AMC introduces entry fee for Gotila Garden and Oxygen Park, rumours spread of a Coldplay concert in Ahmedabad causing hotel prices to surge, city schools to add 100 more ‘Samvedana Boxes’ for student well-being, and more. Stay updated with the latest in the city in this Ahmedabad news roundup.

Visitors to Gotila Garden and the newly opened Oxygen Park on Sindhu Bhavan Road will now have to pay a ₹10 entry fee, as per the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s (AMC) latest decision. Morning walkers, however, will be exempt from this charge between 6 am and 10 am.

In a first for the city, AMC will also introduce entry passes for the gardens, allowing visitors to pay a monthly fee upfront for unlimited access.

After Coldplay’s Mumbai concert tickets sold out within minutes, Indian fans have renewed hope with rumours suggesting a second show in the country. Unconfirmed reports on social media indicate that Chris Martin and his band might perform at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on January 25, 2025.

While nothing is confirmed, this speculation has sparked excitement among fans and led to a surge in hotel bookings across Ahmedabad.

Ahmedabad’s District Education Office has announced plans to install 100 additional ‘Samvedana (Empathy) Boxes’ across schools, allowing students to anonymously express concerns and seek guidance on various issues.

This initiative, part of the ‘Sarthi Project,’ aims to help students voice personal matters, such as academic stress, relationships, mental health, addiction, and the pressures of social media. With this expansion, the total number of empathy boxes in the city will reach 200, providing a safe outlet for more students.

For the first time since its inception, IIM Ahmedabad will introduce a reservation policy for PhD admissions, following the government’s guidelines on seat allocation for underrepresented communities.

This significant shift follows years of advocacy by SC/ST groups and a 2021 Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Global IIM Alumni Network in the Gujarat High Court. The move brings IIM Ahmedabad in line with 10 other IIMs, which have already adopted similar policies for their doctoral programs.

The Supreme Court has upheld a Gujarat High Court decision rejecting the appeal of private bus owners seeking to operate their vehicles in city areas during the day. The bus owners had challenged a police commissioner’s notification banning heavy vehicle entry between 8 am and 10 pm to reduce traffic congestion and enhance road safety.

The court’s ruling maintains the current restrictions, limiting heavy vehicles to night operations in urban areas.