Rajkot: A medicinal storehouse by itself, guggulu, or botanically known as commiphora, has been preserved by the forest department and several farmers of Bhuj and Nakhatrana talukas even as the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has declared the plant critically endangered.
Pharma companies as well as Ayurvedic drug manufacturers use the plant’s gum resin to make drugs used for arthritis, lowering cholesterol, weight loss and a few skin diseases besides reducing blood sugar levels.
Forest department in Kutch is cultivating this medicinal plant in around 5,000 hectare area with grants specially received from Ayush ministry’s National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB). Nearly 15 to 20 farmers in Bhuj and Nakhatrana talukas of Kutch are cultivating the plant in the wasteland.
SP Swami was served the notice by Botad collector
Rajkot: Botad district collectorate issued an externment and a show cause notice to Gadhada-based sadhu of Swaminarayan sect, SP Swami, asking him to explain why he should not be externed from the six districts.
The notice follows the ongoing rift between the two groups of Vadtal division of Swaminarayan sect Acharya Paksh and Dev Paksh of which, S P Swami belongs to the former group. The rivalry between the two groups originates from their aim to take control of various temples of Swaminarayan temple and the acrimony often turned bloody too in the past.
Amra Boricha
RAJKOT: As many as 2,000 people from across Gujarat are expected to gather to pay tribute to slain Dalit RTI activists Amra Boricha in Sanodar village of Bhavnagar district on Sunday. In wake of congregating which will include Dalit leaders, the district administration has deployed heavy security in the village and strengthened the patrolling to avoid any untoward incident.
Boricha was killed in his house allegedly by members of upper caste community on March 2 following a victory procession after the election results of the local body was declared. It was alleged by Boricha’s family that the murder was a fallout of a past dispute between the deceased and the accused over filing of police complaint. The accused had also allegedly pressurised Boricha to withdraw the complaint. Boricha who was under police protection was attacked by the accused armed with sharp-edged weapons, iron pipes and sticks.
Representative image
RAJKOT: Selling non-veg food on Maha Shivratri proved costly for Sahili Shakir Ganibhai. Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) has lodged a complaint against Sahili with the Rajkot taluka police station under the section 188 of IPC which deals with the violation of notification issued by the local authority.
RMC had issued a notification prohibiting the sale or storage of meat, fish, chicken and mutton on March 11, the day Maha Shivratri was celebrated. Moin Saeed, an inspector from the solid waste management department of RMC, filed a complaint with the police that the accused, in violation of the order issued by RMC commissioner, was running a Bilali Biryani food parcel service.
aRajkot: A diamond worker in Surat, who allegedly took to crime to fund the treatment of his paralytic wife, was arrested by Junagadh crime branch for stealing two bikes. Jenti Bhambhani, a resident of Mendarda, sold one of the stolen bikes while he was arrested while trying to decamp with the other. The police have recovered both the bikes.
Acting on a tip-off, the Junagadh crime branch intercepted Bhambhani’s bike. On inspection it was found that the chassis number of the bike was tampered with. Bhambhani also failed to produce documents of the bike.
On questioning, Bhambhani admitted that he stole bikes from Katargam area with the help of duplicate keys and transported them to Junagadh. He also added that his wife suffered a paralytic attack and he committed the thefts to fund her treatment, police informed.