महिलाओं की बसें हटाई जा रही है...

अधिकांश महिलाएं बसें सात रूटों में से हटाई गई है.

डेढ़ महीने पहले पटना की सड़कों पर एक बड़ा ही सुखद और अच्छा माहौल दिख रहा था. दरअसल, पैसेंजर्स की सुविधाओं को ध्यान में रखते हुए बिहार राज्य पथ परिवहन निगम ने एक साथ चमचमाती ६० बसें उतरीं थीं. कम पैसे में बेहतर सुवि

धा दी जा रही थी. खासियत यह थी कि पहली बार पटना शहर के अन्दर महिलाओं के लिए स्पेशल बसें एक साथ सात रूटों में चलानी शुरू हो गई थी. इन बसों का रंग पिंक रखा गया था जो पहचानने में मुश्किल न हो.

परन्तु अफसोश यह सुविधा डेढ़ महीने बाद बंद कर दिया गया है. कारन यह बताया जा रहा है कि इन बसों से इनकम कुछ खास नहीं आ रहा था. एक बस से रोजाना २००-३०० रुपये ही आ पते थे, जबकि इससे अधिक डीजल खर्च हो जाता है.

Young and old back Anna Hazare in Bihar.

Patna: Veteran Gandhian Anna Hazare's anti - corruption campaign has gathered huge support in Bihar, with the young and old coming forward to press for a more stringent anti - corruption law.

Literacy in Bihar

Patna: Though Bihar ranked at the bottom of the literacy ladderin 2011, it is planning to reach or achieve the top, that is achieve cent per cent literacy in Bihar, by the next cencus.

Indo-Nepal Meet

On the second and concluding day of the ongoing seminar on the "Emerging Trends in India-Nepal Relations", Union Minister of State for Commerce and Power Jairam Ramesh talked about the need for expanded trade between the two nations while offering technical and financial assistance in energy and water management areas.Promising to ease trade tariff between India and Nepal, Ramesh said that it was alarming to note that while India was exporting goods worth over $930 million to Nepal, it imported items from Nepal only about one-third of its export."This disparity must be overcome and the Government of India is willing to play its role in fostering better trade relations with its neighbors," the Union Minister said.Suggesting a liberal economic policy for Nepal, Ramesh said Indian industries should be allowed to invest in Nepal that, in turn, could sell the goods back to India thus bringing some balance to its export-import ratio.Several Indian companies have already reached agreement with the Nepalese government for improvement in the power sector, the minister said adding Nepal would benefit from the added power production while selling off any surplus power to India.Ramesh also talked about building four check posts on Indo-Nepal border and a 1,500 kilometer road connection between the two neighboring nations to enhance bilateral trade.

Anti-Thackeray Feelings

Anti-Thackeray Feelings Continues to Grow in Bihar

Anger directed towards Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray spilled over into the weekend as several private and political groups in Patna on Saturday burnt the effigies of the separatist Marathi leader for making uncharitable remarks towards Bihar's most revered festival Chhath.The women's wing of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), demanding arrest of Thackeray for trying to divide the nation on regional basis, burnt his effigy at the Income Tax roundabout.Members of the state Samajwadi Party (Students' wing) also burnt Thackeray's effigy while calling him a bigot and a racist."This man, like his uncle, has completely lost his mind and the only place for him is to keep him confined either in a jail or a mental institution," said the students' leader Ranjit Kumar.Meanwhile, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leaders, at a party meet on Saturday, condemned Thackeray's anti-Bihar statement saying Chhath was even more important to Biharis than the Ganesh Utsav was to Maharashtrians. "How would Thackeray and his ilk feel if we said the entire Ganesh festival in Maharashtra was a drama?" asked party state general secretary Vijay Kumar Singh."Thackeray must apologize to Biharis worldwide for hurting their religious sentiments and if he failed to do so, we will take our agitation from the streets of Patna to the streets of Mumbai because Maharashtra is not the personal property of Thackeray, his equally-deranged uncle or any other person for that matter," said Singh.As reported before, Thackeray, during his usual rant against non-Maharashtrians in Maharashtra a few days ago that has earned him the title of Ayatollah of Maharashtra, among many others not suitable for publication, had said that Chhath was more of a drama and had no religious relevance.His statement sparked a statewide protest with leaders like Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, and Ram Vilas Paswan showing complete unanimity in condemning Thackeray.In his zeal to grab the title of the 'godfather of Mumbai' from his ailing uncle Bal Thackeray, the separatist leader also took the Hindi film superstar Amitabh Bachchan to task saying that the fact he was acting as the brand ambassador of Uttar Pradesh, Bachchan was betraying the state of Maharashtra that gave him food, roof, money, and fame.

