Ranchi, July 13:Counselling for admission into engineering institutions and polytechnics offering over 7,600 degree and diploma courses will kick off from July 18.
For degree-level engineering studies, the candidates, who cleared the joint entrance examination conducted by Jharkhand Combined Entrance Competitive Examination Board (JCECEB), will get berths according to their ranks on the merit list. And this is the first time, the JCECEB has invited approximately all 35,000 examinees to take part in the counselling process, which will be held at its office from July 18 to August 8.
"Till last year, we have been inviting the students according to their ranks in different phases. But as many seats in private engineering colleges went vacant last year, we have decided to call all examinees in the first phase itself," JCECEB officer on special duty R.K. Singh said.
Altogether 3,014 engineering seats are up for grabs. Like every year, BIT-Sindri, the lone state-owned engineering college, will be the top pick this time too.
The Dhanbad-based cradle offers 690 seats in 10 streams — chemical, civil, computer science, electrical, electronics and communication, information technology, mechanical, metallurgical, mining and production.
Some of the private engineering colleges that are an option are Vinoba Bhave University-run University College of Engineering & Technology in Hazaribagh, RVS College of Engineering & Technology,Jamshedpur; BA College of Engineering & Technology, Jamshedpur; Cambridge Institute of Technology, Ranchi; Ram Govind Institute of Technology, Koderma; RTC Institute of Technology, Ranchi and Ramchandra Chandravanshi Institute of Technology, Vishramapur (Palamau).
For those who are keen to take up courses run by polytechnics and other diploma-level programmes, there are about 4,600 seats (see chart). Counselling will take place between July 18 and August 12 at JCECEB office. However, for the hotel management and catering technology course, the venue is ISM, Pundag.
Aspiring engineers will have to carry a demand draft of Rs 10,000 (general and backward categories) and Rs 5,000 (Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe) at the time of counselling. The draft should be drawn in favour of controller of examination, J.C.E.C.E.B.
For diploma courses, the amount is Rs 2,400 (general and backward categories) and Rs 500 (Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe).
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State board eyes shelved power plans
RUDRA BISWAS
Ranchi, July 13:Jharkhand State Electricity Board (JSEB) has begun a hunt for reports of hydel projects that were proposed during the days of undivided Bihar but suspended after the state's creation.
The state utility has not yet traced the exact number of detailed project reports of the shelved plans, many of which are believed to have been proposed over two decades ago.
JSEB chairman S.N. Verma told The Telegraphthat a number of detailed project reports were drawn up by the Bihar government to set up small and medium hydel projects in the Jharkhand region to tap its vast potential.
"Many of these project reports were finalised in the late Eighties and also given the financial go-ahead by the Planning Commission. Work on some of these projects had begun too. Now, we have taken our first steps to trace these old project reports so that we can develop the plans," he added.
Verma said JSEB had learnt that engineers from Bihar were still posted at project sites, where work had already begun. "After the creation of Jharkhand, all work on such projects has been suspended, as Bihar cannot be expected to tap Jharkhand's water bodies to set up hydel projects," he pointed out.
The JSEB chief revealed that the board had started talks with Bihar Hydro-Electric Power Corporation (BHPC) to extract the project reports. Drafting a detailed project report takes at least six months. "Ample time could thus be saved if the old project reports are unearthed so that we can directly begin work by surveying the spots and redraft a new proposal according to our requirements."
Verma added that BHPC had agreed to co-operate with the board, considering Jharkhand boasts of vast potential in hydel projects with its large water bodies and numerous waterfalls.
Among the projects that were proposed was one hydel plan on Sankh river near Rajendra village in Chainpur block of Gumla district. It envisaged setting up of two power plants. A similar project of 200MW capacity was proposed in Bishnupur block of Gumla district.
Work had also begun before Jharkhand's formation to set up a 200MW hydel project in Senha block of Lohardaga. Besides, a mini-hydel project was planned at Garu block in Palamau, some 7km from the tourist hub of Netarhat, by harnessing the waters of Pandra rivulet to generate around 200MW. Another mini-project was proposed at Netarhat to generate around 40MW.
"We will request the state government for finances to fund the proposed hydel projects. A number of international funding agencies are waiting in the wings to finance these projects on interest rates as low as 2 per cent. These agencies will be tracked to fund Jharkhand's dreams," the JSEB chairman stressed.
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DGP opposed to minister demoted
SHEENA K.
Raipur, July 13: A strained relationship with a minister triggered the removal of Chhattisgarh director-general of police (DGP) Vishwa Ranjan yesterday.
The 1973-batch IPS officer, who had served for long in the intelligence bureau (IB), failed to get "intelligence inputs" as to what was brewing behind the scene when he boarded the flight for Delhi, on way to Ahmedabad, yesterday.
Vishwa Ranjan had left for a week-long leave when he came to know about the decision to remove him from the top post late in the night. Anil Nawaney, a 1978-batch IPS officer and DG (home guards), will replace him.
What was more humiliating for Vishwa Ranjan was the fact that he has now been asked to assume Nawaney's position — lower in rank compared to that of a DG.
Simmering tension between Vishwa Ranjan and state home minister Nankiram Kanwar over transfers of cops, purchase of bullet-proof jackets to tackle Maoists and other petty differences had spilt out in the open of late.
Kanwar, who had been demanding Vishwa Ranjan's removal, admitted that the DGP was shunted out because of their unhealthy equation. "The government should have taken the decision before, as Vishwa Ranjan was not working as asked for," Kanwar said.
However, the decision of chief minister Raman Singh to replace Vishwa Ranjan has come as a big surprise for the entire police force.
"The theory of Vishwa Ranjan's failure in dealing with the Maoist problem effectively does not stand. If it was an issue, he (Vishwa Ranjan) would have been shunted out much earlier," a senior IPS officer told The Telegraph.
Vishwa Ranjan was at the helm last year as well, when 75 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans were killed by Maoists near Talmetla in Dantewada district in April, marking the country's biggest casualty on security personnel in a single attack by the red army.
