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Apr 23-30, 07

Two-wheelers riding high
- Vehicular density yet to be calculated in city

Ranchi, April 30: It's official. Two-wheelers are the hot favourite among city residents as over 30,000 of them have been added to the already congested roads in the last fiscal.

A total of 41,923 new two-wheelers have been registered with the Ranchi district transport office in the last financial year against a corresponding figure of 35,837 registered in 2005-06 — an increase of 6,086.

Of the total number of new vehicles registered at Ranchi, two-wheelers continue to rule the roost. Against the 25,424 two-wheelers registered with the office during 2005-06, the figure has jumped up to 30,185 over the previous year, an increase of 4,761.

Things have stood quite motionless in the four-wheeler segment. A total of 4,317 new four-wheelers were registered in the last fiscal as compared to 4,049 in 2005-06.

However, district transport officer Shivendra Kumar Singh strongly refuted the belief that all new vehicles registered at Ranchi every year are adding to the city's vehicular population.

"Mere registrations do not imply that all the vehicles are plying within the Ranchi municipal area. A good number of two- and four-wheelers registered with us are plying in other districts too. There are cases where vehicles are exported to neighbouring states as well. Again, vehicles registered in other states enter Ranchi. Hence, an increase in registration of new vehicles cannot be interpreted in any way vis-à-vis increase in vehicular density," Singh told The Telegraph.

According to official statistics released by Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC), Ranchi has a total of 470.71 km of pucca and kutchcha roads spread over 31 wards comprising the corporation area. Of these, 346.44 km are pucca roads while the remaining 124.27 km are kutchcha roads.

The district transport office, however, conceded that no study has ever been made to find out the average vehicular density of the city. Neither are there any statistics available to indicate the maximum number of vehicles that Ranchi is capable of accommodating, he said.

"The DTO, Ranchi office is also not competent to comment either on the present or projected vehicular density," Singh stressed. Singh further pointed out that the daily traffic hold-ups witnessed on the roads of the state capital are also not indicative of the vehicle population as jams occur due to many reasons.

He agreed that the number of vehicles has increased in the past five years but was not sure of the vehicular density.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070501/asp/jamshedpur/story_7721323.asp

Maoists sing new tune, spread fear

"When Maoists in Jharkhand sneeze, Sonebhadra and Mirzapur districts in eastern Uttar Pradesh catch cold." This is how BJP MLC Shyam Singh describes the import of the Maoists' call to voters here.

Maoists are asking people in Sonebhadra, Chandauli and Mirzapur to vote for "their candidates". "And their call carries some weight," says Singh. Fifty-two constituencies go to polls on May 3, apart from a by-election to the Robertsganj parliamentary constituency.

The Maoists' call, however, is a clear deviation from the past since they are traditionally known to issue 'boycott polls' diktats. What has made the Naxals change their stand?

Kameshwar Baitha, a CPI (Maoist) sub-zonal commander lodged in Garhwa jail in Jharkhand, is the one who has scripted the shift. Billed as a rebel with a difference, Baitha finished a close second as BSP nominee in the recently concluded Palamu (Jharkhand) parliamentary bypoll. His next target is to consolidate his hold across the border in Uttar Pradesh, where he has always been a force to reckon with. The 54-year-old has 12 cases of extremist activities pending against him in Sonebhadra. Jharkhand police claim Baitha's son-in-law is a government official and one of his in-laws a police inspector in UP.

"The Maoists have always been debating the feasibility of contesting elections. But, I am no longer a Maoist. Once in jail, the membership ceases. I am only a BSP party worker, and my men are in Uttar Pradesh trying to ensure that the elephant has a cakewalk," Baitha explains.

The explanation, however, has stoked fears across the border. Not surprisingly, the Samajwadi Party is making the loudest noises. Vijay Singh Gaur, SP MLA from Dudhi constituency, says "this Maoist diktat is a plan hatched by Mayawati".

But there are takers for Baitha's kind of politics. Says Kailash Ghasia of Nagwa, "Politicians remember us only during polls. They are not worth risking our lives for. We should vote the way the wind blows."

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=00df003e-102a-46fd-a00c-c32ec2b3700a&&Headline=Maoists+sing+new+tune%2c+spread+fear

From CRZ to SEZ: Naxal reins of terror

It was in August 2001 that the idea of establishing a Com-pact Revolutionary Zone (CRZ), from the forest tracts of Adilabad (Andhra Pradesh) to Nepal, traversing the forest areas of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar, was conceptualized at Siliguri in a high-level meeting of the Maoist leaders from India and Nepal.

The primary aim of CRZ is to facilitate the easy movement of extremists from one area in the proposed zone to another. The concept of CRZ was essentially seen as a prologue to the further expansion of Left-wing extremism in the subcontinent. Looked from this angle, the notion of CRZ seems to be moving in the right direction, for, there has been a remarkable Maoist growth between 2001 and 2007 in both India and Nepal.

As of now, while the Communist Party of Nepal- Maoist (CPN-M) has joined the interim Government of Nepal, their Maoist counterparts in India have carved out several guerilla zones in different parts of the country.

What was once a utopian concept, the idea and reality of CRZ in India has indeed made big strides. While the Maoists were busy executing their mega plan of CRZ, the economic policy of India marked a dramatic shift with the Government of India announcing the setting up of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in its Export-Import Policy 2000.

