Cricket World Cup: Hotel room tariff in Ahmedabad, airfares shoot up ahead of India-Australia final
Ahmedabad (PTI): Hotel room tariff in Gujarat's Ahmedabad and airfares to the city have skyrocketed in view of the soaring demand from people who want to witness the cricket World Cup final match between India and Australia to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium here on the coming Sunday.
As the fever for the world cup final is reaching its peak, hotel room tariffs for the night of the match have gone up as high as Rs 2 lakh in top five-star hotels in the city, while other hotels have also increased their rates by five to seven times.
"There is enthusiasm for the world cup final not only in India, but people from abroad including places like Dubai, Australia and South Africa want to come to watch the match," President of Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of Gujarat Narendra Somani said.
"There are 5,000 rooms in three stars and five star hotels in Ahmedabad, while the number for entire Gujarat is 10,000. The capacity of the Narendra Modi Stadium is over 1.20 lakh people and we expect that 30,000 to 40,000 people will come from outside to watch the match," he said.
As the demand for hotel rooms is high, their rates are also increasing, he said, adding that the rooms which were available at nominal rates earlier have touched anywhere between Rs 50,000 and Rs 1.25 lakh.
"People tend to book the flight tickets first before booking hotels. The room prices are going to increase not only in Ahmedabad but in the surrounding towns also as the match day comes near," he said.
Online rates on various hotel booking sites of five-star hotels have reached around Rs 2 lakh per night. The tariff mentioned by hotels like ITC Narmada and Hyatt Regency online is more than Rs 2 lakh on the night of the match.
Even non-star hotels have increased their rates five to seven times to cash in on the rush.
Hotel Crown on C G Road, which generally charges Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 per night, has increased its rate to over Rs 20,000, its staff confirmed.
Meanwhile, airfares from different destinations to Ahmedabad have drastically gone up as compared to the normal rates.
For flights coming from Chennai, the rates in normal times are around Rs 5,000, but they are now Rs 16,000 to Rs 25,000.
"Due to high demand for Ahmedabad, airfares for flights to the city from almost all places have risen three to five times," said Manubhai Pancholi, a travel agent.
"Cricket fans are ready to pay the high prices to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and witness India play the finals in their home country. The demand for hotels and tickets is on the rise," he said.
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Passing out parade held at IMA Dehradun, 491 young officers join Indian Army
Dehradun(PTI): After undergoing rigorous training at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun, 491 cadets participated in a grand Passing Out Parade on Saturday and will now be commissioned as officers in the Indian Army.
The spectacular parade, held at the historic Drill Square in front of the academy's Chatwood Building, was reviewed by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, who served as the reviewing officer.
Along with 491 Indian cadets, 34 foreign cadets from 14 friendly countries also participated in the Autumn Term 2025 Passing Out Parade.
A total of 525 officer cadets from the 157th Regular Course, 46th Technical Entry Scheme, 140th Technical Graduate Course, 55th Special Commissioned Officers Course, and Territorial Army Online Entrance Exam 2023 Course participated in the Passing Out Parade.
The 'Sword of Honour' and gold medal for securing first place during training was awarded to ACA Nishkal Dwivedi, the silver medal to BUO Badal Yadav for second place, and the bronze medal to SUO Kamaljeet Singh for third place.
The silver medal for securing first place in the 'Technical Graduate Course' was awarded to Officer Cadet Jadhav Sujit Sampat, and the silver medal for first place in the 'Technical Entry Scheme-46' was awarded to WCC Abhinav Mehrotra.
The silver medal for the 'Special Commission Officer Course' was given to Officer Cadet Sunil Kumar Chhetri.
Among the foreign cadets, the first place in merit was secured by JUO Mohammad Safin Ashraf from Bangladesh. The Army Chief's Banner for overall best performance in the Autumn Term was awarded to Imphal Company.
As the parade concluded, helicopters showered flowers on the newly commissioned officers from the sky.
On this occasion, General Dwivedi congratulated the new officers in his address for successfully completing their training. He praised the young officers for their high level of discipline, leadership qualities, and endurance, and urged them to uphold the glorious traditions of the Indian Army and serve the nation with loyalty, commitment, and honour.
General Dwivedi said that joining the army marks the beginning of a lifelong duty and selfless service.
The parents and guardians of the newly commissioned officers were also present during the passing out parade.
