Thursday, 2 June 2011

Bihar News, Latest News from Bihar, News of Bihar, Biharprabha News

Bihar News, Latest News from Bihar, News of Bihar, Biharprabha News

SCADA not working successfully in Patna

Posted: 02 Jun 2011 07:03 PM PDT

Patna, May 31: The supervisory control and data acquisition (Scada) system, which Bihar State Electricity Board had inaugurated with much fanfare last year to provide better facilities to customers through its hi-tech system, has gone haywire.

The Scada system, which chief minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated on August 26 last year, was supposed to be a consumer-friendly system that would provide instant billing and round-the-clock customer care centre to deal with customer grievances apart from keeping tabs on the current load on all power sub-stations.

The hi-tech system, which was supposed to work through multiple communication system such as optical fibre, BSNL's leased lines, radio frequency, has not been working for the past four months.

All 45 power sub-stations and 30 billing centres of Patna Electric Supply Undertaking (Pesu) were designed to be linked with each other so that consumers of any area could have made payments in any other division or could have lodged his/her complaint at the Pesu Scada centre's call centre located at Board Colony round-the-clock.

Under the Scada system, a meter reader can instantly issue bills to customers and also collect payment from them through his hand-held billing machine. But unfortunately out of 10 divisions of Pesu, this system is working only in the Gardanibagh division. Even in Gardanibagh, only bills are generated instantly but payments are not being accepted as the much-hyped Scada system could never take off in its full form.

Similarly, the call centre is supposed to work round-the-clock and lodge all types of complaints related to billing disputes, fuse calls, transformer fires and snapping of cables among others but the call centre's back-up battery has gone dead, forcing operations at the centre to come to a halt.

The system, which was also supposed to connect all the 45 power sub-stations under Pesu's jurisdiction had the energy accounting. facility. However, energy accounting could not be done owing to fault in optical fibre. Pesu, however, is making efforts to streamline the process but it has some inherent problems.

Pesu general manager S.K.P. Singh admitted that the system is not working and said: "We have started the spot billing facility from Gardanibagh division. Consumers of the division are still enjoying the facility. But unfortunately, the expansion of this facility to another division got delayed as the system took time for transferring data. At present, the process of transferring data with regard to Patliputra and Guljarbagh divisions is being carried out as spot billing has to be started in these divisions."

On the non-functional call centre, Singh said the battery would be changed by June 30.

Gaya Muzaffarour and Bhagalpur to have Patna like Bus services

Posted: 02 Jun 2011 08:01 AM PDT

Patna, May 31: Move over Patna. Roads in Muzaffarpur, Gaya and Bhagalpur, too, would now sport swanky buses for commuters.

After the popularity of the ring route bus service launched in Patna on May 15, Bihar State Road Transport Corporation (BSRTC) would offer the people of the three towns a chance to catch up with their capital counterparts.

BSRTC, an undertaking of the state government, has recently initiated the process of inviting applications from service providers to run the buses in the proposed cities.

"We have invited applications for operating city bus services in the three cities under the subsidy scheme of the corporation. Under the proposal, 30 buses would be provided in Muzaffarpur, 20 in Gaya and 30 in Bhagalpur. We have just taken the first step in this regard, so it will not be possible for us to give an exact date when the buses would start running. We are trying to finalise all formalities at the earliest," said a senior BSRTC official.

The official added the route of these buses would be decided only after the final selection of applicants.

According to norms, the buses would have to be new or should have been bought for the first time in 2011 having 32 seats. These buses are expected to be equipped with the latest technological devices like fire extinguishers and first-aid kits similar to those existing on ring route buses in the capital.

The proposed vehicles would be operated from the bus depots of the corporation and the space for halting their vehicles would be provided by BSRTC to the operators.

Under this scheme, BSRTC would provide a subsidy of Rs 7.5 lakh on each bus and the applicant would share 10 per cent of the total revenue, with the corporation.

According to sources, bids have been invited and the bidder providing the maximum number of buses in a city would be selected first.

Thereafter, the bidder providing the next highest number of buses would be chosen and this process would continue till the total requirement of buses are complete.

Citizens, meanwhile, are delighted with the proposed city bus scheme.

"At present, there is no system of city buses in Gaya and most people avail autorickshaws for travelling. Earlier, the district administration had introduced a city bus service in 1998 but gradually that system was abolished. We are extremely glad that finally we will be having a proper mode of public transport in the city of Gautam Buddha," said Gaya resident Suresh Narayan.

Mango business at its peak these days

Posted: 02 Jun 2011 05:58 AM PDT

Patna, May 31: Their prices have come down from Rs 200 to Rs 40 a kilo in barely a month and are now selling like hot cakes. The season of mangoes is here and to add to the list of the variety of the fruit available in the market, the Malda mangoes have arrived with a price cut.

With rising temperature accompanied by the pre-monsoon rainfall, the mangoes are ripening faster. People are now buying the fruit in bulk, with many taking home 4kg to 5kg of the fruit.

Compared to other varieties, the demand for Malda mangoes goes up every year and like langra and dasheri, even they are available at Rs 40 now.

Shopkeepers agreed despite the availability of other kinds of mangoes, those imported from Orissa and Bengal are the most sought-after and the ones from Malda are the "bestsellers".