As per the SEZ Act 2005, SEZs are geographical regions that have different economic laws to the rest of the country to facilitate increased investments and economic activity. The politics engulfing the whole issue of SEZs has definitely acquired a Maoist flavor, as can be clearly ascertained from the happenings of Kalinga Nagar, Singur and Nandigram. Recent happenings on the SEZs front shows that the idea of SEZs, which was originally formulated as a development strategy, has now become a rallying cry for Left-wing extremism. Couple of months back, during their ninth unity congress, the top ranking Maoist leadership from 16 Indian states decided to launch violent attacks on SEZs and projects that displace people.

The Annual Report of the "Central Military Commission" of the Communist Party of India- Maoist (CPI-Maoist) outlines the Naxal plan of creating disruptions at several proposed infrastructure and mining projects and steel plants.

The potential Naxal targets as mentioned in the report are the bauxite mining project of the Jindals in Visakhapatnam, the Polavaram irrigation project, steel plants proposed in Chhattisgarh by Tata, Essar and Jindal, the Center's proposed railway line on the Rajhara-Raighat-Jagdalpur sector, Posco's steel plants under construction in Orissa, power plants proposed by the Ambanis, a proposed steel plant in Jharkhand by the Mittal Group and the Kosi irrigation project in northern Bihar. The Naxal concept of CRZ and their brand of politics over the issue of SEZs is something which needs to be taken seriously.

The Naxal intentions are clear; they want to use SEZs as the most powerful weapon for the complete realization of CRZ. The link between the Naxal concept of CRZ and the new development mantra of SEZs is no coincident. The Naxals have grown stronger in the tribal districts of Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Maharashtra, which attracts US$85 billion of promised investments, mostly in steel and iron plants, and mining projects.

Ironically, all these investments and projects are of no benefit to the locals, and in most of the cases, in the absence of a credible 'Rehabilitation and Resettlement' (R&R) policy, the locals are forced to loose their lands which are crucial for their survival. The Naxals have been quick to realize this and reflect it in their agenda. After the sad happenings of Nandigram, the Union Government was forced to take stock of the issues related to SEZs.

Recently, after including a few changes in the SEZ Act, the Central Government's Empowered Group of Ministers on SEZs approved 83 new proposals in addition to the already notified 63 projects. The head of the government has already declared that SEZs is a reality. SEZs in itself is not a bad idea, but the problem lies with its poor implementation. 'Rehabilitation and Resettlement' holds the key to the successful realization of SEZs in India.

Government need to show that SEZs as a development strategy would result in equitable distribution of its gains. There is no denying that India is growing but certain sections are being continuously denied a share in this growth. Except for symbolic tokenism, such as the Employment Guarantee Scheme, the fundamentals of delivery are missing from most of the plans and projects.

It is this tokenism that has given an opportunity to the Naxals to hijack the issue of SEZs in their favor. Today, the Naxals have realized that the Spring Thunder of 1968 failed to give the desired results owing to wide differences in Indian and Chinese conditions.

Accordingly, they have reformulated their premises of Maoism. Unfortunately, the government is taking too long to realize that though its SEZs policy is based on the Chinese model, its success would depend a lot on its application to Indian conditions.

The writer is Lecturer, G M College, Sambalpur, Orissa

http://indiapost.com/article/perspective/306/

JSW plans to multiply capacity to 30 m tonnes

Bolstered by rising demand in the country, JSW Steel has decided to increase its overall production capacity to 30 million tonnes by 2020, multiplying from the current level of 3.8 million tonnes, aiming to use cash flows from a shorter expansion plan expected to be completed in three years to fund a larger growth scheme.

The company plans to set up greenfield projects of 10 million tonnes each in West Bengal and Jharkhand by 2020 and boost the capacity of its existing plant at Vijaynagar in Karnataka to 10 million tonnes by 2010, said Sajjan Jindal, vice-chairman and managing director of JSW.

JSW has also made a small acquisition in the United Kingdom. It has acquired the UK-based Argent Independent Steel Ltd at an enterprise value of 3.7 million pounds (about Rs 31 crore). The acquired company has debt of around 2.1 million pounds. The annual steel processing capacity of the company is 1.5 lakh tonnes.

"The company is not looking at acquiring major assets outside India as the domestic market offers tremendous opportunities," Jindal told Hindustan Times.

The company has already started the first phase of its expansion to increase its capacity to 6.8 million tonnes in Vijaynagar, entailing a total capital expenditure of Rs 5,300 crore, to be completed by 2009.

Simultaneously, the company has decided to add another 3.2 million tonnes of capacity at the same place. In addition, it is setting up a cold-rolling plant with a capacity of one million tonnes and a separate hot strip plant of a comparable size.

The total capital expenditure involved in this expansion including the cost of setting up a blast furnace will be around Rs 17,000 crore, said JSW's finance director Seshagiri Rao. This will be funded though the combination of debt and internal accruals.

The company has already tied up debt of Rs 5,000 crore, while tranches adding up to Rs 5,000 crore will be raised as long-term loans, Rao said. The remaining Rs 7,000 crore will be funded through internal accruals over the next four years, he added.

Jindal said the company had applied to the West Bengal and Jharkhand governments for leases to mine iron ore. "We are expecting to get the mining lease in the next 6 to 8 months. Once the mining lease rights are given, we will firm up our financial plan to fund these projecs," Jindal said.

These two units will come up in phases with 3 million tonnes to be added every three years. "After 2010, we will have capacity of 10 million tones, which will generate enough cash to fund the further expansion," Jindal said.

