Category: Patna

Cloudy Patna Stays Hot, Humid as Floods Ravage Bihar

Source: weather.com

Bihar is in the throes of a crisis, with massive floods killing over 30 and affecting nearly 18 lakh people across its northern region.

Over the last week, Bihar received heavy rainfall as a cyclonic circulation over north India and parts of Nepal caused atmospheric instability in the region. To its north, the Terai region of Nepal received nearly 300 mm rain, against the normal of 50 mm, over the last 3-4 days. This forced Nepal authorities to open up all the gates of the Kosi barrage.

As rivers swelled their banks, hundreds of villages across Sitamarhi, Araria, Sheohar, Muzaffarpur, East Champaran, Madhubani, Kishanganj, Supaul and Darbhanga were inundated. Road links as well as power supply have been hit in some of these places as well.

However, the capital Patna did not witness any rainfall on Sunday. Patna belongs to the south-central subdivision of Bihar and the IMD forecasts generally cloudy skies with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers in Patna for the next 48 hours.

The current forecast for the capital shows a hazy sky with humidity over 70%. The Weather Channel’s hourly data shows that Patna may receive scattered thunderstorms on Monday. These are likely to start late in the night and continue into Tuesday morning. Rainfall in Patna is expected to begin late Tuesday night and continue till the next morning.

The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to range from 28°C to 38°C in Patna. However, it may feel much hotter–around 40-43°C–due to high humidity. Gentle west-north-westerly winds are likely to criss-cross Patna through the day at speeds of 5-15 km/h.

The India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) data for seasonal rainfall shows that Bihar has received 388.9 mm rainfall up to July 14, which is in line with the long-term average for the state.

Google is using AI to monitor flood in India, pilot project Patna called a success

Source: indiatoday.in

ndia accounts for nearly 20 per cent of the flood-related fatalities in the world. Nearly 107,487 people have died due to heavy rains and floods in India over a span of 64 years between 1953 and 2017. And the floods are only getting worse year after year. Is there something that can be done? While the Indian government is working on solutions that will mitigate effect of flood, Google has deployed its artificial intelligence (AI) systems and machine learning to predict floods with better accuracy, which can give people more time to prepare for it and migrate to a safer location.

Google has started Flood Forecasting Initiative in India, which aims to develop an ecosystem that predicts floods and informs people before such a natural calamity strikes so that loss to life and property can be reduced. The company piloted a program in Patna last year which was able to predict floods and the regions that it would be affected due to the natural disaster with an accuracy of over 90 per cent.

Achieving such a high accuracy is no ordinary feat, as it requires a combination of factors including a deep understanding of the topography, tons of historic data and real-time information that needs to be processed together to predict the region that would be affected by the floods. Google achieved this by combining the data from government agencies that provide on-ground information from measuring devices placed on the spot and thousands of images of the flood prone areas captured by various satellites orbiting the Earth.

The tech giant then ran hundreds of thousands of simulations on its machine learning models — such as the hydrologic model and the hydraulic model — to predict the flow of water in a particular region and create accurate flood forecasts, which in this case was near Patna.

Now, all this sounds quite simple. But in reality, the company faced a lot of challenges, both technological and regulatory while collecting data for its flood forecast model and broadcasting this information out to the public. While the company collaborated with governments and purchased and aggregated the distributed data to overcome some of the technological hurdles, to overcome the regulatory obstacles, the tech giant showed the governments results based on historic data and piloted in a small region to build the trust among other things.

“Part of what the biggest technological challenge here is to do something that is automated but is complex enough to work anywhere in the world… that is something that we are still working on,” Software Engineering Manager at Google, Sella Nevo told the India Today Tech. “On the regulatory partnership side, I think we are on the first steps of a long process to persuade governments to trust us with such an important and sensitive system.”

Once the company’s ML models made predictions about the floods, it collaborated with government agencies and local NGOs to impart this information to the people in the region where the company’s AI had predicted would be affected by the floods. Google has a separate interface for government agencies like the Central Water Works Commission in India, NGOs and international agencies like the UN and the Red Cross society, where it gives away more detailed information regarding its forecasts. In addition to this, Google also informed people using Google Maps, Google Search and Android alerts. However, these alerts contain simplified information that can be easily understood by the general public.

