patna Archives - Page 7 of 13

Angry With Waterlogging in Patna after Heavy Rain, People Surround Deputy CM Sushil Modi’s House

Source: news18.com

Patna: Irked over the problems of waterlogging and accumulation of trash in some areas of the city, a group of people on Sunday gheraoed Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi’s residence here.

The state capital was pounded by heavy rain late last month leading to waterlogging in areas such as Rajendra Nagar, Kankar Bagh and Pataliputra Colony. Even after a fortnight, water has not fully receded in some low-lying localities and garbage has not been cleared in some pockets.

“Around 50-60 people took out a march to Sushil Modi’s house (in Rajendra Nagar area) and returned after some time,” said City Superintendent of Police (Central) Vinay Tiwari.

On September 30, Modi and his family members were rescued by an SDRF team from his flooded residence in Rajendra Nagar. However, they returned later to the house.

The BJP leader, however, was not present during the protest, official sources said adding that security has been beefed up at Modi’s residence. Modi could not be contacted for his comment despite several attempts.

Angry people, carrying placards, shouted anti-Modi slogans and demanded action against officials who failed to flush out water fully in Rajendra Nagar area, making their lives difficult.

“He (Modi) left us in the lurch and fled to a safe place,” one of the protesters said.

A heap of garbage has piled up in the area and it has become quite difficult to live, another protester said. Another demanded an enquiry by Enforcement Directorate and CBI into the assets of all local BJP MLAs and ward councillors. They were also seeking compensation for the damage done to their properties in three days of incessant rain.

After demonstrating there for around 30 minutes, they reached the Patna Municipal Corporation office and protested there.

The state capital was pounded by 342.5 millimetres of rainfall between September 27 and 30, as against the state average of 255 millimetres.

Another group of people also blocked Bailey Road near Saguna More and burnt tyres to protest against the continued waterlogging in some areas. They also shouted anti-government slogans.

“Local people had blocked Bailey road near Saguna More at around 8 am for around half-an-hour. We got the blockade lifted after pacifying them,” a police officer said.

Amid soaring prices, onions worth Rs 8 lakh stolen from godown in Patna

Source: hindustantimes.com

Amidst the reports of soaring onion prices across the country, a case of onion theft worth more than Rs 8 lakh from a dealer’s godown has surfaced from Bihar.

Dheeraj Kumar, the godown owner alleged on Monday that he found the godown broken in and 328 bags of onion along with cash missing when he came in the morning.

“At around 6 in the morning I came to know that the door of my godown was broken, approximately Rs 8 lakh worth of onions kept in 328 bags, cash of Rs 1 lakh 73 thousand and a television set kept in the godown were stolen,” Kumar told reporters here.

He, however, added that he had insured the goods in his godown and therefore was hopeful of getting some relief.

“The godown was built in a desolate spot where usually people do not visit after eight at night, the theft could have happened anytime in the night. My goods were insured, I will lodge an FIR and then try to get the amount from the company,” Kumar said.

Vinod Thakur, the police inspector agreed that a theft had taken place and prima facie it seemed that it was onion and bags which were stolen from the godown.

“The shutters were up and the doors of the room were open, the lock of almirah too was broken. We have begun the investigation and try to nab the culprits,” Thakur said.

Patna man seeks Rs 100 refund from Zomato, loses Rs 77,000 in dubious transaction

Source: indiatoday.in

Zomato user in Patna ordered food for a meager Rs 100 and ended up losing all money in his bank account, a total sum of Rs 77,000 while attempting to claim refund for his order.

The bizarre incident took place in Bihar capital Patna where Vishnu, an engineer by profession, ordered food via the food delivery app. When a delivery boy arrived at his door with the food, Vishnu was unsatisfied with the food quality and asked him to take it back.

The delivery boy instead advised him to call up Zomato customer care and asked Vishnu to Google search “Zomato customer care”. The delivery person asked Vishnu to dial up the first number on Google search results and follow the instructions.

After he called on the first available number, Vishnu got a call back from a person who identified himself as a Zomato customer care executive and said Rs 10 will be deducted from his bank account for Zomato to process the refund amount of Rs 100.