The company reported a marginal increase in profit after tax (PAT) at Rs 413.25 crore for the quarter ended March 31, as compared to Rs 410.68 crore for the same quarter last year. Total income (net of excise) increased 30.76 per cent to Rs 2,579.27 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 31, from Rs 1,972.43 crore in the corresponding quarter a year ago.

For the year ended March 31, the company posted a profit after tax of Rs 1,292 crore as compared to Rs 856.53 crore for 2005/06 while total income (net of excise) increased to Rs 8,699.59 crore from Rs 6,598.49 crore.

The group recorded a profit after tax after share of profit from associates of Rs 1,303.89 crore for the year ended March 31, while the total income (net of excise) was Rs 8699.59 crore.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=b686c101-a688-4e79-a
569-2cd9d1adb6a5&&Headline=JSW+plans+to+multiply+capacity+to+30+m+tonnes

Amendment to VAT provisions irks Jharkhand assessess

Jharkhand sales tax assessees are unhappy about some amendments in the states Value-Added Tax (VAT) provisions that make life more difficult for the taxpayer.

They said that the amendments have been made without consulting members of the Jharkhand Vat Amendment Committee, of which most trade associations of the state are members.

Jharkhand was among the last lot of states in the country to introduce VAT, with effect from April 1, 2006.

On March 9, 2007, the state brought in an amendment in its VAT provisions that said all three types of forms meant for transportation of goods would have to be authenticated by the department, and that too with retrospective effect from April 1, 2006. On implementing Vat, and while asking sales tax assessees to get forms printed on their own, the department said that only green forms which are meant for 'importing goods from outside the state,needed to be authenticated by the department.

The two other forms, which didn't need the department's authentication earlier but now need it, are for transportation of goods within the state' and for sending goods outside the state'. Prior to implementation of Vat, sales tax assessees were to file both monthly and quarterly returns. When Vat came into force, they were required to file only monthly returns. An amendment has now been made that makes it compulsory for the assessee to file quarterly returns again, over and above monthly returns.

"The monthly data given by the assessee is an elaborate one under Vat. Instead of burdening him further,the department can easily add them up to arrive at the quarterly figures," said RN Gupta, president, Singhbhum chamber of commerce & industry.

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=162493

CESC chooses Katikund for 1000mw Jharkhand project

JAMSHEDPUR: CESC Ltd has finally chosen Katikund in Jharkhand's Dumka district as the site for its 1000-mw-pithead thermal power project, for which it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the NDA-led Arjun Munda government in September 2005.

Dumka falls in the Santhal Parganas region of the state, not far from adjoining West Bengal.

In the MoU, CESC had offered three alternative sites to the Jharkhand government---at Godda, Latehar and Chandil---to locate the project, of which only the Godda site was near a pithead.

The Katikund pithead site was decided upon later.

Sources said CESC vice-chairman Sanjiv Goenka and other company officials met Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda in Delhi on Friday and discussed the progress of the project in some detail.

This is the first time the RPG group will be investing outside West Bengal in the power sector. Its earlier attempt to enter Bihar around 18 years ago with a power project failed to take off.

The project, to come up at a cost of around Rs 5,000 crore, has now been envisaged in two stages of 500 mw each, instead of the earlier plan of two plants of 250 mw each in the first stage, followed by another with 500 mw capacity later on.

"We have applied for all clearances, but first let us get the coal block first," a company source told FE.

CESC will apply for the coal block to the Union coal ministry after obtaining the necessary state recommendation.

Sources said the ministry was likely to take another 2-3 months to decide on the issue.

"The project will take off the moment we get signals from the Centre and the state government, as we have applied for everything, including land for the project, water, etc," said the source.

While the first 500-mw unit is expected to come up in 36 months from the date all clearances are obtained, the second (500-mw) unit will be completed in another six months' time.

Jharkhand will have the right to buy 25 % of the power generated by the power utility at rates to be determined by the Jharkhand State Electricity Regulatory Commission (JSERC).

According to the original MoU, in order to support Jharkhand's industrial development, CESC will also be allowed to supply power directly to bulk consumers in the state at mutually agreed tariff and other terms and conditions.

Sources said the original MoU, which was valid for one year, has been revalidated between the parties.

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=162536

Catholic priest beaten in remote India

Ranchi - A Catholic priest serving in a remote tribal village in India's Jharkhand region was hospitalized last week after he was severely beaten, the UCA news service reports.

Father Isidore Toppo was reportedly recovering from injuries he suffered after he was beaten and left unconscious by unidentified assailants on April 24.

The Catholic Church has a strong presence in Jharkhand, a tribal region in eastern India that gained recognition in November 2000 as India's 28th state. The prominence of the Church, and Catholic leadership in the drive for statehood, have sometimes provoked tensions with local Hindu groups.

http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=50821

Telling tales of three decades

- Government needs to protect and promote industries

Interview

Bihar Rubber Company Ltd, Ranchi, has been manufacturing good quality rainwear, industrial footwear and pillows made out of rubber for the Indian markets. "Unfortunately," general manager Jyotirmay Basak said while talking to Rudra Biswas, "we do not get support from the government."

The company, which is one of the oldest small-scale industries in Kokar Industrial Estate, is a subsidiary of Bengal Waterproof Ltd, which manufactures rubber goods under the brand name Duckback. The company was set up in 1975 with Basak as head of Jharkhand and Bihar operations.

Do you agree that the general atmosphere is conducive for the growth of small-scale industries in Jharkhand?

