Month: July 2019

Brick kilns ruin 6,000 acres of land in Bihar every year: Study

Source: hindustantimes.com

Red brick kilns in Bihar destroy about 6,000 acres of land every year, according to the results of a study released recently. This is a big and alarming number for a state whose economy is largely based on agriculture, and where environment management has become of paramount importance in the face of a large-scale water crisis.

The study was conducted by Development Alternatives (DA), a research institution working for sustainable development. Quoting 2017 data from the mines and geology department, DA said that there were 6,364 registered brick kiln units in Bihar that produced 19,000 million red bricks and consumed around 53 million tonnes of soil. The total geographical area of the state is 94,163 square km.

In 2018, as per data from the mines and geology department, the number of brick kiln units was 6,291 (73 less than in 2017). Of all the districts, Gaya has the highest number of brick kiln units in Bihar. The district, having a geographical area of 4,976 sq. km and facing an acute water crisis, had 442 brick kiln units in 2018. The second highest number of 325 units was in Saran district, followed by 310 in Patna.

Vice-president, DA, Soumen Maity, said, “When the top soil of a [plot of] land is cut, the humus is lost, making it barren or [resulting in] massive loss of its fertility. The land around the brick kiln also becomes barren because of the enormous heat generated from the furnace of the unit. Even the water table of the area starts falling due to evaporation of the underlying water.”

Maity said that the figures of the mines and geology department only showed the brick kilns that paid royalty, but there were many that were unregistered and illegally run. He added that a lot of water — an estimated 25% of the water available in an area — was used up in the making of red brick.

The study has been done by DA in association with Bihar State Pollution Control Board. Commenting on this situation, BSPCB chairman Ashok Kumar Ghosh said, “The red brick kilns are destroying the agricultural land and depleting the groundwater also. Many have switched to clean technology, which is not the solution to save the agricultural land. The Centre is now stressing on the manufacture of fly ash bricks, using fly ash generated from thermal power units. We have suggested that brick kilns should be given some time to switch to fly ash units, so that they recover the cost they put into switching to green technology.”

Brick kilns are the fourth largest contributors to the wealth earned by the mines and geology department. In 2018-19, the department collected Rs 4,144.11 lakh from the brick kilns.

The DA study said that in 2017, Bihar lost 6,176 acres of agriculture land owing to brick kiln activity. To arrive at this conclusion, the study assumed that 1 metre of topsoil was cut from agriculture fields for making bricks. However, the mines and geology department grants permission to cut top soil up to 3 metres or slightly more than 10 feet. “There are reports that rules are hardly followed when cutting the soil. In many districts, soil has been cut beyond 10 feet,” said Maity.

In 2018, the mines and geology department had issued a notice stating that soil was a “minor mineral” and under the Bihar Minor Mining Act 2017 (Rule 28-2), it was necessary for both sellers and buyers to take permission by registering themselves with the mining and geology department. “However, only one or two people are taking permission before the sale of soil to brick kiln owners in Gaya,” said Rajkishore Sharan, district mining officer, Gaya, pointing to the extent of illegality.

Water conservationist Rajendra Singh, popularly known as the ‘Waterman of India’, said that the brick kilns sliced the top soil, which had the capacity to store water and recharge the aquifers. “Their [large] numbers will definitely affect the water table of the particular area where they are operational,” said Singh.

Bihar: Woman’s relatives claim newborn stolen from hospital, vandalise property

Source: indiatoday.in

Relatives of a woman in Islampur of Nalanda, Bihar, pelted stones at a primary health centre and vandalised property after alleged theft of the woman’s newborn.

On Friday night, the pregnant woman’s family had come to a primary health centre in Islampur for the delivery of the child.

However, the infant was stolen by another woman from the hospital, media reports said.

Following which, aggrieved family members of the woman resorted to violence by pelting stones and destroying the health centre’s property.

The video of furious relatives pelting stone at the health centre is being shared on social media.

In the video footage, the woman’s family members were seen throwing stones at an ambulance that was parked outside the hospital.

Commenting on the matter, Vaibhav Chaudhary, SDO, Hilsa, Nalanda, told news agency ANI that the woman was brought to the health centre on late Friday night and she gave birth at 9 am on Saturday.
He further said that the police is looking into the matter and an investigation is underway.
However, he said, the situation was soon brought under control.

At Least 15 Killed Including 4 Children, Many Feared Trapped Under After Wall Collapses Due To Heavy Rains In Pune

Source: indiatimes.com

15 people have been confirmed dead and many more are feared to be trapped under after a portion of a wall of a residential building in Pune, Maharashtra collapsed.

All the victims including four children and a woman were living in temporary shelters built for labourers working in a nearby construction site. The victims were natives of either Bihar or Uttar Pradesh.

According to the police, a portion of the 12 to 15-feet-high wall collapsed between 1.30 and 1.45 am crushing the victims under it.

Those injured have been shifted to a local hospital. Rescue teams including the NDRF are continuing their search for more possible survivors.

Police had earlier said that 17 people were killed in the incident.

Dramatic visuals from the spot also showed a number of cars also trapped under the debris.

