Bihar's first resort for tourists at the famous Sufi centre -- Manersharif -- would soon be a reality. The area in and around the resort would be developed at par with international standards to attract Asian and domestic tourists. Manersharif is barely 32 km away from west of Patna on Patna-Ara highway.
Manersharif is the most important and oldest centre of Sufis in Bihar. Maner has the tombs of several Sufi saints, including the Mausoleum of Shah Daulat, a contemporary of Akbar and Jehangir. Sufism is still a living tradition in Bihar and many important centres of the Sufis continue to flourish even today.
This resort has been designed to cater to the needs of family willing to spend a weekend at the resort. As of now, there is no such place in the nearby areas where a family can spend a day with all basic amenities.
The facilities would be designed to cater to the needs of children and health conscious citizens. It would be designed in an eco-friendly atmosphere and tourists can enjoy their outing away from hustle and bustle of the city.
The project includes construction of a 32-room hotel, gymnasium, conference room, car parking, landscaping in and around the hotel, flood lights, tubewells for water supply, boating, cafeteria, with proper lighting.
"This project has already been delayed. The Centre has already released Rs 7 crore for developing this resort for tourists," said a senior official of the tourism department.
Bihar's building construction department has been given the job of construction of the hotel. The Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC) would invite tenders to run this hotel under private-public partnership, said an official.
The work on the development of pond facing the monument would start after clearance from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The removal of all the vegetation developed inside the pond, construction of staircase and pathway are also on the cards. Boating in the pond would be an added attraction for the visiting tourists.
"Almost 90 per cent work at the site has been completed. The resort would become operational within six months. At present, the cafeteria is being run by the BSTDC," said an official.
The BSTDC-run cafeteria at Manersharif is still the favourite eating joint for those who are passing through Maner en route Ara and beyond. "It gives us an ambience of peaceful atmosphere. It also offers simple home-made food, but it requires more facilities," said a couple who were having lunch at the restaurant.link
Friday, 8 May 2009
Cop recruitment scam: Three more arrested
The CBI arrested three more people in the alleged irregularities in recruitment of constables in CRPF. They include DIG, CRPF, Muzaffarpur, P S Bakhala, a commandant from Bihar and Jharkhand B S Sidhu and a tout from New Delhi. Sidhu was posted at Daltonganj as commandant of the 134th Battalion. The investigating agency has so far arrested 11 persons in this connection.
Confirming the arrest of these three people, a CBI official said that they were produced before the special CBI court on Thursday itself. DIG Bakhala and commandant Sidhu were taken on police remand for further interrogation in the matter, he said.
A CBI official confided that a well organized racket had been clandestinely going on in the recruitment of constables in the CRPF. Prima facie it appeared that some senior CRPF officials were allegedly involved in the recruitment scam. Everything would come to light after a thorough probe into the matter, he said.
According to CBI sources, the CBI sleuths raided the house of DIG located in Ranchi and recovered several incriminating papers. Similarly, Sidhu's house in Chandigarh too was searched and several incriminating papers and 10 live cartridges were also recovered during a raid by the CBI team, sources said.
Incidentally, CRPF IG Pushkar Singh and several other persons, including middlemen, who were involved in the scam, are among those already arrested by the CBI team from different places across the country.
The investigating agency had seized about Rs 1.15 crore cash and documents relating to fixed deposits during search operation carried out at the IG's office and residential premises, sources said.link
Confirming the arrest of these three people, a CBI official said that they were produced before the special CBI court on Thursday itself. DIG Bakhala and commandant Sidhu were taken on police remand for further interrogation in the matter, he said.
A CBI official confided that a well organized racket had been clandestinely going on in the recruitment of constables in the CRPF. Prima facie it appeared that some senior CRPF officials were allegedly involved in the recruitment scam. Everything would come to light after a thorough probe into the matter, he said.
According to CBI sources, the CBI sleuths raided the house of DIG located in Ranchi and recovered several incriminating papers. Similarly, Sidhu's house in Chandigarh too was searched and several incriminating papers and 10 live cartridges were also recovered during a raid by the CBI team, sources said.
Incidentally, CRPF IG Pushkar Singh and several other persons, including middlemen, who were involved in the scam, are among those already arrested by the CBI team from different places across the country.