The Centre had removed CRPF DG Vikram Shrivastava after the attack. But Vishwaranjan did not face the heat. Maoist incidents had escalated during the DGP's tenure, but the government persisted with him even when there were calls for his removal from Opposition parties.
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JMM legislator to go on fast
OUR CORRESPONDENT
Dumka, July 13:JMM legislator Nalin Soren today announced that he would sit on a fast-unto-death to press for various demands relating to local development projects, close on the heels of BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's disapproval of the ruling alliance.
While the BJP-led government faced flak from Dubey over "delay in development projects on the part of ministers", Nalin also took on the coalition for not addressing pending problems of communication and drinking water supply in his constituency of Shikaripara.
The JMM leader said he would launch his fast on July 28 to demand immediate construction of Dumka-Rampurhat (Bengal) and Barmasia-Raghunathpur roads and supply of drinking water.
"Considering the neglect of the state government towards the miseries of the people in my constituency in particular, besides thousands of commuters who face the brunt of the dilapidated roads, I am left with no option but agitate," the former state agriculture minister told mediapersons at Kathikund.
The 70km-long Dumka-Rampurhat road, considered an important link between Jharkhand and Bihar, has fallen into disrepair over the last five years. A major stretch of the road comes under Shikaripara, which is famous for its stone mines.
The MLA rued that although the stone mining industry provided revenues to the state exchequer, local residents had been made to suffer for want of basic amenities.
"The situation has become so alarming that a vast area in my constituency, including Bengaria, Chitragarhia, Sarsapathar, Kouwa Mahal and Amchua, are facing acute drinking water crisis with people forced to depend on ponds. This, despite my repeated attempts to raise questions in the Assembly and government departments," Nalin said.
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Media in dark over energy meet
OUR CORRESPONDENT
New Delhi, July 13:Chief minister Arjun Munda failed to make it to the state power ministers' conference on distribution sector reforms in Delhi today.
State energy secretary S. K. Satpathy, JSEB chairman S.C. Verma and chief engineer S.C. Mishra represented the state instead at the meeting.
The meeting was especially important for Jharkhand as it is being considered for Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reform Programme (R-APDRP), to reduce the aggregate technical and commercial losses in power distribution.
The scheme covers towns with a population above 5,000 and all district headquarters in special category states like Jharkhand. Underground cabling can now be done, which would especially be useful for tourist and pilgrim centres, said Union power minister Sushil Kumar Shinde.
During the meeting, Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia also suggested that power tariffs be hiked during peak hours. All this information was made available by the centre's press information bureau and not the Jharkhand delegates.
In a bizarre turn of events, Jharkhand Bhavan's deputy director A.K. Sinha first invited the press to Vigyan Bhavan to meet the delegates after the conference. While journalists waited for Satpathy to make a statement, Sinha and the delegates left through another gate.
It is still unclear why the officials chose to remain silent. Sinha later clarified that there was a last minute change of plans. No further clarifications were given.
The chief minister is expected to be in Delhi to meet BJP president Nitin Gadkari tomorrow.
Jharkhand's public relations in the capital is handled by Munda's personal assistant and not the Jharkhand Bhavan's department of information and public relations cell. In his defence, Sinha said that officials and ministers do not inform the cell of their activities in Delhi.
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Rebel surrenders
OUR CORRESPONDENT
Ranchi, July 13:A former Maoist surrendered before senior police superintendent Praveen Kumar at his office today.
Sukhram Lohra was produced before the media but he did not give any statement. According to the government's surrender policy, Kumar paid him Rs 50,000 and said other facilities including land for a house would be provided to him soon. He was then forwarded to 14-day judicial custody at Birsa Munda Central Jail.
"The resident of Reda village had joined Krantikari Kisan Committee under the influence of Dassam area commander Haripada Munda in 1995. He was later recruited as a member of Ram Mohan's armed squad in 2005. As a member of the kisan committee, it was his job to provide logistic support to the other rebels while as a squad member he used to attack police and other security personnel at the order of his seniors," said Kumar.
Four months ago the 35-year-old left the organisation and started working as a labourer in Jamshedpur. His family members soon convinced him to turn himself in.
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Govt to review aid for BIT-Mesra
SUDHIR KUMAR MISHRA
Ranchi, July 13:The state government today decided to review its financial assistance to Birla Institute of Technology (BIT)-Mesra, with a caveat on withdrawal of annual grants in future if it deemed that Jharkhand was not reaping "special benefits" from the premier institute.
The Jharkhand government pays 50 per cent of the dearness allowance and additional expenses of the teachers and employees of BIT-Mesra. Science and technology department director Arun Kumar said the state would be providing over Rs 10 crore to the institute in this regard during the current fiscal.
BIT-Mesra, on the other hand, admits 50 per cent of its students from Jharkhand. However, the state government has argued that since the cradle is based in Jharkhand, it was duty-bound to do so.
"After the review, if it is found that the state is not getting special benefits from this institute, the grants being provided to it could be withdrawn any moment," said science and technology minister Chandra Prakash Choudhary.
This was decided at a review meeting chaired by chief minister Arjun Munda, who expressed unhappiness with the functioning of the science and technology department.
Munda asked the department to utilise its budgetary provisions and directed the building construction department to sack inefficient engineers. The meeting also decided to run engineering colleges in Chaibasa and Ramgarh and 13 new polytechnics on public-private partnership model.
Several leading educational trusts and industrial houses, including SRM University, Techno India, Averon, Synergy Group, JSPL and Usha Martin Limited have expressed willingness to run these colleges. Munda directed that the contracts be awarded to those organisations that have expertise in running top ranked private engineering colleges.
"We will soon shortlist the top engineering colleges in the country, which have been providing quality education and have excellent placement records. We will talk to their management and invite them to run our new engineering colleges. It will be done on a war footing, since we intend to begin teachings in these colleges from the next academic session," Choudhary added.
