Tag: Bihar

Moderate to heavy rainfall in past 24 hours in Bihar

Source: newsonair.com

In Bihar, moderate to heavy rainfall occurred in western and eastern parts of the state in past 24 hours. 

Due to incessant rainfall in the catchment area of Nepal originating rivers for the last four days, Gandak, Bagmati and Budhi Gandak and their tributaries are swollen. 

Evacuation drive has been started in West Champaran from low-lying and riverine area of Gandak to shift people to safer places. 

East Champaran and Muzaffarpur. Traffic has been disrupted due to water-logging of Bagmati and Lalbakeya river on Sheohar-Motihari road. 

Extra vigil is being maintained on barrages, embankment and riverine area of Gandak, Budhi Gandak and Bagmati by engineers of water resource department. 

Flood relief & rescue teams have been put on standby by the Disaster Management Department. 

Heavy rains in Maharashtra’s Palghar district have disrupted traffic movement from Mokadha to neighbouring Nashik district. 

According to the Chief of Disaster Management Cell Vivekananda Kadam, a major portion of a bridge on a small river at Morchundi village washed away this morning. While no casualty has been reported, incidents of rainwater gushing inside villagers’ homes have come to light.

No ‘regular’ chemist to check quality of potable water supplied to Bihar homes

Source: hindustantimes.com

The Bihar government does not have any regular chemist to test quality of water being supplied to homes under “har ghar nal ka jal”, one of the seven flagship schemes of the state government.

In 2004, the state government had appointed as many as 29 chemists to test quality of supply water in various districts through the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC). But they still continue to work on temporary basis and thereby being denied suitable pay scales and other benefits.

As per rules, the state should have at least one chemist in each of its 38 districts and 75 sub-divisions.

The matter came to the light when Janata Dal (United) member Sanjeev Shyam Singh raised the matter in the legislative council during the question hour and sought the government’s reply on whether it was considering regularising their services and had any plan to equip the water testing labs across the state with qualified technical persons and infrastructure.

The issue assumes considerable significance as the public health and engineering department (PHED) had set up as many as 93 water testing labs in the districts and sub-divisions to ensure supply of safe water in arsenic and fluoride infested areas. Consumption of arsenic and fluoride laced water causes many diseases, including cancer.

In his reply, PHED minister Binod Narayan Jha said the government was looking to regularise the service of chemists appointed through the BPSC. He said chemists could not be appointed as they were appointed as temporary staff under the planned allocation. Later, their posts were transferred under the non-plan section.

Countering the reply, the JD(U) member said it was ironical that the government was treating technical staff appointed by BPSC as casual and denying them appropriate wages under a design by vested interests in the department.

Singh also alleged that the PHED could not develop any reliable set of manpower to ensure supply of tested water despite the Central government’s protocol, stipulated a few years ago, to raise a separate cadre for water testing staff. “As quality testing staff are on temporary basis, engineers, who are dealing in supply, generally held sway in the decision making,” Singh pointed out, adding that the rules framed for better management of human resources in 2016 also contained many discrepancies.

Intervening in the matter, deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi the government would look into the issues and correct it as BPSC was not the body to appoint temporary staff. “There might be some mistakes in the past that led to such discrepancies,” he said.

Bihar government to hire over 1.4 lakh teachers by year-end

Source: .hindustantimes.com

Education minister Krishnnandan Prasad Verma on Tuesday assured the state assembly that the state government would complete the process of recruiting new teachers for primary and secondary level by end of this year even as Opposition RJD staged protests over the shortage of teachers in government schools.

Verma’s reply came during a starred question raised Vidya Sagar Singh Nishad of the JD(U), who sought to know what steps were being taken by the government to fill up vacant posts of teachers at Morwa block high school and the high school at Raghunathpur in Samastipur district.

“We are in the process of recruiting teachers. There is a shortfall of teachers as many schools have been upgraded from middle to high school while the process of upgrading high schools to plus two level is also going on. But we will do the appointments soon,” said the minister.

However, opposition members remained unconvinced by the minister’s reply and demanded that the government inform the House about steps being taken for teachers’ appointment. RJD’s Lalit Kumar Yadav, Bhola Yadav and Congress leaders, including Sadanand Singh, were vocal in slamming the government over the delay in filling up the vacancies.

In totality, the government plans to appoint around 40,000 teachers for the high and plus two schools and around 1 lakh teachers for primary and middle schools. The government has already initiated the process. For secondary teachers, applicants having qualified STET ( state teachers eligibility test) are eligible while for primary level, those having qualified TET( teachers eligibility test) are eligible. At present, there are around 4 lakh government teachers including contractual teachers.

