Tag: state-capital

Routes for electric buses finalised.

Source – telegraphindia.com

Get ready for shuttle service on electricity powered mini-buses in the state capital by October this year.

Ranchi Smart City Corporation Limited (RSCCL) has drawn up two circular routes for the shuttle services initially.

“Acting on the directive of the principal secretary of the state urban development department Ajoy Kumar Singh, we have finalised two routes for the 14+1-seater (14 passengers plus driver) electric bus shuttle services and bids will be invited for service providers soon,” a senior RSCCL official said on Friday.

“We are hopeful of starting the bus service before the festive season in October this year on these two routes. The routes have been drawn up in such a manner that they cover most parts of the city. Depending on the response, we will be increasing the routes later on,” the official added.

The buses will have low-floor configuration, which are easy to get on or disembark from.

The first round-trip route will start and end at Kantatoli and cover a distance of more than 10km. “The Kantatoli shuttle services will begin from Kantatoli Chowk and cover Bahu Bazaar roundabout, Munda Chowk, railway station, Patel Chowk, Sujata Talkies Chowk, Ratan Talkies Chowk, Sarjana Chowk, Subhash Chowk, Main Road (Mahatma Gandhi Chowk), Albert Ekka Chowk, Kutchery Chowk, Jail Chowk, Lalpur Chowk, Circular Road, and Dangratoli,” the source informed.

The other route of the shuttle service will begin from Booty Mor and cover Khelgaon roundabout, Kokar Chowk, Kantatoli Chowk, Bahu Bazaar, Munda Chowk, Sujata Chowk, Rajendra Chowk, Hinoo Chowk (near Ranchi airport), Birsa Chowk, Satellite Chowk, Argora, Harmu, Sahjanand Chowk, Ratu Road, Kishore Yadav Chowk, Suchna Bhavan, Machhli Ghar, and Bariatu Road.

“The second route will cover a distance of nearly 29 km,” the RSCCL source said. “The objective of introducing such buses — both fuel driven and battery operated — which have more seating capacity than the auto-rickshaws is to decrease traffic congestion caused by such auto-rickshaws as people will opt for such buses. We plan to roll out nearly 150 such buses.”

Urban development department spokesperson Amit Kumar said the routes had been planned carefully.

“The environment-friendly battery operated buses will ply on the two routes selected based on traffic density and cover most of the capital,” he said.

The existing fuel driven city buses (29-seater) will be made to ply on the six-lane ring roads outside the city touching the national highways. “The hybrid or CNG buses with better seating capacity (29-seater) will be made to ply on more routes which do not witness traffic jams,” Amit said.

RJD MLA Faraz Fatmi attends JD(U) feast, backs Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on NRC.

Source – deccanherald.com

Amid the fast-changing political equations in Bihar, an RJD MLA Faraz Fatmi on Wednesday attended the feast organised by the ruling JD(U) on the occasion of Makar Sankranti here in the State Capital.

Lauding Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for clearing the air that “NRC won’t be implemented in Bihar,” the RJD MLA questioned his own party leader Tejashwi Yadav for taking out a ‘Pratirodh yatra’ (Protest march) on January 16 from Muslim-dominated Kishanganj.

“When Nitish ji has made his stand on NRC loud and clear, what is the justification for Tejashwi to embark on a yatra on this contentious issue,” said Faraz, whose father MAA Fatmi was Union Minister in UPA-I when RJD was an alliance partner in the Congress-led Government.

The senior Fatmi had represented Darbhanga as RJD MP after defeating BJP’s Kirti Azad in 2004. However, denied Lok Sabha ticket in 2019, MAA Fatmi quit RJD and joined the JD(U).

His son Faraz continues to be RJD MLA and is the second legislator in Lalu’s outfit to have openly spoken against Tejashwi Yadav. Earlier, Maheshwar Yadav, the RJD MLA too had praised Nitish and questioned Tejashwi’s leadership.

“As of now, in Bihar, there is no bigger face than Nitish. I am sure he will form the Government again in 2020,” said Faraz, one of the prominent Muslim face of the RJD.

Meanwhile, the Bihar JD(U) president Vashishta Narayan Singh, who hosted the chuda-dahi bhoj (feast of flattened rice and curd), said, “From today onwards, the sun has moved Uttarayan. In this auspicious period, you will see many prominent leaders deserting their parent party and joining the JD(U).”

Main accused in Patna gang-rape case surrenders.

Source – hindustantimes.com

The main accused in the gang-rape case in the state capital on Monday, Vinayak Singh, surrendered before the court on Wednesday. With this, three of the four accused have either been arrested or surrendered before the police.

On January 6, four men had abducted the girl, a BBA student, at gun point and gang-raped her at a vacant flat situated behind a prominent mall in Patna.

The woman was forced to get inside a vehicle at gun point by the accused when she came out of a restaurant at around 6.30 pm (on Monday) under SK Puri police station limits.

She alleged in her FIR that they took her to a vacant flat at an unknown place and repeatedly raped her.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Patna, Upendra Sharma, said the accused Vinayak Singh surrendered before the court due to mounting police pressure.

“The police raided different places to arrest the fourth accused, Sandip Mukhiya,” he added.

Police said they had earlier raided the house of Singh in Hajipur, but could not find him. The police also raided various places in Patna, he added.

Police said as Singh‘s uncle came to know about the incident, he assured the police that he would ensure surrender of his nephew. Singh, however, surrendered to the court, police added.

Police had first arrested Kush. On the basis of Kush’s statement, police arrested Vikas, the second accused.

The girl had lodged a case with the women police station against the four people.

Police officials had said on Tuesday that one of the accused was trying to force the woman into a relationship and was stalking her. The station house officer of the women’s police station, Arti Jaiswal, said preliminary investigation suggested the woman knew the accused.

A case was registered under Sections 376 D (gang-rape), 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Arms Act, Jaiswal said.

A medical examination of the woman has been conducted and the report is awaited.

This is the second incident of gang-rape in the state capital within a month. On December 13, a Patna University student was allegedly gang-raped by four men.

Two of the accused, including a friend of the woman, surrendered in the court, while two others were arrested from separate places. Taking serious view of the Patna gang-rape in which a student was kidnapped from a mall in the state capital, HAM-S leader Jitan Ram Manjhi said law and order situation has deteriorated in Bihar.

The Congress also pulled up the state government for failure to control crime. Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) chief Madan Mohan Jha on Wednesday said Patna had turned into the crime capital of the country.