It was also agreed to run the polytechnics in Gola, Pakur, Garhwa, Gumla, Baharagora, Chandil and Jagannathpur with the help of public sector undertakings.
As the building construction department now does not have adequate number of engineers, it was decided to involve PSUs for running proposed polytechnics at Khunti, Simdega, Jamtara, Giridih, Chatra, Palamau, Lohardaga, Dumka, Sahebganj, Godda, Deoghar, Hazaribagh and Dhanbad.
Reviewing the HRD department, Munda also ordered that all formalities for filling vacant posts of schoolteachers be completed by September. Calling for early recruitment of plus two schoolteachers, he asked officials to ensure they receive payments on time.
A state-level commission will also be constituted for protection of child rights.
Besides, Munda stressed on setting up model schools and improving quality of education in such institutes.
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Halt plea over eviction drive
OUR CORRESPONDENT
Ranchi, July 13:
Members of various human right groups along with some city-based intellectuals in a meeting today urged the government to stop its eviction drive and take steps for rehabilitating the poor before displacing them. The meeting was convened in the conference hall of NGO Manthan.
Asking the government to initiate various pro-poor schemes like Basic Services for the Urban Poor and Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission instead, the group also demanded that a compensation of Rs 10 lakh be paid to the kin of those killed during the anti-encroachment protests in Ranchi and Dhanbad and Rs 5 lakh for those injured.
General secretary of human rights body People's Union for Civil Liberties Shashi Bhusan Pathak, who took part in today's meeting said that it was the first time that intellectuals had come out in support of a proper rehabilitation policy for the evictees
"The intellectuals and human rights activists were of the opinion that the state government was wrong to have evicted people staying on land owned by Heavy Engineering Corporation, till alternate accommodations were provided," Pathak said.
He added that prominent figures like reader in Ranchi University's postgraduate department of economics Ramesh Sharan and noted writers B.P. Kesri, among others, took park in the meeting.
Echoing Pathak state representative of NGO National Alliance for Women Organisation and former Ranchi University professor Maya Prasad said that the government should not target those living on encroached areas.
"The state should not forget that those being evicted are also residents and it is its (the state's) duty to take proper care of those residing in it," Prasad said.
An artist associated with Rangdarpan, Anil Tahkur, said supported Pathak and Prasad saying that intellectuals were concerned about the demolition of cottages of poor in the rainy season when people in the country avoid touching even nest of birds.
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OUR CORRESPONDENT
(Raj Kumar)
Ranchi, July 13: Human right activists and a section of city based intellectual today urged the state government to stop removal of cottages and huts of the poor under the anti-encroachment drive and to take proper step for rehabilitation before displacing them from their houses.
They also demanded compensation of Rs 10 lakh for those killed and Rs 5lakh for those sustained injuries while protesting against anti-encroachment drive in Ranchi and Dhanbad.
They were of the opinion that the government should implement the project of developing urban poor under Basic Services for the Urban Poor (BSUP) and Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNRM) before taking any harsh step against them in the name of anti encroachment.
General secretary if PUCL, Shashi Bhusan Pathak, who participated in the meeting informed this saying that it was for the first time intellectuals have expressed their solidarity for the poor victims of anti encroachment drive. He said that the meeting was organised at the conference hall of Manthan, an NGO working in health and education sector, this afternoon.
The prominent figures, he said, present in the meeting included Reader in PG department of Economics of Ranchi University, Ramesh Sharan, and noted writer B.P.Kesri besides several others.
The intellectuals and human right activists were of the opinion that it was wrong on the part of state government to make all those people homeless who had been living on the land of Heavy Engineering Corporation for a long time and had no other place to settle, he said.
State representative of National Alliance for Women Organisation and a retired Hindi professor of Ranchi University, Maya Prasad, supported Pathak, saying that government should not forget that those residing in the encroached area are also the citizen of the state and it is the duty of state government to take their proper care.
An artist associated with Rangdarpan, Anil Tahkur, said supported Pathak and Prasad saying that intellectuals were concerned about the demolition of cottages of poor in the rainy season when people in the country avoid touching even nest of birds.
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HC push for new building
OUR CORRESPONDENT
Ranchi, July 13:Jharkhand High Court today directed the state government to allot land for construction of its new building on the premises of Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) by August 17.
The division bench, comprising acting Chief Justice Prakash Tatia and Justice Jaya Roy, also directed the state to scout for separate plots for the Assembly and secretariat building.
"Jharkhand is a beautiful state. But for some reason or the other, these buildings have not come up even after more than a decade. These buildings are crucial for the development and progress of the state," the judges observed.
Advocate-general A.K. Sinha told the court that the government was already working on shifting the high court to a large area on the HEC premises.
A high-level committee has already been formed for execution of the project and a consultant will be appointed. Delhi-based Indian School of Architecture has been contacted for designing the plan, Sinha informed.
He further said a draft plan needed to be prepared by the high court in co-ordination with the building construction department.
The government was also studying the new high court at Chhattisgarh, said the advocate general. He presented the plan and pictures of Chhattisgarh High Court before the judges.
Chhattisgarh High Court in Bilaspur, sprawled over 61 acres, is G+3. While the ground floor houses the record room, conference hall, post office, bank, dispensary and other offices, the second floor has court rooms and chambers of the judges. There are guest rooms, tea lounge for judges, conference hall and other chambers on the third floor.
Jharkhand High Court Advocates' Association had filed the PIL, demanding expansion of the existing high court. The association argued that the current strength of judges was 20, but there was no space to build any more rooms.
The petition further pointed out that the HEC, while contesting the case of winding up proceedings initiated against it by the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction before the high court, had offered its land to the state government for construction of the Assembly, Governor's house, secretariat and the high court.
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No blood for HIV patients
VISHVENDU JAIPURIAR
Hazaribagh, July 13:Four HIV patients were allegedly denied blood at the sadar hospital today, as the blood bank did not have any.
The patients' relatives were also not allowed to buy blood from outside.
