1. Karnavati Name Change Opposed in HC
A PIL filed in the Gujarat High Court on Wednesday, 28 November, opposed the ruling BJP’s attempt to change Ahmedabad’s name to Karnavati. A division bench of acting Chief Justice Anant Dave and Justice Biren Vaishnav was hearing a petition filed by Hetvi Sancheti.
Sancheti has sought the court's intervention to prevent the government from renaming the city, contending that its existing name holds significance as a "cultural heritage of the people of Ahmedabad."
The name Ahmedabad is "deeply embedded in the cultural identities of Amdavadis irrespective of creed, caste and religion," she said, claiming that the renaming is being undertaken with the “ulterior motive of vote-bank politics.” The court asked her to find out what steps the government has taken for the proposed renaming.
(Source: Times of India)
2. 38 Lakh Apply for 12,000 Class III Gujarat Govt Jobs
Figures showing job applicants for different state government jobs were submitted before the state cabinet which showed 37.7 lakh youths had applied for 12,000 class III jobs. Of these 19 lakh, which is more than half the applicants have applied for 1,800 openings as panchayat talati. Sources say the figures will further rise as application deadlines are yet to arrive.
State Congress president Amit Chavda claimed that the figures indicate high rates of unemployment in the state, while the labour and employment minister Dilip Thakor claimed that a high number of applicants doesn’t mean a high unemployment rate in the state.
The forest beat guard saw the highest applications with 4.84 lakh applicants applying for just 334 openings or 1,449 applicants fighting for each vacancy.
(Source: Times of India)
3. 600 Medical Seats to be Added in Gujarat
Good news for medical applicants as 600 new seats will be added in the new academic year starting in 2019. Gujarat has 24 medical colleges which offer admissions to 4,000 students. This year, three colleges have applied for permission to add 150 student each, adding to Chandkheda-based K M Shah Medical College which had applied for 150 seats last year.
Inspection process has been concluded for three colleges located at Chandkheda, Nadiad and Visnagar; inspection at one college in Amreli is still pending. Yet another round of inspections will be held in March next year.
Sources claim that this will give colleges another chance to make necessary amends on the lacunae, if any, which were pointed out during the first round of inspection.
(Source: Times of India)
4. Can’t Control Dogs, How Do You Plan to Hold off Terrorists: HC Asks AAI
The Gujarat High Court dismissed a petition filed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to get rid of stray dog menace at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport with a chastising remark. Refusing to send civic body everyday to capture stray dogs, acting chief justice Anant Dave said, “With such a huge management you can’t even control dogs. How will you hold back terrorists?”
AAI had cited instances when flights were delayed after dogs strayed into the operational area. It even proposed killing the canines, but the court was not inclined to grant permission. The AAI claimed that AMC’s intervention is frequently needed, but no effective steps have been taken yet.
The court had decreed in December 2017 that it’s AAI’s duty to take appropriate measures to prevent stray dogs from entering the operational area.
(Source: Times of India)
5. Cops Bring Construction of Chapel to a Halt
Amid allegations that a member of the Christian community was building a chapel at a village in Dang district of south Gujarat after destroying idols of tribal deities, police have brought its construction to a halt. Police said, although, they found that the tribal deities had not been destroyed as alleged by a villager.
However, cops came to know that the land on which the chapel was being constructed belonged to the government. "The chapel was being constructed at Kadmal village in Subir taluka of Dang district, around 375 kms from here," Circle Police Inspector C N Parmar said.
Kadmal village has a population of around 300 people, of which, 30 per cent are Christians, the police officer said. "The revenue officials told us that the particular land actually belonged to the government. It was close to a reserve forest land. Therefore, we have stopped the construction of the chapel,” Parmar said.
(Source: PTI)
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