Threaten Bhojpuri Star

Raj Thackeray's Goons Threaten Bhojpuri Star

Alleged goons on the payroll of separatist Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray, on Monday, issued threats to Bhojpuri film star Manoj Tiwari in Mumbai ordering him to stay from a rally organized at Shivaji Park in Dadar 'or face dire consequences', reports from Mumbai said.A spokesperson for Tiwari, Shashikant Singh said this was the second threat issued to the Bhojpuri star in less than 24 hours, each time the caller asking him to not attend the rally though that did not deter Tiwari from attending the rally that was anything but political.Tiwari who, besides being an actor, is also a decent singer, performed on the stage amidst moderate security."I am an entertainer, not a politician and as such, I should not be associated with any particular political party," Tiwari is said to have told the maker of the threatening call.Also on Monday, Raj Thackeray's henchmen in Mumbai on Monday clashed with Samajwadi Party workers and beat up taxi drivers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.Meanwhile in Patna, a number of protests were organized to condemn Raj Thackeray and what he stands for.Effigies of the idiot-in-chief, as many leaders in Bihar described the MNS leader, were burnt and protests were organized by nearly all political parties including the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, Janata Dal – U, Samajwadi Party, and even Shiv Sena, the parent organization of Thackeray, that demanded arrest of Raj Thackeray and a public condemnation of his actions and words by the Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh.As reported earlier, Thackeray, the nephew of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, had said that Chhath, Bihar's most revered festival, was more of a drama and had no religious relevance.In a related development, a Patna court on Monday heard a petition filed against Thackeray by a Patna resident Vidya Kumari who is seeking arrest of the MNS chief for spreading communal hatred and insulting the religious sentiments of the people of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh.After hearing the arguments by the prosecution presented by senior lawyers Arvind Kumar and K. D. Mishra, the court adjourned until February 13.

Nitish lashes out

Nitish lashes out at Raj Thackeray

Shedding his usual persona of a mild-mannered politician, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday took a tough stance on the controversy concerning Raj Thackeray stating Mumbai would be destroyed if the so-called 'outsiders' were kicked out of Maharashtra as Thackeray had been promoting since his unceremonious departure from the Shiv Sena.Calling the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief a 'devil-incarnate', Kumar, during a press conference following his weekly Janata Durbar in Patna, reminded Thackeray that Mumbai or Maharashtra was not anyone's personal property and each citizen of India was well within his or her right to live and earn a living in any part of the country without fear of any backlash based on religion or region.The Chief Minister asked the Maharashtra government to take stern measures against Thackeray 'before it is too late'."While I think there is no need of it yet, if needed, however, I will not hesitate in taking up this issue with the Home Ministry. Thackeray's actions are clear instances of attempts to disturb peace in the nation and such acts must be nipped in the bud," he said adding a man (Thackeray) who did not know the ABC of the Indian culture, it was too much to expect from him to understand the religious importance of Chhath.Other leaders in Bihar also lashed out at Thackeray showering him with names like idiot, bigot, racist, Nazi, and 'shaitaan'.Congress leader Kripanath Pathak, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) general secretary Mrityunjay Kumar, Janata Dal – U leader Vijaya Singh, and Shiv Sena leader Arun Kumar Gupta and leaders of the Muslim United Front called for Thackeray's arrest while burning his effigy at various places in the state capital.