The general atmosphere is not at all conducive for the growth of any manufacturing unit. More than 40 MoUs have been signed by the state government to rope in outside entrepreneurs though manufacturing units here continue to be ignored.

What specific problems do you face?

The books say that Jharkhand is full of minerals. I ask, what do I do with all these minerals if I cannot explore them? The local district industries office remains useless.

Bureaucrats have been interpreting the law according to their own whims and fancies. Then there is the explosion of labour leaders.

Industries in Jharkhand do not just need protection; they also need promotion by the state.

Are you getting support from the state industries department?

Over the past 32 years, there has never been any effort on the part of the industries department to promote industries. However, things have begun to change slowly of late. Harassment by industry department officials have also become a thing of the past.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070430/asp/jamshedpur/story_7716224.asp

Steel PSUs back in business with great projects

The public sector steel makers are back in business in India. This is so if one goes by the plans of investment announced by the government owned Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) and also the iron ore mining company National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC).

SAIL, for example, has ambitious plans - to raise capacity in each of the existing mills, set up a greenfield plant in Jharkhand, build a completely new plant at Burnpur (IISCO). It is not important to know what plans exactly they have at the moment. But, there are good economics to raise their Bokaro plant capacity to 10-12 million tonne, Bhilai to 10 million tonne, Durgapur to another 10 million tonne and Rourkela to about 5 million tonne.

They can have a 4-5 million tonne plant at Burnpur. They can have at least a million tonne stainless steel plant at Salem and raise the iron making capacity of VISL if it is possible. All these are in brownfield mode. They have announced a 5-6 million tonne greenfield plant in the state of Jharkhand and are planning to set up another 4-5 million tonne plant in Chhattisgarh along with NMDC and RINL. One is not sure whether they have the land ready for a greenfield plant in Jharkhand or for the joint venture plant in Chhattisgarh (The Chhattisgarh plant has not in any case gone beyond the drawing board). With their presence already in the regions, it may easier for them to get clearances earlier. If they get Nilachal, expansion possibilities are also enormous there.

RINL is currently executing a project to raise the plant's capacity to 6.3 million tonne. They have been talking about going up to 18 million tonne. Most may write that, these plans as among many which do not see the light of the day. But, a careful examination will reveal solid reasons for the PSUs to go all out on expansion. SAIL for example, has iron ore and coal. They have most of the land required for the brown field cases. They have excellent manpower, somewhat ageing, but, can still draw new good talents, with the cover of government company safety.

The incremental capacity addition costs, as well known, are much lower in brownfield cases. Even the additional transport and logistics infrastructure for the incremental capacity will not be much and will not put any big burden on the government to create those. TRINL does not have captive iron ore or coal mines. But, they have some assured supply from NMDC.

The state government policies of allotting mines only to those who set up plants in their respective states have caused some difficulties for the company. But, they have land to expand, a port next door, and a well developed road and railway infrastructure.

With the joint venture plant in Chhattisgarh, they may be able to reassure themselves of a long term supply of high quality ores from that state. Both SAIL and RINL are real pots of gold when it comes to their real assets. At the moment, with steel prices so high and are expected to remain so for a long time, the cash flow to these companies will be massive. The typical public sector image - the work culture and the government interferences - may come on the way, but, there are definite changes as well.

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=162698

A tough easy choice

EAR TO THE GROUND

Water or mines? The answer should be obvious, but thanks to the pots of gold that lie hidden in them, mines are robbing the countryside of its natural wealth.

Do you want water or minerals? The question need not always be this. But for many activists and communities arraigned against mines, it could be something as extreme, especially if it is someone in Vishakhapatnam fighting the depleting water levels, thanks to bauxite mining.

In Niyamgiri in the Lanjigarh block of Orissa's Kalahandi district, the choice could be between the golden gecko (a rare lizard) sited there and bauxite. Vedanta has set up a refinery in a proposed wildlife sanctuary, though it has not yet got the permission of the Supreme Court to set up the mine. People are fighting to ensure it never gets the permission. At stake are 100 pure streams of water flowing down the valley which is the source of two rivers.

"Mines drink all the water, besides polluting them," says Prafulla Samantara of the Lok Shakti Abhiyan of Orissa. He and Biswajit Mohanti of the Wildlife Society of Orissa are petitioners in the case against Vedanta.

Achyut Das and Vidhya Das, an activist couple, have been fighting the miners, Utkala Aluminium International Limited, from setting themselves up in Kashipur in nearby Raigarha district. "I have a non-bailable arrest warrant against me even now," Achyut Das says smiling through his grey beard. There is a glint of victory in his eyes at the thought of a fight that has lasted for 15 years against a corporate.

In fact, Orissa, which has seen a massive flow of mining leases in the last few years, seems to be beset with landmines of resistance almost everywhere a mining site is planned. It is there even in the much celebrated Arcelor Mittal site in Keonjhar.

The conflicts end either in Kalinganagar type bloodshed or the ongoing use of police force, as in Jagatsingpur against those resisting Posco, or in a new rehabilitation policy announced by the Orissa government recently. Can a small room, a job for a member in the family and some cash substitute the vast wealth of land and forests? Again, there are examples of poorly managed resettlement of displaced persons in the past.

An asbestos mine abandoned decades ago continues to poison fields and the river in Roro in Jharkhand, thanks to negligence by its former owners, the Birla-owned Hyderabad Asbestos Company Ltd.

The law is incapable of holding them accountable. Petty sums are taken as guarantee for mine closure, point out activists. Tribal victims still walk Roro with dim vision and die of strange diseases.

