Page 35 - Bihar

Petition in SC seeks highest level audit of all existing Bihar bridges

The petitioner and advocate Brajesh Singh, on Wednesday, urged the top court to issue directions to the Bihar Government to conduct the audit

Three more bridges collapse in Bihar, 9th such incident in 15 days

Bihar witnessed the collapse of at least three more bridges or causeways on Wednesday, marking the ninth such incident in the rain-affected state within the past 15 days. No casualties were reported after the three structures, built 30 to 80 years ago by local authorities, caved in during the day in Saran and Siwan districts, officials said. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, however, alleged that four bridges collapsed in a single day and the chief minister and his deputies are silent. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar directed the Road Construction Department (RCD) and Rural Works Department (RWD) to immediately conduct a survey of all old bridges in the state and identify those that require immediate repairing. Certain portions of bridges/causeways that caved in Siwan and Saran on Wednesday are very old, Chaitanya Prasad, Additional Chief Secretary, WRD, said in a statement. These structures don't seem to have been constructed following required parameters. It also appears that the foundatio

Another bridge collapses in Bihar's Siwan, 7th such incident in 15 days

In a troubling trend for Bihar, a portion of a bridge over Gandaki river in Siwan district collapsed on Wednesday morning, marking the seventh such incident in the state within the past 15 days. The small bridge, situated in the district's Deoria block, connects several villages with Mahrajganj. No casualties have been reported so far. This is the second incident of bridge collapse in Siwan in the last 11 days. Deputy Development Commissioner Mukesh Kumar said the exact cause is under investigation. Senior officials from the block have already reached the site, he added. "A portion of a bridge in Deoria block collapsed this morning. The exact cause is not known so far. Senior officials of the block have reached the spot and I am also going there," he added. "The incident took place around 5 am. As per initial information, the bridge was constructed in 1982-83. Repair work was going on the bridge for the last few days," Kumar added. Villagers suggested that heavy rainfall over the

Bihar govt has formed committee to probe recent bridge collapses: Minister

The Bihar government has formed a high-level committee to investigate the recent bridge collapses across the state, including six incidents in the past 13 days. The latest collapse took place at Khausi Dangi village in Kishanganj on Sunday, involving a small bridge built over Boond river in 2009-10 with MPLAD funds. Most of the collapsed bridges, including those under construction, were either built or being constructed by the state's rural works department (RWD). RWD Minister Ashok Choudhary told PTI on Tuesday that the committee, headed by the chief engineer, will analyse the causes behind these collapses and recommend necessary corrective actions. "The department has constituted a high-level committee headed by chief engineer to probe recent incidents of bridge collapse that have been reported from different parts of the state. The committee will find out the reasons and also suggest remedial measures," he said. The committee, tasked specifically with incidents related to RWD-b

JD(U) names Sanjay Jha working prez, seeks spl status or package for Bihar

The Janata Dal (United) on Saturday appointed Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kumar Jha as its working president and urged the Centre to consider either special category status or special package for Bihar, underlining the party's important role in the formation of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government. The party's national executive meeting chaired by its president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar flagged price rise and unemployment as "burning issues", as its political resolution expressed confidence that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government would take more effective steps to handle them. The resolution called for extensive probe into paper leak cases to ensure stringent action against the guilty so as to maintain the credibility of central competitive exams. There is also a need for Parliament to enact a strong law against leaks of examination papers, it added. Kumar's decision to appoint his confidant as the party's working president, a position not held by ..

NEET malpractices case: CBI gets custody of four accused held from Gujarat

A court on Saturday remanded four accused arrested in connection with alleged malpractices at NEET-UG held at a school near Godhra in Gujarat in CBI custody till July 2. Gujarat police had arrested five people last month in the case. Of them, the Central Bureau of Investigation sought the custody of school teacher Tushar Bhatt, principal of Jay Jalaram School Purushottam Sharma, and middlemen Vibhor Anand and Arif Vohra. The agency did not seek the remand of education consultant Parsuram Roy, a fifth accused. All the five accused are currently behind bars in Godhra sub-jail. Principal District Judge of Panchmahal, C K Chauhan, on Saturday granted the CBI's request for their remand, said government lawyer Rakesh Thakor. CBI lawyer Dhruv Malik told the court that though the police had conducted probe in the case, the agency needed their custody for fresh investigation. A preliminary probe by the CBI revealed that the accused had asked the candidates who were willing to use illegal

Nitish Kumar pushes for Bihar's special category status at key JDU meet

The demand for Bihar's special category status is crucial now as BJP relies on support from JD(U), which has 12 seats in the new Lok Sabha, to stay in power at the Centre

