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March 27, 2006

Dave on aerial expedition of Narmada from today

For Narmada situation see: http://www.narmada.org/
And http://www.narmada.org/nba-press-releases/march-2006/ninthday.html

Hindustan Times Correspondent

Bhopal, March 26, 2006
STATE BHARATIYA Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Anil Madhav Dave is embarking upon aerial expedition of Narmada on Monday with the objective to study the river course, match his findings vis-à-vis the Survey of India data, the deforestation resulting in a threat to the river and society. He will submit a comprehensive report to the State Government.

Wreckage of school destroyed by Narmada dam project

Talking to journalists Anil Dave said he would take a round of the river in a four-seater aircraft from March 27. A co-pilot would accompany him. Dave himself has an amateur pilot licence.

He said such an air journey to study the river course and its catchment was being undertaken for the first time. Other firsts in the voyage include its being undertaken without any foreign or Government assistance and by an amateur pilot.

Dave said he had noticed that Narmada course and catchment were changing and it would have a far-reaching impact on the river and the State.

Out of 19 districts the river flowed through 10 districts had the forest area greatly reduced owing to felling of trees and environmental reasons, he said.

He said his journey had spiritual importance too as he would get a glimpse of Amarkantak, Chaunsath Yogini, Bandrabhan, Omkareshwar, Maheshwar and Bharuch temples.

Besides, it could be termed adventurous too. The terrain from Jabalpur to Amarkantak was such that it had many disturbances from the aviation point of view. He said one of his friends who was an industrialist and was manufacturing bio fertiliser had sponsored the survey.

Giving details about the programme he said he would fly to Jabalpur from Bhopal on March 27 morning. He would fly to Amarkantak from Jabalpur in the afternoon and return to Jabalpur in the evening. The next day he would fly to Bhopal in the morning. He would then fly to Indore from Bhopal in the afternoon.

He would cover the Indore-Baroda stretch on March 29. He would come back to Indore on the March 30 morning from where he would fly to Bhopal in the afternoon.

Posted by bhola at 12:26 PM | Comments (0)

March 24, 2006

Madhya Pradesh Assembly adjourned sine die following uproar

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh assembly was adjourned sine die today amidst uproarious scenes, as Congress members repeatedly stormed the Well demanding resignations of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, nine ministers and BJP MLAs, for allegedly holding dual offices of profits.

The office of profit issue rocked the House during Question Hour when Leader of Opposition Jamuna Devi sought a debate on it, alleging a "constitutional crisis" in the state with Chouhan, his ministerial colleagues and BJP MLAs holding different posts.

Soon after the House met after paying homage to departed leaders including veteran freedom fighter G S Dhillon, Congress members stormed the Well with their demand prompting Speaker Ishwardas Rohani to adjourn it again for 10 minutes.

As protests continued when the House reassembled, the speaker adjourned it till 11.30 am.

Jamuna Devi, who was allowed to speak after the House met again amidst protests from the Treasury Bench, accused Chouhan of holding the Lok Sabha membership, while occupying the office of Chief Minister.

Apart from Chouhan, state ministers were holding offices of Chairpersons of various boards and corporations and BJP MLAs enjoyed perks as members of Panch-J committee, she alleged, demanding their resignation taking cue from Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

The House again plunged into turmoil as Congress members stormed the well and raised anti-government slogans when Rohani disallowed a debate on the issue.

Amidst slogan-raising by the Congress camp, Speaker completed day's business including passage of four bills, before adjourning the house sine die.

Posted by bhola at 02:43 PM | Comments (0)

March 22, 2006

Bird flu test lab chief gets gunman

PTI, Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh government posted a gunman at the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL), the only lab capable of testing for bird flu.

HSADL director Dr H K Pradhan expressed apprehension about his security after the lab confirmed some cases of bird flu. He had written to the state police chief seeking protection.

"Since he was apprehensive about his security, we have provided a gunman," Superintendent of Police A K Singh said adding patrolling around HSADL has also been intensified.