"Not even a medical check-up was ever done," Madhumita Dutta, an activist, points out.

In Jadugada, again in Jharkhand, a government firm has set examples of failure to build bridges with the people whose land it has decided to mine and spew with radioactive waste.

Uranium Corporation of India Ltd Chairman R Agarwal scoffs at the concept of public hearing and laughs at the possibility of health disorders among people in the area. He made a strange statement attending a workshop organised by the Centre for Science and Environment this week. "Poverty is the biggest polluter," he said and walked out with his wife, even as activists from Jharkhand were virtually baying for his blood.

http://www.business-standard.com/opinionanalysis/storypage.php?leftnm=4&subLeft=2&
chklogin=N&autono=282805&tab=r

Three Jharkhand girls missing

Police suspect that three girls who went missing from their Jharkhand village have left for cities to work as domestic maids.

Gudia Khatoon, 12, Asmana Khatoon, 14 and Manisha Khatoon, 16, are all residents of Bansjari village under Mandar block, 70 km from Ranchi.

Their family members, who have filed 'missing' complaints, have stated that two other girls - Phoolmani and Ranjeeta Urain - had been trying to convince their daughters to work in the city.

'According to the villagers, the three missing girls were last spotted with Ranjeeta and Phoolmani, against whom complaints are lodged,' said a police official.

Said Asmana Khatoon's mother: 'These two girls work as mediators. First they tried to convince us to send our daughters to New Delhi. When we refused, they tried to convince our girls, who are illiterate and have never been outside the village.'

Ranjeeta's visiting card names an agency that arranges domestic maids for Delhi residents. A police team is likely to visit New Delhi soon to trace the girls.

Every year thousands of girls go outside the state to work as domestic maids.

http://www.rxpgnews.com/india/Three-Jharkhand-girls-missing_25388.shtml

Jails in state to house more inmates

The capacity of the jails in the state has been enhanced by about three times, the state government informed Jharkhand High Court during the hearing of a public interest litigation.

The prisons can now house 18,000 inmates, the state government said before the court. Earlier, the jails could accommodate 5,988.

The Birsa Munda Jail in the capital was built to house 604 inmates but was crammed with prisoners thrice its capacity.

But the new jail in Hotwar can accommodate 3,415 inmates, the government said in an affidavit.

The jails in Hazaribagh, Dhanbad, Khunti, Tenughat, Giridih, Chas, Chatra, Latehar and Deoghar have also been expanded.

The Ghagidih jail in Jamshedpur can now accommodate 1,447 inmates, the affidavit said.

Wards that can house 100 prisoners each have been added to the prisons.

The government has also sanctioned the construction of a 100-prisoner ward in Madhupur sub-jail.

The capacity of almost all the jails in the districts has been increased, the counsel for the state government said before the court last Friday.

The state also informed the court that of the 2,822 prisoners accused of petty offences, 992 have been released on bail after efforts of the District Legal Services Authority.

Of the 237 aged and disabled prisoners, 46 have been granted bail, the counsel added.

After going through the records, the high court directed the secretary of the Jharkhand State Legal Services Authority to appear before it in person on May 7 and explain what has been done to the applications of the other accused.

The secretary has been directed to appear on May 7.

The court issued the order while hearing the PIL filed by Amit Kumar, a detainee in the Birsa Munda Jail since 2003. Through the PIL Kumar had brought up the plight of the prisoners.

He had also addressed a letter to the high court's vigilance committee, which is headed by a senior judge.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070430/asp/jamshedpur/story_7715713.asp

Jharkhand's straw artist gains popularity

Jamtara (Jharkhand): A retired man from a small village in Jharkhand is earning fame by making paintings with the help of straw.

Sixty-five-year-old Tarun Guha of Jamatara in Jharkhand is earning through his beautifully made paintings.

Guha's creativity is visible at his workshop located in the locality of Hansipahari in Jamatara District, 250 kms from state capital Ranchi.

After his retirement, Guha thought of doing something to help locals earn their livelihood. Encouraged by the district welfare department, he started training villagers.

"The retired VDO of Jamatara asked me to do work that would benefit the villages and the villagers. I thought that straw was the only thing that I could get easily in a village, and now I have been using it for my paintings and training for the last six years. I have reached a level now that allows me to participate in various fairs across India.

The art that I make, you cannot see anywhere. I get many chances to earn in a year, but run out of material after going to four or five fairs. I get 40000-50000 rupees easily," said Tarun Guha.

Tara Dafadar, an officer of the District Welfare Association, is planning to train villagers to get recognition for the state.

"If we give training to the villagers through our association, our district will get fame."

Tarun Guha draws figure sharply on the paper, pastes straw beautifully and then places colour on it. When the picture gets framed, it gives an extraordinary eye-catching look.

http://www.dailyindia.com/show/136570.php/Jharkhands-straw-artist-gains-popularity

Textbook scarcity stings students

Sivya Jha, who studied till recently in Kerala Public School at Sakchi (Jamshedpur) would not have failed in her annual examination in Class IX, insists her mother, if only she had access to textbooks.

Saira Parveen decided to switch from an Urdu-medium school to a Hindi-medium school because textbooks in Urdu disappeared from the market and were not available.

Suraj Prasad claims to have been running from pillar to post for the past 45 days to get physics, chemistry and biology textbooks for his daughter. But he has not been successful yet. Sanjay Sinha, a banker, claims to have offered to pay extra to the bookstores for the textbooks a month ago. But he still has not got the books.