The investigating agency had seized about Rs 1.15 crore cash and documents relating to fixed deposits during search operation carried out at the IG's office and residential premises, sources said.link
Saturday, 2 May 2009
Village of Unmarried People’s Road to Love
The remote village of Barwaan Kala, west of Bihar in the heart of the Kaimur Hills in India, is the home of some 121 bachelors between the ages of 16 and 80.
Since the village is so remote and there are no decent roads to allow outsiders to travel to and from the village, it has become known locally as the “Village of Unmarried People”.
The townsfolk have longed dreamed that they would be able to have a road developed so that they could finally attract women from local villages to come and visit them.
This vision seemed a lot closer to fruition when during the last state assembly elections, a party candidate, Ram Chandra Singh Yadav, visited the village and promised that if elected, he would build them a road. He also made one promise that he didn’t keep; namely, that he would not get married unless he could build the villagers a road.
“The biggest problem for us and for outsiders is the difficult hilly terrain to pass through,” said 40-year-old bachelor Ram Lal Yadav.
The men got tired of waiting for help, and armed with tools, decided to take matters into their own hands. Although they have collectively laid more than half of the four-mile stretch of road across very hilly terrain, there are legal problems that may stand in their way to their path of happiness.
Unfortunately, The area is within a zone that protects wild life and where guidelines for construction projects are strictly enforced.
After all of their work, the government may intervene and stop them from completing their road to ecstasy.
Perhaps they could claim that as bachelors without potential heirs they represent an “endangered species”?
Hopefully then the government will take pity on these poor men and let them finish their road that can only lead to the better things in life.link
Since the village is so remote and there are no decent roads to allow outsiders to travel to and from the village, it has become known locally as the “Village of Unmarried People”.
The townsfolk have longed dreamed that they would be able to have a road developed so that they could finally attract women from local villages to come and visit them.
This vision seemed a lot closer to fruition when during the last state assembly elections, a party candidate, Ram Chandra Singh Yadav, visited the village and promised that if elected, he would build them a road. He also made one promise that he didn’t keep; namely, that he would not get married unless he could build the villagers a road.
“The biggest problem for us and for outsiders is the difficult hilly terrain to pass through,” said 40-year-old bachelor Ram Lal Yadav.
The men got tired of waiting for help, and armed with tools, decided to take matters into their own hands. Although they have collectively laid more than half of the four-mile stretch of road across very hilly terrain, there are legal problems that may stand in their way to their path of happiness.
Unfortunately, The area is within a zone that protects wild life and where guidelines for construction projects are strictly enforced.
After all of their work, the government may intervene and stop them from completing their road to ecstasy.
Perhaps they could claim that as bachelors without potential heirs they represent an “endangered species”?
Hopefully then the government will take pity on these poor men and let them finish their road that can only lead to the better things in life.link
Monday, 27 April 2009
AMU electrical engineer declared CAT topper from Bihar
An electrical engineer from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and belonging to Bihar, Syed Kashif Hassan has been the Common Admission Test (CAT) topper among candidates who appeared from Bihar. He has secured 99.99 percentile.
Those close to him said that his 99.99 percentile could have also been fetched by candidates from other states, but Kashif has been the topper among the Bihari candidates and he has also set the all-time record for the state till now.
He has been invited by all the six premier Indian Institute of Management (IIM) centres for group discussion, and final selection in the IIM concerned. Born at Hanuman Nagar, Patna, he has his ancestral roots at Bhagalpur's Mohibalichak locality. His father Dr S Q Hassan, an eye-specialist, and mother Eakhshimda groomed him, but his inspiration was his "nana (maternal grandfather) late Dr H A Usmani, a child specialist.
He did his schooling from Don Bosco and college studies from Science College (Patna) before moving to AMU for the five-year course (2005-09) in electrical trade. He has interest in music, and recently produced an album `Ummeed: A Tryst with Hope' in the company of his friends.link
Those close to him said that his 99.99 percentile could have also been fetched by candidates from other states, but Kashif has been the topper among the Bihari candidates and he has also set the all-time record for the state till now.
He has been invited by all the six premier Indian Institute of Management (IIM) centres for group discussion, and final selection in the IIM concerned. Born at Hanuman Nagar, Patna, he has his ancestral roots at Bhagalpur's Mohibalichak locality. His father Dr S Q Hassan, an eye-specialist, and mother Eakhshimda groomed him, but his inspiration was his "nana (maternal grandfather) late Dr H A Usmani, a child specialist.
