Offices will remain open
Decision to close schools & colleges to be taken today
Raipur, September 22, 2010
In wake of judgement to be delivered by Allahabad High Court on Ram Janmabhoomi issue on Friday (September 24), the district administration has issued prohibitory orders in the district under Section 144 of CrPC on the particular day. “The decision to clamp prohibitory orders has been taken as a preventive measure, however the district’s normal flow would remain undisturbed with offices and other workplaces open,” said Collector Rohit Yadav and SP Dipanshu Kabra while talking to the media persons on Wednesday pertaining to proactive measures taken by the district administration on Ayodhya issue on September 24.
“We have also got assurance from the Muslim fraternity that the people would directly go to home after offering namaz at mosques on Friday,” the duo said.
When asked whether the schools and colleges would remain open on Friday and how sensitive is the district administration towards the concern of the parents, Yadav said, “Although, we do not think that the academic institutions needed remain close, however the final decision would be taken on Thursday.”
Considering security measures, the immersion of Lord Ganesha idols would be done till September 24 morning. “We have already got inputs from our sources that some specific organisations may attempt to stir up peace and tranquility of the district, but we have made adequate arrangements to thwart any such offensive,” said Kabra. The police has also detained over 300 suspects on the basis of their past criminal records.
“We have planned to lay security cordon in the entire capital that would be divided into 12 sectors and each sector would be led by a DSP. Besides, there will be a reserved force and detention squads,” said Kabra.
Yadav said no public or victory procession, demonstration or public meetings would be allowed during prohibitory period. He said, however, the ban order would not be applicable to programs of meetings conducted on behalf of the government.
The police have further warned against sending provocative SMSes through mobiles phones, pro or against the court verdict on Ayodhya issue. Cautioning the people to guard against any such SMSes and not be provoked or by the rumours, Kabra warned of severe actions against the people indulging in the act of destabilising peace.
Rising road mishaps: Who is to blame for?
Raipur, September 22, 2010
There has been a marked rise in the road mishaps due to unorganised traffic in the city. There are many reasons for the growth in the number of accidents that are caused not merely due to the increase in population and rise in vehicle ownership, but also due to causal approach of road users in observing driving rules, adhering to safety precautions and regulations. Rash and reckless driving has proved to be a frequent cause of serious and fatal accidents.
Similarly, poor road geometry and inadequate street lighting also increase the incidence of accidents. One of the major causes of pedestrian safety is endangered by extended trading activities of shops and commercial activity on footpaths and sidewalks. This compels pedestrians to clog the road space, hence give a chance to accidents. The number of accidents in the last three years has increased to manifolds because of unsafe and inefficient transportation system in Raipur and as usual, the involvement of trucks, cars and two-wheelers is more in road accidents.
There are about 50 accident-prone zones in Raipur of which maximum accidents (both major & minor) take place at SRP chowk on GE Road. The leading accident-prone locations are SRP chowk, Devri, near liquor Shop at Mana Basti, Pachpedi Naka, Santoshi Nagar chowk, Siltara, Khamtarai-based old and new overbridges and Dumartarai.
In the central business district (CBD) area, Shastri chowk and Ghadi chowk on GE road have also been identified as accident-prone zones. However, neither the traffic police, nor the RMC has taken any effective measure to check road mishaps in these locations.
One of the key reasons for rising number of accidents is high speed of the vehicles. According to a survey, the average speed of the vehicles in the city during peak hours fluctuates from 27 km/h to 30 km/h which is quite high considering the traffic density. Interestingly, the average running speed during normal hours hovers around 32 km/h, however maximum speed of the vehicles zoom past 60 km/h in certain road stretches, giving rise to the chances of road mishaps.
To check speed, the traffic police claim that they usually put stoppers on those roads where the motorists are more likely to drive rashly, still the high-spirited devil-may-care youngsters never miss the opportunity to pump their adrenaline high by displaying their dexterity in controlling their superbikes and four-wheelers at formidable speed.
The behaviour of road users too plays a major role in the smooth movement of traffic and ensuring traffic discipline and safety. The behaviour is something that comes naturally to the road users and cannot be really enforced by the traffic police and other regulatory authorities. Although, the police attempt to infuse traffic sense among the motorists by launching awareness campaigns, all such efforts go in vain.
In general, the road user behaviour in Raipur is not fair and this is the reason why so many controlled and uncontrolled intersections are not functioning well. Most of the drivers do not have patience and always try to break the signal causing disturbance to the people going in green phase and congestion mostly resulting in accidents.
The behaviour Para-transit transport drivers (auto rickshaw/taxi) however, require significant improvement. These drivers work with the primary objectives of completing their journey faster and making more money and therefore have very little regard to the traffic rules and discipline. They do not follow the driving discipline, stop their vehicle without proper indication (for boarding/alighting of the passengers), stop at any place without worrying about the disruption of traffic flow and take turns without following the rules of priority.
Most of these drivers are uneducated and they work under a lot of financial/other constraints from the owners of the vehicle. Thus, the reason for their behaviour on roads could be understood. Hence, the police and the RMC should gear up to prepare a traffic education and awareness programme, especially structured for public transport and Para-transit drivers.
The traffic SP D Ravishankar says - “Preventive checking is one such effective method we always adopt to check accidents, both in the city and outskirts. Usually, you will find high-speed vehicles in the suburban areas as there are less checking points. However, we have managed to bring down the accidental cases in city and peripheral areas. Besides, we are getting adequate support from the RMC in dealing the road traffic and you can experience the changes at certain intersections including Jaistambh chowk where the turnings have been widened.”
Public holiday in Bhatgaon on Oct 1
Raipur, September 22, 2010
The state government has announced public holiday in Bhatgaon legislative constituency on October 1, 2010 due by-polls. In this regard, the General Administration Department (GAD) had issued notification from Mantralaya on September 17, 2010.
Tiwari participates in ICER Mauritius
Raipur, September 22, 2010
Dr Anil Tiwari, Reader from NIT’s mechanical department recently participated in the International Congress on Environmental Research Mauritius 9from September 16-18, 2010) and presented his research papers on – Techno-economic analysis of using solar energy through water heating applications for Raipur city. In his presentation, Tiwari analysed how much energy and fund could be saved using solar water heater.
Rs 5.57 crore approved for anicut, reservoir
Raipur, September 22, 2010
The state government has approved Rs 5.57 crore for an anicut and one reservoir on Wednesday. The anicut would be constructed in river Kotri under Manpur development block (Rajnandgaon district) at the cost of Rs 4.23 crore. The anicut project has been approved under Government of India’s Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP). Similarly, the reservoir project is proposed for village Lakhram (Chourha Devri) under Bilha development block (Bilaspur district) at the cost of Rs 1.34 crore.
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