The caller then sent him a link for Vishnu to deposit Rs 10. Without any second thoughts about the whole procedure, the engineer clicked on the link and deposited Rs 10.

Within minutes of this transaction, Rs 77,000 was deducted through multiple transactions from his bank account and Vishnu was left with no money.

The money was deducted via multiple PayTm transactions and Rs 77,000 vanished within minutes and the man failed to do anything to stop it.

The incident took place on September 10 and Vishnu has since been knocking on the doors of the police, banks and several other forums but with no respite.

Onion Theft in Bihar After Its Price Soars

Source: newsclick.in

Patna: It is not only the common people who are concerned about the rising prices of onion, but the onion traders are also concerned about the safety of the produce, as onions worth Rs 8 lakh were stolen from a godown in Bihar on September 22.

At a time when apple is cheaper than the onion in the retail market in Patna and other districts across the state, a gang of thieves reportedly targeted a wholesale onion godown in Sonaru locality near Patna and stole the onions.

“It is true that a case of theft of onion was lodged by a wholesale onion trader. Police have begun investigation into the case and are conducting raids to recover onion bags that were stolen,” said Manish Kumar, officer in-charge, Fatuha police station, while speaking to NewsClick on Monday.

He added that video footage of a CCTV from a nearby locality is being examined.

Onion trader Dheeraj Kumar is upset after his 328 bags of onion were stolen by thieves. “I have never thought that onion will become a target of thieves. It all happened after prices of onion crossed Rs 50 [per kg] in the wholesale market. This incident of onion theft—first such instance in my memory—has created fear among the onion traders who are now taking extra care and are ensuring security of their godowns as well as shops,” said Dheeraj.

He confirmed that he has a filed a complaint with the police.

Another wholesale trader from the old Patna city, Krishna Prasad, said that onion has become a costly item following its unprecedented selling rate in markets. “We were shocked to know that thieves have targeted an onion trader,” he said.

Kanchan Devi, a housewife, told NewsClick that she has been forced to reduce the use of onion in cooking, as it is very costly. “I used to put half a kg onion to prepare foods for the family of five twice a day. Now, I am using hardly 200 grams,” she said.

A grocery shopkeeper, Mahesh Mahto, and a vegetable seller, Zahoor Alam, said that the demand for onion has drastically fallen in the last one week following the increase in its prices. “We are selling onion at Rs 60 per kg, but others are selling at Rs 70 to 80 per kg in Patna itself,” Alam said.

Saket Kumar, a businessman, told NewsClick that people have are buying and using less onion now. “Onion was selling at Rs 35 to 40 per kg till about a week ago, but it has almost doubled now.”

Rate of this essential vegetable is expected to touch even Rs 100 per kg in coming days, as the government has not brought in any measure to bring its price down.

In Bihar, onion is exported mainly from Maharashtra and South Indian states.

Tale of a Bihar school: Gunny bags for benches, open sky as roof for 250 kids

Source: indiatoday.in

The Rajkiya Utkramit Madhya Vidyalaya in Bihar’s Basanta village, 40 kilometre from Patna, teaches students from classes 1 to 8. Almost 250 children study here, however, due to lack of resources, the school runs from just two classrooms, forcing many to study in the open space outside.

“There is a lack of resources because of which children are studying outside the classroom. We have taken up the matter several times with the district officials but to no avail,” said Sanjeev Kumar Sah, a class teacher at the school.

India Today TV travelled to this government school in Vaishali district and found that there were no tables and chairs available for students from classes 1 to 4. Lack of resources compelled the children of these classes to get their own sitting arrangement to school.

“We don’t have a chair and table to sit and that is why we bring empty gunny bags to school to study”, said student of Class 2.

There is a separate room just outside the school premises which is being used by students of class 3 and 4 to study. Urvashi Kumari, teacher of these students, complained that the roof of the room is broken from many places because of which water fills up the classroom during the monsoons.

When India Today TV went into this classroom, it was found that the children were sitting on the floor with water and studying.

“The roof of this class is broken and we have raised this matter many times but nothing has been done. We have no option but to teach students in this situation,” said Urvashi Kumari.

