Rural polls: Govt speeding up drinking water projects

6 December 2012

TAMLUK, 6 DEC: In view of the panchayat election in 2013, the state government has plans to expedite its rural water sources projects under state plan in all the 19 districts. Projects of sinking, re-sinking, conversion or rejuvenation of water sources, especially tube-wells and wells, will be implemented at these places in the districts where drinking water crisis is acute.
To implement all the pending projects along with new ones for this financial year, the state government has already sanctioned Rs 1415.49 lakh for the districts and the Public Health Engineering department has asked all the district magistrates to carry out the order. Figures from the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) for the rural water supply sector reveal that West Bengal failed to meet national targets in rural drinking water and sanitation in the 2011-12 financial year.
The Union ministry of rural drinking water and sanitation had published a report on rural drinking water supplies in April, which revealed that West Bengal used only 67.2 per cent of its Rs 267.88 crore allocation last year.
According to an IMIS report, over a third of the wells in West Bengal are considered arsenic-affected and iron contaminated. Despite this, the PHED has failed to meet national targets on water quality and surveillance training, chemical field testing and water testing with field test kits. However, West Bengal is one of the 14 states recorded to be successfully carrying out the transfer of public water systems to the panchayats, which involves training district workers in the operation and maintenance of hand pumps. Realising the lack in implementing rural water sources projects in the ‘crisis areas’ of the districts, Mr A Bhattacharyya, joint secretary to the government of West Bengal, has instructed all the district magistrates asking for “utilisation certificates of the present sanction be submitted by December, 2012 and also utilisation certificates for previous sanctions be submitted immediately to this department for showing to finance department which is pressing hard for the same at the time of releasing funds. No further fund can be sanctioned unless utilisation certificates are received from all previous sanction”.
He also instructed that the fund may be utilised, if necessary, for conversion of existing water sources by submersible pump sets and for energisation of ready units. Some ‘spot sources’ should be created in SC/ST areas, Mr Bhattacharyya stated in his letter. According to the state's house-listing and housing census -2011, as high as 36.5 per cent of total households in West Midnapore were found to be travelling more than 500 meters from their homes to get drinking water compared to 30.4 per cent of total households in 2001.
If the percentage is converted into actual figures, a total of 4,10,884 families had drinking water sources more than 500 meter from their houses in rural areas of the district. “This figure is obviously high when any one goes through rural fringes of Junglemahal. There are several areas in Belpahari, Banspahari and Kantapahari where tribal people walk more than a kilometre to fetch drinking water,” said a social activist.
Meanwhile, indiscriminate pumping of water by various means has taken a toll on the groundwater level in the coastal areas of the district.
The situation in blocks like Moyna, Patashpur-I and II, Bhagawanpur-I and II, Khejuri, Contai, Chandipur, Nandigram-I and II, Tamluk, Haldia, Panskura and Kolaghat is alarming as lakhs of farmers in these blocks, cut off from surface water sources, are relying heavily on groundwater for irrigation. biswabrata goswami

Paddy procurement to become easy

2 December 2012

MIDNAPORE, 2 DEC: The state government today initiated a process of procuring paddy from farmers living at Pirakata in Junglemahal, West Bengal for this season at the minimum support price (MSP) worth Rs 1,250 per quintal. State Food and Supply Minister Jyotipriya Mallick inaugurated the procurement process in presence of Trinamul Congress MLAs ~ Srikanta Mahato and Mrigen Maity, District Magistrate Surendra Gupta and other departmental officials. Mr Mallick said: “No middleman will be allowed to purchase paddy from farmers at lower prices than the MSP. Stern action will be taken if any one goes against rules.” He said the government plans to open a store house at every block for procured paddy to be stored.
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Central funds for rural health lying unused

27 November 2012

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TAMLUK, 27 NOV: A huge amount of Central fund ~ meant to uplift the rural health parameters ~ under the scheme of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) is lying unspent for this current fiscal in West Bengal since the Trinamul Congress came to power.
The total unspent balance, lying with most of the districts, is much higher than the annual entitlements which prompted NRHM director Sanghamitra Ghosh to write a letter (dated 12.11.2012) addressing all district magistrates, asking them to take necessary steps so to expedite utilisation of the amount as per guideline.
According to reports, the total amount lying with 19 districts is around Rs 6.73 crore while funds, lying unspent with 909 primary health centres (PHCs) across the state, are around Rs 5.86 crore.
This comes at a time when the Trinamul Congress government has often been criticised for its poor health services at different hospitals across the state.
The State Health and Family Welfare Society released funds of the NRHM without assessing the actual requirement leading to large unspent funds meant for providing accessible, affordable, accountable, effective and reliable healthcare facilities in rural areas and reduce infant and maternal mortality.
The report states that non-formation of district level annual plans defeated the basic objective of the Mission to decentralise planning and implementation arrangement to ensure that need based and community-owned district health action plans become the basis for interventions in the sector.
Attributing the snail-pace progress to laxity and lack of initiative by the health department officials, saha-sabhadhipati of East Midnapore Mamud Hossain said such an attitude was uncalled for and will not be tolerated. “There is no dearth of funds and the government is willing to improve the health infrastructure, thus there is no room for any laxity,” he told The Statesman.
As most of the districts failed to utilise the Central grants, funds for the year of 2012-2013 could not be released to many districts like East Midnapore, West Midnapore, Purulia, South 24-parganas, Malda, Murshidabad and Nadia.

