Latest news
Kidnapped for ransom, 6-year-old released 3 hours later in Raipur
Raipur Municipal Corporation to introduce slab rates for water
Naya Raipur woos builders; eyes 'smart city' tag
Ashram, once recipient of president award, in sex scandal
Woman burnt to death by husband, another sustain severe injuries
Chhattisgarh to host Sirpur Music and Dance Festival from Jan 16
Era Infra Engineering up 5% on road project in Chhattisgarh
Kidnapped for ransom, 6-year-old released 3 hours later in Raipur
16 Feb. 2015
RAIPUR: Three people were arrested on Sunday for kidnapping of Bhanpuri-based 6-year-old boy, demanding Rs 1 crore ransom and then mysteriously dropping him off at Bhanpuri with help of an auto-driver. Khamtari police said that a young man kidnapped the kid on February 6 near his home and called on his father's Sunil Sharma's phone demanding ransom.
"But the kid was mysteriously dropped off within three hours of kidnap. While the kid was back, parents were too scared to lodge an FIR fearing that the accused may repeat the crime. After getting few important leads in investigation, FIR was lodged late on Saturday. Two of the arrested belong to Bhanpuri and third accused hails from Bemetara," Khamtarai town inspector Hemprakash Nayak said.
Cops were keeping tabs on the phone number of the accused. According to the kid's statement, he was taken to a nearby village in the car and was asked to sit on the floors of vehicle. But after few hours, the man hired an auto, paid him and asked him to drop the kid at Bhanpuri.
Police said that it seemed that accused or his aid was keeping an eye on activities around kid's home after his kidnap. "On seeing movement of police in the house, they might have been alerted which is why they sent back the child," Nayak said. Sunil Sharma runs a business of transportation and it was suspected that the accused were known to him. On their arrest, it was confirmed that the child was kidnapped by people known to Sharma.
"But the kid was mysteriously dropped off within three hours of kidnap. While the kid was back, parents were too scared to lodge an FIR fearing that the accused may repeat the crime. After getting few important leads in investigation, FIR was lodged late on Saturday. Two of the arrested belong to Bhanpuri and third accused hails from Bemetara," Khamtarai town inspector Hemprakash Nayak said.
Cops were keeping tabs on the phone number of the accused. According to the kid's statement, he was taken to a nearby village in the car and was asked to sit on the floors of vehicle. But after few hours, the man hired an auto, paid him and asked him to drop the kid at Bhanpuri.
Police said that it seemed that accused or his aid was keeping an eye on activities around kid's home after his kidnap. "On seeing movement of police in the house, they might have been alerted which is why they sent back the child," Nayak said. Sunil Sharma runs a business of transportation and it was suspected that the accused were known to him. On their arrest, it was confirmed that the child was kidnapped by people known to Sharma.
Raipur Municipal Corporation to introduce slab rates for water
11 Feb. 2015
RAIPUR: While the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has swept the Delhi assembly polls on many populist promises, including 50% reduction in water tariff; the Chhattisgarh government is all set to do away with its present system of flat tariff charge and bill Raipurians as per consumption at slab rates that are much higher than the national capital, particularly from low and medium consumers.
If the proposal comes through, within a year Raipurians, who hitherto were paying a flat charge of Rs 200 for unlimited consumption of water, would have to get meters installed and pay bills as per their usage. The tariff proposed by Raipur Municipal Corporation is Rs 5 per kilolitre (1000 litres = 1 Kilolitre) for consumption of 0-11,000 lts; Rs 6 per kilolitre for 11000-15000; Rs 7 per kilolitre for 15,000-25,000 lts; Rs 8 per kilolitre for 25000-50,000 lts; and Rs 9 per kilolitre for consumption over 50,000 lts.
Explaining the proposal, Executive Engineer, AK Malwe said if a household consumes 11000 lts per month (11 kilolitres), they would be billed Rs 55 only (@ Rs 5 per kilolitre). Though on the face of it, this would mean a huge reduction from the existing flat rate of Rs 200 per month, families using 30,000 ltrs or more water per month, would end up paying more than the present flat rate.
Incidentally, some of these proposed rates are higher than the existing rates (Jan 2014) of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). The DJB tariffs for consumptions up to 20,000 litres (20 Kilolitres) of water for domestic users are Rs 2.66 and Rs 3.99 per kilolitres for consumption of 0-10,000 lts and 10,000 -20,000 lts respectively. However, its charges steeply rise for high end users with consumers with consumption of 20,000 - 30,000 lts paying Rs 19.97 per kilolitres and above 30,000 lts paying @ of 33.28 per kilolitres. Besides, DJB imposes service charges for each category of consumers.