Ugan Mahto (37), a resident of Kharkato village in Vishnugarh, was brought to the hospital in a serious condition yesterday. Doctors prescribed him medicines and recommended immediate transfusion of blood this morning. Three other HIV positive patients — Surendra Singh of Giridih, Nanka Bhuiyan of Barhi and Mohan Pandit of Giridih — also needed blood.
But when the relatives of the patients went to Indian Red Cross Society's blood bank on the hospital premises, the employees there claimed that they had a shortage of O+ and B+ blood.
"I went to the blood bank a number of times but returned empty-handed. I also contacted civil surgeon A.D.N Prasad, but he pleaded helpless. He also asked me not to purchase blood from outside," said Mohan's father Fauda Pandit.
Surendra added: "My experience in this hospital has more horrific. It lacks proper treatment facilities. I just wish I didn't come here," he added.
However, seeing this correspondent, the blood bank employees arranged blood in the evening and said it would be given to the patients soon.
When contacted, in-charge of the anti-retroviral therapy centre at the hospital A.P. Singh said the civil surgeon had asked the patients not to buy blood from outside, as in the past, such blood was found to be infected.
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Coaches allege state is a spoilsport
ARUN KUMAR THAKUR
Ranchi, July 13:Veteran athletics coach Maria Goretti Khalkho, who has spent 20 years as an athletic coach nurturing raw talents in remote Mahua Danr in Latehar district and is nearing retirement, does not have a regular job.
Maria isn't alone. A dozen and half trained coaches — armed with diplomas from National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala — have been working on contract on a monthly stipend of Rs 10,000.
Jharkhand seeks sporting glory by piggybacking on underpaid and frustrated coaches. "I had turned down the offer of a regular coaching job in Bihar as I wanted to serve my home state. But almost 11 years after the state's creation, I am still on contract," Maria told The Telegraph.
Notably, the system of appointing NIS-trained coaches started in 2004. But the stipend remained static for seven years despite galloping inflation.
"Today, Rs 10,000 a month is too meagre to support a family," said a coach, who worked 24x7 in the 34th National Games. Requesting anonymity, he added: "Even after working round the clock in the Games, no one thought us worthy of a kit or a memento."
The coaches are a disgruntled lot. "We met the sports secretary and requested a hike, but nothing happened," said one, not wishing to be named.
"In such a state of affairs, sports mandarins and ministers should not expect laurels," said another senior NIS-trained coach.
State sports secretary Ajoy Kumar Singh said they had "an informal discussion once" on remuneration hike. He also passed the buck to the sports directorate. "A proposal should come from the sports directorate that looks after residential sports centres. Only then can the department decide," he said.
Interestingly, the sports department started a pilot project of 28 residential and 104 day training hubs. But the state has not appointed any coach in 11 years.
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Forensic eye on encounter
OUR CORRESPONDENT
Jamshedpur, July 13:The East Singhbhum district police today sent firearms seized during the July 5 Sitaramdera bus terminus encounter to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Ranchi.
Five countrymade pistols and a 9mm pistol had been recovered from the spot while two more firearms were confiscated from Upendra Singh, a railway contractor and owner of Yarana bar and restaurant, whose three alleged assailants were killed in police firing that night.
It is learnt that the weapons were sent for forensic tests after the police obtained the post-mortem report from the medical board constituted for the purpose. The autopsy, which was videographed in the presence of an executive magistrate, is likely to reveal whether the encounter was real or fake. However, the contents of the report, which is likely to reveal whether the encounter was real or fake, are being kept closely guarded secret.
All SSP Akhilesh Kumar Jha agreed to say is that investigations into the case are going on smoothly. "We have sent the firearms used by the trio (accused to be henchmen of fugitive gangster Akhilesh Singh) and the bar owner for forensic tests. The report will help us to proceed in the right direction," he said.
Dhalbhum SDO Subodh Prasad, under whose supervision the medical board conducted the autopsy on Nilesh Singh, Vikas Kumar Ojha and Guddu Singh, confirmed that he had received the report but handed it over to deputy commissioner Himani Pande. "The report, in sealed packet, has been handed over to the deputy commissioner who had directed a medical board to conduct the post-mortem," he said.
While neither the SSP nor the deputy commissioner were forthcoming on what the report said, city SP Jatin Narwal claimed that the document was still in the SDO's possession. "Autopsy has been done and the SDO has the report," he said, evading further queries.
Nilesh, Vikas and Guddu were killed in a police encounter on July 5 allegedly after they made an attempt on bar owner Upendra Singh's life.
Two cases have been registered in this connection — one by Sitaramdera police against the deceased youths on the basis of an FIR lodged by Upendra and the other on the basis of an FIR lodged by Nilesh's father Ramanauj Singh against 15 persons. The accused in the second FIR include Jugsalai OC Vijay Kumar, Sidhgora OC Binod Kumar, Upendra Singh, his nephew Bittu and his two body guards.
Concerned over the incident, People's Union for Civil Liberties and Jharkhand Human Rights Council have initiated separate probes. Newly elected Jamshedpur MP Ajoy Kumar is seriously pursuing the case too.
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Blacklist threat for examiners
OUR CORRESPONDENT
Jamshedpur, July 13:With intermediate answer scripts getting reviewed, it is testing times for evaluators of Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC). If anomalies in checking are proven, the council will blacklist erring examiners.
In fact, some names have already come to the notice of JAC president Laxmi Singh, but the council is waiting for the re-checking of all scripts to get over this month before releasing a comprehensive list of unsatisfactory examiners.
This year, success rate in the intermediate exam sunk to a six-year low — only 28.05 per cent students cleared from science, 42.44 per cent from commerce and 52.66 from arts.
So far, re-evaluation of answer sheets have brought to light startling anomalies in marking, revealing violations in JAC guidelines. "Differences in the sum total of marks have been found in some papers. I can't understand how evaluators can be so careless even after detailed instructions. We are waiting for the re-totalling process to get over, after which we will take steps," said Singh.
