the age group of 18 to 44 years from May 1.

    The AMC said the inoculation process for people in the 18 to 44 age bracket is being carried out as per schedule at designated civic and private schools in Ahmedabad.

    In Surat also, the inoculation process using ‘Covishield’ vaccine for beneficiaries above the age of 45, healthcare and frontline workers remained suspended on Tuesday, the city civic body said in a release.

    The drive will remain suspended on Wednesday as well, the Surat Municipal Corporation said.

    According to the civic body, the inoculation drive for administering ‘Covaxin’ to beneficiaries above the age of 45 and ‘Covishield’ to people in the age group of 18 to 44 was going on across the city as per schedule.

    The number of COVID-19 cases in Gujarat reached 6,07,422 on Monday after 12,820 people were detected with the infection, while the day also saw 140 deaths and 11,999 people getting discharged, an official said.

    The state’s toll stands at 7,648 and the recovery count is 4,52,275, the official said, pointing out that the daily addition of cases and deaths were on the decline, while the number of people getting discharged was rising.

    The state’s active caseload is 1,47,499, of which 747 are on ventilator support.

    “Ahmedabad reported 4,671 cases, Surat 1,656, Vadodara 936, Jamnagar 712, Bhavnagar 571, Rajkot 524, Gandhinagar 317, and Junagadh 280. Ahmedabad also led in the number of deaths with 26, followed by 16 in Rajkot, 14 in Vadodara and 13 in Surat,” the official said.

    A release said 1,25,73,211 COVID-19 vaccination doses had been administered so far, with 26,31,820 patients being given the second dose as well.

    The number of people covered in the 18-44 segment on Monday was 27,272, it added.

    In neighbouring Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, the COVID-19 tally rose to 8,139 with 119 new cases, while the recovery count increased by 226 to touch 6,312.

    The UT has seen four deaths from the infection so far and has an active caseload of 1,829, an official said.

    Gujarat’s COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 6,07,422, new cases 12,820, death toll 7,648, discharged 4,52,275, active cases 1,47,499, people tested so far – figures not released.