Fifth bridge collapses in just over a week in Bihar, no casualties reported

Another instance of bridge collapse has come to the fore in Bihar, making it the fifth such incident to have been reported from the state in just over a week. The latest incident has been reported from the Bheja police station area of Madhubani district, situated in the state's northern extreme, along the borders with Nepal. Officials were tight-lipped about the incident, though sources in the Rural Works Department, which was entrusted with the construction of the 75-metre-long bridge, confirmed that one of the pillars got washed away a few days ago. They said the bridge was being constructed at a cost of about Rs 3 crore over the Bhutahi river which has been in spate on account of torrential rains in catchment areas of Nepal. The sources claimed that the district administration has been asked to investigate the matter and submit its report while the contractor concerned has been instructed to get the structure repaired at the earliest. A video of the collapsed bridge, under ...

NEET-UG exam row: NSUI members barge into NTA office, demand its closure

Members of NSUI, Congress's students wing, barged inside the office of the National Testing Agency (NTA), which is at the centre of NEET-UG row over allegations of alleged irregularities in the conduct of the exam. National Students Union of India (NSUI) members barged inside the testing agency's office here in Okhla, raising slogans of "shut down NTA". There was no immediate reaction from officials of the NTA about the incident. Visuals from the scene shared by NSUI showed scores of its members raising slogans inside the building of the NTA. The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or NEET-UG was conducted by the NTA on May 5 with around 24 lakh candidates taking part in it. The results were announced on June 4, but they were followed by allegations of question paper leaks in states such as Bihar, besides other irregularities.

Another bridge collapses in Bihar, this time in Kishanganj; no casualties

A bridge caved in at Kishanganj district on Thursday in the fourth incident of its kind in Bihar in just over a week, officials said. The bridge, situated in Bahadurganj block, was 70 meters long and 12 meters wide, District Magistrate Tushar Singla said. "The bridge was built in 2011 over Madiya, a small tributary that connects the Kankai river to the Mahananda. Heavy rainfall in the catchment area in Nepal has led to a sudden rise in the water level. One of the pillars of the bridge could not withstand the strong current," he said. No one was injured in the incident, he said. Barricading has been done at both ends of the bridge to prevent any type of movement while repair work was on, he added. Three incidents of bridge collapse were reported last week from Araria, Siwan and Araria districts. In the last few years, a number of similar incidents have taken place in various parts of the state, and though no fatalities have been caused, these have led to questions being raised on

Reliance Jio buys spectrum worth Rs 973.63 crore in Bihar, West Bengal

Reliance Jio expanded its radio waves holding for mobile services by acquiring additional frequencies worth Rs 973.63 crore in the latest spectrum auction that concluded on Wednesday. The company acquired 5 megahertz paired spectrum in 1,800 Mhz band in Bihar for Rs 420.25 crore and 9.4 Mhz in West Bengal for Rs 553.38 crore. "Jio acquired additional spectrum in the 1,800 MHz band in Bihar and West Bengal. With this acquisition, Jio has expanded its 1,800 MHz band spectrum in two circles. Jio's spectrum footprint has increased to 26,801 MHz (uplink + downlink), solidifying its leadership position," the company said in a statement. The government had offered a total of 10 GHz of spectrum ranging between 800 MHz to 26 GHz, which was worth Rs 96,238 crore at the base or auction start price. All the available spectrum in 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz, 2,300 MHz, 2,500 MHz, 3,300 MHz, and 26 GHz bands were put to auction. This year auction has seen activity in 900 MHz, 1,800 MH

NEET-UG 2024: Maharashtra police uncover Bihar-linked admit cards in Latur

Investigations in Maharashtra have uncovered that parents of NEET-UG 2024 aspirants allegedly paid between Rs 5,00,000 and Rs 7,00,000 to suspects to secure better exam scores for their children

Bihar govt issues notification regarding handing over NEET case to CBI

This comes after the central government entrusted the CBI with the matter of alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG exam in 2024 for a comprehensive investigation

CBI takes over five NEET-UG cases from Bihar, Gujarat & Rajasthan

The CBI has taken over the investigation of five new cases of alleged malpractices in the medical entrance exam NEET-UG that were being probed by police in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Bihar, officials said on Monday. They said the central agency has re-registered one case each from Gujarat and Bihar and three cases from Rajasthan as its own FIR, while it is also likely to take up another case from Maharashtra's Latur. Barring the case from Bihar, the other four appear to be isolated incidents of impersonation and cheating by local officials, invigilators and candidates, the officials said. The CBI has already registered its own FIR in connection with the case on a reference from the Union education ministry to conduct a comprehensive probe, they said. After taking over these new cases, the CBI is now probing a total of six cases pertaining to alleged irregularities in NEET-UG, the officials said. NEET-UG is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYU

Why do Andhra Pradesh and Bihar deserve special economic packages?

