Saturday, 18 June 2011

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

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

Finally Rain quenches and drenches entire Patna

Posted: 18 Jun 2011 05:54 PM PDT

Patna, June 17: The state capital had its first tryst with monsoon this year this evening.

After arriving in some parts of the state on June 15, it covered the entire Bihar today. The state capital received 11.11mm rainfall on the opening day of the rainy season. The maximum precipitation in the state was recorded at Banka (60mm).

Confirming the arrival of monsoon in the city, Animesh Chanda, the director of Patna Met Department, said: "The monsoon arrived in Patna today. With its arrival in the city, now the monsoon has covered the entire Bihar."

The maximum wind speed during the rainfall in the city this evening was 56km per hour. The humidity after the showers was 93 per cent.

"The depression over Bengal led to the arrival of monsoon in Patna today. Moderate rainfall is expected in the city in the next two-three days," added Chanda.

The formation of low pressures in the Bay of Bengal is one of the most important factors that decide the advancement of monsoon in the northeast and north India. The Patna Met department has forecasted normal monsoon in the state this year.

The residents of the city were delighted over the arrival of the monsoon.

"There has been a hide and seek between the sun and the clouds in the skies of Patna over the past two-three days. There were a few drizzles as well. But too much humidity was uncomfortable. Now that monsoon has arrived, we will have a good night's sleep. I have made my mind to celebrate this weekend with some rain dance," Sanjeevani Ranjan, a resident of Kankerbagh, said.

The news of arrival of monsoon was a delight for the citizens but the air passengers had a tough time. The air traffic in the city was affected this evening because of rains.

The airport sources said Air India's Delhi-bound flight (AI- 416), which was scheduled to arrive at 7.30pm, was expected to land at 9pm. Kingfisher's Delhi-bound plane (IT- 3347), which was scheduled to arrive at 8pm, was expected at 9pm.

The worst hit airline was Jet Airways. Its Delhi-bound flight (S2- 290) was scheduled to arrive at 6.50pm. But it got delayed by over two hours because of showers. Its Calcutta-bound plane (9W- 285), which was schedule to arrive at 7.55pm, was expected to arrive at 9pm.

AAI begins work to enhance safety at Patna Airport

Posted: 18 Jun 2011 11:02 AM PDT

PATNA: Jayaprakash Narayan International airport may soon cast off its “one of the most critical airports in the country” tag. Airports Authority of India (AAI) is exploring all possibilities for the purpose.
The feasibility of AAI’s ambitious idea to tunnel-in the railway line adjacent to airport’s runway, which poses critical threat to safe landing of aircrafts here as there is no room for emergency and even minor errors could cause the plane to ram into a train, is being explored.
Of late, a comprehensive study to create additional runway space for JPNI airport, spread over 260.81 acres, with a runway length of 7,500 feet, has already begun.
The main purpose of the study, which will be completed within three months, is to suggest ways to remove obstacles from the aircrafts’ approach funnel. AAI has assigned the job to an infrastructure consultancy company, RITES Ltd, at a cost of Rs 25 lakh. Experts have expeditiously begun the survey at Phulwari Sharif railway station.
Due to obstacles like trees and a 184-feet Secretariat tower on the eastern side of the airport and railway premises on the northwestern side, aircrafts are not able to use full length of the runway. Therefore, removal of obstacles is critical for rendering the airport safe.
While landing from eastern side, planes manage to use approximately about 5,600 feet runway length (runway 25), while they are able to use about 5,500 feet runway during landing from western side (runway 07).
“Last week, a team of experts visited Phulwari Sharif railway station to collect data, drawings, track diagrams and existing yards,” said B K Gupta, GM (railway divisions), RITES Ltd.
As per the study, modifications to the existing railway line, diversion of main line or development of schematic yard could be done.
“The main focus of the study is to examine whether the existing line or the entire railway station can pass through a tunnel paving way for expansion of runway (07),” said a senior RITES official. The team will also explore if the entire Phulwari Sharif yard could be shifted to a suitable location.
“Tunnelling of the railway line will not only remove the obstacle in safe landing of planes but also create space for expansion if the railway cabin is also tunnelled in or shifted,” sources said.
“We are pursuing all possible ways to create space to make the airport safer and provide better airport management. After RITES submits its feasibility study, the matter will be actively considered,” said JPNI airport director Arvind Dubey.
According to RITES’s airport division officials, a final report covering the entire spectrum of issues including cost will be submitted to AAI as soon as the study is complete.