The JAC will first serve showcause to erring evaluators, and if explanations are not found satisfactory, the persons would be blacklisted. "We can't directly blacklist any evaluator. We will offer him or her a fair chance to explain. Action will be taken against those who can't justify themselves. Evaluating answer sheets is not a joke. The future of thousands hinges on it," said Singh.
Last year, the JAC blacklisted 100 erring evaluators after it was found that many scripts did not have marks against all answers in the inside pages, but a total figure on the top sheet, showing that numbers had been awarded arbitrarily.
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New MP's corporate mantra
ANIMESH BISOEE
Jamshedpur, July 13:
He's a netaalright, but with a difference.
The newly elected Jamshedpur MP, Ajoy Kumar, is keen to lend a corporate touch to governance by decentralising responsibilities and forming specific committees to ensure speedy implementation of development projects in his constituency.
The committees, which will start functioning immediately after Kumar gets an office at Jamshedpur, are: BPL ration card committee, education committee, night train resumption committee, road committee for Chakulia-Dhalbhumgarh and other areas, electricity committee for Patamda, committees for Mango and Bagbera, committee on healthcare and industry and trade committee.
"I will personally monitor the functioning of these committees on a regular basis even though I am in Delhi attending Parliament so that development projects do not get delayed in my absence. Each committee will be accountable for the work done by it and will inform me about the obstacles faced," the MP, who will take oath in Parliament on August 1, said.
The former East Singhbhum superintendent of police added that he would ask local residents to depute their members in the committees.
Kumar also said he would hold talks with K.N. Choubey, the personal secretary to newly appointed Union railway minister Dinesh Trivedi, on the issue of resumption of night train services in the Kharagpur-Tatanagar railway section.
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Chakulia cargo hub plan floats in air
ANIMESH BISOEE
Jamshedpur, July 13:A proposal to revive a World War II era airfield in Chakulia, barely 75 km from Jamshedpur, has been hanging fire for over six years now and traders and businessmen of Ghatshila sub-division are pinning their hopes on chief minister Arjun Munda to see through his earlier plan to convert it into a cargo hub.
Built by the British in the 1940s, and later used extensively during the 1962 war with China and the 1971 war with Pakistan for the liberation of Bangladesh, the airfield caught the eye of Munda in 2005.
Spread over 500 acres and strategically located near Jamshedpur and its lifeline, NH-33, Munda saw potential in its revival and announced plans to use it as a cargo hub of international standards.
He also wanted to start a flying school in land adjacent to it.
MLA Dinesh Sarangi, who led the campaign to revive the project in 2008, still believes it is an idea worth pursuing. "It is an attractive proposal as the airstrip is close to NH-33 and is only an hour's drive from Jamshedpur and only three hours away from Calcutta," he said.
The Baharagora MLA, who recently quit the BJP for being denied a ticket to contest the July 1 Jamshedpur Lok Sabha byelection, recalled how then chief minister Madhu Koda saw merit in his agitations and sought a detailed project report on reviving the airfield.
Subsequently, he sanctioned Rs 3 crore for starting the project, but nothing came of it.
"The government's callousness on the issue is evident as it has not been able to use the sanctioned fund of Rs 3 crore for construction of a boundary wall," said a dejected Sarangi.
Built at a cost of Rs 3 crore, Chakulia airstrip is spread over 515.44 acres. Its main runaway is of 7 km and is 70 feet wide.
Of the many airports built by the Allies during World War II, Chakulia, along with similar airfileds in Dalbhumgarh, Dudhkundi, Salua, Digri and Salbani, formed a network of airstrips to stop Japanese advances in the east.
It was during this period of the war that the 9th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron and the 10th Air Force moved there from from Karachi.
Eventually abandoned after World War II, the airstrip was under the Union civil aviation ministry till 1995. It came under the state government in 2001.
Ghatshila's business community is now hoping that Munda as chief minister would revive his plan. Said the president of Chakulia Gaushala, P.D. Jhunjhunwala, "The local economy would have definitely got a boost if the plans to revive the airstrip were followed up in right earnest."
Ghatshila sub-divisional officer Sandeep Bakshi said that no directive had come from Ranchi.
"We are yet to hear from the government on this front," he said.
But Captain S.P. Sinha, the flying operation in-charge in the state civil aviation department, indicated that any revival plans would first have to consider environmental implications.
"For taking up any construction work at the Chakulia airfield, we will have to take permission from the forest department and this has led to the plan being put on hold at the moment," he said.
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Students bolster no-plastic campaign
OUR CORRESPONDENT
Dhanbad, July 13:The anti-plastic clamour in the coal capital received a boost today with the student society of Indian School of Mines, Kartavya, organising a rally to spread awareness.
The rally, which saw more than 300 people, including students of various schools participating in it, comes two days before the July 16 ban on plastic bags less than 40 microns in weight comes into effect.
District deputy commissioner Sunil Kumar Burnwal flagged off the rally, which started from the ISM Dhaiya gate and wound through various parts of the city like CIMFR Gate, Burtand, Combined Building Chowk and Luby Circular Road before culminating at the Randhir Verma Chowk.
Earlier, Burnwal addressing the gathering of students and volunteers, apprised the people of the penalties that the administration would impose on anyone flouting the plastic ban after July 16.
"Any one found flouting the ban is liable to be imprisoned up to five years or may be fined up to Rs 5 lakh. Action against the guilty would be taken under the provisions of Environment Act (protection) of 1986," Burnwal said.
The Dhanbad Municipal Corporation had declared the imposition of ban on the usage of polythene bags less than 40 microns in weight around a month ago, under directives of the Union government, and has been carrying awareness programmes ever since.
The civic body had also published notices in various newspapers in this regard on June 26.
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Jail jammers spell headache for VBU
VISHVENDU JAIPURIAR
Hazaribagh, July 13:Mobile jammers installed at the high-security Loknayak Jai Prakash Narayan Central Jail last year have proved to be too effective for comfort — they have not only made cell phone usage impossible within the prison premises, but have also affected the phone network of Vinoba Bhave University (VBU) nearby.