Cong to steal a march on TMC in Junglemahal

26 November 2012

Mr Jairam Ramesh will lead the rally where the party’s 3 MoSs, Dr Manas Bhuniya and other party leaders are expected to be present
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MIDNAPORE, 26 NOV: A day before the Trinamul Congress’ rally in Junglemahal, the Pradesh Congress will hold a public rally at Lalgarh on 8 December to mark its presence in the Maoist hotbed, from where it will start campaign for the panchayat elections in early 2013.
Union minister Mr Jairam Ramesh will lead the rally where the party’s three Union ministers of state, state Congress leader Dr Manas Bhuniya and other party leaders are expected to be present.
The next day, the Trinamul Congress will hold a public rally there under the leadership of the party’s Tamluk MP, Mr Subhendu Adhikari, who is expected to focus on the fact that despite receiving no funds from the UPA-II government for the development of rural and semi-urban areas, the party has been proactive with its limited resources.
“The impact of UPA-II government’s policy to implement FDI in multi-brand retail would hit farmers and small rural traders. Our party will highlight this anti-people policy,” Mr Adhikari told The Statesman.
He said, “In Junglemahal, people had been suffering from Maoist menace for over three years. But, as soon as our party came to power, we have been able to bring peace to the entire area. Several development works are being implemented for the sake of tribal people”. Dr Bhuniya, however, said: “Kike Trinamul Congress, our party had also wanted a change in West Bengal. But, the Trinamul government is now working on the line of the CPI-M, which we are against. This should be stopped.”
Dr Bhuniya said in the Assembly elections Congress had contested just 65 seats in the state and only four in West Midnapore. “We couldn’t reach many places and this affected the party. In 1972, a similar problem arose when Siddhartha Shankar Ray decided to form an alliance with CPI. We don’t want a repeat. So at the panchayat, block and zilla parishad level, it is up to the local leadership to decide. The Pradesh Congress will help in whatever they choose,” he said in a Press conference here today.
“The government should immediately intervene and ensure right prices for their crops. The food and agriculture ministers should get their act together. What are they doing anyway when farmers across Bengal are suffering? Even in Junglemahal, there remains a gap in what is being said and what's being done,” he said.

Midnapore anti-flood dredging halted by land disputes

19 November 2012

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MIDNAPORE, 19 NOV: The much-acclaimed dredging of canals of the Keleghai-Kapaleswari-Bagui river scheme, which was held up for years, has been stopped for the past few days as contractors are reportedly facing resistance from residents claiming compensation for their land.
Contractors have lodged a complaint with the East Midnapore Zilla Parishad, urging it to take the necessary steps so they can continue dredging canals linked with the Keleghai, Kapaleswari and Bagui rivers.
"The demarcation of government lands on both sides of canals has not been completed, leading to disputes with local residents, who often claim they have held the land for years. They also prevent us from carrying soil over their land," the complaint read.
Mr Mamud Hossain, saha-sabhadhipati of the zilla-parishad, said: "Problems crept up as local residents put up resistance when the contractors went to start their work at different areas along the rivers. Concerned about this problem, I have already sent letters to the secretary of state irrigation department and the district magistrate to take urgent step so that the dredging works are not stopped."
In the 2010 budget, the Centre had allocated Rs 650 crore for the project, but the state irrigation department started the project this year. The Cabinet also approved the acquisition of nearly 1,675 acres of land in West Midnapore and East Midnapore, to improve the drainage basin of  Kapaleswari, Keleghai, Bagui and Chandia rivers, which is affected by devastating floods every year. 
"It is likely to be completed in three years, but recent disputes may disrupt the project work," said Mr Tarun Kanti Das, a complainant.
According to state irrigation department officials, seven blocks in the two districts ~ Sabong, Narayangarh, Danton I and Danton II in West Midnapore, and Bhagwanpur and Potashpur in East Midnapore ~ are flood-prone. The four rivers together span across 2,145 sq km, of which 650 sq km lies in the flood-prone area.
In the first phase, the Kapaleswari, Chandia, Bagui and Deuli will be dredged and 14 channels including the Amrakhali, Kalimadhab, Sundarpur and Mirzapur will be repaired. The estimated cost of the first phase of the project is around Rs 158 crore. 
Hundreds of flood victims, under the banner of the Undivided Midnapore Khara-Bannya-Bhangan Pratirodh Committee, recently staged a demonstration outside the office of the superintendent engineer demanding speedy implementation of the Keleghai-Kapaleswari-Bagui river scheme.

