Category: Ranchi

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna Beneficiaries in Ranchi Rechristen Diyadih Village as ‘Modi Tola’

Source: news18.com

Impressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship programme Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), about 40 beneficiary families have renamed their Diyadih village as ‘Modi tola’ at Icchagarh block of Seraikela-Kharsawan district-105 km south of Ranchi.

According to The Pioneer, Diyadih village is one out of 116 odd villages where around 20,000 people were left homeless due to construction of Chandil Dam of Subarnarekha multipurpose project.

The homeless people displaced from their original habitant were bereft of their houses and agriculture land. However, a few months ago, 40 families of Diyadih village were provided houses under PM Awas Yojana by the Seraikela-Kharsawan district.

Under PM Awas Yojna, each unit of house has two rooms, verandah, kitchen and a toilet.

“Diyadih village is one of displaced village of Subarnarekha multipurpose project. As the government has constructed 40 units of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme, the villagers impressed with the project and expressing their gratitude towards Modijee have renamed the village as Modi Tola,” Vimal Mahto, one of the beneficiaries of PMAY was quoted saying by The Pioneer.

A farmer by profession, Mahto further said they were displaced from their houses around four decades back, many governments visited them but they cared little about their interest. “Few months back that we receive houses PM Awas and the onus goes to PM,” Mahto said.

However, residents of Diyadih village are deprived of infrastructure facilities in the village as they are yet to see power connection at the time when the Jharkhand government is claiming of 100 percent power connection in rural areas.

To fasten Centre and State Government’s development schemes, BJP MLA from Icchagar, Sadhu Charan Mahto recently visited the village and assessed the development projects there. The MLA has promised villagers to provide drinking water through deep boring.

“Work on connecting the village with power map is going on war footing pace with the village going to witness power connection within a month. I have also ensured villagers that a rural road will be constructed in their village,” The Pioneer quoted the BJP MLA saying.

Though the villagers have received houses under PM Awas Scheme, the displaced families are yet to get the promised compensation.

The State Government had approved proposal for construction of 1.60 lakh houses under the Prime Minister Awas Yojana, of which 48,000 houses has been completed. At the same time construction work of 43,822 is underway at war footing pace.

The PM Awas Yojana was introduced in June 2015 is an interest subsidy scheme for purchase/construction/extension/improvement of house to cater economically poor section of society.

Ranchi doctors protest ‘quack’ bill

Source: telegraphindia.com

Outdoor patients in the capital suffered on Wednesday as OPD services at private and government hospitals stayed suspended due to the doctors’ nationwide strike against the National Medical Commission Bill 2019 passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday, which doctors claim will legitimise quacks in the country.

The 24-hour national protest, called by the apex body representing the country’s medical fraternity Indian Medical Association, started from 6am on Wednesday with the withdrawal of non-essential services. Emergency, trauma, ICU and related services were outside the ambit of the strike.

In Ranchi, as well as elsewhere in the country, poor patients seeking OPD services at government hospitals faced the brunt of the strike.

At the state’s largest government-run Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, nearly 200 poor patients, many from outside Ranchi and districts of Jharkhand, had come on Wednesday. They did not know anything about the strike. On an average, over 500 people come to RIMS OPD every day.

Amar Nath Dubey, 62, who came from Baijnathpur in Deoghar to get his post-surgical check-up, said the strike was a big financial blow. “I met with an accident on February 7 and had a surgery at RIMS the same month. My doctor called me a month ago and again today (Wednesday) to the OPD for post-surgical check-up. I’ve come spending Rs 16,000 on a private vehicle as I am in no position to take buses or trains, but the OPD is closed. It means I have to stay in Ranchi, an added expense,” Dubey said.

Four-year-old TB patient Arvind from Chandankyari in Bokaro, who came for a consult at RIMS with his grandparents, slept outside the OPD, as the elderly couple worried about where to stay the night.

At Sadar Hospital, poor people from across the capital and nearby localities who turned up for free treatment at the OPD, had to leave. “I am suffering from toothache,” said Salia Khatoon, who came from Brambe to Sadar Hospital. “I was asked to come tomorrow (Thursday).” Usha Devi from Hatma, who came for a pregnancy-related test, said the same. Seven-year-old deaf-mute Raja from Dhanbad came with his grandparents to obtain a disability certificate. His grandfather, mason Ramchandra Sah rued he did not know about Wednesday’s strike.