The decision to install the mobile jammers was taken keeping in mind the presence of dreaded Maoist leaders as well as seasoned criminals in the jail. The aim was to stop the criminals from keeping in touch with their respective gangs via mobile phones, but staff and students of the university located adjacent to the jail have found it difficult to use their phones ever since the jammers were put in place.
The worst affected spot within the campus is the central library building, which houses a number of offices of the university administration, including that of vice chancellor Ravindra Nath Bhagat as well as the engineering, law and business administration departments. Director of the MBA department, M.K. Singh admitted that the jammers were causing problems. The connectivity was so bad in the building that landline phones were the only way out.
Making light of their plight, students said though all of them had mobile phones, there was no issue about disturbing anyone or keeping the phones on silent mode as the jammers took care of that. One had to walk away from the building whenever there was a need to use cell phones.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad leader Amardeep Yadav said his supporters realised the extent of the problem when they were agitating in front of the vice chancellor's office last week. Every time they had to get in touch with other student leaders, they had to walk to the Arts building, some distance away.
Justifying the presence of the five jammers, jailer Chandrashekhar Prasad Suman said they were necessary given the profile of the inmates. He claimed that connectivity at VBU was disrupted only sometimes, and not always as alleged by university sources.
Jail superintendent Uday Kumar Kushwaha expressed surprise when asked about the problem. He said this was the first time he was hearing of it.
At present, the jail hosts 1,900 prisoners, including 104 women.
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Cops plan lessons on safe surfing for students
A.S.R.P. MUKESH
Ranchi, July 13:The spurt in cyber crime has prompted police to moot lessons for school and college students so that they can explore the virtual world safely.
The cyber wing of state police is planning to organise workshops and awareness campaigns in various educational institutions to sensitise youngsters about the dos and don'ts of surfing and using social networking sites.
The department is currently busy preparing manuals and guidebooks, which will be distributed among the institutes. However, the exact date of the drive hasn't been fixed yet, but officials said that it would begin in a month.
IG special branch and also spokesperson of Jharkhand Police S.N. Pradhan said lesser-known cities/towns seemed to have become the new targets of cyber frauds due to the rising penetration of mobile phones and Internets coupled with lack of awareness about their safe usage.
"Youngsters form a large population of Internet users. So, a majority of cyber crimes are committed by this group. Some do it out of sheer ignorance about cyber ethics and laws while others have malicious intention or criminal bent of mind," said Pradhan.
He added that misuse of accounts through fake profiles, breach of privacy, sending fraudulent mails and spams for financial scams were some of the most common crimes in the virtual world. "Hence, reaching out to youths is the need of the hour," said Pradhan, adding that all cyber cafes would be issued certain guidelines as a part of the drive.
"A dedicated helpline is also on the cards to register complaints related to cyber crimes," the IG said.
The cyber cell came into existence in Jharkhand some three to four years ago. However, the conviction rate is poor. Officials said it was solely because police officers, lawyers and judges themselves lacked proper knowledge about most cyber crimes.
"This is the reason we had proposed a cyber defence research centre in 2009. Unfortunately, the proposal is caught in red tapism," said a senior officer of the department on the condition of anonymity.
"Besides cracking cases, the centre will be used for conducting hardware and software researches, cyber forensic tests et al and thus assist in maintaining state and national security," the official added.
According to Pradhan, the proposal is awaiting the state government's nod.
"We submitted a detailed plan a long time ago. The government agreed in principle, but the cabinet has to approve it on records. We are expecting a nod soon," he said.
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Shravani Mela with a heart
OUR CORRESPONDENT
Ranchi, July 13:It's a spiritual fair with dollops of spirit.
Garments, household items, accessories and yummy snacks made Day One of the three-day Shravani Mela at Agrasen Bhavan a hit with the crowd, and all for a cause.
Chief guest and Jharkhand's First Lady Meera Munda inaugurated the fair, named Sawan Jhinhjara, which saw women entrepreneurs from Calcutta, Gujarat, Hyderabad and Jharkhand doing brisk business from 60 kiosks.
"The fair gives women a platform to exhibit their products and make contacts. They also get a much-required exposure," the chief minister's better-half said.
Manish Dhanuka, vice president (business) of Junior Chamber International, which is organising the event, said this was the second time they had organised this fair.
"Last year it was on a smaller scale," he said, adding the proceeds of this year's fair would go towards education of needy schoolchildren and the running of a dispensary near HEC.
Visitors at the fair couldn't get enough of snacks, imitation jewellery, rakhis, salwar kameez sets, designer saris, flower pots, bed linen, designer envelopes and cushion covers, among others.
For instance, Sumitra Rungta's kiosk saw people queuing up for pickles and potato chips. "We supply snacks to shops," she said.
Priced from Rs 170 onwards, Sunita Adukia said her designer pouches, mobile covers and purses were in demand. "I make these items. They are very popular," she said.
Keeping Raksha Bandhan in mind, visitors geared up to get the perfect rakhigift. Kiosk owner Sarita Rajgahria said decorated envelopes priced from Rs 30 onwards were perfect for all occasions.
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TFA cadets eye Bengal tourney
OUR CORRESPONDENT
Jamshedpur, July 13:Budding soccer players at Tata Football Academy (TFA) are getting their cleats ready for an inter-academy tournament to be held in Bengal.
The Under-17 tourney, organised by Burdwan Football Association from July 20-24 at Kalna sub-division in Burdwan district. The TFA apart, reputable names such as Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Pune Football Club and Sambalpur will field their cadets in the competition.
The TFA will send an 18-member strong outfit out of 20 aspirants — Udanta Singh, Suraj Kumar, Kamaldeep Singh, Gurpreet Singh, S.K. Rohit, Jarmanjeet Singh, Rocky Singh, Sanjiv Kumar, Manas Sarkar, Harpreet Singh, Biswajit Sardar, Muniruzzaman Ansari, Chingkhei Meetei, Baidyanath Das, Amit Kumar, Vineet Rai, Deepak Tirkey, Md Irfan Khan, Bilal Khan and Randhan Meetei — to the tourney.