Team from shipping ministry arrives in Haldia

17 November 2012

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HALDIA, 17 NOV: Days after the French government’s intervention in the Haldia Bulk Terminals fiasco, a three-member team from the Union ministry of Shipping visited Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) today to carry out an “internal inquiry” into the recent impasse.
 The team that comprises of Mr S Tripathy, deputy secretary (ST), Ministry of Shipping, public private partnership expert of the Ministry, Mr Anuj Agarwal,  and Mr A Janardhana Rao, Managing Director of Indian Ports Association, talked with the leaders of the Haldia Dock Bachao Committee and the retrenched workers of the Haldia Bulk Terminals, a joint venture of ABG and LDA.
 The three officials had met senior ABG officials and senior Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) officials yesterday evening where KoPT chairman, Mr Manish Jain was conspicuous by his absence.
The French embassy had approached the Indian government a few days again, following a request from Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA), the French partner of ABG Infralogistics, asking for a safe exit from Haldia. This happened after the port threatened that it would not allow HBT to move its equipments worth Rs 140 crore out of Haldia.
HBT, earning the highest revenue for Bengal’s trouble-ridden Haldia Dock Complex (HDC), on 31 October announced its decision to quit the complex blaming the state government for not providing a secure environment for it to work in. The port later retaliated by blacklisting HBT and started the process to re-tender berths 2 and 8 at Haldia Dock Complex where it was operating.
The Haldia Dock Officers’ Forum and Haldia Dock Bachao Committee had sought the intervention of Prime Minister  Manmohan Singh and Union Minister of Shipping G K Vasan in the Haldia port affairs in the wake of the HBT's decision to quit the HDC. 
On 10 October, the KoPt chairman had sent a report to the ministry of shipping regarding the crisis developed with the HBT at Haldia port.
“But, the report did not satisfy the shipping ministry which has finally sent a three-member team to carry out a probe into this matter”, said a senior port officer.
 During the talks with the team officials, the Haldia Dock Bachao Committee categorically demanded that shore operations at the births be included in the tender process.
“How a private firm without a valid licence from KoPT had been handling around 10 million tons of cargo per annum earning around Rs 200 crore  without sharing any revenue with KoPT,” said Mr Ramakant Burman, convener of the Committee.
 They also informed that shore operation has not been included while tendering out of the handling operation of 4B berth at Haldia port.
“If the shore operation is not included, the KoPT will lose to the tune of Rs 320 crore in ten years. So, this should be included in the tender bid”, he said.
 “If HBT does not turn up against the request, the Center may allow the KoPT to re-tender the berths 2 and 8.
“But, in this case, the lowest bidder will have to submit its bid maintaining the reserve price of Rs 75 so that the KoPT will not suffer any loss further,”Mr Burman said.  

IIT Kharagpur gearing up for a battle of brains

12 November 2012

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KHARAGPUR, 12 NOV: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, is all set to host its most prestigious annual techno-management fest from 1 to 4 February 2013, and has invited students from all over the globe to put their ingenuity and aptitude to test at an unparalleled level of competition.
The largest fest of its kind in Asia, it offers the participants a wide spectrum of events to prove their mettle, while the huge amount of prize money is reflective of its grandeur.
The annual techno-management event, which started in 2004, saw a total participation of over 50,000 students and a prize money of Rs 60 lakh in the last edition held earlier this year.
With the agenda of providing a national-level platform for the students to showcase their technical and managerial prowess, Kshitij comprises over 40 events encompassing nine diverse genres, including the field of robotics. Kshitij organises guest lectures, featuring eminent personalities from the all over the world.
In the past, dignitaries like Nobel laureate Sir James Mirrlees, co-founder of Wikipedia Jimmy Wales, inventor of the USB Ajay Bhatt, as well as critically acclaimed actor Naseeruddin Shah have addressed audiences at Kshitij. Kshitij also undertakes several social initiatives each year in association with the country’s foremost NGOs.
The numerous globally known certifications like ACM, ASME, IMechE, IEEE and ASHRAE associated with the event, stand testimony to the quality of participation in the festival. The ACM, which is widely regarded as the most prestigious certification in the field of computer science, is associated with popular night-long coding competition "Overnite".
Events like aircraft-designing competition, Laws of Motion, are certified by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). Online events like Woodstock and Forex, dealing with real time stock market and foreign exchange transactions are simulated and played with virtual money.
Kshitij will be conducting workshops throughout the country, where participants will get to learn and enhance their skills in the field of robotics.
“With due respect to the power of practice in acquiring proficiency, Kshitij organises a series of workshops both during and before the fest at various places in the nation. The hands-on workshops are a one in a million experience along with a chance to learn with technical experts of the field themselves,” said Mr Raunak Mukherjee, one of the general secretaries of the fest.
From the lights of the MIT Sensetable to cue balls of Augmented Reality, exhibitions bring another dimension to this techno-managerial symposium.
“This time, we will bring several new technological events and social events. Collaborated with the CRY, we will organise programme on the protection of children’s right. This apart, several new things on vehicles and boats have been included in the events,” Mr Mukherjee said. The fest is being patronised by the UNESCO.