In low connectivity areas, however, Google used a combination of three methods to inform the residents about the possible disaster. First, the tech giant provided information to the government so that it can roll out information to the public. Second, it partnered with NGOs, in this case: SEEDS in Patna, that have dozens of workers on ground who can spread the word as quickly as possible. Lastly, the company made all its alerts publicly accessible.

“We make these alerts publicly available and allow even commercial entities to use it so thatwe are hoping that other organisations will help to fill whatever gaps are left after our efforts,” said Nevo.

Patna pilot was a success and now Google is planning to scale its operations and launch its flood monitoring initiative in many locations near the Ganges and Bhramaputra. “We have expanded around Patna and we now have fairly large area around Guwahati We now cover around six times the area we did last year,” Nevo said.

But India is not the end, Google aims to deploy this system globally and it is focusing on the countries in the South East Asia region, which will be picked based on the number of fatalities and people affected. “Our high priority countries include Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Those are the areas where we hope to launch in the future,” said Nevo.

11 years and Rs 1-cr later, conservation work on Patna’s Gol Ghar still not complete

Source: hindustantimes.com

Conservation works at Patna’s Gol Ghar, a colonial-era monument, seem to be a typical case of bureaucratic apathy and red tape.

The structure is a granary built in 1786 by the then Governor General of India, Warren Hastings, following the famine in Bengal and Bihar in 1770. It was designed by the British architect, Captain John Garstin.

A few years ago, this pillar-less monument developed long, deep cracks above its entrances in all the four directions. Steps of its spiral staircase too developed cracks and were crumbling. Alarmed at the impending loss of the city’s history and heritage, Bihar’s archaeology department requested the Archaeological Survey of India to take steps to stop further damage and decay of the monument and handle its conservation work.

The ASI head office approved conservation plan for only 100 steps of the monument while the spiral staircase at the structure has 281 steps. To review this discrepancy and to get the things revised, the ASI (Patna Circle) has scheduled a meeting onFriday.

“We have invited some experts to suggest how to go with the work now,” H C Naik, ASI’S superintending archaeologist, Patna Circle, said.

The conservation works at the monument was started in 2008 and Rs 1.05 crore out of Rs 1.35 crore provided by the state’s archaeology department has already been spent. “Now it’s difficult to say who planned this kind of conservation works and got it approved. Many among the officials who had worked on this project might have got transferred or might have retired from the office,” Naik said.

“But it has got the ASI, Patna Circle, in the dock. Only 100 of the 281 steps can be repaired and restored under the approved conservation plan. Who will take care of rest of the structure,” he said.

“Also, the restoration work of this level will also give the monument an ugly look. The original steps were built of cement while the ASI is using lime mortar for conservation works and the difference between the two varieties is too glaring to remain unnoticed,” Naik said.

State’s archaeology director Atul Verma said the ASI was assigned the project as it has the expertise and experience in the conservation and restoration of monuments. “The state archaeology has already provided Rs 1.35 crore for conservation works. Now that the project will be revised, the budget of the project too is expected to increase,” he said.

After 8 years! India’s 1st dolphin research centre to come up in Patna

Sourcce: indiatoday.in

he foundation stone of India’s first dolphin research centre will be laid here on October 5, after an eight-year delay since it was first mooted, an officer confirmed.

DK Shukla, the senior officer from Bihar’s Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, said: “It was announced by Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi in state Assembly that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar would lay the foundation stone of the National Dolphin Research Centre (NDRC) on October 5 on the bank of river Ganga in the premises of Patna University.”

Shukla said the development was a good news for conservation of the endangered Gangetic river dolphins in the country.

According to Gopal Sharma, a senior scientist at the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), the population of the endangered Gangetic river dolphins was stable along nearly 1,000 km stretch of the Ganga and its two major tributaries, Gandak and Ghaghra.

More than 1,500 dolphins were spotted by three teams of experts and scientists who undertook the exercise of enumeration of the species earlier this year. The NDRC will play an important role to strengthen conservation efforts and help in research to save the endangered mammal.

Another officer of the Department SAID the NDRC remained stuck for over four years due to refusal of Patna University to part with its land for it.

Unhappy over the delay, Nitish Kumar threatened last year that the NDRC might be shifted to Bhagalpur. After this, the varsity finally gave its clearance.

A well reputed expert on the Gangetic river dolphins, RK Sinha, who is also the current Vice Chancellor of the Nalanda Open University in Patna said the NDRC will prove a boon for research and conservation of dolphin.