According to officials, prima facie the reason behind the collapse of the wall was the heavy rains. However, an investigation has been launched into the mishap to look into all aspects including whether the shelters which were barely 40 feet away from the residential building’s wall was illegal.

“We have ordered an inquiry into the incident and those responsible will be punished,” District Collector Naval Kishore Ram who visited the spot said.

Pune like other parts of Maharashtra received heavy rains on Friday.

Over 73.1 millimetres of rain was recorded in the city in the past 24 hours, the second highest rainfall in June since 2010.

22 killed in rain-related incidents in Maha, Jharkhand; dry spell continues in North India

Source: business-standard.com

Twenty-two people were killed and seven injured in Maharashtra and Jharkhand in rain-related incidents, even as the dry spell continued in most parts of north India which was reeling under sweltering heat.

At least 15 people, including four children, were killed and two injured in Pune when a portion of the 22-ft high compound wall of a housing society collapsed on adjoining shanties following incessant rains, trapping the sleeping families under the debris, officials said.

The incident took place between 1:30 am and 1:45 am at Kondhwa and the victims were labourers and their family members, a majority of them from Bihar, who were living in makeshift shelters at the under-construction residential project where deep excavation work was underway.

Heavy monsoon rains continued to lash Mumbai and its neighbouring areas for the second consecutive day on Saturday and at least five persons were injured in rain-related incidents, officials said.

The suburban local trains, called the lifeline of Mumbai, remained largely unaffected and were running as per their schedule. However, in view of IMD’s heavy rainfall forecast, the Central Railway (CR) cancelled some express or passenger trains, especially those between Mumbai and Pune.

According to the officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), 39 incidents of short circuit, 104 incidents of uprooting of trees or falling of tree branches were reported from various parts of the city.

In Maharashtra’s Thane district, two people died of electrocution in separate incidents caused by incessant rains on late Friday night. While the first incident occurred in Thane city, the other one occurred in Ambarnath.

Two people died on Saturday after being struck by lightning in separate incidents in Maharashtra’s Buldhana district, police said.

While Shrikrishna Dhabal (69) was struck by a lightning bolt while working in his field in Sangrampur taluka, farm labourer Yuvraj Gavande (35) died in a similar manner in Jastgaon villege, they said.

Three people, including two teenagers, died in lightning strikes in Jharkhan’s Gumla district during heavy rains on Friday evening.

In the national capital, mercury settled five notches above normal on Sunday. The minimum temperature was recorded at 30 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal, while the maximum temperature settled at 42.3 degree, five notches above normal.

Parts of south Gujarat received extremely heavy rainfall Saturday, with the IMD stating that districts in the south and central parts of the state were likely to receive heavy rainfall over the next two days with upper cyclonic circulation formed over the region.

The IMD warned of heavy rains in Valsad, Navsari, Dangs, Surat, Narmada, Chhota Udepur and Vadodara districts over the next two days, adding that upper cyclonic circulation had formed over the south Gujarat region.

Valsad received 130 millimetres rainfall in a 24-hour period till Saturday morning, while Bhavnagar and Vadodara got 52.8 and 34 mm rainfall respectively, IMD data showed.

Heatwave continued to sweep the Jammu region as mercury touched 43.1 degrees Celsius, four degrees above average. Summer capital Srinagar, on the other hand, continued to experience pleasant weather with a high of 29.6 degrees Celsius, up by over two notches but below the season’s average.

In Punjab and Haryana, rains remained elusive even as the maximum temperatures were recorded to be between two to five notches above normal. Bhiwani and Narnaul were the hottest place in the twin states with mercury settling at a high of 42.8 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal.

While Amritsar braved a high of 42.4 degrees celsius, five notches above normal, the maximum temperature at Ambala was 41.8 degrees Celsius, also five notches above normal.

Moderate rain and thunderstorm were witnessed at isolated places in Eastern Uttar Pradesh even Banda was recorded as the hottest place in the state, recording a temperature of 44.8 degrees Celsius, which is eight degrees above normal.

Heatwave also swept some parts of the state and Allahabad sizzled at 44 degrees Celsius.

According to the IMD, rain and thundershowers were observed at many places over Assam, Meghalaya, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, North Interior Karnataka and at most places over Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh and Goa.

Extremely heavy rainfall was observed at a few places over Konkan and Goa and Gujarat region, it said.

The Meteorological Department has issued a fresh yellow weather warning for thunderstorm in Himachal Pradesh for July 3. It has forecast thunderstorms accompanied with hailstorm and gusty winds in several parts of middle hills of the state on July 3.

The weather office issues colour-coded warnings to alert people ahead of severe or hazardous weather that has the potential to cause “damage, widespread disruption or danger to life”. Yellow is the least dangerous of all the weather warnings. It indicates the possibility of severe weather over the next few days.

The Odisha government Saturday put all 30 districts in the state on alert in view of the IMD forecasting enhanced heavy rainfall over the next three days. The step was taken after the IMD indicated formation of a low pressure area in north Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood, which is likely to intensify into a depression during the subsequent 48 hours.