As parents and guardians once again run from one shop to another, the shortage of textbooks appears to be getting worse.

Officials of the Jharkhand Education Project (JEP), which now has the copyright to print NCERT textbooks, admit that the state government used up the better part of one year to obtain the copyright and another year was spent in floating and finalising tenders.

Now that Saraswati Press at Calcutta, National Printers at Ranchi and Pitambara Books of Jhansi have been asked to print the books, they hope, the situation will start improving. But there is a fresh "mess", says primary education director S.K. Sharma.

Syllabi for Classes I, III and VI have changed nationally during the 2007-08 session. But since JEP failed to secure the copyright for the changed syllabi, these classes in Jharkhand will continue to follow the older syllabi for another year, says Sharma. Syllabi for other classes are also being revised and by 2009, the school curriculum all over the country is likely to change from Classes I to XII.

JEP provides funds for free distribution of books to all girl candidates and students belonging to Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes. HRD department does likewise for students in the general category and other backward class students studying in 38,000 government primary and middle schools.

The scarcity of textbooks has forced some students and schools to fall back on photocopies. Others are forced to beg, borrow and steal. But there is no explanation why books cannot be supplied if there is a demand for it.

While some people blame the state government's decision to get the books printed on its own for the mess, others blame the allegedly low commission on NCERT books. Some dealers like Birendra Aurora of Pustak Mandir, Ranchi, alleges that the state is flooded with pirated version of books from one Anand Publisher of Delhi.

"The situation will take one or two more sessions to stabilise," adds Aurora.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070430/asp/jamshedpur/story_7716411.asp

Lying vacant

With business not having picked up as expected, too many flats are waiting to be taken in Ranchi, says Rudra Biswas

A little more than six years after the creation of Jharkhand, there are no takers for more than two lakh square feet of office space, at some of the prime locations in the state capital,either on rent or purchase.

Property dealers warn the scene can only get bleaker if promoters and developers do not slash their prices. People would simply rather invest in Bihar, where they feel the deal is better.

"To let" signs are fast coming up in more areas, and rental charges are coming down, as the frantic search for customers begins. The houses that even four years ago were available at a rental of Rs 3,500, are now being offered at the slashed rate of Rs 2,000. Even then, there are no takers. "Promoters and developers will not admit. But the truth is there are fewer buyers of flats today. In all upcoming multi-storeyed apartments, there are many flats which are still waiting to be booked," said R.S. Agarwal, president of the builders association, Jharkhand. "Even on the Main Road, the all important thoroughfare in the state capital, there are a number of multi-storeyed buildings and a shopping complex, where several floors are waiting for buyers," he informed.

To add to the chaos, at least 500 building plans, submitted by promoters and developers, more than one and half years ago, are pending with the Ranchi Regional Development Authority (RRDA). These plans are expected to be cleared by March end. "That would mean an addition of at least 40,000 flats. Where are so many buyers?" he asked. Asked for reason behind buyers preferring Bihar, he said it was because of relaxed investment norms, so much that applicants are assured of allocation of land within 30 days of filing application.

Considering that even six years ago people from Bihar were coming to these areas to invest, it's a trend that's completely reversed. Business has not picked up in the way it had been expected to, with the result being that real estate business, too, has suffered. Ashok Garodia, a property dealer in Ranchi, agrees. "My building plans are still pending with the Ranchi Regional Development Authority. Information is that with no discernable industrial or business growth, there is a severe shortage of buyers. I do not know what would happen by the time my own building plans are cleared," Garodia confided.

Prabhat Kumar Roy, a property dealer in Ranchi, too feels that unless rates are slashed, houses are destined to remain vacant. "Five years ago, a two bed-roomed house and garage commanded a monthly rent of Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,000. All such houses, located far away from the main city centre, today can expect not more than Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000, if lucky," Roy said. Whatever happened to the real estate boom...

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070430/asp/jamshedpur/story_7716810.asp

Flunked on study front

Both Jharkhand and Orissa have been pulled up for being laggards by a parliamentary standing committee on human resource development.

In a report presented to the Rajya Sabha on Friday, the committee, headed by Janardan Dwivedi, has expressed concern over the large number of districts in the two states without the sanctioned District Institutes of Education and Training (DIET).

While six of the 12 such institutes are functional in Jharkhand, 13 out of the 30 sanctioned for Orissa have come up so far.

Whereas the committee repeatedly pointed out to the department of school education and literacy in the ministry of human resource development about large number of DIETs remaining non-operational, there has been no visible improvement.

"For these states to come out of education backwardness, it is very important that they have requisite number of trained teachers at least for primary and upper primary levels," the panel noted.

Investigation by the committee has revealed that more than a fifth of teachers (22.44 per cent) in Jharkhand are appointed on contract.

The committee has stated that this aspect needs attention, as only teachers with job satisfaction can be ideal teachers.

Jharkhand also takes a beating in training teachers under the 20-day in-service teacher training programme. About half the teachers (48 per cent) in the state have not undergone the training that is seen as a crucial factor for improving quality of teaching under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.

The standing committee has said the Mahila Samakhya programme is dogged by the problem of non-registration of MS societies in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

As a result, this programme has shown under-utilisation of funds. Out of the Rs 140 crore allocated to the scheme for 20,380 villages in nine states, only Rs 77.15 crore could be spent.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070429/asp/jamshedpur/story_7712245.asp

Subsidy for solar heaters, not lights

Ranchi: Not a single government building here has a solar panel to harness energy and electrify the rooms.

