Train Services Remain Suspended as Bihar Struggles to Recover from Monsoon Floods

Source: weather.com

As the floodwater recedes, daily life in the flood-affected Bihar is yet to regain normalcy. Train services on the Samastipur-Darbhanga section in Bihar remain suspended, as bridge number 16 between Hayaghat and Thalwar under Samastipur continues to face the floodwater threat.

Speaking to The Times of India, an East Central Railway official confirmed that 11 passenger trains have been cancelled so far, and at least eight more have been short-terminated. Safety staff members from the engineering and traffic wings have been deployed at multiple strategic points to keep tabs on the water levels at every bridge in Samastipur.

On Monday, the death toll in the state reached 127, while over 85 lakh people are estimated to be affected by the flooding. The massive deluge that hit Bihar earlier this month was caused by torrential rainfall in the northern parts of the state as well as the Terai region of Nepal. The Centre has continued to assist the state government, with PM Narendra Modi personally coordinating with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar.

The India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) data shows that, despite the late arrival of monsoon, Bihar has received slightly more than average rainfall in this season. The seasonal normal for Bihar is 496.3 mm. However, the state has received 513.3 mm until July 29. The forecasts show that Bihar is likely to receive isolated rainfall and thunderstorms in one or two places for the next few days.

Accidents, Intimidation And A Lot More. Even In 2019, Getting Justice For A Rape Survivor Remains A Huge Challenge

Source: indiatimes.com

On Sunday, July 29th a woman set herself on fire outside the Vaishali Nagar police station in Jaipur after the cops allegedly failed to act on a rape complaint she had filed over a month ago.

The woman, who is married and had a son had alleged that a relative had raped her and blackmailed for years while her husband, an army man was away for duty.

On Sunday, she reportedly went to the Police Station to meet the SHO and after it failed she took out petrol from her two-wheeler and set herself on fire. The woman who was seriously injured was rushed to a hospital where she died a day later. 

Her husband had alleged that the cops did not act on the complaint as they had taken a huge amount from the accused to hush up the case.

Last week, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had tweeted a video which was shot inside a police station in Kanpur.

In the video, the cops are seen harassing a 16-year-old girl after she went to the police station to file a complaint of molestation.

The cops instead of filing the FIR went on a victim-shaming spree and the head constable was even seen “interrogating” the teen.

He goes on to question why she was wearing jewellery like a ring and a necklace.

You don’t study. So much jewellery, why are you wearing it? What’s the use of these? This just shows what you really are,” the cop is heard saying in the video.

He then went on to give a lecture to the parents about the girl’s character.

A 17-year-old girl from Unnao, UP had filed a rape case against the local MLA Kuldeep Sengar in June 2017. But for nearly ten months nothing happened and in April 2018 the girl attempted to set herself on fire outside the residence of CM Yogi Adityanath to demand justice.  

These are three recent cases that have been once again highlighted the plight a rape or molestation victim has to go through to get justice.

These are not isolated cases, over the years there have been innumerable cases from across India where the rape survivor had to take the extreme step because the police failed to act on her complaint. 

Due to the stigma attached to being identified as a rape victim, the majority of rape incidents do not get reported and the victims will live a life of silent suffering. It takes a certain amount of courage and trust in the system for a rape survivor to come out and file a complaint. But once those who are supposed to give justice to her fails to do so, it is not just them failing, it is the system that failed the rape victim. She will then be forced to take desperate steps like a hunger strike, public protest or even suicide.

Patna High School turns 100: Week- long centennial celebration kicks off

Source: hindustantimes.com

The prestigious Patna High School campus has turned 100 this year. The school management along with its alumni association has planned a series of programs to celebrate the grand occasion.

In fact, the week long celebrations have already begun from Monday and would culminate on August 4 with a gala event that would see scores of dignitaries from across the nation, most of them the institute alumni, converging on the campus to relive the fond memories of their school days and wish well for their alma mater.

An organising team has been formed to make all necessary arrangements and see through successful completion of the events.  The campus is already gripped with fervour. 

On Monday, an essay writing competition was held among the present students. According to school officials, different competitions including painting, math quiz, and athletics will be held and the winners will be awarded on August 4.

As per the managing committee, Vice-President of India M Venkaiah Naidu, Governors of Bihar and Sikkim, union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, chief minister Nitish Kumar, deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, education Minister Krishna Nandan Prasad Verma, members of parliament R K Sinha, C P Thakur, legislators Abdul Bari Siddiqui and Sanjeev Chaurasiya have confirmed to attend the function.