He did his schooling from Don Bosco and college studies from Science College (Patna) before moving to AMU for the five-year course (2005-09) in electrical trade. He has interest in music, and recently produced an album `Ummeed: A Tryst with Hope' in the company of his friends.link
Maoists blow up school, health centre in Bihar
In the second strike in 24 hours, about 500 heavily armed Maoists encircled a village in Gaya district of Bihar and blew up a primary health centre, a middle school and community hall.
Earlier, the Maoists had blown up a police building in the same Chonha village on Saturday morning. It was the eighth Maoist attack in the district this month.
The Maoists also raided the two-storeyed house of a big farmer and former mukhiya of Narainpur panchayat of the Naxal-infested Dumaria block. Using walkie-talkies, they directed the farmer's wife, daughter and two maid servants, to move out of the house before dynamites were thrown in.
The farmer's son Rizwan Khan said the Maoists looted about 100 quintals of rice, an equal quantity of wheat, 10 quintals of potatoe and onion and some jewellery from the house.
According to Rizwan, he was in a neighbouring village when the Maoists started encircling his village. He immediately informed senior police officers, "but the police reached only after everything was over''.
Admitting that she got information about the movement of the Maoists, Magadh Range DIG Anupama Nilekar claimed that immediate steps were taken and police parties dispatched to the village.link
Earlier, the Maoists had blown up a police building in the same Chonha village on Saturday morning. It was the eighth Maoist attack in the district this month.
The Maoists also raided the two-storeyed house of a big farmer and former mukhiya of Narainpur panchayat of the Naxal-infested Dumaria block. Using walkie-talkies, they directed the farmer's wife, daughter and two maid servants, to move out of the house before dynamites were thrown in.
The farmer's son Rizwan Khan said the Maoists looted about 100 quintals of rice, an equal quantity of wheat, 10 quintals of potatoe and onion and some jewellery from the house.
According to Rizwan, he was in a neighbouring village when the Maoists started encircling his village. He immediately informed senior police officers, "but the police reached only after everything was over''.
Admitting that she got information about the movement of the Maoists, Magadh Range DIG Anupama Nilekar claimed that immediate steps were taken and police parties dispatched to the village.link
Sunday, 26 April 2009
Lalu's place is in jail: Rajiv Ranjan
A senior leader of Bihar's ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) on Sunday said that Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad would be in jail for his involvement in the multi-million rupee fodder scam if the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) came to power at the centre.
"Lalu ka satta sukh ab khatam ho gaya hai, Lalu ko ab jail sukh bhogna hoga (The days of Lalu enjoying power are over, Lalu should now be ready to face the hard reality of jail)," Rajeev Ranjan alias Lalan Singh said at a election rally in Munger from where he is contesting the poll.
Known as a severe critic of Lalu Prasad, Singh said a fresh probe would be ordered into the RJD's chief involvement in the fodder scam if the NDA comes to power. He alleged that the RJD chief had managed to suppress the cases against him in the fodder scam with the help of the Congress.
Singh, a close confidant of chief minister Nitish Kumar, said Lalu Prasad would now be ousted from the centre in the same way he was ousted from Bihar in 2005.link
"Lalu ka satta sukh ab khatam ho gaya hai, Lalu ko ab jail sukh bhogna hoga (The days of Lalu enjoying power are over, Lalu should now be ready to face the hard reality of jail)," Rajeev Ranjan alias Lalan Singh said at a election rally in Munger from where he is contesting the poll.
Known as a severe critic of Lalu Prasad, Singh said a fresh probe would be ordered into the RJD's chief involvement in the fodder scam if the NDA comes to power. He alleged that the RJD chief had managed to suppress the cases against him in the fodder scam with the help of the Congress.
Singh, a close confidant of chief minister Nitish Kumar, said Lalu Prasad would now be ousted from the centre in the same way he was ousted from Bihar in 2005.link
Sunday, 12 April 2009
BJP engaged in 'savarna' mobilisation
The spectre of former JD(U) leader and Bihar CM Jagannath Mishra is haunting NDA, specially BJP, in the Mithila region. Aware of the possible subversive or negative impact of the quitting of JD(U) by Mishra, the state BJP has engaged itself in active mobilisation of the "savarna samaj (upper caste sections)" in the region in favour of NDA.
