Slaughterhouse Row Rocks AMC Budget Meet

The Budget Session of the Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) for the financial year 2026–27 witnessed dramatic scenes and sharp political exchanges as BJP and opposition councillors clashed over a controversial proposal to construct a new slaughterhouse. Mayor Pratibha Jain passed a historic ₹18,518 crore annual budget with a majority vote, rejecting amendments proposed by the opposition and approving the Standing Committee’s recommendations. However, tensions escalated after Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani included a proposal to close the 103-year-old slaughterhouse in Jamalpur and build a modern facility at an estimated cost of Rs.32 crore. 

AIMIM councillor Zainab Bibi Sheikh demanded new slaughterhouses in Jamalpur and Mirzapur, citing unhygienic conditions at the existing facility and the need to curb illegal operations. BJP councillors strongly opposed the proposal, raising slogans of “Slaughterhouse will not be built,” leading to chaos inside the Mahatma Gandhi Hall at Sardar Patel Bhavan in Danapith, before the mayor intervened to restore order and clarified that no permission would be granted for a new slaughterhouse.

Simultaneously, the sealed PG (paying guest) accommodation issue added to the turmoil. Leaders of the Youth Congress, including Ahmedabad City Youth Congress President Imran Sandhi and Gujarat Youth Congress General Secretary Arth Amin, arrived late at night to raise concerns over PG units sealed by the civic body. Security personnel prevented them from entering the venue, prompting slogan-shouting protests outside. The Deputy Municipal Commissioner later assured them that discussions would be held with PG operators to find a resolution.

Opening her address with the Bhagavad Gita verse “Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam,” Mayor Jain described the budget as a roadmap for Ahmedabad’s comprehensive development aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Viksit Bharat @ 2047,” guided by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.

Major allocations include Rs.1,205 crore for municipal primary education, Rs.1,011 crore for the Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS) with a target to convert all buses to electric by 2030 under the Net-Zero 2070 goal, and Rs.212.87 crore for health institutions such as SVP Hospital, along with a Rs.50 crore super-speciality hospital in the eastern zone and new health centres across multiple areas. The corporation also announced relief measures, including a 12% rebate on advance property tax payments, an additional 1% rebate for online payments, up to 15% total rebate for three consecutive years of advance payment, and 100% lifetime vehicle tax exemption for electric vehicles. 

Environmental initiatives include Rs.50 crore for floating solar panels on the Sabarmati River and Lambha Lake, along with Oxygen Parks, Biodiversity Parks, and the “Mission Forty Lakh Trees” campaign aimed at expanding the city’s green cover.