Page 54 - Bihar

Bihar bridge collapse: Govt sends show cause notice to construction firm

Taking a grim view of the bridge collapse incident two days ago, the Bihar government has slapped a show cause notice on the construction company concerned, a top official said on Tuesday. Pratyay Amrit, the Additional Chief Secretary for the road construction department, also said that the executive engineer concerned has been suspended. "The Haryana-based company, which was awarded the contract, has been served with a show cause notice by the Managing Director of Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam and asked to reply within 15 days", Amrit told PTI. The company has been asked to explain why it should not be blacklisted by the government and further action taken against it, he said. "The department has also suspended the executive engineer concerned for his failure to keep an eye on the quality of the work", added the Additional Chief Secretary. Constructed over the river Ganges, the bridge was supposed to link Bhagalpur and Khagaria districts. The under-construction bridge, a portion

Bihar bridge collapse: PIL in Patna High Court seeking independent probe

As the politics over the bridge collapse in Bihar gained momentum, state Minister and RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav accused BJP of demolishing the bridge

Strict action against guilty in Bihar bridge collapse: CM Nitish Kumar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said strict action would be taken against those found guilty in the collapse of an under-construction bridge over the Ganga river, even as the opposition BJP alleged that Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav was "hiding the truth" in the incident. The saffron party slammed Yadav, the RJD leader, for his comment that "many structural defects" of the bridge have been pointed out by experts, and "the state government has already pulled down many portions which have been flagged as particularly vulnerable". The 3.16-km-long bridge was supposed to connect Khagaria district with Bhagalpur. It collapsed twice in the last 14 months- the first on Bhagalpur's Sultanganj side in April 2022 and the second time on Sunday evening on the Khagaria side. "The bridge is not being constructed properly and that is why it collapsed twice since April 2022. It's a serious matterThe department concerned has already initiated a thorough probe into it. Strict action will be .

Only heads of respective parties should be at oppn meet: Bihar CM Nitish

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said that he was insistent upon heads of respective parties attending the opposition meet, which was scheduled on June 12, but has been postponed. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here, the JD(U) supreme leader said a new date for the much talked about meeting will be announced after consultation with all parties. We had to put off the June 12 meeting after the Congress and another party conveyed to me that they found the date inconvenient. I have therefore decided to postpone the meet and asked the Congress to suggest a new date after consultation with other parties. But I have made one thing very clear. All parties which agree to attend the meeting, must be represented by their respective heads, Kumar said. If any party insisted that it be represented by someone else, that would not be acceptable, he said. For example, there was an impression that the Congress may send someone else other than its president. This was

Bihar bridge collapse: Construction firm's guard missing, feared dead

A guard deployed at the four-lane bridge connecting Khagaria and Bhagalpur districts on the Ganga river that collapsed on Sunday, has gone missing, an official said here

Nitish orders probe as under-construction bridge on Ganga collapses again

"We will take strict action against the construction company 'SK Singla'. It would be put on the 'black-list' after the investigation is completed," said Additional Chief Secretary,

Bihar bridge collapse: Govt says it was defective, being pulled down

An under-construction bridge over the Ganga river collapsed in Bihar on Sunday, portions of which were deliberately destroyed in a planned fashion under expert advice as it had design flaws, claimed state government officials. The bridge was supposed to connect Khagaria district with Bhagalpur. Images of the mishap that took place in Khagaria evoked immediate criticisms from the opposition, prompting Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and Additional Chief Secretary of Road Construction Department, Pratyay Amrit, to hold a hurried press conference. It may be recalled that a portion of this bridge had collapsed on April 30 last year. We had, thereafter, approached IIT-Roorkee, which is esteemed for its expertise in construction matters, to conduct a study. It is yet to come up with a final report but experts who had studied the structure had informed us that there were serious defects," Yadav said at the press conference. Amrit, who took over, added, It was decided that we must not