“Under its influence, enhanced rainfall activity is very likely over the districts of Odisha,” said H R Biswas, the director of the IMD, Bhubaneswar.


DCW rescues Jharkhand woman held captive from Delhi’s Pitampura

Source: business-standard.com

The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has rescued a 20-year-old survivor of bonded labour from northwest Delhi’s Pitampura, it said on Saturday.

A FIR was lodged in connection with the matter at the Maurya Enclave police station, police said.

The DCW said it received information about the woman, who hailed from Jharkhand’s Ranchi, from an NGO.

It formed a team, which approached the police and the labour department of the Delhi government and along with them, visited the house where the woman was held captive, the panel said.

The team rescued the woman, who was in an “extremely traumatised condition” and was “forcibly kept in the house for the last three months”, the DCW added.

She told DCW officials that for the last one year, she was forced to work from 6 am to 11 pm.

“She had to do all the household chores and also single-handedly cook food for 15 residents of the paying guest facility being operated by the house owners. She had not received any payment and was often beaten up by the house owners,” a DCW official said, adding that she was never allowed to go out of the house.

The woman also told the officials that one Marcus had allegedly brought her to Delhi from Jharkhand a year ago and left her at another man’s house in Shakurpur, who then took her to Pitampura, where she was being held captive, the DCW said.

The house owners even took away the Rs 3,000 and the mobile phone she had brought along with her, the woman alleged, adding that she was never allowed to speak to her family members.

The woman was the youngest of three siblings and belonged to a very economically backward family, the DCW said.

She was shifted to a shelter and the DCW was initiating the proceedings to recover her salary, the panel said, adding that no arrest was made in the matter till now.

“The Delhi government should immediately pass a law to regulate placement agencies. Delhi Police should ensure arrests and convictions. This will play a major role in deterring trafficking,” DCW chief Swati Maliwal said.

“They Were Witches”: Jharkhand Woman, Daughter Killed Over “Black Magic”

Source: ndtv.com

NEW DELHI: A woman and her daughter were hacked to death by three men over allegations of witchcraft in the remote tribal-dominated east, police said Saturday.
The 50-year-old woman and her young daughter were beaten by their neighbours before being attacked with knives on Wednesday night in West Singhbhum district in Jharkhand.

Police said the victims’ family was embroiled in a land dispute with one of the accused, who used black magic allegations as a cover-up to commit the crime.

“One of the accused told the villagers that the women were witches and responsible for deaths and diseases in the village. They attacked the women in the night and killed them brutally,” district police chief Indrajit Mahatha told AFP.

The woman’s husband filed a complaint against the accused who are on the run, he said.

More than 2,000 people — many of them women — were killed in India on suspicion of witchcraft between 2000 and 2012, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.

Some states, including Jharkhand, have introduced special laws to try to curb crimes against people accused of witchcraft and superstition.

Experts say belief in witchcraft and the occult remains widespread in impoverished rural communities across India. There are also occasional reports of human sacrifices.

3 COMMENTS
Earlier this month police in northeastern Assam state said they suspected a case of human sacrifice after finding the headless body of a woman near a Hindu temple.

Jharkhand district hospitals to get special wards for seniors

Source: hindustantimes.com

Health secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni has directed 22 districts to set up 10-bed geriatric ward in sadar hospitals under National Programme for Health Care of Elderly (NPHCE) as soon as possible for providing acute care to older persons.

So far, geriatric ward functions only at Patliputra Medical College Hospital (PMCH) in Dhanbad and second in at Bokaro sadar hospital which was inaugurated earlier this month.

“If all goes as per the plan of health department, geriatric ward would begin functioning at sadar hospitals of all 22 districts within 4 months before the assembly election,” said Dr Lalit Ranjan Pathak, state’s nodal officer of national programme.

Health secretary has also directed to set up separate OPDs for geriatric ward, patients and separate registration counter, along with railing ramp, would be made available. In a 10-bed geriatric ward, eight beds would be for general and two beds would be equipped with advance equipment of life support system for critical patients.

At present, due to the lack of geriatric ward at sadar hospitals, elderly patients across state have to rub the shoulders with general patients in getting registration and checking up at OPDs. However, elderly patients would now get separate registration counter and OPD in geriatric wards.

CARDIAC CARE UNIT IN RANCHI, BOKARO
Health department has also started a process of setting up cardiac care unit (CCU) in Ranchi and Bokaro.

Central government has selected three districts of Jharkhand- Ranchi, Dhanbad and Bokaro- for setting up the CCU under national programme for prevention of cancer, diabetes and stroke (NPCDCS).

Health department has already opened the unit in Patliputra medical college hospital. A senior official of the state headquarter, Dr Pradeep Kumar, on Friday visited PMCH to assess how the Cardiac care Unit (CCU) functions there so that the Ranchi and Bokaro Units could be run on the same pattern.

“Crisis of cardiologist is the main hurdle in setting up the CCU in Ranchi and Bokaro. Since PMCH had facility of specialist teachers (doctors), CCU could be set up easily. However, for time being health department has decided to run at Ranchi and Bokaro with general physicians latest by October,” said Dr Pathak, nodal officer, NPCDCS Jharkhand.