Raipur, March 17, 2010
Urban Administration Minister Rajesh Munat has informed that the total number of mobile towers within Raipur Municipal Corporation’s (RMC) periphery was 303 of which 163 had been approved while 140 were illegal. Munat was replying to a question of BJP MLA Devji Bhai Patel during call attention hour in Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday.
Patel alleged that huge corruption prevailed in the department as the officials were deliberately not taking any action against the illegal mobile tower owners except serving notices to them. He said a large number of illegal towers had been erected in Raipur city.
One year ago, the number of mobile towers in the city was only 150 but suddenly the figure reached to 500 till February 2010 in spite of public protest that clearly indicates that the top officials instead of thinking about the common mass is more interested in making illicit money, he charged.
Pointing out towards the illegally raised tower near Chief Minister’s residence at Civil Lines, Patel said all the towers had been erected in the densely populated areas where the vibration of the towers not only affects the houses in the surrounding areas but equally creates problem for schools, government offices, nursing homes and hospitals.
In spite of frequent complaints made by the common mass regarding illegal towers, the administration and the government have kept their eyes shut, he said. He also alleged that the power companies too had provided electricity connections to the illegal tower owners without considering rules and norms.
In his reply, Munat said that after permission mobile or relay towers could be erected in any of the places except ten percent lands reserved for parks or gardens and the lands marked for roads. However, it is mandatory for the telecom company to obtain a structure stability certificate of the particular building where it wants to erect the tower, he said.
Munat further informed that the RMC had issued notices to the telecom companies that had erected illegal towers in the city. He, however, said that the mobile companies were allowed to raise towers in the residential areas but they needed to take RMC’s permission beforehand. The RMC denies permission to erect tower in those buildings that are not suitable in terms of security, he clarified. Last month on February 19 and 20, the municipal has sealed 23 towers that were erected in unapproved buildings, he said.
Munat informed that the RMC had taken against those mobile companies which have violated norms like operating towers using generator sets.
Munat further informed the House that before one year, the city had 126 approved and 136 illegal towers. In the past twelve months, the RMC gave permission to erect 37 towers while four have been raised illegally, he said.
‘Kamal Vihar project for people, not for profit’
Raipur, March 17, 2010
The Raipur Development Authority (RDA) has commenced Kamal Vihar project with an aim to provide facilities to the people not to make profit. “The RDA will not get any profit from this project but instead we are planning to take fund from the government to spend on it,” said the RDA’s CEO Amit Kataria while talking about the significance of the project with the media persons here on Wednesday.
“We are also preparing to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chhattisgarh Housing Board (CHB) to develop the land acquired for the project,” he said. The authority aims to bring the project into practical shape in next two years, he informed.
Asked why the RDA wanted to bring projects like Kamal Vihar when already Naya Raipur would be developed by the state government, Kataria said the two projects could not be compared as Kamal Vihar was a mere small project with master plan in Raipur city.
Kataria pointed out that the problems of water, road, electricity and drains prevail in Raipur because the city had not been developed according to master plan. “The places like Gudhiyari and Ramnagar developed haphazardly owing to which the road widening process in such areas case inconvenience to the local residents,” he said.
Kataria said a majority of the metropolitan cities in the country as well as in the other parts of the world were developed according to master plan. “First, the basic infrastructure like road, water, electricity, etc were developed in the big cities then the people started dwelling there,” he said.
Rs 50 per sack hiked for tendu leaves collection
Raipur, March 17, 2010
Forest Minister Vikram Usendi on Wednesday announced in the Vidhan Sabha that the forest dwellers engaged in tendu leaves collection would now get Rs 50 more per standard sack and the new rate would be Rs 700 as against the previous rate Rs 650 per sack. This hike will benefit about 13 lakh forest dwellers across the state, he said. Usendi’s announcement came while he was answering during budgetary demands for Forest department. Over Rs 483.25 crore budget for the department was passed in the Vidhan Sabha today.
Usendi said the government had always given consideration to the forest dwellers and had hiked Rs 200 for tendu leaves collection in past six years. Till 2003, the forest dwellers were getting Rs 450 per standard sack tendu leaves but when BJP government came in power, it hiked the rate continuously by Rs 50 and now new rate will be Rs 700 per sack, he said.
Similarly, the bonus amount for tendu leaves collection has also been increased in recent years and now the forest dwellers get 80 percent bonus. He informed the House that the tendu leave collected in the current year had been sold at good rate owing to which the forest dwellers could about Rs 150 crore bonuses.
Pertaining to damaged forests, he further informed that department had set a target of afforesting 55,000 hectare in 2010-11 for which the allotted fund from the budget would be Rs 66 crore. Similarly, Rs 29 crore would be spent on bamboo forests of which forestation would done in 38,000 hectare and maintenance would be done in 80,000 hectare area, he said.
To ensure proper security in the forest regions, the department has also spread a network of wireless information system that is equally effective in remote areas, he said.
The department has also checked the illegal transportation of forest produces through its flying squads at circle levels and 365 inspection chowkis across the state, he added. Usendi informed the House that the department registered 22,356 criminal cases in 2009 and recovered 6,300 cubic meter illegal forest produces and seized 176 vehicles engaged in illegal transportation.
He said the department’s budget further had provision of Rs six crore to prevent fire eruption in forests. Similarly, Rs 50.50 crore would be spent in the protection and development of forest animals in 2010-11, he said.
Considering problems created by the elephants in specific parts of the state, the Union government has included Chhattisgarh into its Project Elephant scheme, Usendi informed. For this, the budget has a provision of Rs 1.50 crore for Central-Regional scheme in 2010-11.
Regarding the proposed Elephant Reserve, he informed that it would be made by including Badalkhol sanctuary (Jashpur district) and its nearby forest regions, Semarsot and Temorpingla (Sarguja district). The government has made a provision Rs 4 crore to develop elephant habitats. Similarly, Rs one crore would be spent in protection and development of crocodile rserve in Kotmi Sonar (Janjgir district), he said.
Rs 58.24 lakh looted from banks in 3 years: Kanwar
Raipur, March 17, 2010
Home Minister Nankiram Kanwar on Wednesday informed in the Vidhan Sabha that Rs 58,24,634 has been looted from banks across the state in past three years. Kanwar reply came to the question of Congress MLA and former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi who had asked from Kanwar pertaining to number of bank loot cases in 2007, 2008 and 2009, the looted amount each year, the number of criminals nabbed and the number of convicts.
Kanwar informed the House that total 22 bank loot cases occurred in past three years. In this regard, the police detained 48 criminals and two have been convicted so far, he said.
The robbers looted ten banks in 2007 and fled away with Rs 30,64,533. The police nabbed 19 suspects in pertaining to these loot cases and two were convicted by the court.
Similarly, seven bank loot cases took place in 2008 in which Rs 12,27,389 was looted. The cops trapped 18 suspects but their crime has not been proved before the court so far.
Last year, five banks were looted and the looted amount was Rs 15,32,712. About 11 persons were detained in this regard but no has been convicted by the court till date.
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