It was Sinha’s idea to set up the NDRC in Patna and a proposal was approved by then Planning Commission Chairman Montek Singh Ahulwalia during his visit here in mid 2011 and early 2012.

Within a year, the commission had sanctioned Rs 28.06 crore for the NDRC in 2013 followed by the state government that also released Rs 18,16 crore to the Infrastructure Development Authority in 2014. But till July 2018, the NDRC remained a non-starter.

Sinha, known as the ‘Dolphin Man’ for his research of the Gangetic dolphins, said the species habitat has been threatened and disturbed in the river.

He said the Gangetic river dolphin is India’s national aquatic animal but frequently falls prey to poachers and sometimes killed without intention after being trapped in fishs net and hit by machines.

The mammals are killed at an alarming rate with wildlife officials saying poachers kill them for their flesh, fat and oil.

Sinha, who was conferred the Padma Shri for his research on dolphin, said dolphin presence is the sign of a healthy river ecosystem. Dolphins prefer water that is at least 5ft to 8ft deep. They are usually found in turbulent waters, where there are enough fish for them to feed on.

Gangetic dolphins live in a zone where there is little or no current, which helps them save energy. If they sense danger, they can dive into deeper waters. The dolphins swim from the no-current zone to the edges to hunt for fish and return, Sinha added.

Gangetic river dolphins fall under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, and have been declared an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

2 children die, 5 others hurt in Patna after office building’s wall collapses

Source: hindustantimes.com

At least two children, including a seven-month-old girl, were killed and five people injured in Bihar’s Patna after a wall of an office building collapsed on a hut following heavy rains on Tuesday night, officials said on Wednesday.

Seven-month-old Nandini and nearly two-year-old Suraj alias Vishal died in the accident and Gopal, 3, Jackie, 8, Golden, 10, Binod Malli and his wife Reena Devi were injured.

The incident took place at about 9.45pm on Tuesday, when a portion of the 8-feet high and 70-feet long compound wall of the office of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited’s (BSNL) deputy director general fell on the nearby hut owned by Suresh Malli.

According to the police, the wall caved in due to heavy downpour near R Block under Sachivalaya police station area in the state capital. Patna received nearly 110 mm of rains from Monday morning till Tuesday evening.

“All the families have been contacted. I personally interacted with them, visited the accident site and gave Rs 4-lakh cheque to each of the two families,” Patna’s district collector Kumar Ravi said.

Ravi said three of the injured people were immediately rushed to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) for further treatment and they will be closely monitored. He added that he has directed PMCH to provide free treatment to the injured.

Eight people were sitting inside the hut while Suresh was outside and his wife Bilaiya Devi was cooking. Locals rushed to the spot after they heard their cries and raised an alarm.

Rescuers also reached the accident spot to remove the collapsed portion of the wall with the help of an earth moving machine.

Local, however, alleged that the rescue operation was started late leading to the death of the two children who died under the debris. They said the wall was old and in a dilapidated condition.

“We had earlier complained about the poor condition of the wall but authorities didn’t pay heed to our complaints,” Anil Kumar Singh, a resident, said.

First spell of rain exposes Patna’s drainage system

Source: hindustantimes.com

The ongoing construction work across Patna for flyovers, roads, drains and laying of underground pipes, filled the capital city’s roads with wet debris, as monsoon rains hit the city in the last 24 hours. The residents’ miseries are expected to continue, as the meteorological department has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall across Bihar, in the next five days.

All major roads in low lying areas were overflown with rainwater, as commuting became a hazardous and daunting task, especially for pedestrians and those driving two-wheelers. The roads leading to Mithapur bus stand, Ashok Rajpath, Patna Medical College and Hospital, Jaganpura, Beerchand Patel road, Sabzibagh and Kankarbagh were chock-a-block for most of the day as vehicles moved at a snail’s pace, wading through the waterlogged roads, due to the incessant rain.

Rainwater also seeped into several residential colonies, commercial buildings and hospitals. The medicine department of the Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) was flooded with the rainwater throughout the day.

By evening, authorities claimed that the hospital was cleared of water, but not before several patients were shifted to safer locations, including the ICU surgery ward.

“This lane is already congested and perennially choked with traffic jam. The construction work has made it accident prone. Every now and then, two-wheelers get stuck and fall, especially during night,” said Pratik Gupta, a general store owner near PMCH.

