Auto-Taxi Strike Paralyzes Ahmedabad as Gujarat Moves on Narcotics and Hotel Investment
Ahmedabad faced compounding disruptions on September 7 as a drivers' strike choked the city's transit network and app-based cab services responded with sky-high surge pricing. Alongside the transport upheaval, Gujarat's state government moved to formalize its anti-drug enforcement architecture, and the international hospitality group Accor sealed a deal that will bring its Sofitel brand to the city within the decade.
Strike Leaves Commuters Stranded, App Cabs Charge Up to Rs 999 for 19 Kilometres
Auto-rickshaw and taxi driver unions called a citywide strike in Ahmedabad on September 7, withdrawing vehicles from service and leaving daily commuters, office workers, and airport travelers with sharply limited transit options. The principal cab aggregators — Uber, Ola, and Rapido — activated steep surge pricing to meet the surge in demand, with fares on some routes climbing as high as Rs 999 for a 19-kilometre journey, a figure that provoked outrage across social media and among affected residents. A handful of shuttle rickshaws attempted to run their usual routes but were quickly overwhelmed by the volume of stranded passengers at busy junctions across the city. The striking drivers are united around two core demands: a revised minimum fare of Rs 20 per kilometre, up from a level that unions say has been eroded by platform competition; and a complete ban on app-based two-wheeler bike taxi services, which they argue have cut their daily earnings by roughly half. Drivers claim that since bike taxi services expanded in Ahmedabad, their average trip count has fallen sharply and income has become unpredictable. The agitation, framed publicly under a Save Jobs banner, underscores a deepening confrontation between traditional transport workers and the gig economy platforms that have rapidly transformed urban mobility in Gujarat's commercial capital. [3]
Gujarat to Establish Dedicated Anti-Narcotics Wings Within Seven Days
The Gujarat government announced on September 7 that it will create dedicated operational Anti-Narcotics Wings within the state police force within the coming seven days. The announcement was framed against the track record of Gujarat police over the past five years, during which law enforcement registered more than 3,700 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act — a significant enforcement footprint that officials say now requires a permanent institutional structure to sustain. The creation of specialized anti-narcotics units signals an effort to convert sustained investigative momentum into durable organizational capacity rather than relying on ad hoc task forces or general crime branch personnel. Gujarat has long been identified as both a transit corridor and a consumption market for illicit narcotics, and state authorities have periodically intensified enforcement activity, particularly after high-profile seizures along the coastline. The new wings are expected to operate with personnel dedicated specifically to narcotics intelligence, interdiction coordination, and prosecution support — functions that officials say have previously been spread too thinly across general law enforcement. The announcement followed a series of enforcement drives that produced large seizures but also revealed coordination gaps. The decision to establish formal wings with a seven-day deadline suggests political urgency behind the structural reform. [6]
Accor Signs Agreement to Bring Sofitel Brand to Ahmedabad by 2030
French hospitality group Accor has signed a management agreement to open a Sofitel property in Ahmedabad, with the hotel scheduled to begin operations in 2030, according to hospitality trade publication Safari India. The Sofitel brand occupies the premium tier of Accor's portfolio and is positioned as a luxury offering that blends French art de vivre aesthetics with the cultural identity of the host city. The forthcoming Ahmedabad property will incorporate elements drawn from local culture into its design and hospitality philosophy — a strategy that Sofitel has applied across its international expansion. Ahmedabad's emergence as a destination for high-end international hotel brands reflects the city's expanding corporate and conference travel market, as well as its growing status as a heritage and cultural tourism destination, a standing reinforced since the historic walled city earned UNESCO World Heritage inscription. The 2030 opening timeline places the project several years out, but the signed management agreement marks a firm commitment from one of the world's largest hotel operators to Gujarat's commercial capital. Accor joins a growing list of global hospitality brands that have moved into or deepened their presence in Ahmedabad as domestic and international travel volumes in India continue to grow. [4]
Sources: [3] english.gujaratsamachar.com · [6] The New Indian Express · [4] safariindia.com