Ajit Sarkar

Verdict on Ajit Sarkar Murder Case on Feb. 14

A special CBI Court in Patna on Monday, after hearing the closing arguments from both defense and prosecution teams, set February 14 as the date for announcing the verdict in the decade-old Ajit Sarkar murder case in which the then Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Pappu Yadav, former legislator Rajan Tiwari, and Anil Yadav remain the key accused.While Tiwari and Yadav, who currently make Patna's Beur Jail their homes, were present during the hearing, Pappu Yadav, who remains incarcerated at Delhi's Tihar Jail, could not make his virtual appearance due to technical snag in the video-conferencing equipment.During the hearing in the court of special CBI judge Virendra Mohan Srivastava, Mumbai's prominent advocate Majid Menon presented the classic argument saying his client, Pappu Yadav, was innocent and was falsely implicated in the case.The defense represented by the CBI advocate Rakesh Kumar, however, said that based on the witnesses accounts, it was an open and shut case against Yadav and the other two key accused.The case relates to the gunning down of Communist Party of India – Marxist leader Ajit Kumar and two others on June 14, 1998 in Purnia.The court also ordered the Tihar Jail Superintendent to produce Pappu Yadav in Patna court on February 14.

Free Diabetic

Free Diabetic, Obesity Camp in Patna

Rotary Pataliputra in Patna on Sunday organized a free diabetic, neuropathy, obesity with BMI (Body Mass Index) check-up camp at the Diwakar Tejaswi Clinic at Hari Narayan Complex on Exhibition Road providing free consulting and medicines to over 90 patients suffering from diabetes and obesity.Besides Dr. Tejaswi, the camp was also assisted by Dr. K. K. Saran, Dr. Kiran Saran and Dr. Deepika Tejaswi. During his lecture, Dr. Diwakar Tejaswi said that the world first came to know about diabetes through research in India which also happens to be the home of the 40% of the entire population worldwide that suffers from the disease.Dr. Tejaswi said that though diabetes was largely responsible for obesity, renal and heart ailments, it could be controlled if diagnosed early. Rotarian Anil Sharaf, PHF, President, emphasized the importance of such camps and appealed to the people to get early check-ups to prevent any major physical problem in future.Vinod Chaudhary, Chetan Kapoor, B. K. Pachisia, N. K. Agarwal, Sachchidanand, R. K. Jaiswal and Subodh Jain, all members of Rotary Pataliputra, also took active part in the camp.

Business Fair

Business Fair Extended by a Week

The administration in Patna on Saturday announced its decision to extend the National Business Expo Fair organized by the National Industrial and Consumer Exhibition (NICE) and Bihar Women's Industries Association by a week with it now ending on February 11 instead of February 4.The announcement was made at a joint press conference addressed by the NICE director Shabbir Ahmed and fair organizer Rishi Raj who said the decision to extend the fair by one week came after losing 3-4 days due to the recent Bihar bandh called by the opposition parties and rain and chill in last few days.Since the fair reopened last week, it has seen a surge in the number of visitors encouraging the organizers to keep the fair alive for an extra week without penalizing the vendors for an extra week rent, Ahmed said.

Cabinet Okays Proposals

Cabinet Okays Proposals for Patna Beautification

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The state Cabinet on Wednesday passed the proposal to build the Buddha Memorial Park on the lot where once Bankipore Jail stood and beautify the Children's Park in Sri Krishna Puri area while also giving a go-ahead signal to rid the state capital of its nagging drinking water problem at the cost of Rs. 11 crore.The Children's Park beautification scheme is expected to cost the state exchequer Rs. 79 lakh and will be completed in two months, officials said.Invitation to submit bid for the park project will be made through a tender to be published on February 9.The Buddha Park, the so-called dream project of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, will occupy nearly 20 acres of land facing Patna Junction and would sport a theme of, as the name suggests, Lord Buddha including a 40 feet tall statue of the Enlightened One.The government has decided to finance the Rs. 11 crore drinking water project by taking advance from the state emergency fund, officials said.

CBI Inspector Arrested

CBI Inspector Arrested while Taking Bribe

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CBI sleuths from Delhi on Tuesday nabbed a member of their own fraternity when they caught Praveen Kumar, a CBI inspector based in Patna, while taking Rs. 50,000 in bribe from the manager of United Commercial Bank, Giddhaur branch, H. S. Thakur.According to the report, Thakur had notified the CBI Delhi about Kumar's repeated attempt to extort Rs. 50,000 from the bank on one pretext or other.On Tuesday, a team of CBI officials set up a trap and lured Kumar to come to a hotel on Frazer Road. After waiting for nearly five hours, Kumar arrived at the hotel on a scooter at around 9:00 pm and accepted Rs. 50,000 in cash from Thakur.As soon as the money exchanged hands, officials from Delhi jumped into action and arrested Kumar with cash still in his hand.Officials continue to interrogate Kumar who, they said, may have been involved in many other bribery cases in the state.