The region accounts for three parliamentary constituencies -- Darbhanga, Madhubani and Jhanjharpur. While BJP is contesting Madhubani and Darbhanga seats, the Jhanjharpur seat has gone to JD(U). Incidentally, Mishra, in the past, has contested the Jhanjharpur seat, though unsuccessfully. Yet, the damage that he could cause is very much on the radar of NDA, specially BJP. It has been assumed that the adverse impact of the move of Mishra on NDA would be immediate. The poll would be held in the second phase.
Mishra had aired his concerns on the devastations wrought by the Kosi floods in the five districts, and had also queered the pitch for CM Nitish Kumar. Later, he quit JD(U), while his son Nitish Mishra, a JD(U) aspirant for the Jhanjharpur seat, resigned from the council of ministers. Senior Mishra cosied up to RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, and also announced to support any candidate who could strengthen secular and democratic traditions.
BJP, in effect, has taken to damage control exercise. In less than a week, two of its state leaders -- former state president Tara Kant Jha and the party's state spokesman Vinod Narayan Jha -- have aired their concerns on the region to influence the voting behaviour of the people, specially the upper caste sections. While Tara Kant Jha, among other things, recently pointed to the contribution of NDA in securing recognition for Maithili language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, Vinod Narayan Jha, after a week long tour of the region, reiterated it on Saturday.
He dubbed Mishra as "swayambhu neta (self-proclaimed leader)". Due to his new association with Lalu and LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan, he also called Mishra Lalu's "guru" and "chaaraa ghotaale ka humsafar", and put him as "naya humsafar" of Ram Vilas Paswan! He, finally, lambasted Mishra for claiming that the honeymoon of Brahmins (Maithil) with NDA in the Mithila region was over, and also blasted UPA.
"Not only the Brahmin community of the region, but all other sections are solidly behind NDA," Vinod Narayan said, adding: "Brahmins, in particular, constitute the intelligentsia. They have always longed for development and law and order, which the state NDA government has given in the last three and half years. This section is positively oriented towards NDA." link
The region accounts for three parliamentary constituencies -- Darbhanga, Madhubani and Jhanjharpur. While BJP is contesting Madhubani and Darbhanga seats, the Jhanjharpur seat has gone to JD(U). Incidentally, Mishra, in the past, has contested the Jhanjharpur seat, though unsuccessfully. Yet, the damage that he could cause is very much on the radar of NDA, specially BJP. It has been assumed that the adverse impact of the move of Mishra on NDA would be immediate. The poll would be held in the second phase.
Mishra had aired his concerns on the devastations wrought by the Kosi floods in the five districts, and had also queered the pitch for CM Nitish Kumar. Later, he quit JD(U), while his son Nitish Mishra, a JD(U) aspirant for the Jhanjharpur seat, resigned from the council of ministers. Senior Mishra cosied up to RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, and also announced to support any candidate who could strengthen secular and democratic traditions.
BJP, in effect, has taken to damage control exercise. In less than a week, two of its state leaders -- former state president Tara Kant Jha and the party's state spokesman Vinod Narayan Jha -- have aired their concerns on the region to influence the voting behaviour of the people, specially the upper caste sections. While Tara Kant Jha, among other things, recently pointed to the contribution of NDA in securing recognition for Maithili language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, Vinod Narayan Jha, after a week long tour of the region, reiterated it on Saturday.
He dubbed Mishra as "swayambhu neta (self-proclaimed leader)". Due to his new association with Lalu and LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan, he also called Mishra Lalu's "guru" and "chaaraa ghotaale ka humsafar", and put him as "naya humsafar" of Ram Vilas Paswan! He, finally, lambasted Mishra for claiming that the honeymoon of Brahmins (Maithil) with NDA in the Mithila region was over, and also blasted UPA.
"Not only the Brahmin community of the region, but all other sections are solidly behind NDA," Vinod Narayan said, adding: "Brahmins, in particular, constitute the intelligentsia. They have always longed for development and law and order, which the state NDA government has given in the last three and half years. This section is positively oriented towards NDA." link
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