In another short notice question, education minister said the government had started the process of transferring money to students enrolled from class 1 to 8 in government schools via direct beneficiary transfer (DBT) to purchase course books from this year by replacing the old practice of distribution of books after printing them through government agencies. “ Transfer of money to school students via DBT for purchase of books is proving much useful and fast, unlike previous times when the distribution of books used to get delayed for months,” said, the minister.

He elaborated that the government has already transferred Rs 528 crore to around 1.47 crore students, covering almost 90% of the students in government schools. “ Out of the total students having given money through DBT, 70% of the students have got books. We will ensure that rest of the students gets books early,” the minister.

Intervening at this point, deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi too emphasised how the DBT method had proven to be much easier.

Monsoon Intensifies in North; Extremely Heavy Rainfall in UP, Bihar and Uttarakhand

Source: weather.com

The Indo-Gangetic plain has been witnessing very heavy rainfall since Tuesday. As the monsoon gains strength over the region, the rains are forecast to increase and persist throughout the week.

On Tuesday, some areas in Uttar Pradesh witnessed torrential rainfall, with Bahraich recording 202 mm. Other regions, including Gorakhpur and Sultanpur in UP and Bhagalpur in Bihar, also witnessed rainfall of around 100 mm.

More rains are expected from Wednesday to Friday as the atmospheric circulation over the region is expected to be active. The cause for the downpour is a monsoon trough—an extended region where the atmospheric pressure is the lowest—that persists from east to west on the Indo-Gangetic plain. The well-marked low-pressure is expected to move up north along the Himalayas gradually. Therefore, in addition to UP and Bihar, Uttarakhand is also likely to experience extremely heavy rainfall this week.

The India Meteorological Department has issued a red warning (its highest level of vigil/action) in Uttar Pradesh from Wednesday to Friday and in Uttarakhand for Thursday and Friday. During this period, the department forecasts heavy to very heavy with extremely heavy rain at isolated places in the region. Bihar also has a yellow ‘watch’ warning for the entire week, with likelihood of heavy to very heavy rain and extremely rain at one or two places.

Normally, monsoon sets in over Uttar Pradesh on or around June 15. However, this year the arrival was delayed by over a week, and the monsoon reached the state only by June 22. The resulting deficit in rainfall in the northern region ranges from 23% in east UP to 31% in West UP and 47% in Uttarakhand from June 1 to July 9.

Seeking to Achieve USD 5 Trillion Target, JD (U) Wants Special Category Status for Bihar

Source: news18.com

New Delhi: The JD(U) on Tuesday demanded from the government grant of special status category to Bihar for development of the state. Party member Sunil Kumar said development and prosperity of the state is important for achieving the USD 5 trillion economy target.

“Bihar should get special status category for development of the state,” he said while participating in the discussion on Union Budget in the Lok Sabha. Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka (INC) said it was not clear in the Budget what the government wants to achieve by taking the economy to USD 5 trillion.

The real issues are jobs, farmer distress and farmer suicides, he said, adding “we are disappointed by the Budget”. T Chazhikadan KL (M) sought urgent steps to push up prices of natural rubber for growers.

G Kirtikar (SS) demanded special package for Mumbai for development of the city. There is no special provision for Mumbai in the Budget, he said.

Anupriya Patel (Apna Dal) raised certain issues from the finance minister including the reason for reduction in the Budget allocation for MNREGA. “What is the roadmap to achieve USD 5 trillion economy,” she asked.

Hanuman Beniwal (RLP) urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to keep prices of diesel and petrol under control. Vijay Baghel (BJP) said that the Budget has the name of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur.

“Ye Budget Nirmal hai, Ramneek hai aur Anurag se bhara hua hai,” he said in Hindi. T Rangaiah (YSRCP) said that the Budget has not proposed enough funds for irrigation development and agriculture infrastructure.

162 children died of encephalitis in Bihar, 63 in seven other states: Govt

Source: indiatoday.in

s many as 162 children died due to acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in Bihar till July 2 this year, while 63 fatalities were reported from Assam, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal till June 30, MoS Health Ashwini Choubey said on Tuesday.

Responding to a question over whether lychees were the cause of deaths, the minister, in his written reply in Rajya Sabha, said consumption of lychee was safe for healthy individuals, but in “malnourished children, it triggers hypoglycaemia and leads to seizures or AES”.