Even the office of the Jharkhand Renewable Energy Development Authority has no such arrangement, because the office is in a rented building, claims its director, S.E.H. Kazmi.

Though it is a power deficit state and its urban areas, too, suffer from prolonged power-cuts, no attempt has been made to harness alternative sources, say urban planners.

There is no law to make it mandatory for new buildings to provide for solar panels, which will push up the cost of flats by Rs 1 to 1.5 lakh. Nor does the government provide any subsidy for using solar energy in urban areas.

K.S. Narayanan, who supplies and installs solar power equipment, insists that Karnataka government provides 25 per cent subsidy to apartment blocks that use solar power. Even Kazmi admits that such incentive will be useful.

The state government does, however, provide subsidies for using solar water-heaters. As many as 44 commercial establishments, mostly hotels, in the state capital have grabbed the opportunity to install them. The subsidy being Rs 105 per litre, a water heater with a capacity of 100 litres and priced at Rs 15,000, is made available in the cities for one-third the cost. The buyer pays Rs 5,000 while the state government pays Rs 10,000.

Narayanan claims that an apartment block with 30 flats will require 15 KW. It will cost Rs 40 lakh, he admits, without any subsidy and the flat owners will have to fork out a little more than a lakh for it.

But it will be worth it, he says, because each of those flats will be able to operate a TV set, five tubelights and two fans, whenever power supply fails. "What is more, for the next 10 years the residents would not have to spend anything, except for changing the distilled water of the bottles."

Solar power plants start functioning when lights go off and switch off when power is restored.

It is also entirely possible that with greater use, the price will come down substantially, Narayan says. The panel, he claims, will stop working only if there is no sunlight for three consecutive days. It does remain a doubtful proposition during the rainy season.

But in the long run, the cost is negligible. Because unlike diesel gen-sets, solar panels will not require regular fuel supply and will be cleaner and noiseless.

"Organisations like Power Finance Corporation encourage builders to install such solar power systems for which they provide soft-term loans," Narayanan adds.

The government's mandate, however, is to promote solar energy in rural areas. One wonders if the strategy will be more effective if solar panels are first promoted in urban areas.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070430/asp/jamshedpur/story_7716706.asp

Aiada to pay market rate for 2,200 acre expansion plan

Facing space crunch, the Adityapur Industrial Area Development Authority (Aiada), Jharkhand's numero uno industrial area, is going ahead with its intention of acquiring around 2,200 acre of private land near the Sitarampur dam at the Gamharia end of the existing Aiada phase-I.

Over the years, all of the 3,000 acre under Aiada phase-I has been allotted to around 500 medium and small industrial units. To satisfy its immediate needs, Aiada is already engaged in 'directly purchasing' around 60 acre around the periphery of phase-I. So desperate is its need, that the authority is even willing to pay the market price, which currently hovers around Rs 4-5 lakh/acre.

However, Aiada which would have to put up infrastructure, including roads and a power sub-station on the that land it purchases, says it would be able to allot land to industry ''at comparable prices'' which it till recently had been doing in phase-I. It is also in the midst of a technical clash with the forest department as around 1,221 acre of the 3,000 acre on which phase-I stands is said to be forest land, which awaits central 'de-notification'.

Although acquired in the early 1960s with all the formalities having been completed, the acquisition is yet to satisfy a 1996 Supreme Court directive, which says no forest land, irrespective of ownership or possession, could actually be claimed by anybody unless it has been officially 'de-notified'.

Aware of the complexity and the long-drawn process involved in acquiring forest land and faced with non-availability of land for accommodating new units, Aiada has chosen to expand on the 2,200 acre of mostly private land, 2.5 km from the periphery of phase-I.

''We need to have Aiada phase-II as there is no land available in phase-I. Tata Motors requires around 800 acre, 400 for their own unit and another 400 for their vendors,'' said Vandana Dadel, managing director, Aiada.

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=162644

Alternate energy can light up villages

Village electrification is vital for boosting the prospects of rural economy. The process of rural electrification through conventional grid connectivity has been slow despite several schemes of the government.

The 2001 census had identified 5,19,570 villages which do not get power, but can be connected with the conventional power grid.

About 56.48% households do not have access to power supply. The government had also identified about 18,000 villages in remote areas which are not possible for grid connectivity. These villages were, therefore, selected to be electrified by generation of power from new and renewable sources of energy.

According to the latest data available with the ministry of new and renewable energy, only 2,501 out of identified 18,000 remote villages have been electrified to date. Only 830 remote hamlets have been electrified under the programme. The ministry's annual report, however, claiming success of remote village electrification has said that 1,177 villages and 2 hamlets in West Bengal, 395 villages and 34 hamlets in Uttarakhand, 325 villages in Chhattisgarh, 134 villages in Manipur, 118 villages in Jammu and Kashmir, 112 villages in Arunachal Pradesh, 58 villages and 178 hamlets in Tripura, 53 villages in Jharkhand, 39 villages in Assam, 30 villages in Madhya Pradesh, 20 villages in Mizoram, 18 villages in Orissa, 2 villages in Gujarat 558 remote village colonies in Kerala have been electrified by generation of power through new and renewable sources of energy.

The government has also claimed that in 2006-07 alone 264 remote villages and 236 hamlets in nine states were electrified through new and renewable sources of energy.

Projects are under implementation in 1,247 villages and 487 remote hamlets.