District civil surgeon Dr Vijay Bihari Singh said outdoor patients at Sadar Hospital needing immediate attention were treated at the emergency ward that was open.

RIMS director Dr D.K. Singh did not reply to calls. President of RIMS Junior Doctors’ Association Dr Ajit Kumar said they were compelled to strike work to “save medical science.” Through the National Medical Commission Bill, the central government is taking a step that will transfer medical science in the hands of those who have not studied medical science. The new system will promote quacks. This will affect the poor the most,” Dr Kumar said. “However, all emergency services were exempt from the strike.”

On its website, the IMA has alleged that “Section 32 of the NMC Bill provides for licensing of 3.5 lakh unqualified non medical persons to practise modern medicine”.

It claimed the new bill vaguely defined the term “community health provider”, thereby allowing persons without medical training to practise and prescribe independently. If the bill comes in force, the quality of healthcare services will fall drastically, the doctors fear, calling the bill “draconian”, “anti-people”, “anti-poor” and “anti-students”.

OPD open

Dhanbad: OPD services largely stayed open at state-run Patliputra Medical College and Hospital on Wednesday. IMA state president, Dr A.K. Singh said they were “totally against the National Medical Commission Bill” but decided to let OPD services function to help the poor.

First phase of Harmu river revamp almost over, nothing to show for it

Source: telegraphindia.com

A woman rag-picker was picking plastic bottles, polythene packets and other trash from the sludgy riverbed of Harmu river in Kadru on Tuesday, the stink of the black water enveloping the busy road.

It is difficult to imagine that the state government has already spent Rs 81 crore out of Rs 85 crore earmarked for the first phase to renovate this river, a task undertaken by Jharkhand Urban Infrastructure Development Company (Juidco), an arm of the state urban development department. The river, a glorified drain, was dubbed “dead” by Jharkhand High Court Justice S.N. Pathak a fortnight ago.

But barely a kilometre away from Kadru, state urban development secretary Ajoy Kumar Singh on Tuesday along with officials of the department and Juidco took part in planting saplings at Tapovan, again on the banks of the Harmu river, and discussed the second phase of the rejuvenation project that’s likely to start in August.

Singh said the state government had decided to plant as many as 15,000 saplings on the 10.5km stretch of the river to protect the water and the environment. “Consulting and construction companies associated with the Harmu river project will be responsible to protect the saplings once they are planted,” Singh said and directed officials to hold regular meetings with residents who live near the river to ensure they are involved too and don’t pollute the river. He also directed Juidco to put iron nets on the flanks of the bridges so that garbage is not thrown in the river.

Amid the plethora of directives, it was not hard to miss Juidco had not even done Harmu’s basic clean-up till date. Team Telegraph on Tuesday morning found the river choked at several points with plastic bottles, thermocol plates and polythene bags.

Asked, a Juidco official said they surveyed 2,000 households close to the banks of the river and a number of nearby colonies, built seven sewerage treatment plants and diverted many drains directly flowing into the river.

“But over the years, the number of settlements increased and many more drains got linked to the river,” he said.

“The first phase of the work is complete a technical team comprising experts from BIT-Sindri, BIT-Mesra and state public health and works department have inspected it. Once we get the panel’s report, we will be able what else is further required and what we lacked,” the official said.

An Ranchi Municipal Corporation official told this paper that despite everything, the river was dirty. “Last month, RMC asked the state urban development department to clean the choked Harmu river. It is Juidco’s job. The situation is very bad and an urgent clean-up is needed. But we don’t know why Juidco is not interested,” the senior RMC official remarked.

Juidco had its own set of excuses. A senior official of Juidco associated with the river project said it was technically impossible to clean the entire stretch till a proper plan was worked out. “Removing garbage from a couple of places is no solution. The river has become Ranchi’s dustbin. People dump garbage in the river, drainwater flows into it, these are the bare facts.” An official on the condition of anonymity alleged that the river rejuvenation project conceptualised in 2015 had a hastily prepared DPR but did not elaborate.

In the second phase, more sewerage treatment plants are set to come up and more drains diverted from the river. A solid waste management plant is also expected. But the Juidco official, who’d claimed the DPR was made in a hurry, said: “It will take at least a decade to rejuvenate this river.”

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.”

