Raipur, January 24, 2011
Eminent missile Dr Vijay Kumar Saraswat, Director General (DG) Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Secretary Defence R&D New Delhi and Scientific Advisor to Union Minister of Defence AK Antony will deliver a public lecture entitled – ‘Indian Defence Research: Opportunities and Challenges’ under the aegis of Public Outreach Centre (POC) at Sir CV Raman Hall in Pt Ravishankar Shukla University (RSU) on at 3:30 pm Tuesday. The varsity registrar KK Chandrakar informed that besides all the RSU faculty, research scholars and students, large number of people from different sectors would also attend the lecture programme.
Padmashri Dr Saraswat has spearheaded the development of country’s strategic and tactical missile systems including the ‘Agni’ series of strategic missiles covering a range up to 3,000 kms.
Dr Saraswat, a PhD in combustion engineering, started his career in DRDO in 1972 at the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad and was responsible for the development of country’s first liquid propulsion engine.
As Project Director of Prithvi missile, he steered the design, development, production and induction of the first indigenous surface-to-surface missile system into the armed forces.
The successful testing of Dhanush missile on board a moving ship with high terminal accuracy brought a new dimension in the national defence capability. As Program Director AD (Air Defence), Dr Saraswat pioneered the concept of theatre defence system and integration of national Air Defence elements. He was Director, Research Centre Imarat (RCI) before taking over as CC R&D (MSS) in November, 2005.
Dr Saraswat is a forerunner in the development of number of critical missile technologies that were under denial due to the Missile Technology Control Regime. He has headed various committees of national importance.
Dr Saraswat has received several awards including Prof Jai Krishna Memorial Award of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) and National Systems Gold Medal by the Systems Society of India.
Fund crisis stalled WAS implementation: Mayor
During presentation of updated report of Water Augmentation Scheme
Raipur, January 24, 2011
The delay in practical implementation of Water Augmentation Scheme (WAS) in the city is due to fund crisis. The RMC has yet to receive final installment of the financial aid for the project and it would come from the Centre (Rs 63 crore) and the state government (Rs 15 crore). The information pertaining to scheme was imparted by Mayor Kiranmayi Nayak during the presentation by Public Health Engineering (PHE) on physical and financial progress of WAS at the RMC’s Pt Ravishankar Shukla conference hall on Monday noon.
“The RMC is committed to complete the project at the earliest if the funds would be available. To meet the Centre’s mandatory conditions pertaining to the scheme, the Mayor-in-Council (MiC) has recently approved work plan for water auditing, water bylaws and installation of water meters on tap connections,” said Nayak.
“Besides, we have made all other improvements in the Rs 303.64 crore-WAS according to stipulation of the Union government. The state government too has changed the water tax structure from Rs 60 to Rs 200 for this scheme,” Nayak added.
She said PHE also require fund to clear payments of contractors who had done required additional works under this scheme. She further held the state Assembly secretariat responsible for not approving the RMC’s proposal to lay 225 meter long water pipeline at Vidhan Sabha road to rid residents of Mova, Daldal Sivni and Saddu from acute water crisis during summer.
She appealed to the corporators to enlist water scarce areas of their wards and give proposals to their respective zone commissioners to solve the problem of water crisis in such parts. “For this, Rs 10 lakh should be used by every corporator in their area as recently the Urban Administration Minister Rajesh Munat had announced grant of Rs 20 lakh for each ward for development works,” said Nayak.
Earlier, Executive Engineers Lokesh Chandravanshi and Abhishek Bajpayee from PHE which is the nodal agency for WAS gave presentation on the updated report of the progress.
Corporator creates scene over delay in WAS
Raipur, January 24, 2011
The municipal’s independent corporator Govind Mishra created scene over delay in Water Augmentation Scheme (WAS) in the city and questioned the commitment of the civic authorities to solve the problem of water crisis in summer. Mishra’s outburst came during PHE’s detailed presentation on its physical and financial progress of WAS at the municipal’s Pt Ravishankar Shukla conference hall on Monday.