Bihar to replicate Bhubaneshwar style vending Systems

Posted: 18 Jun 2011 05:45 AM PDT

BHUBANESWAR: The vending zone system in Bhubaneswar, it seems, has caught the fancy of the Bihar government. A K Singh, under secretary and Director of Housing and Urban Development Department, Bihar, visited the city on Thursday to gain first hand knowledge of the measures adopted by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) to streamline street vending.

His visit is a sequel to a recent conclave held in Patna where the BMC, along with some other civic bodies and urban development agencies from southern and eastern states of the country, assembled to discuss vending zone policies.

“The Patna High Court recently asked the Bihar government to set up vending zones in Patna. At the seminar, we learnt that the BMC has set an example by rehabilitating street vendors in an organized manner. The government deputed me to learn the vending zone policy in Bhubaneswar,” Singh told.
He said he was impressed with what he saw. “I also had a word with some of the vendors,” he said.

Sources said the vending zone policy here drew national attention in the past as well. In January last year, civic administrators from West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra came to the city to study the vending zones here.

“Credit goes to BMC as we have become role models for others to emulate. Other developmental works initiated by BMC have also earned a pat,” said BMC public relations officer, Dilip Routrai.

Nearly 2,500 vendors were accommodated in nearly 45 vending zones after the first such zone came up at Sishu Bhavan Square in December 2006. Sources said there are over 22,000 roadside vendors in the city.

Recently BMC razed a couple of authorized vending zones near Sishu Bhavan Square and Rajmahal Square for road expansion.

A few more vending zones are likely to be demolished for city beautification.

The demolitions had earned the civic body much flak as vendors had alleged the authorities lacked foresight and should have made proper plans before setting up vending zones.
Source:TOI

Indian Army to open Officers Training Academy at Gaya

Posted: 18 Jun 2011 02:44 AM PDT

NEW DELHI: Grappling with a shortage of over 12,500 army officers, India is all set to open a swanky new military training academy at Gaya in Bihar in a month to augment the number of troop commanders.

The first batch of 200 cadets will begin training soon at the Gaya Officers Training Academy (OTA), where they will be moulded into fine young officers.

With training infrastructure development complete and staff requirements met, the government has sanctioned the inauguration of the Gaya OTA on the lines of the existing Chennai-based OTA for short-service officers, senior defence ministry officials told IANS.

“The government has given its nod to open the new OTA at Gaya and it will happen within a month’s time. The first batch of 200 cadets too will join the Gaya OTA soon,” officials said.

The 1.13-million-strong Indian Army has a sanctioned officer strength of 47,864. But the shortage of 12,510 officers in its current strength is crippling, particularly in the ranks of captain, major and lieutenant colonels who lead troops.

As a result, the army’s fighting battalions such as infantry and artillery have to make do with just a third of their sanctioned strength of 28 officers.

It is to bridge this gap that the army had in 2008 made the proposal to start a second OTA to supplement the army intake of Short Service Commissioned (SSC) officers from the existing Chennai-based OTA and Permanent Commissioned (PC) officers from the Dehradun-based Indian Military Academy (IMA).

Another proposal from the army, then, was to increase the number of seats in Chennai OTA and Dehradun IMA with improvement and upgrade of these institutions’ infrastructure and staff requirements.

The Cabinet Committee on Security , in December 2009, formally approved the Gaya OTA project.

As per the government orders, the Gaya OTA will be housed in the existing premises of the Army Service Corps Centre (North), which is being moved to Bangalore.

With a capacity to train 750 cadets a year, the OTA’s fund requirement would be to the tune of Rs.364 crore for non-recurring expenditure and Rs.44.75 crore recurring expenses annually.

The Gaya OTA will begin with 200 SSC cadets first and then eventually increase its annual, two-batch intake to 750 cadets. This 750 cadets will be the additional recruitment of officers by the army to bridge the shortage in its cadre every year from 2011.

This apart, the army gets a maximum of 600 SSC officers from the Chennai OTA and another 1,100 PC officers from IMA annually.

The army’s second proposal to increase the intake in Chennai OTA to 650 and IMA 1,450 per year, to add another 400 officers to the army’s cadre, is under the consideration of the defence ministry, the officials said.

IMA gets its cadets from the tri-service Khadakwasla-based National Defence Academy (NDA) in Pune, open to youngsters after Class 12, and through the ‘direct entry scheme’ for college graduates. The OTA is open to college graduates only.

Armed forces want to gradually, but substantially, increase the number of SSC officers in their ranks, as part of force-restructuring to maintain a youthful profile of its troop commanders. The eventual plan is to have two SSC officers to every PC officer (2:1 ratio) in its cadre.
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