Face recognition cameras to boost policing in Ranchi

Source: indiatoday.in

For long, Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi has been known as a safe hideout for criminals and Maoists on the run.

A rapidly growing city with a big population, coupled with understaffed police force and a poor surveillance mechanism, Ranchi has often seen in the past as a city where a criminal on the run would desire to be in.

Ranchi Police, however, has just made it difficult for the career criminals.

The police in Ranchi have just obtained advanced face recognition cameras (FRCs) to pick the known criminals and habitual offenders from city streets.

The police have uploaded the available photographs of the criminals in the database of the police control room and linked to the FRCs. With the cameras linked to the police database, it is expected to scan the faces in their respective fields of visions and send out an alert if and when a match is found on city roads.

The police are hopeful that these cameras will help them in both prevention and solving of criminal cases, besides augmenting its existing surveillance mechanism.

All FRCs have been attached to separate network video recorders, a digital device fitted on the internet CCTV network. The recorder will digitally record live image/video streams to a hard disk.

If an offender would cross through locations where the FRCs have been put up, an alert will be generated at police control room along with the location of the offender concerned. A police response team will be immediately tasked to trace the offender

Top police sources told India Today that while 16 FRCs have been installed at strategic locations in the city, more can be procured in times to come. Though the locations of these cameras, installed at a lower height to help the devices effectively recognise faces, have been kept a secret, it is understood that the locations are those from where criminals usually try to escape.

The FRCs’ locations have been kept a secret, as criminals would avoid a route if they come to know about precise installation sites. Each of the FRCs cost over Rs 40,000, but these have good lenses to have clear image quality. While the available photographs of criminals have already been uploaded, expansion of the database would be a “continuous process”.

The FRCs are in addition to the Automatic Number Plate Recognition Cameras (APNRs) detection cameras, already installed in Ranchi.

These APNRs help cops prosecute traffic rule violaters. These APNR cameras can read number plates of violating vehicles, which technicians at the police control room can scan for the system to automatically generate challans to pay fines and sent them to the addresses of violators. Now with FRCs installed in Ranchi, the police believe its existing surveillance system, which largely depended on 500 CCTV cameras on important roads, will become more effective.

The Ranchi Police said that the FRC system, part of a system to boost real-time policing, will be integrated to the existing video surveillance systems and match faces in real-time against a watch list of individuals to trigger an alert.

Main government office ignores Ranchi public

Source: telegraphindia.com

Dilip Munda and his elderly mother, from Murhu in Khunti district, had come to the state capital on Friday for some work related to her pension. Their ordeal began at Dhurwa roundabout, as they could not find a single auto-rickshaw to drop them at the Project Building situated around 2km from the roundabout.

“I can walk but my mother cannot due to arthritis. It is very difficult to travel to Project Building if you don’t have a bike or four-wheeler of your own,” Munda said.

The Project Building in Dhurwa, the main secretariat of the state government, houses offices of as many as 22 departments besides the those of the chief minister and chief secretary. The state police headquarters is also located on the same stretch, around 500 metres from Project Building.

The Project Building receives a footfall of around 10,000 people per day. But such an important edifice of the administration is almost inaccessible by public transport.

Very few auto-rickshaws ply on the route and common people are sometimes forced to walk for almost 2 km from the Dhurwa roundabout to visit a government office. Motilal, an auto-rickshaw driver who operates from Dhurwa roundabout to Chandni Chowk via Project Building, said that just about 10 autos operate from the roundabout to the Project Building.

“No bus operates from Gol Chakkar to Project Building hence auto-rickshaw is the only mode of communication for people who don’t have a bike or four-wheeler. We operate from around 8.45am till 6pm when the Project Building closes,” said Motilal.

A grade IV government employee who works at the Project Building however said the ordeal is a daily one for people like him as well.

“Majority of the staff and officials of the Project Building have their own bike or four-wheeler. Senior officials enjoy government facilities. But what about us? I don’t have a bike. Grade IV employees have to stay in the office till their bosses are present. Often our seniors stay in the office till late evening holding meetings. I hardly get any auto after 6pm,” he said, requesting anonymity for obvious reasons.

Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) runs no bus to the Project Building.

“I was part of the board of meeting which had finalised the route map for city buses,” said deputy mayor Sanjeev Vijayvargiya. “I remember that operation of buses from Booty Mor to Project Building and from ITI to Project Building was proposed.”

