Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's convoy stopped for a brief time to give way to an ambulance while traveling to Gandhinagar from Ahmedabad on Friday. A video shared by the Gujarat BJP's media cell shows two SUVs, which were part of the prime minister's convoy, slowly moving to the left side on the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar road to give way to the ambulance.
The incident took place when Modi was on his way to the Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar after finishing his public rally near Doordarshan Centre in Ahmedabad in the afternoon. "On the way to Gandhinagar from Ahmedabad, PM Modi's carcade stopped to give way to an ambulance," the Gujarat BJP said in a statement.
According to the information received by ETV Bharat, the ambulance was carrying a 90-year-old woman who had suffered a heart attack. The incident has however raised questions about the rules and regulations that are to be followed while a Prime Minister's convoy is passing through a city. As per the traffic rules, ambulances should be given priority even in the case of VVIP movements such as this. Accordingly, the deployed traffic police officials let the ambulance pass through the route that the PM's convoy was supposed to follow. PM's convoy thereafter was cleared on his demands and the ambulance was allowed to pass.
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Speaking to ETV Bharat, Ahmedabad Traffic Joint Police Commissioner Mayanksinh Chawda said that the ambulance came from between Thaltej and Charodi, while there was a time gap of 5 minutes between the ambulance and the PM's convoy. It was headed to SGVP Hospital in the Shahibaug area of Ahmedabad, he further informed.
Arjun Pala, the driver of the 108 Ambulance carrying the old woman, said he received input at 12:53 pm of an emergency case of heart attack from Rolls Royal in Gota via a phone call. "When the ambulance left the patient's home towards the hospital, the PM's convoy had just left Sarkhej for Gandhinagar Raj Bhavan. We were allowed to pass. Perhaps because of the siren, the PM gave orders for the convoy to be cleared when we reached the service road. We were able to safely transport the patient to the hospital in time," the driver informed ETV Bharat.
On his second day of the Gujarat visit, Modi flagged off the Gandhinagar-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express train and also launched the first phase of the Ahmedabad Metro rail project. In the evening, the prime minister was in Banaskantha district to address a public gathering and perform the aarti at the famous Ambaji temple.
