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While the Bhupendra Patel-led government’s decision to set up a panel to implement the Uniform Civil Code was criticized by the opposition, there were also moments of celebration with Gujarat’s selection of the state as host of the 2030 Commonwealth Games and the encouraging turnout of Asiatic Lions.
On June 12, about 40 seconds after Air India flight AI 171 took off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport to London Gatwick, the Boeing plane crashed into a medical hostel complex, one of the worst aviation disasters in recent history.
The accident killed 241 people on board the plane, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, and 19 people on the ground, and shattered countless dreams across the world.
The videos were equally shocking, showing a bloodied and dazed man, an NRI from Diu based in London, walking out of the debris and saying “Plane fatyo chhe (the plane exploded)”.
Vishwas Kumar, who was on seat 11A, told the media that he had no idea how he survived. “I thought I was dead. Later, I realized I was alive and saw an opening in the torso,” he said. He untied himself, used his foot to push into the hole, and crawled out.
On June 0, the state was shaken by the partial collapse of a bridge on Mahisagar river near Gambhira village in Vadodara.
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Several vehicles using the four-decade-old overpass fell into the river, killing 21 people.
The government faced severe public criticism over lapses in the inspection of a major connector bridge between central Gujarat and the Saurashtra region.
In more serious incidents, 18 people lost their lives in April after an explosion and fire at a structure in Banaskantha district where firecrackers were allegedly stored and manufactured illegally.
In January a coast guard helicopter crashed at an air base on the outskirts of Porbandar city, killing three people. In September, six people were killed when a cable of a cargo ropeway snapped on the Pavagadh hill famous for the iconic Mahakalika temple in Panchmahal district.
On the political front, the BJP-led Gujarat government formed a committee under retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Desai to explore the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state and prepare a draft bill for it.
The opposition criticized the decision and accused the ruling party of trying to divert attention from core issues such as inflation and unemployment and raising concerns about its impact on minority and tribal communities.
There was much drama in the expansion of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel’s cabinet in October, when 19 new ministers were inducted and 10 existing ministers were dropped.
A day before this step, BJP had taken resignations from all the 16 ministers of Patel government. However, the resignations of six ministers were not accepted on the day of swearing-in. After the expansion, the number of Council of Ministers including the Chief Minister increased from 17 to 26.
Minister of State for Home Harsh Shanghvi was promoted as Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat. The 40-year-old MLA represents Surat’s Majura constituency.
In the by-elections held in June, former AAP state president Gopal Italia won the Visavadar seat in Junagadh district, while the BJP won the Kadi seat in Mehsana district. The results also prompted Congress state chief Shaktisinh Gohil to resign from his post.
Gujarat Police in November claimed to have busted a suspected terror syndicate that was planning to kill people by contaminating water sources across the country with ‘ricin’, a powerful poison.
Three people, including a doctor who had studied in China, were arrested. Police said the doctor and his handler were linked to the banned terrorist organization Islamic State Khorasan Province.
In a major operation against illegal immigrants, Gujarat Police in April caught more than 1,000 Bangladeshi nationals living without valid papers in Ahmedabad and Surat. Undocumented immigrants were later deported to their countries of origin.
This year has had its moments of cheering and roaring indeed.
Gujarat got the right to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games. In November, the Commonwealth countries approved this decision.
A census conducted in May estimated that the Asiatic lion population in the state had increased to 891 from 674 five years earlier.
Not only did the count increase by 217, but the big cats were also found outside their traditional habitat Gir National Park and spread across 11 districts of Saurashtra, including non-forest and coastal areas.