Transporter Kishore Mantri, who operates majority of the RMC buses, said no bus operates from Gol Chakkar to Project Building.

“The RMC has not given me anything in writing about Gol Chakkar-Project Building route. One should not keep much hope on the RMC bus service which is on the verge of closure,” said Mantri.

The RMC has 91 buses out of which 60 are grounded as operators don’t participate in the tender process because they are not interested. Mantri runs 25 buses — his employees drive and maintain the buses and pay a fixed amount to the RMC — and for the six other buses the civic body hires drivers on daily payment.

Another official of the RMC said Project Building was removed from the route list assuming that employees working there have their private mode of transport and people arrange their own conveyance.

Defence pension adalat a big hit in Ranchi

Source: telegraphindia.com

Over 700 people, comprising retired defence personnel or their dependants, sought redressal of their grievances at the 168th defence pension adalat, a two-day affair, that began at Kerketta Auditorium of the Dipatoli Cantonment in Ranchi on Thursday.

A range of problems were highlighted and most were resolved, said sources.

For instance, Surya Prasad Singh, an ex-serviceman from Ranchi who retired from the army more than 15 years ago, is yet to get the commutation value of his pension restored.

Sujit Shukla, an ex-serviceman from Garhwa who was with the army for 13 years and four months, said he had been denied pension.

“I had commuted a part of my pension at the time of my retirement. But, this yet to be restored though I ought to get it back now,” said Surya Prasad Singh.

“I’ve come here to seek reconsideration of my case,” said Sujit Shukla. “I had to retire… but was with the army for 13 years and 4 months, which is less than the 15 years of active service that is required to qualify for pension,” he explained, adding that he wanted to appeal to the authorities so that his case could be reconsidered and pension sanctioned to him.

The adalat, held for the third time in Jharkhand, is being organised by the principal controller of defence accounts (PCDA, pension)- Allahabad under the aegis of the controller general of defence accounts (CGDA)-New Delhi.

It was inaugurated on Thursday by Governor Draupadi Murmu.

“Since such a pension adalat has been organised in Ranchi, retired defence personnel should utilise it to their fullest benefit,” she said, going on to praise ex-servicemen for their contribution to the nation. She also thanked the armed forces and defence authorities for organising the adalat.

PCDA Vishwajit Sahay, in his address, spoke of the steps being taken to provide better services to defence pensioners by introducing a pensioners portal and issuing electronic pension payment orders (e-PPOs).

“More lines have been added to our call centre with toll-free number1800-180-5325 so that defence pensioners can seek clarification on any doubt or register their grievances,” he said.

CGDA Sanjiv Mittal said a comprehensive pension package was in the offing. “The entire process of pension sanction would be computerised,” he said. The adalat received an overwhelming response with 680 people registering grievances till 2.20pm on Thursday. More people were expected to turn up, opined a local defence accounts official, adding that most of the problems were likely to be resolved on the spot.

Open drain kills girl in Ranchi shocker

Source: telegraphindia.com

A four-year-old girl fell into an open, waterlogged drain barely 100 metres from her home in Hindpiri to be fatally swept away on Wednesday afternoon, her family blaming the Ranchi Municipal Corporation’s callousness for her death.

The girl, Falak, a close neighbour of RMC ward 23 councillor Sajda Khatoon at Nala Road in Hindpiri, was on her way to attend her tuition class when she slipped and fell into the arterial drain around 1.30pm.

Though dozens of bystanders jumped in to rescue her, she could not be found.

Four hours later, her body was recovered 5km away from the Subernarekha river in Chutia, where the drain flows into the river.

The killer drain, which channels dirty water of Hindpiri, Main Road and other adjoining localities, lacks every basic safety feature despite being situated in the heart of a so-called Smart City.

A bystander said that Falak had stopped to buy chocolates at a neighbourhood shop near the drain, which had neither any cover not barrier at that stretch, when she seemed to take a misstep and fell into the dirty water.

“I was right there, talking on my cellphone, so were many others. We rushed to the spot. I could clutch her schoolbag but could not save her, the currents of the drain water were so strong that she was gone,” a shocked Md Kasib told this paper.

Falak lived with her parents and younger sister Alia, who is 2 years old.