MC Commissioner Awanish Sharan said the corporation has no proposal to charge for its services like the DJB and consumers would have to pay only for the water usage as per the proposed rates. However, the cost of installation of water meters (Rs 1800) would have to be borne by the consumers. He said water billing would be implemented zone wise from this financial year in areas where the installation work of meters has been completed.
However, the Corporation fails a daunting challenge, as there are close to 1.40 lakh illegal water connections in the city, which means that these households have never paid a penny for water consumed by them. Officials say that there are 2 lakhs household in the city but the number of water connections on record is only 68,000.
While it would be easy to get water meters installed for these 68,000 connections, it would be a formidable challenge to make the near 1.40 lakh household to follow suit. Incidentally, last year the MC had detected 400 odd illegal connections and had legalised them after charging Rs 8,500 per connection.
Incidentally, the average per capital consumption of water in big towns and metros is about 150 lts per person per day. With Raipur having an average household size of 5.18 (as per 2001 census), the average monthly consumption per household could be estimated at 23,000 lts per month. This would be mean that the monthly water bill for a family (@ Rs 7 per kilolitre) would be around Rs 164. However, high users (30,000 ltrs and above) would end up paying more than the present flat rate of Rs 200 per month.
If the proposal comes through, within a year Raipurians, who hitherto were paying a flat charge of Rs 200 for unlimited consumption of water, would have to get meters installed and pay bills as per their usage. The tariff proposed by Raipur Municipal Corporation is Rs 5 per kilolitre (1000 litres = 1 Kilolitre) for consumption of 0-11,000 lts; Rs 6 per kilolitre for 11000-15000; Rs 7 per kilolitre for 15,000-25,000 lts; Rs 8 per kilolitre for 25000-50,000 lts; and Rs 9 per kilolitre for consumption over 50,000 lts.
Explaining the proposal, Executive Engineer, AK Malwe said if a household consumes 11000 lts per month (11 kilolitres), they would be billed Rs 55 only (@ Rs 5 per kilolitre). Though on the face of it, this would mean a huge reduction from the existing flat rate of Rs 200 per month, families using 30,000 ltrs or more water per month, would end up paying more than the present flat rate.
Incidentally, some of these proposed rates are higher than the existing rates (Jan 2014) of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). The DJB tariffs for consumptions up to 20,000 litres (20 Kilolitres) of water for domestic users are Rs 2.66 and Rs 3.99 per kilolitres for consumption of 0-10,000 lts and 10,000 -20,000 lts respectively. However, its charges steeply rise for high end users with consumers with consumption of 20,000 - 30,000 lts paying Rs 19.97 per kilolitres and above 30,000 lts paying @ of 33.28 per kilolitres. Besides, DJB imposes service charges for each category of consumers.
MC Commissioner Awanish Sharan said the corporation has no proposal to charge for its services like the DJB and consumers would have to pay only for the water usage as per the proposed rates. However, the cost of installation of water meters (Rs 1800) would have to be borne by the consumers. He said water billing would be implemented zone wise from this financial year in areas where the installation work of meters has been completed.
However, the Corporation fails a daunting challenge, as there are close to 1.40 lakh illegal water connections in the city, which means that these households have never paid a penny for water consumed by them. Officials say that there are 2 lakhs household in the city but the number of water connections on record is only 68,000.
While it would be easy to get water meters installed for these 68,000 connections, it would be a formidable challenge to make the near 1.40 lakh household to follow suit. Incidentally, last year the MC had detected 400 odd illegal connections and had legalised them after charging Rs 8,500 per connection.
Incidentally, the average per capital consumption of water in big towns and metros is about 150 lts per person per day. With Raipur having an average household size of 5.18 (as per 2001 census), the average monthly consumption per household could be estimated at 23,000 lts per month. This would be mean that the monthly water bill for a family (@ Rs 7 per kilolitre) would be around Rs 164. However, high users (30,000 ltrs and above) would end up paying more than the present flat rate of Rs 200 per month.
Naya Raipur woos builders; eyes 'smart city' tag
9 Feb. 2015
RAIPUR:Naya Raipur, the new capital city of Chhattisgarh, is wooing private builders aggressively even as it vies to be one of the 100 'smart cities' that the Narendra Modi has promised to build across the country.
"Apart from the land parcels already given out to builders, tenders for another 400 acres of land would be floated in the next 3-4 months for real estate developments," said SS Bajaj, vice chairman at Naya Raipur Development Authority (NRDA). This is expected to bring in over Rs 2,000crore investments, officials said.