Pradhan confirmed additional security had been provided to him but declined further comment. HSADL came into the limelight in February after it detected bird flu in Maharashtra. Security concerns arose soon after it again detected avian influenza in Jalgaon sources said.

Posted by bhola at 01:47 AM | Comments (0)

March 18, 2006

"Relishing on chicken"

BHOPAL SHRUGS OFF BIRD FLU SCARE

The bird flu scare may have put people off chicken in other places, but not in Bhopal, whose residents, according to the local newspaper, "continue to relish on their favourite chicken dishes".

With poultry prices plummeting as a result of the scare, Bhopalis, especially in the old quarters of the city, are feasting on chicken.

The sign says "We sell at farm prices, not shop prices"

"No doubt, the sale of chickens has gone down drastically in the upmarket areas of the city, but in other areas, it has increased manifold," said poultry merchant Hilal Jafri.

To date, no case bird flu has come to light in Madhya Pradesh. But as cases of bird flu continue to be detected in neighbouring Maharashtra, Bhopal has shot to limelight as it houses the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL), the only laboratory in Asia that can detect the new H5N1 virus that causes bird flu.

But Bhopal residents have no issues with the rogue parcel of DNA, as it has brought down chicken prices.

"The government is saying that chicken, if cooked properly, can be eaten. So why should not I eat chicken?" asks Ikran Ali, who has duly been scoffing chicken daily.

Ali, who lives in the Budhwara locality of the old city claims that chicken is now cheaper than vegetables. "A kilogram of bhindi (okra) costs Rs 40, whereas a kilogramme of chicken costs only Rs 20."

Posted by bhola at 07:54 PM | Comments (0)

Scientists at Bhopal bird flu lab inundated by 4,000 samples a week as Maharashtra culling nears completion

G.S. MUDUR

Chicken centre in Berasia Road, Bhopal PHOTO: MAUDE DORR

New Delhi, March 17: In India’s only laboratory equipped to handle the avian influenza H5N1 virus, the cold room is brimming with tiny vials of chicken blood and globs of poultry tissue from across the country.

Several thousand samples arrive each week, packed in ice boxes, from places where farmers have sensed unusual chicken deaths and from routine surveillance sites.

Overwhelmed by the influx, veterinary pathologist Hare Krishna Pradhan, who heads the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal, is fast running out of space and time.

“There is pressure, but my scientists are very good,” said Pradhan.

Six out of the eight rooms in the laboratory are now engaged in H5N1 work, distributed across a dozen scientists. In one room, research associate Nidhi Srivastava performs a test to detect the H5 and N1 genetic signatures of the virus. Scientists S. Nagarajan, B. Pattnaik, and C. Tosh run molecular tests on another set of samples.

“We’ll learn from this experience — it’s preparing us for the future,” said Pradhan.

A molecular biologist from Bilaspur and a virologist from Hissar will join the team next week as research associates on a consolidated salary of Rs 13,000 a month.

Pradhan says the lab can handle a maximum of about 2,000 blood samples and 100 tissue and faecal samples a week. It has been receiving 4,000 samples each week over the past month.

The pressure is forcing Pradhan to pick and choose samples. “The top priority is for samples from sites with mortality,” he said.

“Such pressure is not good when speed is crucial,” said Shahid Jameel, head of virology at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in New Delhi. “There’s a danger of delays in processing samples.”

The samples from the outbreak in Jalgaon took more than two weeks for a diagnosis to be made because they were waiting. Another such lab, which Pradhan and others experts have suggested for years, could have helped. Biosecurity labs can’t be built in haste.

“From conception to completion, this lab took 25 years,” Pradhan says. It cost about Rs 22 crore. Another now might cost up to Rs 40 crore.

Posted by bhola at 09:16 AM | Comments (0)

March 17, 2006

Urban revamp to start with five cities

FROM THE NAVHIND TIMES

IANS New Delhi March 17:
Five cities - Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Hyderabad, Nagpur and Bhopal - will soon undergo a facelift with world-class infrastructure and civic amenities as part of the government’s flagship urban renewal programme.

