1. Guj Cops Form Teams to Trace Couple, Actor Tweets for Info
Gujarat police formed teams to trace a 24-year-old woman and her male friend who went missing on 30 September from Ahmedabad's Navrangpura area, an official said on Friday.
Vrushti Jasubhai (24) and her friend Shivam Patel (25) were last seen outside the latter's house in Navrangpura, the official said, adding that kin of both persons had filed police complaints.
"Vrushti's parents left for Portugal on 30 September. Her driver then left her at Shivam's house. Later in the evening, the two hailed an autorickshaw. They have not been seen since and their phones are switched off," said Assistant Commissioner of Police L B Zala.
He said teams had been formed to trace the couple.
(Source: Business Standard)
2. No Holiday Cheer as Bookings Fall by 20% in Gujarat
The travel industry is not immune to the economic slowdown faced by other sectors in the state. With Diwali vacations hovering at the end of the month, tour operators and travel agents are complaining that compared to the holiday season of 2018, bookings have dropped by 20% to 30% this year.
With airfares refusing to budge, they say that the possibility of revellers flying to long-distance destinations is extremely limited. This leaves room for trips to destinations within the state or in neighbouring states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh or Maharashtra.
Many operators are alarmed as they felt the recent GST cut on room tarriffs would have attracted customers. "Bookings have dropped by 20-30 per cent compared to last year," said Anuj Pathak, president of Tour Operators and Travel Agents Association of Gujarat (TAG).
(Source: DNA)
3. Scribe Alleges Abduction, Assault Against Gujarat BJP Leader's Kin
A reporter of a Gujarati news channel told police on Friday, 4 October that he was abducted and beaten by a BJP leader's brother in Gujarat's Banaskantha district, an official said.
According to the channel, their Banaskantha reporter Kuldeep Parmar was abducted and mercilessly thrashed by one Vadansinh Barad, the latter claiming to be the brother of local BJP leader L K Barad.
Parmar was attacked when he had gone to Kuvarsi in Danta taluka to uncover alleged irregularities by Vadansinh Barad at a government-funded resident school for tribal students, claimed the channel.
(Source: Business Standard)
4. Woman Jumps From Building, Falls on Old Man; Both Die
In a freak incident in the wee hours of Friday, a 30-year-old woman jumped from the 13th floor of a building in Amraiwadi as she made an attempt at suicide but ended up falling on a senior citizen killing both on the spot.
Some of the residents who were out on a morning walk and had witnessed the incident informed the police about the incident. The two were immediately rushed to a nearby hospital. However, they were declared brought dead.
Police said that Mamta Rathi, a visitor to Parishkar Residential Societies Block E in Amraiwadi jumped from the balcony of the 13th-floor apartment. She fell on Babubhai Gamit, 69, a resident of the same society who was out for a morning walk.
(Source: DNA)
5. Extend Crop Damage Claim Date: Ex-Minister Jayanti Kavadiya to Gujarat Govt
Former minister and BJP MLA Jayanti Kavadiya has written to the state government seeking their intervention in extending the deadline to file for insurance claims in case of crop loss.
In a letter to Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Kavadiya said that the last date for filing claims for crop loss under the crop insurance scheme was October 1, 2019. "It has been brought to our notice that many farmers have missed the deadline and we request you to extend the same," said Kavadiya.
He said the crop loss due to excess rainfall this year has severely affected the cotton, groundnut and sesame crop. "Not just Morbi, but almost all districts have been affected. Extending the deadline to file for the insurance claims will benefit a lot of the farmers," said Kavadiya.
(Source: DNA)
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