The ministry of power has claimed that since the launch of Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) in April 2005 till February 2007, 30,562 unelectrified villages in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Bihar and West Bengal have been electrified under the scheme. Besides intensive electrification of 7,175 already electrified villages has also been achieved, for catering to the needs of families living below the poverty line.

Keeping in view the electrification needs of about 5,19,570 villages and 56.48% of the households, several experts are of the view that generation of power through new and renewable sources of energy, distributed and managed on community basis (taking off grid transmission course) can be a better alternative for faster rural electrification.

The ministry for new and renewable energy sources has estimated a potential for 84,776 mwe grid-interactive power generation from non-conventional sources, like agro residues, wind power, small hydro projects, cogeneration from bagasse and from industrial wastes.

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=162635

Water scarcity may compel investors to shift base in Jharkhand

Some of the industrial houses, which are keen to set up their plants in the Subernarekha basin, may be compelled to relocate their sites. Reason: Shortage of water in the basin.

Altogether 11 companies, including Tata Steel and Jindal Steel and Power Limited, have applied for clearance from the Water Resources Department to draw water from Subernarekha River for their upcoming plants. However, the huge gap in demand of water vis-à-vis its availability in the river has compelled the department officials to go slow on clearing the proposals.

The river has the flow of 1520 million cubic meter (MCM) water against the demand 1667.15 MCM, which also comprises the requirements of 11 upcoming industries. "We expect a deficit of 147.50 MCM water if all the proposals were approved," said engineer in-chief of the department Phulan Prasad, adding that about 700 MCM water was being utilised from the river for irrigation, drinking water and the industrial purposes.

Citing the water commitment report, officials said that nearly 329 MCM water is being drawn from the river for irrigation, 220 MCM for potable water and 150.75 for industrial usage. M/S Tisco Limited is the major consumer drawing up 124.45 MCM water for its Jamshedpur plant. Five other industries like Hindalco Industries, Adhunik Alloy, Bihar Sponge and Iron Limited and Usha Martin, also draw water from the river.

"Since the river is not able to meet the burgeoning need at the moment, we are planning to approve only those proposals wherein the industrial houses are serious in setting up their plants for the larger benefit of Jharkhand," said a chief engineer of the department.

The department is also planning to interlink the Subernarekha river with South Koel basin.

The industries that have applied for water from the basin include Jindal Steel and Power (140 MCM), Konto Steel (53 mcm), Bhushan Steel and Power (87 mcm), Kalyani Steel (5 mcm), JSW steel (132 mcm), Tata steel (166 mcm), Tata Power (80 mcm), Adhunik Thermal and Energy power ( 52.5 mcm), Tata' future expansion (252.75 mcm), M/s Mini Ispat & Udyog Ltd (10 mcm) and Narsig Ispat Ltd (5.26 mcm).

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=c53dbf05-c672-42bd-bf55
-26c08fe859f7&&Headline=Water+scarcity+may+compel+investors+to+shift+base+in+
Jharkhand

EMPLOYMENT UNDER NREGA IN JHARKHAND

National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) was initially launched in 20 districts of Jharkhand and another 2 Districts have been added in the year 2007-08.

In the State 8.69 lakh households have demanded employment and of them 8.46 lakh households have been provided employment up toDecember,06. The average number of households provided employment in a district of the State is 42,320 , while the national average is 91,685 households. Besides, 16 thousand households completed the 100 days guarantee of employment provided in the Act.

The number of person days of employment provided in the State is 308.14 lakh. The average person days of employment provided in a district is 15.41 lakh compared to the national average of 36.47 lakh person days.

The employment was provided on 42,571 works, out of which 15,836 works have been completed. The average number of works taken up in a district stood at 2,129 against the national average of 3,581.

An amount of Rs. 549.49 crore has been released to the State during 2006-07. Against this, the utlisation up to December, 06 is Rs. 369.59 crore, which is 40.42 % of the total availability.

The expenditure on wages is 58.68%, material is 39.97% and on administration is 1.34%. The average expenditure of a district in the State is Rs. 18.48 crore compared to the National average of Rs. 35 crore.

The Act provides that 1/3rd of the employment provided should be to women. In the State 34.67% person days of employment has been provided to women, 24.07% to SC and 40.35% to ST.

A visit to the State by the National Level Monitors in December, 2006 & January 2007 has revealed that NGOs have been assigned task of creating awareness in villages particularly to Job card holders and in some districts convergence with Janashri Bima Yojana of LIC has been initiated.

http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=27068

Jharkhand tribals to celebrate indigenous hunting festival

Despite the forest department's drive to conserve wildlife by putting a ban on hunting and killing of wild animals, tribals in Jharkhand have decided to go ahead with their indigenous annual hunting festival starting April 30.

Dalma Buru Sendra Sammittee -, a central body of the tribals, has decided to go ahead with the age-old practice that involves hunting and killing of animals.

Every year, the forest department tries to sensitise the tribal people but with little success as dozens of animals including deer, boar and wild buffaloes are killed during the week-long festival, known as 'Sendra' among the tribals.

'The hunting festival is inextricably attached with our religion and the sentiments of the people of our community. The state government should not do anything to stop us from practising our faith,' said Demka Soy, convener of DBSS.

During the festival, the tribals wake up early in the morning and worship their deities and ancestors as well as their hunting weapons like bows and arrows. Then they go into the jungle in search of animals by beating drums and chanting of hymns.

http://www.rxpgnews.com/india/Jharkhand-tribals-to-celebrate-indigenous-hunting-festival_24885.shtml

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