Ahmedabad’s 108 emergency service has prepared a special response plan for Navratri, placing ambulances, control-room staff and medical officers on round-the-clock standby as the city prepares for increased accident and trauma cases during the nine-day festival.
According to a report by Sandesh, the plan covers vehicle trauma, including road accidents, and non-vehicle trauma such as falls, fainting and other physical injuries. The heightened deployment is linked to late-night garba events, heavy traffic movement and crowds around venues across Ahmedabad and surrounding areas.
The emergency service’s previous data analysis indicates that road accidents rise during Navratri, particularly because of speeding late at night and increased traffic pressure. More than 100 road accidents are recorded on average during the day over the festival period, the report said.
During the nine Navratri days in 2025, 1,092 serious accident cases were recorded in Ahmedabad and surrounding areas, according to the figures cited in the report. The 108 emergency teams reached the incident locations and provided immediate life-saving treatment.
The emergency response plan also covers injuries arising from fights and disputes. Such cases reportedly increase by more than 10% compared with ordinary days, with late-night events, parking disputes and crowd-related confrontations identified as contributing circumstances. In 2025, around 1,218 cases involving fights and physical injuries were reported during the nine-day Navratri period, Sandesh said.
To reduce response times and improve access to treatment during the golden hour, ambulances are being positioned near major garba grounds, large party plots, clubs, sensitive areas and key traffic junctions. The deployment is intended to allow emergency vehicles to reach crowded festival locations more quickly when a medical call is received.
Additional staff and medical officers will be assigned to the control room during the festival. The arrangement is designed to support faster call handling and coordination between emergency callers, ambulances and medical teams.
The emergency service has appealed to garba participants and motorists to drive carefully at night and contact the 108 helpline without delay during a medical emergency. The operational focus on venue-adjacent ambulance placement reflects the challenge of providing emergency access in areas where festival crowds, parked vehicles and late-night traffic can slow movement.
The special deployment will remain focused on the Navratri period, with the 108 service continuing its round-the-clock readiness across Ahmedabad and the wider area during the festival.