NRDA is already in talks with developers such as DLF and Tata Housing Development Co. It had applied for smart city status for Naya Raipur eight months ago. The Centre is yet to announce the list of 100 smart cities.
Naya Raipur, 18 km from Raipur, is being developed in three phases and will have a bus rapid transit system (BRTS) corridor for smooth public transport and offer free Wi-Fi connectivity across bus stops, parks, office areas and educational institutions. It's spread over approximately 20,000 acres and is expected to have 560,000 inhabitants by 2031. The state secretariat shifted to Naya Raipur in November 2012. Bajaj said national institutions such as the AIIMS, IIM, IIT, Shankar Netralaya and Hidayatullah National Law University are coming to this planned city.
Chhattisgarh Housing Board built and sold over 90% of the 5,000 residential units here. At existing rate of Rs 2,950 per sqft, against Raipur's Rs 4,500-5,000 per sqft, and offering better facilities, Naya Raipur is attracting homebuyers not only from within the state but also from Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal.
Noida-based Amrapali Group has acquired 31.5 acres in the city and plans to invest nearly Rs 350 crore on residential, commercial and hospitality projects, its executive director Shiv Priya said.
Raipur-based Avinash Group is investing Rs 150 crore on a 700-unit residential space spread over 18 acres. "Around 15% of the apartments sold have been bought by NRIs who have their roots in Chhattisgarh," said Anand Singhania, MD, Avinash Group that is also investing Rs 30 crore in commercial project at the proposed CBD of Naya Raipur.
Raipur-based GT Homes is investing nearly Rs 200 crore on a 316-apartment project with 10 towers, its director Gurjeet Singh Rajpal said.
"Apart from the land parcels already given out to builders, tenders for another 400 acres of land would be floated in the next 3-4 months for real estate developments," said SS Bajaj, vice chairman at Naya Raipur Development Authority (NRDA). This is expected to bring in over Rs 2,000crore investments, officials said.
NRDA is already in talks with developers such as DLF and Tata Housing Development Co. It had applied for smart city status for Naya Raipur eight months ago. The Centre is yet to announce the list of 100 smart cities.
Naya Raipur, 18 km from Raipur, is being developed in three phases and will have a bus rapid transit system (BRTS) corridor for smooth public transport and offer free Wi-Fi connectivity across bus stops, parks, office areas and educational institutions. It's spread over approximately 20,000 acres and is expected to have 560,000 inhabitants by 2031. The state secretariat shifted to Naya Raipur in November 2012. Bajaj said national institutions such as the AIIMS, IIM, IIT, Shankar Netralaya and Hidayatullah National Law University are coming to this planned city.
Chhattisgarh Housing Board built and sold over 90% of the 5,000 residential units here. At existing rate of Rs 2,950 per sqft, against Raipur's Rs 4,500-5,000 per sqft, and offering better facilities, Naya Raipur is attracting homebuyers not only from within the state but also from Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal.
Noida-based Amrapali Group has acquired 31.5 acres in the city and plans to invest nearly Rs 350 crore on residential, commercial and hospitality projects, its executive director Shiv Priya said.
Raipur-based Avinash Group is investing Rs 150 crore on a 700-unit residential space spread over 18 acres. "Around 15% of the apartments sold have been bought by NRIs who have their roots in Chhattisgarh," said Anand Singhania, MD, Avinash Group that is also investing Rs 30 crore in commercial project at the proposed CBD of Naya Raipur.
Raipur-based GT Homes is investing nearly Rs 200 crore on a 316-apartment project with 10 towers, its director Gurjeet Singh Rajpal said.
Ashram, once recipient of president award, in sex scandal
6 Feb. 2015
RAIPUR: In yet another incident of exploitation of girls at an ashram for children in need, the woman superintendent was suspended for allegedly involving minor girls into obscene phone chats and attempting to trade them at Raigarh district.
The Chakradhar Bal Sadan, an ashram for children had earlier received the presidential award. Raigarh collector Mukesh Bansal suspended the superintendent after a complaint. According to the collector, he was given call record details purportedly containing talks involving superintendent, Priya Gupta.
The ashram was in news last year when about nine girls ran away.
According to the complaint, Priya Gupta allegedly forced girls to speak to unknown men over phone that involved them in obscene talk and later send them with those men. Complaints received by administration say that Gupta was negotiating with a man who was convincing her to let him use the hostel premises. There are apparently 288 audio clippings which were handed over for investigation and confirmation.