Raid at Chief Engineer's House

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Raid at Chief Engineer's House Nets over Rs. 50 lakh in Cash

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Special Vigilance Unit (SVU) sleuths in Patna on Thursday raided the house of Chief Engineer, Minor Irrigation Department, Awadhesh Prasad Singh and seized over Rs. 50 lakh in cash, more than Rs. 3 lakh worth of jewelries, over Rs. 4 lakh in investment, and 320 in US dollars.The raid at Singh's Shivpuri residence began early Thursday morning and by noon, the law-enforcement officials were still counting the cash that is expected to go well over Rs. 50 lakh, SUV IG A. K. Upadhyaya said.A case of disproportionate assets case has been lodged against Singh who has also been found investing in real estate in prime areas in Noida, Bangalore, and Kolkata, and owning 5 kottah of land in Muzaffarpur, officials said.The Vigilance has seized several pass books of different banks, including documents indicating ownership of many bank lockers.Interestingly, Singh was all set to brace retirement at the end of this month. Simultaneous raids were conducted at Singh's houses in Muzaffarpur and Samastipur but nothing incriminating was found from either place, officials said.

Bihar Bandh

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Call for Bihar Bandh an Exercise in Futility; Says Tiwar

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Janata Dal – U national spokesperson Shivanand Tiwari in Patna on Wednesday ridiculed the January 25 statewide bandh called by all opposition parties saying the move was laughable particularly in view of the fact that the people of Kahalgaon had already withdrawn their stir over power issue in their region."Protesting against the Nitish government over power issue is not going to solve the problem in the state. Instead, they should be raising ruckus against the Central government that is solely responsible for the pathetic power situation in Bihar," said the JD-U leader.Tiwari further said that the opposition parties were itching to bring down the legitimately-elected NDA government in Bihar and the whole idea behind the January 25 bandh was to paralyze normal functioning of the state for purely political reasons.

Governor Appoints VC

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Governor Appoints VC for Bihar University

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A day after Governor R. S. Gavai appointed four new Vice Chancellors for different universities in Bihar including the appointment of Shyam Lal as the new VC of Patna University, the Governor appointed the former Principal of Rajasingh College of Siwan, Dr. Rajdeo Singh as the new VC of the BSBR Ambedkar Bihar University.The Governor also appointed Dr. Sayeed Ahsan, the professor of Computer Science at Jamia Milia Islamia University, as the new pro-Vice Chancellor of Patna University, Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University professor Nand Kumar Yadav as the new pro-VC of BSBR Ambedkar Bihar University, and Patna University Political Science Head of the Department Dr. Khalid Mirza as the pro-VC of Maulana Mazharul Haque Arabi-Farsi University.Meanwhile, Shyam Lal, the new VC of Patna University who took over the position vacated by the resignation of Y. C. Simadri, said that he felt fortunate to become the VC of the 7th oldest university in the nation."I am familiar with the glorious history of Patna University and if I could do even one thing positive for this institution of learning, I would consider myself very fortunate," Lal said soon after assuming charge of the university.The VC also said that his first and foremost priority would be to ensure Patna University gets the status of a Central University."Bihar maybe struggling to get out of its financial miseries but when it comes to raw talent, students of Bihar are unmatched and it would my goal to tap this immense source to make Bihar a better place for all," said Dr. Lal..

Netaji's 111th Birth Anniversary

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Netaji's 111th Birth Anniversary Observed

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Leaders in Patna on Wednesday observed the 111th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose by holding a number of functions throughout the city.Filling in for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who is away to New Delhi, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi placed flowers at Bose's statue near Gandhi Maidan in Patna.Governor R. S. Gavai also paid floral tributes at the freedom fighter's statue while leaders from other parties preferred to celebrate Netaji's birth anniversary at their respective party headquarters while recalling the life and sacrifice of the leader whose plane disappeared, or crashed, on 18 August over Taiwan.Netaji, who gave up his civil service job to fight against the British rule, organized the Indian National Army in 1943 and fought against the allied forces in Burma and eastern front of India.