“A research study was conducted by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), along with partner institutions, in the year 2013-14 wherein it has been found that when lychee is consumed by malnourished children, it triggers hypoglycaemia and leads to seizures or AES like picture,” Choubey said in his written reply.

On the basis of the study, an intervention strategy for awareness and nutritional supplementation was recommended to the state, the minister said.

A comprehensive study incorporating various other aspects of aetiology has been initiated by the Ministry of Health under Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

“In 2019, a total of 162 deaths of children have been reported from Bihar till July 2 due to AES. As per information received from the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), 63 deaths have been reported due to AES till June 30 from other seven states of the country — Assam (25), Jharkhand (2), Maharashtra (1), Manipur (1), Odisha (1), Uttar Pradesh (17) and West Bengal (16),” his reply stated.

He also elaborated on a number of measures that the Centre has initiated to support the Bihar government in the containment of AES, while adding that “as per constitutional provisions, health is a state subject”.

Choubey, in his reply, said Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had reviewed the situation with his counterpart in Bihar and also with officials from the ministry.

A team of experts, consisting of public health specialists from various central government institutes, was deputed to assist the Bihar government in taking immediate measures to contain AES, he said.

Vardhan had also visited Shri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) at Muzaffarpur in Bihar, Choubey said.

The Health Ministry had sent another high-level multi-disciplinary team, which included senior pediatricians from various central government institutes, to Muzaffarpur.

Epidemiologists from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), senior pediatricians, laboratory technicians are in Muzaffarpur since June 12.

The NCDC’s Strategic Health Operations Centre (SHOC) was engaged to monitor the situation in Muzaffarpur and co-ordinate tasks at the field level, Choubey said.

He said the Health Ministry had deputed five teams of doctors, along with technicians from central government hospitals, to SKMCH to support clinical management.

“A central team, consisting experts from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), was also deployed at SKMCH. The team is also scrutinising and reviewing the case records of discharge and deceased patients using a standardised tool to know the reasons for mortality,” he added.

Bihar police crack whip on 41 officers for failure to implement prohibition

Source: indiatoday.in

he police department in Bihar has taken stern action against police officers across the state for their failure to implement prohibition. The department has directed that the officers who have failed to implement the order will not be made station house officers (SHO) for the next 10 years.

The police department has compiled the list of 41 erring police officers, who failed to implement prohibition in their respective areas over the last three years.

The penalised officers are posted across 16 districts of the state, including Patna, Muzaffarpur, Siwan and Katihar.

It may be mentioned that despite prohibition in the state, illegal liquor trade and smuggling has been flourishing. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on several occasions in the past had warned the police officers of implementing prohibition strictly or else they will not be posted as SHOs for the next 10 years.

The police headquarter, during inquiry, found that these guilty policemen had nexus with liquor mafia because of which illegal liquor was being manufactured and sold rampantly in the areas falling under their jurisdiction. Action has also been taken against the police officers for failing to check smuggling of liquor from neighbouring districts of Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.

People travel 46 kilometres free of cost from Rajgir to Tilaiya in Bihar

Source: indiatvnews.com

About 46 kilometres of the train journey is absolutely free for the people from Rajgir to Tilaiya. It is not a gift from Railways but the common people have created this system. 

There is a junction, a station and five halts between Rajgir and Tilaiya. There is no arrangement for buying tickets in all these places and neither is the ticket collector also the train stops without any prior signals. Apart from Rajgir and Tilaiya, there is no restriction on people’s movement.

The Railways have abandoned the maintenance of these seven stations. There are bushes grown over the platforms and devices have been stolen. This railway route was approved by Nitish Kumar while being the Railway Minister and the project started in 2002. On June 19, 2010, CM Nitish Kumar inaugurated it.

On this railway route, there are two passenger trains, one is Danapur-Tailaiya and the other is Bakhtiyarpur-Gaya DMU, also one and half dozen goods trains are running. All these trains give a blow while crossing the station.

In 2012, the ticket counter was inaugurated at Jethian Railway Station. The responsibility of collecting tickets was given to the private company. In Jethian, 3 Assistant Station Master, 4 Porter and Gangman, RPF was also deployed. But the private company returned from the fear of commuters when the trains were getting late.

From Rajgir to Tilaiya, there are Negpur, Natesar, Jethian, Sarasu, Oro, Mahmudpur and Sitarampur stations and halts. Signal lights at all these places are not working.

According to media sources, there is a shortage of staff in the railway at these stations. The process of restoration is going on after which the vacant places will be filled. 

Bihar: Bootleggers use ambulance to smuggle liquor

Source: gulfnews.com

Patna: Bootleggers have gotten innovative while smuggling alcohol into “dry” Bihar. The state imposed a total prohibition, banning the sale, consumption and manufacture of liquor three years ago.