TFA senior manager M.R. Bhalla said: "Our team will depart on July 19. The TFA will play its opening match on July 20. We will announce the outfit very soon."
The junior batch of the soccer cradle is talented and has gained exposure by participating in tournaments across the country. Some of them had also been to Singapore last year.
"The boys have fitted into a nice groove and are looking forward to the Kalna tourney. At present, junior cadets are playing in the ongoing Jamshedpur Sporting Association local league," a TFA official said.
"The inter-academy event is a nice start. It gives enough opportunity to trainees to display their prowess against teams from other academies. Players from all cradles are beginners, so competition will not be that tough. It will also offer an even playing field to all outfits," a TFA official said.
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Give black buck & deer, get tiger pair
ARTI S. SAHULIYAR
Ranchi, July 13:Get ready for some roaring purrs this August, as a pair of big cats may relocate to Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park all the way from Itanagar Biological Park, Arunachal Pradesh.
The lovebirds — if they can be called that — will become neighbours of the existing tiger pair of Sugreev and Durga, who were brought from Mysore two years ago.
Birsa zoo, 20 km from city limits on the Ranchi-Ramgarh section of NH-33, has five tiger enclosures of which three are empty, so there's plenty of room for the newbies.
The feline pair from Itanagar can feel right at home in their new home, which, besides having 104 hectares of natural forest, also gets its fair share of breeze from the picturesque Getalsud dam nearby.
In turn, the Itanagar zoo stands to get three black bucks and two spotted deer.
Birsa zoo authorities had requested Central Zoo Authority (CZA) on June 26 for a tiger pair under the animal exchange programme.
According to norms, if a zoo has surplus animals such as black bucks, leopards, sloth bear and spotted deer, among others, it can exchange these for rarer species such as tigers.
Birsa zoo at present has 39 spotted deer and 17 black bucks. It has 522 animals in all, including birds in 29 enclosures, but only two tigers. Meanwhile, Itanagar zoo has three tiger pairs, and so it can part with one.
Zoo director P.K. Verma said they had sent the proposal to CZA requesting a pair of tigers, and the matter is under process. "We will bring the tigers by August after necessary formalities," Verma said.
He added that visitors enquired why so many enclosures were empty.
"We've had a few tiger deaths in the last five years. Four died in 2006 of parasitic disease, 16-year-old male big cat Salim died of old age this March. Durga had given birth to three cubs in April, but none survived. Getting a new pair will boost everyone's spirits," Verma said.
He added that they had in April approached Chhatbir zoo in Chandigarh for tigers, but failed to get a positive response.
"But this time, things look more promising. We will fulfill the expectation of our visitors," he said.
Central Zoo Authority monitoring officer B.K. Gupta said that they had received Verma's proposal.
"We are in consultation with the technical committee. We will give a nod soon. We have also asked zoo authorities to improve some basic infrastructure and they are following our instructions," Gupta said.
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A powerhouse unsafe for commuters
ANIMESH BISOEE
Jamshedpur, July 13: The city of steel may be a guiding light for many when it comes to optimum use of power, but trails weakly in terms of safety of public transport.
The striking contrast came to light during a quality of life survey carried out by market research major AC Nielsen ORG-MARG for Tata Steel on five tier-II cities.
The study was conducted on Chandigarh, Pune, Vizag and Bhubaneswar, besides Jamshedpur, between December 2010 and January 2011. As many as 1,000 respondents in each city gave their opinions on various parameters like public services (health and environment), urban environment, education, community cohesion, safety, housing and basic infrastructure, employment economy, recreation and politics during street corner interactions.
Like last year, the steel city once again ranked third in the survey, after Chandigarh and Pune, notching a high power quality and availability score of 4.7 on a scale of five, but an average 3.9 in public transport safety and convenience.
The agency measured the quality of life index on a scale of 140 and the market average was 100. The index was calculated using the importance level of the parameters and the mean scores (performance) on each of the parameters. While Jamshedpur scored 97, Chandigarh remained ahead with 108 followed by Pune with 105.
Anant Pratap Singh, the deputy general manager of Jusco, a subsidiary of Tata Steel, said the annual survey had excluded Bangalore unlike in the past since it was decided to limit the survey among cities of equal status.
Citing the report, the senior Jusco official said Jamshedpur was ahead in terms of power and water among all the five cities. "We stood at 4.7 on a scale of five in both availability and quality of power. Pune and Chandigarh scored 4.6 each in power availability while in terms of quality Chandigarh was a tad better at 4.6 against Pune's 4.5," he said.
On water availability, Jamshedpur with 4.5 was a close second to Chandigarh (4.6) while Pune trailed with 4.2. In terms of water quality, too, the steel city retained second rank with 4.5 while Chandigarh topped with 4.6.
Jamshedpur fared relatively better on availability and network of public transport, notching a score of 4.2 against the overall average of 4.1 and was second after Chandigarh (4.5). But the figure plunged when it came to safety and convenience of public transportation. While Jamshedpur scored only 3.9, Chandigarh was safer with 4.4 and Pune with 4.2. Bhubaneswar and Vizag were on a par with Jamshedpur.
When it came to open space and green zones, which are part of the urban environment parameter, Jamshedpur with 4.2 was way ahead of an overall average of 3.8 and was second only to Chandigarh (4.5).
In terms of sewerage and garbage management, the steel hub stuck to the overall average of 3.7. On telecommunications and sports facilities, it once again matched the overall average figures of 4.2 and 4, respectively.
A separate study on customer satisfaction conducted by the same agency among 930 respondents revealed that Jamshedpur had a health satisfaction index among its residents at 83 (out of 100), which matches the "best in class" score in Asia-Pacific region utility sectors.