Patna High School Principal Ravi Ranjan, who himself is an alumnus of the school, shed light on the current challenges facing by the school. He said, “Notwithstanding the school’s glorious history, in the present scenario its stature has witnessed decline due to deteriorating infrastructure and lack of teachers. We are expecting a change in fate after the visit of Vice-president Naidu and may the school get reasons to rejuvenate again.”  

Raj Shekhar Gupta, general secretary of Patna High School Alumni Association, said, “All eyes are set for the August 4 gala event. In the morning, the visiting guests would garland the statute of Rajendra Prasad Singh, a former student of the school, who was among the seven youths killed in the infamous Patna Secretariat firing case during the Quit India Movement in August 1942. Singh’s statue stands tall on the campus even today.”

“In the second half, the students of batch 1960-70 and retired teachers of the school would be honoured followed by cultural programme”, added Gupta.

Patna University teachers to go on strike against new salary payment system

Source: hindustantimes.com

With thousands of teachers and employees of schools, colleges and universities still awaiting their monthly salaries and struggling with backlogs, Patna University teachers’ and employees’ associations have announced to go on a two-day strike on August 2 and 3, against the likely move to stop the old system and follow a new one.

Under the new centralised finance management system (CFMS), the salary to university and college teachers and employees will be paid through the treasury, instead of earlier system of releasing grants for varsities.

A couple of months ago, there was problem in salary payment in many universities after the old system was stopped for many universities without putting the CFMS wholly in place. PU is the only university that somehow manages timely salary payment through internal resources,  

“The CFMS system has not been successful in ensuring timely payment of salaries in any university. Alarmed by this, we had approached the Patna high court and the matter is pending there. Prior to this also, the teachers’ association had approached the HC. The HC had directed PU to ensure salary payment to its staff on the first day of every month by any source,” the leaders of two associations have written to vice-chancellor RB Prasad Singh.

The leaders have said that they would continue their protest against Bihar government’s unclear policies and the new system of salary payment, as it was unlikely to ensure timely payment. “At present, at least PU manages timely payment through internal resources to spare the teachers and employees from hassles,” they added.

The leaders have also voiced concern over the delay and mode of payment. “If the government will make net salary payment and not gross payment, it might again take months to get back the lawful deductions,” they added.

Officials in the department of education, however, said once the CFMS becomes fully functional, salary payment would be streamlined. 

BJP kicks off preparations for Jharkhand Assembly polls

Source: newsd.in

Ranchi, July 29 (IANS) Speculations are rife that Jharkhand polls, due early 2020, may take place along with Haryana and Maharashtra by the end of the year. The ruling BJP has not officially said anything but has begun its preparations, ensuring benefits of schemes reach people and launching a membership drive.

The tenure of Haryana and Maharashtra assemblies are ending on November 2 and 11, respectively and that of Jharkhand on January 5, 2020. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP favouring simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, the party may set an example by holding Assembly polls together.

The party, however, says that no decision has been taken on holding Assembly polls, along with the two other states. “There is no information of advancing the Assembly poll in the state,” BJP leader Ravi Bhatt told IANS.

Asked about the timing of polls, state BJP spokesman Shivapujan Pathak told IANS that the “party has started poll preparations. It is up to the party’s central leaders to decide whether polls will be held on schedule time or advanced”.

“Our membership drive is going at large scale…. We have set target of 25 lakh new members in the state,” he added.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Raghubar Das has swung into action, with the state government fixing September 30 for distributing free gas cylinders to the remaining 14 lakh families.

Jharkhand, which has already distributed free gas cylinders to 29 lakh families, has also announced to refill the cylinder at free of cost.

The state is focusing to cover all its people under the Ayushman Bharat and other social schemes.

The Chief Minister has directed the officials to complete major state and centre sponsored schemes by August 31 and September 30, respectively.

Government sources also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to make two to three visits to the state in August and September to launch agriculture-related schemes and inaugurate the multi-modal terminal on the Ganga in Sahebganj district.

On the International Day of Yoga, Modi had chosen Ranchi to attend the programme, which was attended by more than 35,000 people.

The BJP is enthused by the Lok Sabha poll outcome, where it won 12 of the state’s 14 Lok Sabha seats, defeating the grand alliance of the Congress, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik and the Rashtriya Janata Dal. While the Congress and the JMM managed to win one seat each, JMM President and former Chief Minister Shibu Soren lost his traditional Dumka seat.