GSI to carry remote sensing in Bihar to identify magnetite-bearing rocks

The Bihar government has decided to sign an MoU with Geological Survey of India for conducting remote sensing and aerial survey of the southern part of the state to identify magnetic anomaly on the surface representing the presence of rocks having a higher content of ferrous and ferromagnesian minerals, an official said. For the first time in Bihar, such a survey will be conducted by the Remote Sensing and Aerial Survey Division (RSAS), GSI (Bengaluru) in Aurangabad, Jehanabad, Nalanda and Jamui districts in the state, the official said. "Approval has already been given for the signing of the MoU between Department of Mines and Geology (DMG) and RSAS-GSI. Now the MoU is being finalised. Once the MoU is signed, the final outcome of the studies/survey will be available within a year for further action," Additional Chief Secretary-cum Mines Commissioner, Harjot Kaur Bamrah told PTI on Sunday. "Earlier, there was a perception that Bihar lost its mineral wealth following the creation of

Bihar simmers in intense heat, Khagaria hottest at 42.8 degrees Celsius

Bihar continued to simmer in intense heat with Khagaria recording the highest temperature in the state at 42.8 degrees Celsius, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Friday. Sixteen places recorded temperatures of 41 degrees Celsius or more, including Patna. Valmikinagar in West Champaran district and Ziradei in Siwan recorded 42 degrees Celsius, followed by Patna, Bhojpur and Aurangabad at 41.9 degrees Celsius, Sheikhpura (41.8), Bhagalpur (41.7), Gaya (41.6). According to the weatherman, heat wave conditions are expected to prevail in the state over the next three-four days.

Bihar ex- CM Jitan Ram Manjhi seeks 5 seats for HAM for 2024 LS polls

Jitan Ram Manjhi had met Home Minister Amit Shah. However, the former Bihar chief minister asserted that it was not a political meeting

Notices to over 60 govt doctors in Bihar missing from duty for years

The Bihar state health department has issued notices to over 60 government doctors across the state for being on unauthorised leave for at least a year or more, officials said on Thursday. A notice containing names of such doctors of different health centers and hospitals in this regard was uploaded on the department's website, they said. The department directed all the 62 doctors in the list to submit an explanation for their unauthorised absence within 15 days or face strict disciplinary action. If no reply is received from the individuals within the stipulated time, it will be construed that he/she has no explanation to offer. In that case the department has the power to initiate disciplinary action against them," said a senior official of the department. "Unauthorised absenteeism invites action, including dismissal, under the provisions of government servant conduct rules, he said. The doctors, who were served the notices, have been abstaining from their duty for a minimum of

Quarrel in Bihar's Darbhanga BJP: One MLA files FIR against other's son

All is not well in the BJP in Bihar as one of its MLAs has lodged an FIR against the son of another legislator from the party, an official said on Thursday

Bihar cabinet approves change in Prohibition and Excise Act: Official

The Bihar cabinet on Tuesday approved a change in the Bihar Prohibition and Excise (Amendment) Act, 2022 which will allow authorities concerned to release vehicles carrying liquor in the dry state on payment of a far lower rate of penalty than that stipulated earlier, an official said. The authorities can now release vehicles carrying liquor after payment of either 10 percent of the insured value of the vehicle or Rs five lakh as penalty by the legal owner after consulting the judicial authority, additional chief secretary S Siddharth said. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who had imposed total prohibition in Bihar in 2016. The modified section will be notified soon by the government department concerned after completing mandatory formalities, he said. The owner of a vehicle seized in Bihar for carrying liquor is at present is at present required to pay 50 percent of its insured value for its release after the Court's .