“These will be the first set of cities taken up under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission for the financial year 2006-07,” a senior urban development ministry official told IANS.

The cities have been selected on the basis of early proposals submitted by the respective state governments - Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

The urban renewal scheme, announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in December 2005, has a provision for disbursing funds to upgrade the infrastructure of 63 selected cities in the country. A total of Rs 550 billion ($12.43 billion) has been earmarked for the project and will be disbursed over seven years.

Of the 63 cities, 35 are those with a million-plus population, including state capitals, and the remaining are places of historical, religious or tourist importance.

Under the scheme, the cities will be provided grants to improve infrastructure and other civic services.

The ministry’s central sanctioning and monitoring committee will meet here on March 21 to take a final decision on proposals forwarded by the state governments of the five earmarked cities,

said the official, declining to be named.

“All the cities have submitted details of their development plans and of the projects they plan to undertake,” the official added.

While the central government will provide upto 50 per cent of the total project cost, the remaining will be raised by the states and local city administrations. The committee will consider 15 to 20 projects from the five cities at the upcoming meeting.

The urban renewal scheme focuses on upgrading urban infrastructure, civic services, community participation and accountability of local governments as part of the decentralisation of urban governance.

The cities will have improved water supply, sanitation, sewerage, solid waste management, urban transport and road networks.

The cities will also draw up schemes to provide a better lifestyle for the urban poor in terms of slum improvement and rehabilitation, sites and services, night shelters, community toilets and housing.

To avail of assistance under the scheme, the cities were asked to submit details of public-private partnership models that would execute the development, management and financing of the infrastructure.

They were also asked to rationalise the stamp duty to no more than five per cent within five years and to repeal the Urban Land Ceiling and Regulation Act.

Reforms in rent control laws to stimulate private investment and a revision of byelaws governing building construction are essential pre-requisites for qualifying for the programme.

While the scheme encourages privatisation of various city services, it also calls for simplifying conversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural use.

Posted by bhola at 04:51 PM | Comments (0)

March 10, 2006

Thunderstorm, lightning claims 46 lives in Madhya Pradesh

BHOPAL, MARCH 1O, 2006
Heavy rains, thunderstorms and lightning claimed the lives of at least 46 persons and injured several others besides damaging rabi crops across 30 districts in Madhya Pradesh over the last four days.

The meteorological department is warning of more hailstorms and thundersqualls in the state during the next 24 hours.

The death toll caused by hailstones and lightning, which stood at 29 yesterday, rose to 46 as reports of more casualties poured in from several districts. Last night three persons were killed by lightning in the Berasia and Nazeerabad districts Bhopal.

Two persons died in Indore and Jhabua districts after their houses were caved by unseasonal rains. Lightning killed three people in Dhana village (Sagar district), two in Paikunda and Kukshi towns (Dhar district), two each in Rajgarh and Chhatarpur district and one near Barwah in Khargone district.

As the rains lashed the state causing extensive damage to the rabi crop and destroying livestock in over 30 districts, more than 1,500 houses were flattened and a large number of trees were blown down, bringing down power lines, causing blackouts and blocking roads.

Posted by bhola at 09:08 PM | Comments (0)

Lighting strike in Bhopal leaves 11 dead, eight injured

Eleven persons were killed and eight were injured due to lightning strikes in Madhya Pradesh.

The latest deaths, including that of a 10-year-old girl, brought the death toll due to bad weather since March 1 to at least 35.

More than 100 have been injured and thousands of hectares of mustard, lentil and wheat crop have been damaged due to bad weather this month.

"As per preliminary reports, 720 villages in 30 districts have been affected by the seasonal rains and hailstorms, and crops in 31,850 hectares of land have been lost," Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.

Recent hailstorm claimed 23 lives: MP CM

March 09, 2006 19:32 IST

Twenty-three people died and 102 others injured in a recent hailstorm in Madhya Pradesh, which also caused extensive damage to crops in 30 districts, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said Thursday.

As per the preliminary report, 720 villages in 30 districts were affected by the unseasonal rains and hailstorm and crops in 31,850 hectares land were lost, Chouhan told reporters in Bhopal.