The Mithapur bus stand wore a deplorable look, as the rains left ankle deep sludge, making it extremely difficult for passengers to board and de-board buses.

A similar situation prevailed in Kankerbag, another low lying area in Patna, where people were seen wading through waterlogged roads.

Patna Municipal Corporation, however, claimed that waterlogging was much lesser this year, compared to previous years. “PMC has carried out advance preparations to deal with monsoon and had arranged for bobcat, super sucker and de-watering machines. The corporation has also prepared a list of areas, including government and public places, which are more prone to waterlogging. Open drains are being repaired and maintained. Portable diesel pump sets and super sucker devices would work in waterlogged areas,” said a PMC official.

“There are 38 drainage pumping stations in Patna district. Assistant engineers are being deployed at each pumping station. 12 mobile squads are also being deployed, who will work at an interval of 24 hours. The water level of the pumping station is continuously monitored and open drainage is cleaned for free flowing of water,” the PMC official added.

Even Ranchi Municipal Corporation is fed up with dug-up spots

Source: telegraphindia.com

Traffic snarls and people falling into dug-up stretches of roads — welcome to monsoon in the state capital.

The situation has become so bad that senior officials of Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) are set to meet Ramchandra Sahis, the minister of drinking water and sanitation, to lodge complaints about the number of trenches dug by the department across the capital for repairing water pipelines and giving domestic water connections.

“In the last one-and-half months we have received over two dozen complaints from residents that trenches were dug on the road and on the flanks many months back by the department that are yet to be filled up,” deputy mayor Sanjeev Vijayvargiya said on Monday.

“This causes multiple problems like disruption in traffic and people falling in the trenches. The RMC has to face public criticism irrespective of the fact that the drinking water and sanitation department is responsible for this. The RMC is not responsible if the drinking water department does not have sufficient funds or if officials have no control over contractors. Now we have decided to meet minister of the department to seek his intervention.”

Vijayvargiya, a resident of Kokar, said that on Kokar Chowk the road was dug up three months back. The department has finally covered the trenches with cement slabs. “But debris is yet to be removed and proper levelling work has still not been done. You can see a similar situation on the Kantatoli stretch. Due to such unplanned work, traffic remains affected and people face problems,” he said.

Rakesh Raman, a resident of Bandhgadi, complained that stretch was dug in one of the lanes of his locality a month ago.

“This lane is narrow and has no streetlight, hence people frequently fall in it. I had lodged a complaint with the RMC but there has been no solution so far,” said Raman.

Morabadi resident Vimal Krishnan said contractors executing the works leave the dug-up portions unattended. “As per the rule such stretches must be barricaded with reflective danger sign till the work is finished. But in Ranchi such procedures are not followed. There is risk of accident especially at night for those who are not aware,” Krishnan said.

Hiralal Prasad, chief engineer of the drinking water and sanitation department, admitted that such complaints have come from various parts of the capital.

“These trenches were dug up mainly for repair and to give domestic connections. But they must be filled up after the work is done. During periodical review meetings contractors were asked to properly fill the dug-up stretches with soil. We are going to issue a final warning to all contractors after which departmental action will be taken against them,” Prasad said when contacted.


Patna court grants Rahul Gandhi bail in defamation suit filed by Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi

Source: hindustantimes.com

Rahul Gandhi on Saturday appeared in the court of additional chief judicial magistrate here and pleaded ‘not guilty’ in a defamation case filed by Bihar’s deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi.

Gandhi was granted bail on two sureties of Rs 10,000 each.

Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi had on April 18 filed a defamation case against Gandhi, alleging that he had made defamatory remarks against those having the surname of Modi. In the case, Modi referred the statement of Gandhi at a public meeting in Kolar (Karnataka) on April 13 and found it offensive and derogatory.

Pleading on Gandhi’s behalf in the court of Kumar Gunjan, his counsel, AN Singh and Sanjay Pandey argued that the allegations levelled against the Congress leader was false. Modi’s lawyers, however, countered the arguments and appealed to the court not to grant bail and start the trial of the case.

“Whoever is raising his voice in the country against the Modi government, against the BJP-RSS, he is targeted through court cases. But my fight will continue,” Gandhi told reporters before leaving the court premises.

To a query, he said the voice of people of the country was being suppressed. “My struggle to protect the constitution and the rights of farmers and labourers would continue relentlessly,” he said.