Chamaeleon in mid-day meal: 45 pupils fall sick, 5 critical in Bihar

The incident occurred at government middle school located in Thudi village under Bhimpur police station in the district

Demolition of old Patna Collectorate was a mistake, says Bihar BJP MP

The demolition of the centuries-old Patna Collectorate to make way for a new complex was a "mistake" and the historic landmark should have been preserved and conserved for future generations, BJP MP from Bihar, Sushil Kumar Singh said. Citing the example of the new Sansad Bhawan which was built without harming the old Parliament building, the Lok Sabha member said the Nitish Kumar government "could have built the new Patna Collectorate complex elsewhere" while saving the heritage structures of the old one. Singh, a four-time MP from Aurangabad, made the remarks during an interaction in Delhi, soon after attending the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday amid a boycott by several opposition parties, including Kumar's JD(U) and its ally the RJD. The Bihar chief minister on Saturday asserted that there was "no need" for a new Parliament building and had dubbed the function as an attempt to "change history by those who had made no ...

Opposition parties' meeting in Patna likely to take place on June 12

The much-awaited meeting of parties opposed to the BJP may be held here on June 12, according to hints that have emanated from a meeting of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) here on Sunday. While no significant office bearer confirmed or denied the same, many present at the meeting said on condition of anonymity that the disclosure was made by the chief minister himself. Kumar, the JD(U)'s supreme leader, has been pitching for "opposition unity" ever since he snapped ties with the BJP in August last year, following accusations that the ally was trying to create fissures in his party and diminish his standing. Kumar, who is now heading an alliance government in Bihar which includes RJD, Congress and the Left, has reached out to leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, all of whom are opposed to BJP but not very comfortable with the grand old party either. In fact, the idea of hosting a meeting of opposition leaders in Patna was floated by Banerjee, who

17,000 extra SIM cards of subscribers beyond 9 connections deactivated

Altogether 17,000 of the 21,800 SIM cards found to be issued in excess of the permissible limit of nine mobile connections for one subscriber were deactivated in Bihar and Jharkhand in April and May so far, an official said on Sunday. Such a move was taken by the Department of Telecommunication through an analysis using artificial intelligence (AI)-based facial recognition technology, he said. "The artificial intelligence and facial recognition-powered solution for Telecom SIM Subscriber Verification (ASTR) analysis by the DoT in April and May revealed that at least 21,800 mobile connections were issued violating the permissible limit of nine numbers for one subscriber in Bihar and Jharkhand. "Around 17,000 such numbers have been disconnected. Further analysis is going on to identify such numbers," a senior official of the Special Director General Telecom, DoT (Licensed Service Areas-LSA-Bihar) Office told PTI. Jharkhand also comes under the jurisdiction of LSA (Bihar). According

BJP slams RJD for comparing new Parliament building design with coffin

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Sunday likened the architecture of the new Parliament building to a coffin, drawing a sharp response from the BJP which said people will bury the Bihar party in such a coffin in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. As the new building was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the ruling party in Bihar put out a tweet that showed a coffin and the new legislature building side by side and asked, "What is this?" Hitting back, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said, "People of the country will bury you in the same coffin in 2024 and will not give you the opportunity to enter the new temple of democracy. It is decided that the parliament building belongs to the country and the coffin to you." Bhatia said the inauguration marked a historic moment and parties such as the RJD will keep crying hoarse.

100 students fall sick after snake found in mid-day meal in Bihar's Araria

Around 100 students at a government school in Bihar's Araria district fell sick after consuming a mid-day meal in which a dead snake was found on Saturday

What is the need for new Parliament building, asks Bihar CM Nitish

Amid Opposition's call for boycotting the inauguration of the new Parliament building, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Saturday asserted that there is "no need" for a new Parliament building. The new Parliament building is an attempt to write a new history by those who had no contribution in the freedom struggle, he told reporters here. Kumar also expressed dismay over President Droupadi and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar, who is also the chairman of Rajya Sabha, not being invited to the function. JD(U), of which he is a senior leader, has announced that it will boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building on Sunday. The party will observe a day-long fast here on the day to protest the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "There is no need for a new Parliament building... Those who had no contribution to the country's fight for independence are trying to distort history. It is quite surprising that the President of India and the