The figures can rise as reports from other areas were pouring in, he said adding, apart from loss of human life to lightning and storms, around 64 animals were also killed.

Maintaining that his government was serious about the plight of farmers, the chief minister said instructions were issued to senior officials to estimate the losses so as to start relief work.

Posted by bhola at 09:39 AM | Comments (0)

March 08, 2006

‘Tap my phone if I’m a threat to the nation’

Hindustan Times Correspondent

BHOPAL, MARCH 7, 2006

FORMER CHIEF minister Digvijay Singh on Tuesday said in Bhopal that if his phones were tapped in keeping with prescribed laws and rules, he would not object to that.

Image: Uday Kuckian

Reacting to rumours that phones of a large number of politicians, bureaucrats and journalists were being tapped in Madhya Pradesh, Digvijay Singh said that there was provision for phone tapping in the Telegraph Act if there is perception of threat to national security from someone.

"If the State Government feels that way about Digvijay Singh, I would not have any objection to my phone tapping. But it should be done in keeping with the law and rules laid down for the purpose", he said.

Posted by bhola at 10:54 AM | Comments (0)

Rumour of discovery of idol denied

The Milli Gazette Online

Bhopal:
Contradicting the rumour that during the repair work of the historic Gauhar Mahal in Bhopal an idol was discovered, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) sources said that only a few pieces of something have been found there.

While talking to UNI, Neera Das, convener of Bhopal Chapter of INTACH, who is incharge of this project, said that many buildings, including some temples, were constructed in this region on the orders of Parmar ruler Raja Bhoj of 11th century Dhar but these temples were demolished before the construction of Gauhar Mahal.

Regarding the repair and maintenance work which has been going on for the past one and a half years, Neera Das said the most difficult job was to preserve and protect the structure because its pillars in some parts of the building have fallen down and broken.

According to information provided by Archaeological Survey of India, National Archives and museums, Gauhar Mahal is one of the first buildings built by the nawabs of Bhopal. Nothing can be said reliably about the real history of this building but it is understood that it was probably built during the reign of Nawab Nazar Mohammad Khan (r. 1816-19) or might have been built even earlier. It was named after Gauhar Begum which was the title of Nawab Nazar Mohammad Khan’s wife Qudsia Begum.

According to Hayat Sikandari, this palace was very large and spacious in which there were also many memorial buildings like Nazar Mahal, Bibi ki Masjid, Gauhar Masnad, Qudsia Bagh, Diwan-e Aam, two rectangular verandahs, Diwan-e Khas and a residential complex. There was a triangular verandah adjacent to which were residential rooms for employees.

This palace is a beautiful combination of Moghul, Rajput and local architecture. When buildings like Hawa Mahal, Shaukat Mahal and Maut Mahal were built, Gauhar Mahal began to be used as a royal residential building. Later on it was converted into a government office. Subsequently, a part of the building was converted into official records room. «

Posted by bhola at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)

March 07, 2006

Top two trade dirty vibes

FROM THE TELEGRAPH, CALCUTTA

Bhopal, March 6:

The governor and the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh are not on talking terms.

Governor Jakhar

The immediate reason for the freeze seems to be state higher education minister Tukojirao Panwar’s failure to show up at the convention of the Madhya Pradesh Universities Association on Saturday.

Infuriated by the “discourteous” conduct, governor Balram Jakhar, who was present at the meet, publicly said he felt insulted. To make matters worse was chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan’s late arrival, which prompted a punctuality sermon from the governor.

Chauhan

Today, Jakhar dispatched his secretary Bhopal Singh to convey his sentiments to state chief secretary Rakesh Sahni.

His list of grievances is long.

The octogenarian leader, who is a Congress veteran and a former Lok Sabha Speaker, is upset with the government’s handling of the law and order situation, particularly the growing attacks on Christians in Madhya Pradesh.

Jakhar has been sending letters seeking probes into cases of violence, but the queries are seldom answered.

