Gujarat Politics & Governance

Bhavnagar reports readmission of 4,455 primary-school dropouts

1 July 2026

Bhavnagar district education officials reported that 4,455 children who had left primary school the previous year were readmitted. The department is also monitoring children who have migrated and is pursuing registration in Gujarat Open School for some secondary-school students whose parents do not want them to continue in regular school.

The government’s stated target is to bring the dropout ratio to zero in the district and state by 2030.

Key Facts

• The Right to Education Act gives children aged 6–14 a right to free, compulsory education under Article 21A.

Three spans of Ahmedabad’s Subhash Bridge demolished

1 July 2026

Three spans of Ahmedabad’s Subhash Bridge in the riverbed were demolished, and debris removal began. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation said the work was carried out under expert supervision without an incident and that the area was barricaded during the operation.

The bridge is being removed for replacement; a reported construction period of about 16 months is an estimate, not a confirmed completion date.

Foundation stone laid for ₹127-crore IITE campus and hostel in Gandhinagar

1 July 2026

A foundation stone was laid in Gandhinagar for new academic and administrative buildings and a hostel at the Indian Institute of Teacher Education (IITE). The state government approved a ₹127-crore grant for the planned facilities, including science laboratories, seminar rooms, a library, a museum and sports facilities.

The proposed hostel is intended to accommodate more than 600 students; the ceremony marked the start of the project, not its completion.

Key Facts

• Established by Gujarat in 2010, IITE is a state university focused on teacher education.

Gujarat High Court rules registration alone cannot validate a Hindu marriage

1 July 2026

The Gujarat High Court set aside a Family Court order and declared an alleged Hindu marriage void, holding that registration alone cannot establish a valid marriage if the required rites and ceremonies have not taken place. The Court referred to Section 7 of the Hindu Marriage Act, which requires solemnisation according to applicable customary rites and ceremonies.

It also clarified that registration under Section 8 records a marriage but does not itself create one.

Key Facts

• Under Section 8 of the Hindu Marriage Act, registration facilitates proof of a marriage; it does not replace the ceremonies required for solemnisation under Section 7.

Rajkot district opens 16 taluka-level land-record offices

1 July 2026

Sixteen taluka-level Inspector of Land Records (ILR) offices began operating in Rajkot district, decentralising land-record services previously handled at district level. Services include land measurement, resurvey corrections, rights verification and property-card applications and amendments.

The offices also handle work related to the Swamitva and land-consolidation schemes, bringing these services closer to residents and landholders.

Gujarat announces market-value-based compensation for farmland power lines

3 July 2026

Gujarat announced revised compensation for power lines crossing farmland, changing the basis from twice the jantri rate to twice the prevailing market value. The announced changes also provide for an additional one-metre margin around each side of a tower base and advance payment; a Market Rate Committee, including farmer representatives, is to determine land values.

Key Facts

• The proposed Market Rate Committee includes affected farmers’ representatives and authorised market valuers to help assess land values.

Gujarat reports distribution of 212 sewer-cleaning machines to urban bodies

3 July 2026

The Gujarat government told the High Court that 212 sewer- and drain-cleaning machines had been distributed to urban local bodies. The state said the equipment—including jetting-cum-suction, de-silting and jetting machines—was intended to support mechanised cleaning without workers entering sewers. The petitioner questioned whether the machines were being used and whether manual sewer entry had stopped.

Key Facts

• Mechanised sewer-cleaning equipment is intended to reduce hazardous manual sewer entry by workers.

Dabha bridge closed to traffic for 60 days

4 July 2026

The Aravalli district collector ordered the Dabha bridge over the Vatrak river, on the Bayad–Dahegam road, closed to traffic for 60 days. The order followed a Roads and Buildings Department technical inspection that found the bridge’s condition to be weak.

Vehicles were directed to use alternative routes via Tenpur, Limb, Rozad, Vadagam and Dhansura, with routes varying by direction and vehicle type.

Cable-stayed flyover opens ...