Meanwhile, the membership drive is carried out on an intensive level, especially among the rural areas. BJP Working President J.P. Nadda had also recently visited the state to participate in membership drive campaign and discuss poll preparations with local leaders.

BJP national Vice President Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is in charge of the membership campaign in Jharkhand, has also visited the state twice.

Even, the opposition parties have started their poll preparations. Not deterred by the Lok Sabha defeat, the grand alliance is again gearing to fight the Assembly polls together.

“We are ready to face the Assembly poll. Let BJP manipulate the poll dates. The assembly poll will be different from Lok Sabha. In the 2014 Assembly polls, despite the ‘Modi magic’ and the divided opposition, the BJP did not get a majority on its own,” JMM General Secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya told IANS.

The BJP had won 37 seats in the 81-member Assembly and came to power with the help of ally, the All Jharkhand Students Union.

List of ‘iconic tourist sites’ may be reviewed

Source: thehindu.com

The government’s plan to develop 17 ‘iconic tourist sites’ could see some changes, with Union Culture and Tourism Minister of State (independent charge) Prahlad Singh Patel ordering a review of the sites included in the project.

Mr. Patel ordered the setting up of a committee to look into the sites included in the plan, Ministry officials said on Monday.

Changes sought

Last week, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan wrote to Mr. Patel asking him to include Odisha’s Konark Sun Temple and Jagannath Temple, Puri.

In July 2018, then Tourism Minister K.J. Alphons had said 17 ‘iconic tourist sites’ would be developed. These were Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri in Uttar Pradesh, Ajanta and Ellora caves in Maharashtra, Humayun’s Tomb, Red Fort and Qutub Minar in Delhi, Colva Beach in Goa, Amer Fort in Rajasthan, Somnath and Dholavira in Gujarat, Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, Hampi in Karnataka, Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu, Kaziranga in Assam, Kumarakom in Kerala and Mahabodhi in Bihar.

In her Budget 2019-2020 speech on July 5, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had mentioned the project again.

She said the government was developing “17 iconic tourism sites into world class tourist destinations and to serve as a model for other tourism sites.”

According to her, they iconic tourism sites would “enhance visitor experience which would lead to increased visits of both domestic and international tourists at these destinations.”

Patna Court annuls forced marriage, provides relief to groom married at gunpoint

Source: indiatoday.in

A family court in Patna in Bihar has provided much-needed relief to an engineer employed in Bokaro Steel Plant (BSP) by annulling his forced marriage, which he had reluctantly entered into back in 2017.

“The marriage between the petitioner, Vinod Kumar, and the opposite party, Kundan Kumari, allegedly solemnised on December 3, 2017, is hereby declared voidable and accordingly marriage is hereby annulled by a decree of nullity,” the court order reads.

Narrating how he was forced to enter into marriage, Vinod said, “The incident happened in December 2017 when I had gone to Patna to attend my friend’s marriage. There, an acquaintance — Surendra Yadav — fooled me into coming to his house where he held me captive and forced me to marry his sister at gunpoint.”

Talking about the course of action he took later, Vinod said, ” I was beaten and threatened for marrying the girl. I did not accept the marriage and lodged a complaint with the Pandarak police station under whose jurisdiction the village came. The police, rather than filing my FIR, kept me at the police station for 16 hours. They did not cooperate with me. After that, I lodged a case at the Vyavhar Nyalaya and also lodged a criminal case.”

Speaking about the problems he faced in the past two years and about the decision by the Vyavhar Nyayalay, he said, “For the past two years I was facing a lot of mental torture. This decision by the Nyaylay annulling the marriage has come as a big relief for me.”

Ranchi Muncipal Corporation wakes up to drain reality

Source: telegraphindia.com

Deputy mayor Sanjeev Vijayvargiya, accompanied by the RMC assistant medical officer and other civic body officials, visited a number of city localities from 11am to 3pm on Monday to take stock of problems plaguing residents, including open drains.

The visit came against the backdrop of the death of a four-year-old girl, Falak — who fell into an open drain at Nala Road in Hindpiri last week — prompting some to remark, sotto voce, that the tragedy had woken the Ranchi Muncipal Corporation (RMC) out of its slumber.

“RMC officials got firsthand experience of the waterlogging on the 45-foot stretch of the road connecting Vidyapati Nagar with Gandhi Nagar. They discussed strategy to solve the problem without delay,” said Raman Kumar, a Vidyapati Nagar resident. “They heard people sharing the problems they face in sending their children to school due to waterlogging.”