In one incident of an attack on a religious assembly in Bhopal, the government replied, claiming that cases had been registered against the culprits. But Jakhar shot off another letter asking under which CrPC sections the miscreants had been booked.

Jakhar, who as governor is the chancellor of all state-run universities, is also unhappy with what he sees as the government’s interference in matters of higher education. The appointment of a BJP minister’s brother as the registrar of Gwalior University has upset him.

Regarding his absence from Saturday’s meeting, Panwar said he had informed Bhopal’s Barkatullah University that he was visiting Shajapur district. “However, if the honourable governor has felt offended, I will tender an apology.” But till this evening, he had not contacted Jakhar.

Sources said Jakhar was upset with Panwar as he was reportedly in Bhopal that day but still did not attend the meeting.

A source close to Jakhar said the incident was not an “isolated” one. “It has become a norm of sorts. Often the chief minister arrives late or makes him wait. On occasions, the chief minister leaves in the middle of a function.”

Chauhan refrained from making any public statement but sources close to him said Jakhar should have aired his views in private.

Posted by bhola at 11:32 AM | Comments (0)

March 01, 2006

"The tourist's heaven: the call of the wild", gushes Bhopal's Central Chronicle

Wild places in Bhopal: the fatal MIC (methyl isocyanate) unit is a rusting wreck, overgrown with creepers. Photo: Dan Sinha

THE CHRONICLE'S STSORY:

Bhopal is a beautiful city. The city of lakes really makes it swell to stay around here. People get to live in the city and love it. But it seems kind of selfish to keep the beauty all to our selves. The outsiders have all the right to witness all the enchantment Bhopal has to offer. Tourism in the city has improved considerably over the years. Bhopal is getting more attractive for the tourists by the minute. The current government has allocated major funds for the development of tourist spots in the city. We are on a roll but there is always room for improvement. The many dams the city has can be renovated so that the tourists who come get their money's worth. We can also spread our wings and see the tourism of Madhya Pradesh as a whole. Madhya Pradesh has always been a place for wild animals, a natural habitat for them. If it is developed well it will be a major tourist attraction. The Palpurkuno (Sheopur) Wildlife Sanctuary awaits the roars of the world famous Gir Asiatic Lions. Specially developed for housing the rare breed of canines, the Sanctuary has been developed after rehabilitation of 24 villages in order to provide a natural habitat to the lions. Now something like that should be developed in and around Bhopal. The lions are facing survival problems in the Gir National Park at Gujarat and thus, the Central Government developed this park to rehabilitate the rare breed of lions largely found in Gujarat and a few other parts of the world. Steps like these will not only promote tourism but they will also help in securing the rare species of animals that really need it.

BHOPAL.NET COMMENT:

Bhopal is a running sore on the side of globalisation, site of the world's worst industrial disaster, home of an injustice that has festered for 21 years. In this city the Bhopal Central Chronicle is the newspaper of record. It should be producing crusading, investigative journalism of the highest quality, winning itself a worldwide reputation and forcing change. Instead it produces inane pap like the piece above, written in language that aspires to imitate American speech of the 1940s.

Here is a picture of the one wild place in Bhopal that draws amazed tourists year after year. It's Union Carbide's never-cleaned-up pesticide factory. It contains wildlife too, the place teems with cobras and is home to two rabid dogs.

The factory site, showing an area poisoned by chemicals where nothing will grow. Photo: Andy Moxon

Lizards found inside the plant's abandoned laboratory demonstrate deformities.

A rare species: deformed geckos in a derelict laboratory at the Union Carbide site. Photo: Andy Moxon

So do children from areas near the factory where drinking wells have been poisoned by leaking chemicals. These things are not a priority for the Central Chronicle.

Endangered species, a child carries home contaminated water. The drinking wells of 20,000 people are laced with poisons that can cause cancers and birth defects. The local politicians for two years have ignored a Supreme Court to provide clean drinking water to these communities. This too goes unreported and uninvestigated by the Central Chronicle. Photo: Maude Dorr

Posted by bhola at 09:13 AM | Comments (0)