Her uncle Md Arshad said they could not believe a child could die so easily because of the city’s poor drainage system. “My niece became a victim of Ranchi Municipal Corporation’s carelessness. For hours we frantically searched for her across the stretch of the drain, all the way to Kadru. Finally her body was found stuck in garbage in the Subernarekha river,” said Arshad.

Ranchi Main Road from Ekra Masjid forks right to the narrow and potholed Nala Road with the uncovered drain.

“RMC built the drain but did not bother to cover it. At some places, people pooled in their own money and to put covers. The road has no flank. Not a single day passes when people and bikers fall in the drain,” said Md Imran.

“It gets dangerous in monsoon as the drain becomes a swollen river.”

He added that ward councillor Khatoon wasn’t bothered. “We have demanded a cover for the drain many times in the past but no one bothered to listen,” said Md Nasim, another resident.

Khatoon did not respond to phone calls when The Telegraph tried to contact her.

Ranchi deputy mayor Sanjeev Vijayvargiya, who visited the locality around 3pm when Falak’s body was still missing, promised to get the open drain covered with concrete slabs, but did not give a deadline.

“This was a tragic incident. The drain has many criss-crosses. Apparently, the child was washed away towards Guru Nanak School. I will call a meeting of the RMC on open drains,” said Vijayvargiya.

Ranchi Lake beautification likely to be complete this year

Source: dailypioneer.com

The beautification work of Ranchi Lake, popularly known as ‘Bada Talab’, which has been underway for a long time now is being accelerated, said Deputy Mayor of Ranchi, Sanjeev Vijaywargiya.

The proposal to complete the work was scheduled pre-monsoon, by March end of this year, yet no substantial on site development can be witnessed. “We have come up with a budget of Rs 3.5 crores for the project and aim to develop the lake with advance technology, Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) for all the sewage and drain water that is discharged in the lack causing water contamination,” said the Deputy Mayor.

A request for proposal will be floated within this week said Vijaywargiya. The work for the STP will start from September and would take about six to eight months for its completion. Water purification and development of a horticulture park around it also included in the project. The park along with the bronze statue of Vivekananda that was established earlier this year will be handled by the Tourism Department of the State.

The plan to undertake the beautification project for the lake has been on the RMC’s checklist from 2016. With intervention from the CM’s side this year the initial plan was to complete the work before monsoon so as to ensure recharging of ground water and rain water harvesting. “We have already decided to cut 10 per cent of the contractor’s payment due to the delay and are committed to ensure the project proves to be good quality work in due time,” told Vijaywargiya.

“We are looking forward to the renewal and beautification of the lake, we wish to see the iconic lake of Ranchi develop as a tourist spot. It is also important from the perspective of water conservation as we are going through major water crisis in the leading cities of our country,” said Manoj Kumar, a resident near the lake.

The other projects in process for the Ranchi Municipal Corporation includes road expansion of about 10-15 feet from Rotary Park to Laxmi Narayan Mandir in Upper Bazaar, pathway – eatery joint and park development around the Yoga centre present there, collaboration with Maheshwari Samiti in the Annapurna Yojna to provide food Rs.10 per plate with parking and seating space.

Ranchi MP, parents take steps to solve school van issue

Source: dailypioneer.com

Lok Sabha member from Ranchi, Sanjay Seth, today, took cognizance of the order issued by Ranchi Traffic police banning small vehicles for ferrying kids from School. Seth talked to SSP and SP (City and Traffic) Ranchi and asked to take back the order at the earliest.

Seth said that there are several colonies in the city where buses cannot enter, many parents go out for work and due to distance of schools from home only small vehicles are the transportation means. The SSP and SP (Traffic) agreed to the arguments and said that the schoolkids can use small vehicles from tomorrow. The MP also appealed to Van and Auto operators to end their strike.   

Earlier, All School Parents Association (ASPA) president Ajay Rai led a delegation to SP (Traffic) Harilal Chauhan and informed him about the school vans and other vehicles being run by different schools.

Rai said that 20 to 30 per cent school vans are used by parents of different schoolchildren in the city, but after the administration banned the small vehicles schools have also sent notices to parents to transport the students on their own. Rai said that parents are baffled with the directive as many of them are unable to send their kids to schools on their own.

The SP (Traffic) said that security of children is the first priority of the administration, which cannot be compromised. He said that those drivers following the rules need not be afraid, but those who do not follow rules need to get commercial registration of their vehicles, else they will be penalised.