Anwar Ali, a resident of Karbala Chowk, said the RMC officials inspected an open drain that goes towards the Government Polytechnic.

“The officials had come to see how the drain could be covered to stop repetition of a Nala Road-type accident in the locality. They spoke to residents and took their opinion on the ways to cover it properly without delay,” Ali said.

Vishnu Agrawal, who runs a garment shop at Upper Bazar, said the officials visited narrow lanes.

“Civic body officials got firsthand experience of the garbage people dump in the narrow bylanes of Upper Bazar,” Agrawal said.

RMC assistant medical officer Dr Kiran Kumari said the four-hour visit was to take stock of the ground reality.

“At Vidyapati Nagar, I directed the engineering cell to visit the spot and prepare a plan to drain out water from doorsteps and find a permanent solution to ensure that schoolchildren should not suffer. At Karbala Chowk, we plan to build a guard wall along the drain to prevent people from going close to it. At Upper Bazar we decided to outsource cleanliness work in the bylanes,” Kumari said.

She said the officials also visited Sarjana Chowk.

“We want to make a stretch between Sarjana Chowk to Kashmir Vastralaya a no-vending zone like the stretch between Sarjana Chowk and Kutchery. For this we visited the stretch and planned where we can shift the vendors and what we can do for them to ensure that they happily accept our plan.”

Deputy mayor Vijayvargia said other localities they visited included SN Ganguly Road, Laljir Heerji Road, Vishnu Lane, and Kali Mandir Lane.

“During the visit we warned vendors and asked them not to cross the white line along the roads,” Vijayvargia said.

“We want to make the city better, and thus we visited different spots from where work can be started for improvement.”

Rape victim who set herself on fire at Vaishali Nagar police station dies

Source: pinkcitypost.com

Jaipur: The rape victim who attempted suicide at Vaishali Nagar police station by setting herself afire over alleged police inaction succumbed to burn injuries early on Monday. The woman who accused policemen of not taking action against the manwho raped her even a month after she lodged an FIR was undergoing treatment at SMS Hospital with over 75% burn marks. The family members demanded action against police officials after the woman’s death.

The woman, a resident of Kachan Vihar area in Jaipur, had registered an FIR one Ravindra Singh, belonging to Fatehpur Shekhawati about a month ago. The woman in the FIR stated that her husband was posted in army. Ravindra had come to her house with her husband nearly four years ago. Her husband went to Jammu and Kashmir on duty, but Ravindra kept visiting her house in his absence. Ravindra took her to the house of his friend one day on some pretext and made her have cold drink laced with drugs. He then raped her.

The woman visited the Vaishali Nagar police station almost daily after registering the FIR demanding action against the accused, but she alleged that the police officials were supporting the accused, not her. They accused her of registering a bogus complaint and pressurized her to withdraw the case. They even allegedly misbehaved with her.

The woman came to Vaishali Nagar police station along with her 13-year-old son. She set herself afire on the police station premises. The son started crying for help. A constable, Amar Singh, sustained serious burns while trying to rescue the woman.

She was rushed to the burn ward of SMS Hospital where doctors declared him around 5 am on Monday.

Bihar: National Hindi daily journalist shot dead in Madhubani

Source: indiatoday.in

A journalist working for a national Hindi daily was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne miscreants at Sarsopahi bazar under Pandaul police station area of Bihar’s Madhubani district late Sunday evening, police said on Monday.

The deceased has been identified as Pradeep Mandal (36), Pandaul police station SHO Anuj Kumar said.

The bike-borne criminals identified as- Sushil Sah and Ashok Kamat- fled from the spot after pumping two bullets in the scribe’s stomach, the SHO said.

Mandal, who was associated with a national Hindi daily (Dainik Jagran) as its Pandaul block stringer, was rushed to Sarsopahi primary health centre where doctors declared him brought dead, the police official said.

Prima facie it seems to be the case of an old enmity between the slain media persons and the attackers, the SHO said.

The two miscreants have criminal antecedents as both have been named in a criminal case lodged with Bhairav Asthan police station of the district.

The body has been sent to Madhubani sadar hospital for autopsy, the SHO said.

Condemning the murder of the journalist, opposition RJD demanded immediate arrest of the criminals.

“I strongly condemn the killing of the journalist in Madhubani. This is the glaring example of deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Democracy will be in perils if people, who work as a watchman of democracy, are shot dead by criminals.

“Journalists are the mirror of the society and it is the first and foremost duty of the government to protect them. The administration arrest criminals immediately,” RJD legislator and spokesman Shakti Singh Yadav said.