Such is the condition of the school that students of classes 7 and 8 share a single classroom and two teachers use the same blackboard. While Ramanuj Prasad teaches History to students of class 7, Richa Kumari teachers Maths to students of class 8.

Patna’s new home delivery: pollution under control certificates

Source: downtoearth.org.in

Bihar’s transport department launched a mobile pollution testing van facility to deliver pollution under control (PUC) certificates on vehicle owners’ doorsteps.

After implementation of the new Motors Vehicles Act, penalty for violating PUC norms increased to Rs 10,000 and so did the footfall of certificate seekers at pollution testing centres. This prompted the department to launch the facility.

A trial of the mobile van facility was conducted at the Patna secretariat on September 18 and it will soon be completely functional with the launch of a toll-free number, said transport officials.

“We are in the process of launching a toll-free number. Once it starts functioning, the mobile van service will be operational too,” said Sanjay Agarwal, secretary, state transport department.

“Vehicle owners will then be able to call the van to their homes by dialling the toll-free number and get the PUC certificate issued on the spot within few minutes,” he added.

They will initially press 10 such vans into service in Patna and later expand it to other districts, said Agarwal.

Patna is the seventh-most polluted city in the world, according to a recent Greenpeace report. The annual level of particulate matter 2.5 in 2018 was 119.7 micrograms per cubic metre in Patna, added the 2018 World Air Quality Report, jointly prepared by IQAir AirVisual and Greenpeace.

The fear of the fine and inadequate number of pollution testing centres made vehicle owners opt for public transport.

“My PUC certificate has expired, so I have stopped rising my bike to work. I am commuting through public transport so I don’t have to pay a heavy penalty. Also, there are no pollution testing centres in and around my locality so I have failed to get the certificate renewed,” said Dilip Kumar Singh, who works in a private company in Patna.

There are around 500 such centres in Bihar, of which 98 are in Patna district, according to a report by the state transport department.

The department has also asked all petrol pumps and service centres of automobile companies to set up pollution testing centres soon. “Opening of these centres will not only curb air pollution but also provide job opportunities to youths,” said the transport secretary.

There are 2,550 outlets of various oil marketing companies in the state.

There’s also a plan to set up 150 more centres in the state in the next six months.

Three-hour runway shutdown at Patna airport spooks 12 flights, 2000 fliers

Source: hindustantimes.com

A three-hour suspension of operations after a fire tender got stuck near the runway at Patna airport on Wednesday afternoon forced the diversion of nine flights, delayed three others on the ground and held up the departure of other flights from Delhi, Mumbai and other airports affecting around 2000 passengers.

The fire tender had gone to extinguish a fire on the grass along the runway when it got stuck 22 metres from the runway edge, said an airport spokesperson.

The fire was caused after firecrackers were used to chase away birds which pose serious risk to aircraft. Airport authorities at Patna still use rudimentary methods to scare away birds from the runway.

“A crash fire tender (CFT) was immediately sent to the site to extinguish the fire. After extinguishing the fire, the CFT got stuck in the area possibly due to soft surface because of overnight rain,” the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said in a statement later in the evening.

“The CFT was removed with help of cranes and other earth moving equipment, available at the ongoing new airport terminal building project construction site,” the statement added.

All incoming flights to Patna were diverted between 12.30pm and 3.16pm. Air operation was shut from 12.10 pm, when the Air Traffic Control (ATC) spotted the fire in the grass, and restored at 3.40 pm. The AAI issued notice to airmen (NOTAM) for temporary runway closure from 1.10 to 3.30 pm.

Among the flights diverted were four of IndiGo, two each of GoAir and of Spice Jet and one non-schedule charter flight of Saraya Aviation.

Three flights were diverted to Varanasi, and two each to Lucknow, Kolkata and Ranchi.

Among the flights diverted to Varanasi were IndiGo 6E-811 flight from Kolkata to Patna; Saraya Aviation’s VTEJZ flight from Delhi to Patna; and SpiceJet’s SG-6258 from Bengaluru to Patna.