This was the first visit of Gandhi to Patna after he declared his decision to step down as the Congress president after his party’s crushing defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. A large number of party leaders and workers, including AiCC in-charge Shaktisinh Gohil, BPCC president Madan Mohan Jha, former BPCC chief Anil Sharma received Gandhi at the airport.

Gandhi arrived here on a service flight and had a brief conversation with senior party leaders at the state hanger, before heading for the court. He returned to Delhi by another service flight.

Hampi to be developed as iconic tourist destination

Source: newindianexpress.com

BENGALURU: Hampi, a popular tourist destination, will soon be developed into a world-class tourism destination with improved facilities for visitors. It has been listed as an ‘iconic site’ along with 16 others, including the Taj Mahal, Kumarakom, Kaziranga, Khajuraho, Ajanta and Elora, which will be taken up for development. It is the only site in Karnataka which figures in the list.

The announcement was made in the Union Budget proposals for 2019-20, presented by Union Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday. Although Rs 1,378.53 crore has been allocated for building tourism infrastructure, the cost and funding pattern for developing the iconic sites are yet to be worked out.
The Union tourism ministry has been working on the list for more than a year. Officials of the ministry and the state tourism department have been holding a series of meetings with experts to prepare a master plan on the way forward. As a model site, the destination will be a one-stop destination in a combination of infrastructure and soft skills, said a tourism department official. 

THE list has been prepared keeping in mind the cultural importance, heritage value and tourism potential. Sites have been chosen as they are the most do-able places and popular, where any development works taken up will immediately attract attention and increase footfall.

Hampi is listed for its size, continuous findings and promising economic value. Also called the ‘City of Ruins’, it has been listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and is well protected by the state and central Archaeological Departments.

Based on the success of the Hampi plan, the state government plans to replicate the model at other important tourist sites. “After Hampi, work will be taken up at Pattadakal on the same lines, which is also a UNESCO-listed site, followed by the clusters of Badami and Aihole. The forts of Vijayapura, Kalaburgi and Bidar also show promise,” the official said.

The 17 sites listed are popular on the tourist circuit, but a lot more can be done. To become world-class destinations, the place should be well connected by air, rail and road. There should be good signages to guide tourists around the city and the sites. Well-trained guides, interpretation centres and sufficient literature giving all details should be available. Most importantly, there should be proper facilities in place for clean restrooms and restaurants.

Iconic Tourist Sites
Hampi (Karnataka), Taj Mahal, Fathepur Sikri (Uttar Pradesh), Ajanta and Ellora (M’rashtra), Humayun’s Tomb, Qutub Minar, Red Fort (Delhi), Colva Beach (Goa), Amer Fort (Rajasthan), Somnath, Dholavira (Gujarat), Khajuraho (MP), Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu), Kaziranga (Assam), Kumarakom (Kerala)and Mahabodhi Temple (Bihar)

Pro Kabaddi League 2019: Injury to key defender Surender Nada poses questions for Patna Pirates

Source: hindustantimes.com

When Patna Pirates bought the star defender Surender Nada for Rs 77 lakh at the auctions this year, it was considered to be a brilliant move. The franchise had won three titles on the trot till season 5, but in season 6, Pirates failed to make it to the play offs, eventually finishing in the fourth spot in Zone B table. The onus of the defeat lied with a faulty and inexperienced defence, which failed to compliment the brilliance of Pardeep Narwal, who, despite being injured, finished as the best raider of the season.

Nada, who is the second-most successful raider of the tournament and registered most tackle points in season (80 in 21 matches), seemed like the ideal fit to cover the left corner position. But unfortunately for Pirates, the Indian international has failed to recover from the injuries that ended his campaign early last year, posing a big question mark in front of Patna Pirates coaching staff.

We are looking into Surender Nada’s injury. There is still one doctor’s appointment left and we will make our decision on it later. The first medical we did, he turned out to be weak and unfit. So it will take time to heal. We will make our decision after the doctor’s report, hopefully he will be fit to play,” Patna coach Ram Mehar Singh told Hindustan Times in an exclusive chat.

Nada has not turned up for pre-tournament shoots and media exchanges, and is still recovering from his injuries back home, which makes it likely that Patna could name a replacement soon. But coach believes it will be better for the team balance to get an allrounder player instead of a specialist defender for Nada.

“If he fails to get fit, then we will look for a replacement. But we have a player for left corner position, Jaideep, so we will look for an allrounder player in place of the defender,” Singh said.