Mishra asked from Mayor Kiranmayi Nayak to inform all the corporators about the new deadline to complete the project pointing that seven out of 17 overhead tanks were still under-construction.
He further sought explanation from Nayak pertaining to the municipal’s plans to deal water scarcity problem if the Centre and state government would not releases their share of grant funds for the project in coming months. The Centre has yet to release Rs 63 crore for the scheme while Rs 15 crore will flow from state government’s exchequer.
Nayak replied that the RMC could start supplying water to the Raipurians under the scheme initially with 10 overhead tanks in the summer. “However, for this, the state government would have quickly release its share of grant fund, i.e. Rs 15 crore or else the people dwelling in wards where water table declines sharply during summer would have to once again rely on tankers,” she added.
Mishra, who was part of municipal’s Mayor-in-Council (MiC) earlier, had later resigned alleging that he had no powers in spite of holding the post of president Public Health and Sanitation department and was not even able to carry out development works in his own ward.
While the Congress corporators said Mishra adopted combative tone during the presentation programme due to frustration. “Not only Mishra but all the corporators are concerned about the delay in WAS but this is not a municipal’s fault and the progress of the project depends on the availability of the funds,” said the Congress corporators while attempting to defend their mayor.
BJP pays tribute to Lakhiram Agrawal
Raipur, January 24, 2011
The BJP paid floral tribute to Lakhiram Agrawal on the occasion of his death anniversary at part’s state office Ekatma Parisar on Monday. The tribute programme was attended by Chief Minister Raman Singh, BJP national vice president Karuna Shukla, BJP state unit president Ramsewak Paikra, general secretary Organisation Rampratap Singh, Rajya Sabha MP Nand Kumar Sai, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Punnulal Mohle, Ashok Sharma, Dinesh Kashyap, Meghraj Sahu and others.
RMC lodged FIR against 23 civic staffers, 11 suspended
Raipur, January 24, 2011
The RMC has lodged FIR against 23 municipal staffers for not attending the training programme for enumerators and supervisors of census 2011. In this regard, the civic Commissioner Om Prakash Choudhary gave necessary instructions to Deputy Commissioner Krishna Kumar Dubey on Monday. Choudhary also suspended 11 out of these 23 employees with an immediate effect. The action was taken against these employees because they remained absent from the training programme organised on January 22, 23 and 24, 2011 without prior information, said Choudhary.
BJYM stops goods train, halts rail traffic for 2 hrs
Alleges that Centre conspiring to thwart its Rashtriya Ekta Yatra
Raipur, January 24, 2011
The Bharatiya Janata Yuwa Morcha (BJYM) on Monday noon stopped a goods train at Mahoba Bazar level crossing and halted the rail traffic for more than two hours in its protest against cancellation of special train that was supposed to carry about 3300 state BJYM workers from Raipur to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) on January 23, 2011 under the organisation’s Rashtriya Ekta Yatra to hoist national flag at Lal Chowk in Srinagar on Republic day on January 26. The BJYM workers alleged that the Centre was conspiring to thwart their plan to hoist the tricolor in J&K.
The BJYM workers also shout slogans against the Centre as well as Union Home and Railway ministries. Later, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) detained the protesters and released on personal bond.
“We also condemn the highhandedness of the RPF that used force on us while we were protesting at Mahoba Bazar level crossing,” said the BJYM district president Sanju Narayan Singh Thakur.
The BJP district president Ashok Pandey said that the BJYM stopped the goods train because the Union Railway Ministry cancelled their prescheduled special train under Congress-led UPA government’s pressure.
The BJYM’s state general secretary Ashish Agrawal said “The UPA does not want integrity in the country owing to which it is trying to prevent us to hoist the tricolour in Srinagar.”
After the BJYM’s special train was cancelled, it had warned on Sunday night to protest against the Centre and Railways by stopping train. The BJYM workers along with Mahila Morcha and BJP leaders started gathering at Mahoba Bazar level crossing from 1 pm on Monday. Meanwhile, the district police and RPF jawans and officials were present in large number.
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