The authenticity of the incident is yet to be confirmed depending on statement of girls. Child rights commission chairperson Jessi Phillip said the ashram environment didn't seem decent enough for last five months.
A four-member committee was formed on Thursday to find if the incident is a part of conspiracy or being misunderstood. However, no FIR or arrest was made as officials said that it would be done only after investigation and a report by the committee.
The Chakradhar Bal Sadan, an ashram for children had earlier received the presidential award. Raigarh collector Mukesh Bansal suspended the superintendent after a complaint. According to the collector, he was given call record details purportedly containing talks involving superintendent, Priya Gupta.
The ashram was in news last year when about nine girls ran away.
According to the complaint, Priya Gupta allegedly forced girls to speak to unknown men over phone that involved them in obscene talk and later send them with those men. Complaints received by administration say that Gupta was negotiating with a man who was convincing her to let him use the hostel premises. There are apparently 288 audio clippings which were handed over for investigation and confirmation.
The authenticity of the incident is yet to be confirmed depending on statement of girls. Child rights commission chairperson Jessi Phillip said the ashram environment didn't seem decent enough for last five months.
A four-member committee was formed on Thursday to find if the incident is a part of conspiracy or being misunderstood. However, no FIR or arrest was made as officials said that it would be done only after investigation and a report by the committee.
Woman burnt to death by husband, another sustain severe injuries
30 Jan.2015
RAIPUR: In separate incidents of burn cases, a woman was burnt to death by her husband after severe beatings under influence of alcohol at Balrampur district and another woman sustained burns while lighting a stove at Mahasamund district.
The injured woman Kajal Das is posted as constable in Mahasamund district and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in state capital. She was brought to Raipur late on Tuesday with 65 percent severe burns.
According to Pandri police in charge Pramilla Mandavi, Kaajl said in her statement that the stove caught fire with kerosene oil kept very close to it, after which her clothes also caught fire. Her husband Sushil Soni also sustained minor injuries in an attempt to save Kajal. In another incident, a woman of Kusmi village in Balrampur district was beaten and burnt to death by her husband on January 27 midnight.
The matter was reported to police by woman's son following which, police arrested the man. Police said that he has confessed to crime and claims that his wife had also consumed alcohol with him, which caused heated argument between them. investigation officer SP Porte said that the village was celebrating festival for last two-three days and consuming alcohol was part of the custom for all.
Accused husband Tighla Ram Maveshi started beating his wife with cane, after argument took a bad turn. The woman fainted due to severe beatings.
The injured woman Kajal Das is posted as constable in Mahasamund district and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in state capital. She was brought to Raipur late on Tuesday with 65 percent severe burns.
According to Pandri police in charge Pramilla Mandavi, Kaajl said in her statement that the stove caught fire with kerosene oil kept very close to it, after which her clothes also caught fire. Her husband Sushil Soni also sustained minor injuries in an attempt to save Kajal. In another incident, a woman of Kusmi village in Balrampur district was beaten and burnt to death by her husband on January 27 midnight.
The matter was reported to police by woman's son following which, police arrested the man. Police said that he has confessed to crime and claims that his wife had also consumed alcohol with him, which caused heated argument between them. investigation officer SP Porte said that the village was celebrating festival for last two-three days and consuming alcohol was part of the custom for all.
Accused husband Tighla Ram Maveshi started beating his wife with cane, after argument took a bad turn. The woman fainted due to severe beatings.
Policeman killed in Chhattisgarh encounter
13 Jan.2015
A police constable was killed and three others were grievously injured in an encounter with the Maoists in Narayanpur district of South Chhattisgarh on Saturday.
The incident took place near Botha village under Hawrai police station of Narayanpur when a joint team of district police Jawans and the CAF (Chhattisgarh Armed Force) was on a routine combing operation, Narayanpur district Superintendent of Police Amit Kamble said.
“Constable Athanas Bada was killed and Constable Lalit Kashyap, Kamleshwar Sahu and Rejendra Nishad were injured in the encounter,” said Additional Director-General (ADG) of Police, Naxal Operations, R.K.Vij.
The incident took place near Botha village under Hawrai police station of Narayanpur when a joint team of district police Jawans and the CAF (Chhattisgarh Armed Force) was on a routine combing operation, Narayanpur district Superintendent of Police Amit Kamble said.
“Constable Athanas Bada was killed and Constable Lalit Kashyap, Kamleshwar Sahu and Rejendra Nishad were injured in the encounter,” said Additional Director-General (ADG) of Police, Naxal Operations, R.K.Vij.