The survey suggested that the satisfaction level of residents here was more than even Chandigarh (81). The steel city also beat the northern city in parameters like waste water management, street lighting and garbage removal, but lagged behind in mosquito control, vaccination and road maintenance.
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Phoenix rises from trafficked past
SANTOSH K. KIRO
Ranchi, July 13: The journey had been baptism by fire. And at the end of it, the burning desire of the girls to conquer all odds proved stronger than their ordeal.
Forty-two rescued victims of trafficking, including former CPI(Maoist) members, today donned the uniform of courage and badge of pride. Trained by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) as security personnel in a first-of-its-kind initiative for three months, they displayed their newly acquired martial arts skills today with aplomb at a function hosted at 133 Battalion grounds of CRPF in Ranchi.
CRPF additional director-general of police (operations) P.M. Nair, state women's commission chairperson Hemlata S. Mohan and Ranchi deputy commissioner K.K. Soan, among others, cheered them on loudly.
The finest moment of the girls came when 31 of them bagged contractual postings as security guards — 28 will be deputed across the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas and three at Hotwar state museum — while the remaining 11 got assurance from Dhanbad administration that they would soon get jobs. Initially, they will get a monthly salary of Rs 5,000.
For the girls posted at the Kasturba Gandhi schools, there's an added bonus — they'll get the chance to pursue studies simultaneously in the cradles they work in.
It was like a rebirth for the girls — all from rebel-hit Latehar, many of whom had been trafficked by middlemen to metros or lured by Maoists — who were now empowered to protect others.
While CRPF trained the girls, NGO Action Against Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Children (Atsec) roped in its sister outfit Bharatiya Kishan Sangh to arrange for their stay, food and uniforms during their three-month stint at Budmu, 40 km from Ranchi. CRPF paid Rs 5,000 towards each girl's living expense.
"We have almost no livelihood option in villages. Rebel-hit areas are even more vulnerable. That's how I landed in the clutches of a middleman. That was my darkest phase. Today, I feel I have got a new life," beamed Anima Toppo.
"My friend is still with them (Maoists). I managed to flee as I didn't want that life," said Reshma Kerketta.
Madhupriya Bara, who was caught in a similar quandary, concurred. "Thank god that's over," she said, tightly clutching her appointment letter handed over by Soan.
"Now, these girls will become ambassadors of empowerment in their villagers and dissuade others from getting involved in wrong activities," Nair said, without naming Maoists.
He added that CRPF was ready to train more girls and boys in trades such as carpentry, welding, bike repair, et al.
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Reboot hope for govt school project
AMIT GUPTA
Ranchi, July 13: Hope floats for an ambitious computer education programme that has been stuck in limbo for the last five years.
On July 3, Jharkhand Agency for Promotion of Information Technology (JAPIT) announced fresh tenders for the project, which when implemented, would benefit 1,068 high schools around the state.
The project, sanctioned way back in 2006-07 as part of an initiative to implement information and communication technology in schools, will work on a build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) basis.
According to plans, an eligible agency or a consortium with expertise will be roped in to set up computer labs in schools, construct training centres for teachers and maintain services.
The project envisages setting up of computer labs with local area network and internet facilities based on the number of teachers enrolled in a particular government secondary or plus two school. The maximum number of computers for each school will be 30 while computer-student ratio should not exceed 1:30.
In January, HRD minister Baidyanath Ram had cancelled the tender for the centrally sponsored project despite excellent response from prospective bidders. While no official reason was given, sources said the HRD minister wanted to float the tender through his department.
In February, chief minister Arjun Munda, in his capacity as JAPIT board chairman intervened and directed the authorities to ensure fresh tenders, but it took the JAPIT authorities four months to abide by the diktat.
"We are hopeful of getting a good response this time," JAPIT chief executive officer Satendra Singh said.
Meanwhile, this time, officials have decided to opt for an online tender route for which a standard bidding document will soon be uploaded on the Jharkhand government website. The last date for bidding is expected to be around the last week of July, JAPIT sources said.
The delay in implementing the project exposed the lack of willpower on the part of the government to improve quality of education in government schools.
"Despite tall promises from the HRD bosses, a tender which is going to benefit thousands of school students has not been finalised. This is ridiculous," said a JAPIT official, on condition of anonymity.
Government sources said a project to implement computer studies in 480 middle schools courtesy Jharkhand Education Project Council was also stuck in limbo.
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USG glare on shady clinics
PRADUMAN CHOUBEY
Dhanbad, July 13:A health department team led by district civil surgeon today raided two private healthcare hubs in Jharia and suspended their licences for allegedly employing unqualified doctors to carry out ultrasonography.
The team led by Shashi Bhushan Prasad raided Hindustan Patho Lab and Life Line Hospital and discovered gross irregularities.
In the first, a non-medical man performed ultrasonography, while in the second, though doctors concerned had MBBS degrees, they lack degrees in radiology, mandatory to conduct the specialised test.
The medical team first reached Hindustan Patho Lab and found that the register entries had loopholes. Prasad said that the hospital management tried to deceive the medical team by putting up a banner stating that ultrasonography had not been performed in the lab since June 21, but an inspection of the register revealed that it conducted as recently as on July 9. Then, clinic authorities were unable to submit documents to prove that doctors who conducted ultrasonography were qualified. "It means the test was conducted by a non-medical man," claimed Prasad.
He added that when employees later named qualified doctors such as S.S. Sinha and A.K. Sarkar, they denied having anything to do with the clinic. "We sealed the ultrasound machine," said Prasad.
At Life Line Hospital near Jharia Sabzi Mandi, none of the doctors, including the owner Dr O.P. Agarwal, had the required qualification in radiology to conduct ultrasonography. "We sealed the equipment and suspended its licence," the civil surgeon said.
He added the crackdown, which began in June, covered 20 private hospitals, of which at least one was found engaged in sex determination test. Cases have been filed against Jalan Memorial Hospital, Pragati Nursing Home, Popular Nursing Home, Clini Lab and Suraksha Diagnostic Centre.
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