Ahmedabad continues to lead as India’s most affordable major city for housing, AMC to distribute free Tulsi plants for Mission Million Trees initiative, Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project's first undersea tunnel, and more. Catch up with the latest news of your city with this Ahmedabad News Roundup.

Ahmedabad has retained its title as the most affordable major city in India for housing since 2019, according to a recent report by real estate consultancy Knight Frank India.

The company’s Affordability Index, which measures the ratio of equated monthly instalment (EMI) to income for an average household, revealed that in Ahmedabad, 21% of a person’s income is required to repay a home loan. Pune and Kolkata follow closely at 24% each.

As part of the Mission Million Trees initiative, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) will distribute free Tulsi plants at various temples across the city. Citizens can collect these plants from designated mandirs on the 14th and 15th of August.

In an effort to foster a love for reading among students, the government is set to launch the Vanche Gujarat 2.0 campaign, which will introduce a dedicated 20-minute daily reading period in schools. This initiative encourages students to explore books beyond their academic curriculum.

The campaign, which aims to reach a broader audience, including colleges, will have schools plan daily reading time for primary and secondary students. Additionally, schools will schedule specific periods for extracurricular reading, and the state government will organise reading training camps for both teachers and students.

The ambitious Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project will feature an undersea tunnel, stretching 7 kilometers beneath the ecologically sensitive Thane Creek. This tunnel marks a critical phase in the project, with the tunnel boring machine (TBM) expected to become operational by the end of this year.

The weather department has forecasted that Gujarat will experience light showers with occasional thunder over the next five days, but heavy rainfall is unlikely. The offshore trough system affecting the state is easing, leading to widespread but mild rains across Gujarat, including Ahmedabad. So far, the state has received more than adequate rainfall for the season.