Ahmedabad News Roundup | SVPI airport breaks 3-yr record, city sees rise in swine flu cases & more

From a surprising increase in swine flu cases across Ahmedabad to the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport breaking its 3-year passenger movement record, catch up with the latest happenings of the city with this Ahmedabad News Roundup.

Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport has trumped its 3-year record of the highest passenger movement within a financial year. With 1,15,87,899 passengers and 88,305 flights, Ahmedabad airport experience a rather busy year. After the recent announcement of new direct international flights and domestic routes, this record is also expected to be broken soon.

In the voting to be held for Lok Sabha elections on May 7, Ahmedabad will have a total 1,05,569 first-time voters. Out of these new voters, there will be 64,839 men and 40,727 women. It is noteworthy that polling for general elections in India will take place in seven phases across the country.

In a bid to make the city completely 'Rabies free' by 2030, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has put together a comprehensive plan. In light of this, the body is preparing a set of guidelines that will cater to both pet dog and stray populations. RFID tracking and vaccinating strays will also be done in the city, as a bid to achieve this ambitious goal.

Eicher Trucks & Buses has continued to expand on its presence in Ahmedabad with the inauguration of its new state-of-the-art dealership in the city. Located at a distance of 20-km from the city center, this new dealership is expected to cater to a multitude of commercial vehicle needs for the those living in and around Ahmedabad.

Ahmedabad is witnessing a significant rise in flu cases with the health department reporting 173 swine flu cases, 85 jaundice cases, 562 cases of diarrhea, and 204 typhoid cases. The alarming thing about this rise in cases is that such a hike in swine flu cases is quite rare in summers and the numbers are increasing despite the mercury already touching 40°C.

In a bid to protect Asiatic lions in the Gir forest from incidents related to trains and railway tracks, AI enabled night-vision cameras will come up at sections of tracks between Sasan and Visavadar, and on other routes skirting the Gir sanctuary. This is being done after a reprimand from Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal regarding deaths of Asiatic Lions. The goal is to keep a vigil eye on these big cats.