With hot days ahead, shopkeepers are hopeful that their businesses will fetch more profit. "The increasing temperatures will help ripen the fruit and therefore, we expect our business to do even better," Krishna Sahu, a shopkeeper at Phal Bazar near Income Tax roundabout, said.

"We also have other varieties of mangoes like rauban, gulab khas, langra and dasheri but customers are going for the Malda mangoes only because they have a unique taste and are less expensive compared to other varieties of mangoes," Sahu said.

Another fruit seller Naresh Rai said: "The reason behind the sudden demand of Malda mangoes is because of the rain. Like everyone, even we were waiting for the rain. People wait eagerly for the Malda mangoes to hit the market. Most of the customers are buying mangoes in bulk."

Asked about the reason behind the early sale, he said: "These mangoes ripe earlier than the other varieties. This is what makes them very popular. These mangoes have a rich aromatic flavour and customers get attracted to them because of their shape and green colour."

Manisha Singh, a Boring Road resident, bought 5kg mangoes. "We could have bought the mangoes earlier as well but they were very expensive and I would have had to shell out about Rs 200 per kg. Now the price has come down and I am also getting my favourite brand of mangoes. My children love to have a glass of mango shake this time of the year, especially before going to bed," she told The Telegraph.

Rishikesh Kumar, a resident Kidwairpur area, said: "I can recognise the mangoes from Malda by their smell. Not only is there a difference in their taste, there is also a different smell. Frankly speaking, if a mango lover has not tasted Malda then they are surely missing something. Even Alphonso mango is not that tasty."

Bihar all set to increase the forest cover

Posted: 02 Jun 2011 03:56 AM PDT

PATNA: The Bihar government has come out with a massive scheme to increase the Bihar’s forest/tree cover area from 9.89 percent to 15 percent in five years. To make the scheme a success, the forest department would now work in tandem with the rural development department, said deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi. The forestation scheme would be formally launched by chief minister Nitish Kumar on the World Environment Day, June 5.

In the new scheme of things, school students and poor families would be involved in the massive tree plantation drive under MNREGA, Modi said and added that the existing Chhatra Vriksharopan Yojana would be given a new shape to make forestation plan a great success. This year alone the government is planning to plant 10 crore trees in different parts of the state. In fact, the government has adopted the tree plantation scheme formulated by Tirhut divisional commissioner S M Raju, who has done excellent job in the field.

The tree plantation job would now be entrusted to 8,500 Eco Clubs formed by the Pollution Control Board. About 40-50 school students are enrolled in each Club Though the Central government gives Rs 2,500 per year to each Club for planting tress in the surrounding areas, the state government has also decided to link the scheme with MNREGA so that the poor who normally do not get job in rainy season would be able to earn money during that period. The state government would give money to each student who is part of the Club.

The students would not be given any individual task, but the plantation job would be assigned to a group of five students from Class VI to Class X. Girls, however, would be given priority. The students would not only plant the trees, but would also take care of watering and proper upkeep of the saplings so that the plant could grow. Each schoolboy would be given Rs 100 per year for taking care of the plant while the sapling would be provided by the government. Each group would plant 10 trees and take care of it for three years.

Modi said that the trees would be planted on school campus, road or highways side and religious places, but at no cost money would be given for planting trees in any individual’s house. Only fruit-bearing or wood-oriented trees would be planted. He said that the school which excelled in this drive would be rewarded at state level. Since the monsoon is soon to arrive, Modi said, the plantation would start in July.

Tree plantation would be given top priority as each panchayat would be directed to plant at least 6,000 trees. Modi said that four BPL families of the same community would look after a cluster of 200 trees. One hand pump would be sunk for every 200 plants so that proper watering could be done. “We are committed to make a green Bihar,” he asserted.

CM felicitates toppers from Bihar

Posted: 02 Jun 2011 12:56 AM PDT

PATNA: Keep your cool while aiming high and pursuing your ambition with iron determination; success is bound to come your way. That’s how chief minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday advised state’s students while felicitating Akansha, who ranked 1521 in the IIT-JEE exam this year, at his official residence here. Felicitation is an incentive for the talent to flourish, Kumar said and added he is proud of the budding talents of Bihar. Akansha is the daughter of an assistant engineer in the state irrigation department. She was schooled in city’s Don Bosco Academy and completed her Plus II from SSD Public School-Delhi. Her mother Madhulika Singh is a teacher at St Karen’s High School, Patna. Akansha’s younger sister Shiwani, who also aspires to become a technocrat, accompanied her to the CM’s residence.

The CM also felicitated Kundan Kumar, who scored 460/500 in the Bihar board exam to become topper along with Shalini Yadav of Khagaul this year. A student of Janata High School-Sitamarhi, Kundan was given a cheque for Rs 15,000 and a laptop. “It’s so overwhelming to know that students from humble background are coming out with flying colours,” the CM said and reiterated the government’s decision to constitute a ‘Baal Parishad’ (children’s council), comprising of matric toppers and second toppers of the last five years, to give advice to the government on how to better our education system.

Earlier on Sunday, the CM visited Shalini’s residence and gave her Rs 15,000 and a laptop. Besides, the toppers would be given a reward of Rs 25,000 each on the Teacher’s Day from the chief minister relief fund.
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