Those diverted to Ranchi included IndiGo’s 6E-485 from Bengaluru to Patna and GoAir’s G8-2511 from Delhi to Patna. IndiGo’s 6E-6126 from Delhi to Patna and SpiceJet’s SG 954 from Ahmedabad to Patna were diverted to Lucknow. Similarly, GoAir’s G8-131 from Delhi to Patna and IndiGo’s 6E-787 from Mumbai to Patna were diverted to Kolkata.

GoAir’s G8-378 to Bangalore, Air India’s AI-410 and IndiGo’s 6E-2325, both bound for Delhi were delayed at the airport for more than three hours.

Interestingly, air traffic controllers had given IndiGo’s flight to Delhi the clearance for takeoff, but the pilot decided against it as it was fraught with risk. The pilots returned to the parking bay from runway 07 after which the AAI sought NOTAM for temporary closure of runway.

The AAI’s decision to send the CFT, which weighs around 37 tonne within 22 metres of the runway’s edge on unmetalled surface especially after Patna registered 94.4 mm rainfall on Tuesday evening, has also come under the scanner since the fire engine can easily fight a blaze from a distance of almost 90 metres.

One killed in clash between Patna University hostel students, locals

Source: indianexpress.com

A 45-year-old man, a bystander during a clash between Patna University hostel students and local residents, was killed after a stone thrown by one of the parties hit him on the head.

The police have arrested 20 students in this regard.

The clash took place after eight students were earlier arrested for passing objectionable remarks against a local girl.
According to the police, around 12.30 am on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, over a hundred students living in Cervantes and Minto hostels of Patna University and local Lalbagh residents began pelting stones at each other. Mohammed Shoukat, who had been standing at a tea stall, was hit by a stone on his head, and died on the spot.

His death sparked fresh protests from locals, forcing police to raid the hostels. Twetny students were arrested around 2 am. To avoid further clashes, police have been deployed at Lalbagh and near the hostels.
Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Garima Malik said: “We are taking stern action. The police deployment will continue and more arrests can be made”.

The chain of events started on Saturday, when inmates of the two PU hostels took out a protest march against the “poor quality” of food served in hostel canteens. During the protest, some students allegedly passed objectionable remarks against a local Labagh girl. After some locals protested this, one resident was beaten up. Police later arrested eight hostel students for passing the remarks and for assaulting the local resident.

The Monday night protest was triggered after students learnt that three Lalbagh residents had recorded their statements with the police against the arrested students.

Meanwhile, Patna University administration has taken stock of the situation and might take action against the students after an internal inquiry.

Indian Railways largest waiting hall opens at Patna Junction! From digital screens to local art, see features

Source: financialexpress.com

New Indian Railways waiting hall at Patna Junction: Indian Railways continues to give a swanky makeover to stations across India under its station redevelopment and beautification initiative! Recently, the Patna Junction railway station in Bihar got a new waiting hall for better comfort of passengers. The waiting hall, set up over an area of 7,500 sq ft, has been provided with a seating capacity of over 300 passengers. In addition to this, as many as 200 more seats can be added at the hall. Interestingly, the newly opened waiting hall at Patna Junction station is said to be the largest waiting hall on the Indian Railways network. Also, many other passenger-friendly amenities and facilities have been provided in the waiting hall.

According to information shared by the East Central Railway zone, the new waiting hall has been equipped with 7 HD screens of 65″. The digital screens will display entertainment-related content as well as train information 24×7. The waiting hall has been beautified to promote local art with all the walls being covered in Madhubani painting in bright and attractive colours. The entire waiting hall is centrally air-conditioned. Moreover, additional fans have been provided as well. Also, the entire waiting hall is lighted with 100 per cent LED fixtures concealed in the ceiling.

Piyush Goyal-chaired Railway Ministry is effortlessly working towards beautification and redevelopment of stations across the country. Not only are the railway stations being beautified, but they are also being well equipped with various modern facilities. Some of the stations, which were renovated recently include New Delhi railway station, Kamakhya Junction, Asansol Junction, Mathura Junction, Haridwar Junction, Jaipur Junction, Lonavala, Adoni, Bellampalli, Sainagar Shirdi, Manduadih, Kurnool City railway station, etc.

Besides, Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC)- a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) is also working to transform certain railway stations into airport-like hubs. Currently, development work is being carried out at Habibganj and Gandhi Nagar railway stations.