On Friday, police seized an ambulance that was transporting 33 cartons of foreign liquor, sirens blaring and with the emergency light on, in a bid to mislead cops. The incident took place in Patna, the capital city of Bihar.

Police received a tip-off that a huge consignment of liquor was being supplied in the Raja Bazar area of the state capital through an ambulance. A team of police put a barrier on the road and began checking vehicles passing through the route in the wee hours of Friday.

However, as soon as the ambulance driver saw the police checking vehicles, he switched on the siren and asked other vehicles to give way saying the condition of the patient was critical. However, when the police checked inside the vehicle, they found no one inside.

Finally when they removed the bed sheet from the back seat where the patient was believed to have been laid, police found as many as 33 cartons of foreign liquor. The cartons had been placed in such a position that they gave an impression of a patient lying on the seat. Each bottle contained 750ml of liquor.

The police arrested the driver, and based on his testimony, the police recovered 15 cartons of liquor from the house of a smuggler.

In March, police seized a container truck with Dak Parcel written on it in bold letters. However, when the police checked, they stumbled upon 370 cartons of liquor.

Similarly, in Kaimur district, police busted a gang that had been smuggling liquor in tubes used in tyres of big vehicles. Another man was caught filling liquor in cycle tubes and wrapping them around his stomach and chest.

In Gopalganj district, the station house officer was arrested for selling liquor from his police station. He had converted his official residence into a virtual storeroom.

In the initial days of the liquor ban, the police found a gang that was running an illegal business from a Hindu temple in the Munger district. The gang would store liquor bottles in a bunker dug inside the temple dedicated to the deity Durga and then stealthily supply alcohol to clients.

The ingenious mind of criminals was on display when police arrested two people who were using a cash van bearing the sticker of a nationalised bank to transport liquor. The incident took place in the Darbhnaga district.

The most interesting incident took place in Patna where the police arrested a man identified as Avinah Kumar alias Monika Kumari who used to run the liquor business dressed up as woman. He would dress up as woman, wearing saris, a bindi, jewellery, eyeliner and glossy lipstick and did his business with ease.

As per an official report, more than 3 million litres of liquor have been seized during raids conducted in the aftermath of prohibition. Apart from this, 130,000 people have also been arrested and sent to jail for violating the liquor ban.

Bihar police save man from being lynched by cow vigilantes

Source: hindustantimes.com

Police in Bihar’s Bhabua town, 200 km Southwest of the capital Patna saved a truck driver, who was carrying animal bones in his vehicle, from being lynched by cow vigilantes on Wednesday evening, officials said.

The incident happened at 8 pm on Wednesday on the western outskirts of Bhabua when at least 100 vigilantes chased the truck on motorcycles alleging the driver was transporting beef and cow skin in his truck. The truck had started from Babura village in Bhabua district and was bound for Gujarat.

The mob was led by Uttam Patel, a self-styled state president of the youth wing of Hindu Samaj, police said. The men dragged the driver out of the truck, held him captive and assaulted him at a place just a few hundred yards from the residence of the superintendent of police (SP), they said.

The driver told the mob he was carrying animal bones in his truck but the men did not stop their assault. They also damaged the truck.

“A police team rushed to the spot within a few minutes and rescued the driver from being lynched,” SP Dilnawaz Ahmad said.

Uttam Patel and his supporters opposed the police action and asked them to hand over the driver to them. They threatened the police officer that he would be removed from service and would have to face dire consequences.

Additional police force and riot control vehicles were rushed from police lines under sub-divisional police officer Ajay Prasad as the situation worsened. Patel was later arrested.

Patel and about 60 of his supporters were booked for the attack on the driver, threatening police and obstructing government officers on duty. Patel and the driver were sent to jail on Thursday.

Police found animal bones loaded on the truck and seized it. The driver Abu Hasan, a resident of Majhwaliya village of Chapra district, could not show documents for the transportation of the bones.

However, the man who had hired the truck for transporting the bones to a factory in Gujarat appeared on Thursday evening and showed a valid license issued by the government for the purpose, SP Ahmad said.

Police said Patel is involved in 11 cases of extortion, theft and communal violence in the district and police had also taken action against him under Bihar Crime Control Act.

He was earlier arrested and sent to jail on December 7, 2018, when he had caught a man with beef at Bhabua and blocked the road demanding a check on illegal slaughterhouses at Babura, a village adjacent to the district headquarters town, SP Ahmad said.