UP, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Rajasthan and hilly states including northeastern region also suit some of those criteria

Police arrests five more in connection with NEET-UG 'paper leak' case

The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police stepped up its investigation into the NEET "paper leak" by arresting five more suspects on Sunday, a day after their detention in Jharkhand's Deoghar, taking the total number of those apprehended to 18. The development comes on a day the CBI filed an FIR in connection with alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam NEET-UG held on May 5 on a reference from the Union education ministry, amid countrywide protests and litigation by students for a probe into paper leak claims. According to a statement by the EOU, the five arrested persons have been identified as Baldev Kumar, Mukesh Kumar, Panku Kumar, Rajeev Kumar and Paramjeet Singh, all hailing from Nalanda. Baldev Kumar, associated with the notorious Sanjeev Kumar alias Lutan Mukhiya gang, allegedly received the solved answer sheet of the NEET-UG exam in PDF format on his mobile phone a day before the exam. The statement implicated members of the Mukhiya gang, accused of ...

Under-construction bridge collapses in Bihar, third one in less than week

An under-construction small bridge collapsed in East Champaran district on Sunday in third such incident in Bihar in less than a week, officials said. No casualty was reported in the incident that happened in Ghorasahan block in Motihari, they said. The 16-metre-long bridge was being built over a canal by the state's Rural Works Department (RWD) to connect Amwa village to other areas of the block. It was being built at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore, they added. "The exact cause of the incident is not yet known. It is a serious matter and a departmental inquiry has been ordered. Strict action will be taken against those found guilty," Additional Chief Secretary of RWD Dipak Kumar Singh told PTI. "Senior officers of the district administration have reached the spot. A detailed report is awaited," he said. District Magistrate Saurabh Jorwal said the exact cause of the incident was being ascertained. "There are reports that a section of locals initially objected to the construction of certa

Another bridge collapses in Bihar, none hurt; 2nd such incident in a week

A small bridge collapsed in Siwan district on Saturday in the second incident of its kind in Bihar in less than a week, officials said. The bridge was erected over a canal, connecting the villages of Daraunda and Maharajganj blocks, and it caved in at around 5 am, said District Magistrate Mukul Kumar Gupta. "Nobody was injured in the incident. It was a very old structure and apparently, pillars caved in when water was released through the canal. We are trying to ensure that until it is restored, residents of affected villages face as little inconvenience as possible," the DM told PTI. Daraunda BDO Surya Pratap Singh said, "Locals claim the bridge was built way back in 1991 with contributions from the then Maharajganj MLA Uma Shankar Singh". Anil Kumar, the Sub Divisional Magistrate of Maharajganj, confirmed that the "the 20 feet long brick structure" had been built through MLA's local area development fund and added, "based on the investigation report further action will be ...

INDIA bloc made mistakes in ticket distribution: Dipankar Bhattacharya

The INDIA bloc's performance in Bihar in the Lok Sabha polls was affected as it made "certain mistakes" there, including in ticket distribution, CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya has said. In an interview with PTI editors at the agency's headquarters, the Left party's leader did not rule out the "Nitish Kumar factor" as also being a reason for the bloc's less than expected returns in the polls. Bihar Chief Minister Kumar's Janata Dal (United) was in an alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal-Congress-Left 'Mahagathbandhan' grouping in Bihar and a constituent of the opposition INDIA bloc, but jumped to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) just before the 2024 general elections. The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation general secretary hoped INDIA bloc members the RJD, the Congress and Left parties, including his CPI(ML), will do better in the assembly polls in the state next year. While the BJP and its NDA partners JD(U),

GST rate rationalisation panel reconstituted, Bihar dy CM named convenor

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary has been appointed as the convenor of the GoM on GST rate rationalisation. According to an official memorandum posted on the GST Council secretariat website, the other members of the reconstituted panel are Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna, Goa Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho, Rajasthan Medical, and Health Services Minister Gajendra Singh. The GoM also includes West Bengal Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, and Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal. The seven-member GoM has been tasked with suggesting required rate rationalisation and correction of inverted duty structure with an objective of simplifying the rate structure, reviewing the GST exemption list and enhancing revenues from Goods and Services Tax (GST). This is the second time that the GST rate rationalisation panel was reconstituted. The GoM was originally set up in September 2021, under then Karnataka C