P U Gets a New Vice Chancellor

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Patna University Gets a New Vice Chancellor

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Governor R. S. Gavai on Thursday appointed four new Vice Chancellors for various universities in Bihar including the appointment of Shyam Lal, the former VC of Jainarain Vyas University in Jodhpur, as the new VC of Patna University, a move necessitated by the sudden resignation of Dr. Y. C. Simadri whose departure was anything but ceremonious.Besides Patna University, the Governor also appointed VCs for Jaiprakash University in Chhapra, Bihar University in Muzaffarpur, B. N. Mandal University in Madhepura, and Maulana Mazharul Haq Arabic and Persian University, Patna.All the new VCs are expected to assume their duties and responsibilities from as early as tomorrow.Magadh University Pro-VC Dr. R. P. Sharma is now the new VC of Jaiprakash University while Dr. R. P. Srivastava, the former principal of Bihar University and a professor of Philosophy will now assume charge of the B. R. Mandal University.Former VC of B. N. Mandal University Dr. Qamar Hasan will take charge of Maulana Mazharul Haq Arabic and Persian University, Patna.As reported previously, Patna University VC Dr. Simadri, because of some very radical measures taken by him in a desperate bid to improve the academic standard and environment of the colleges, was virtually driven out of the university thanks to certain vested interests in the political quarters.

Padmashree Award

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Padmashree Award for Patna Doctors

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People of Patna had much to celebrate on Friday when the government of India announced its decision to confer Padmashree Award to Dr. S. N.Arya and Dr. Indubhushan Sinha for their outstanding services to the humanity and their contributions in the field of medicine.While Dr. Arya was recognized for his compassion for unidentified dead bodies and arranging for their funeral without polluting the Ganges, Dr. Sinha, a kidney specialist, was honored for taking initiative to open a nephrology unit within the Patna Medical College Hospital.75-year old Dr. Arya, in a telephone interview from Bangalore, expressed his joy over the government's decision to honor him with the Padmashree Award and hoped his work would continue even after his retirement from active works.

Monazir Survives

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Monazir Hassan Survives Crash Landing at Patna Airport

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Building Construction Minister Monazir Hassan had a brush with death when a government aircraft carrying him from Chhapra to Patna on Friday crash landed at Patna Airport after its wheel failed to open prior to the landing.As reported, Hassan and two of his associates were returning from Chhapra after attending a government function when at around 5:15, just minutes before the plane was readying for touchdown, the aircraft's wheels jammed and failed to open up.The pilot, however, in an act of braveness, managed to somehow land the aircraft on its belly. With smoke filling in fast inside, the door of the plane opened and the minister and his aides were rushed out of the plane to safety, reports said.The incident caused an alarm at the airport and planes coming from Kolkata and Delhi had to be diverted to other airports.Authorities are looking into the cause of technical failure in the aircraft.Chief Minister Nitish Kumar later called Hassan and enquired about the incident.

Opposition Claims

Opposition Claims Total Success on Bihar Bandh

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A day after the Communist leaders did their bit to chip away support for the Nitish-led NDA government in Bihar, the opposition parties, in a rare gesture of unity against the ruling government, observed a state-wide bandh to protest

against the police firing in Kahalgaon earlier last week that caused four fatalities.

The bandh, considered by the ruling party leaders as a desperate attempt to bring down the Nitish government, evoked mixed response in Patna, Bhagalpur, and Muzaffarpur where shops remained closed but there was not effect in government and private offices.Train traffic in some districts were affected when supporters of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) sat on the tracks causing much delay in their schedule.The protestors did their best to disrupt traffic in Patna by burning tires on road intersections and forced colleges to cancel classes while also vandalizing several shops that did not wish to forego their daily income due to the strike.Over 1500 protestors were arrested in Patna who were later released at their own cognizance.While the opposition leaders claimed total success of the bandh, the NDA shrugged off the event calling it a huge failure 'like Lalu Prasad Yadav's Chetawani Rally and Ram Vilas Paswan's Sankalp Rally'."Those who are protesting against poor power situation in Bihar are the ones responsible for this problem in the state," said Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Radha Mohan Singh.