TOWERING BATTLE BETWEEN HEALTH AND CONNECTIVITY

RANCHI: The erratic installation of mobile towers in the state have robbed Ranchiites of their sleep. Residents who have base transceiver stations (BTS towers) or mobile towers, installed atop their houses and near their flats are complaining of losing sleep. Some of them have complained of high-irritatibility as well. They are being advised by doctors to shift to a place which has lesser number of mobile towers to get good sleep and restore calm of mind.

M B K Sinha, the assistant professor of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), said it was common for people living in areas dotted with mobile towers to suffer from sleeplessness and irritability.

Sunil Mahapatra (name changed), a resident of Burdman Compound, is one among a growing tribe of people facing such disorders. "I was advised by my doctor to move to a location where there were less mobile towers. I moved to Namkum in a rented flat," said Mahapatra. But unfortunately, the Namkum area is also not free from the menace of mobile tower radiation and Mahapatra has to pop sleeping pills for a peaceful night.

Consultant physician and cardiologist Manoj Kumar Vadani agreed, "Shift ing locations in such cases make a huge difference. Areas with radio frequency levels within the acceptable range cause less harm."

In a number of cases, electromagnetic radiation from mobile towers has led to the impairment of the growth of the foetus in pregnant women, said Gopa Choudhary, assistant professor of gynaecology department at RIMS. "Of late, several incidents of growth retardation in foetus, abnormal birth, and even deaths have been reported owing to mobile tower radiation," she added. Though Choudhary did not confirm any such incident, she said, "It is a countrywide phenomenon. We will now try to find out more about such effects in Ranchi."

It is no surprise then that the largest hospital in Jharkhand is itself situated amidst a jungle of mobile towers. Recently, the Rajasthan high court asked for mobile towers in educational institutions, hospitals, playgrounds, jails and monuments to be relocated elsewhere.

There has been powerful activism against erection of illegal mobile towers across the length and breadth of the city. Ashish Kumar Singh, an advocate who had filed a PIL in 2010 for the removal of the illegal mobile towers in Ranchi, said medical reports have already proved that exposure to electromagnetic waves from mobile towers cause loss of retention power in kids and at times memory loss. "It also leads to cancer," said Singh. A group of environmentalists had also drawn the attention of the high court to the harmful effects of radiation.

Early this year, following the directions of the Jharkhand high court, a high-level team comprising experts from Birla Institute of Technology (Mesra) had been assigned the task of studying the effects of radiation. But the work is still pending because of technical difficulties. Nisha Gupta, the head of the department of electronics and communication, who is heading the team, said, "The study has been stalled because of technical difficulties."

Despite all this, Jharkhand's Telecom Enforcement Resource & Monitoring (TERM) Cell, a watchdog under the ministry of communication and IT department of telecommunications, claims that radiation from mobile towers (base station antennae) are within the limits for general public exposure.

J B Prasad, Jharkhand's deputy director general, TERM cell, said, "Our vigilance experts have conducted an analysis of emission levels on several mobile towers in Ranchi and other districts on a random basis. It has come to our notice that around 100% BTS's located in Ranchi and other districts are complying with the norms".

TERM officials had conducted the sample survey in Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Bokaro, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad and other districts where the BTS's towers were found 100% compliant, said Prasad.

In 2010, the department of telecommunications (DoT) had issued detailed instructions to telecom service providers across the country for meeting guidelines of International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).

" ICNIRP, widely connected to a large community working on non-ionizing radiation protection around the world, is formally recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the field of non-ionizing radiation," said a senior TERM official. Prasad, however, said if someone thinks that any mobile mast in his area is dangerous or emits radiation, he should immediately complain to the department. We shall verify the same and take necessary action." There are around 6000 BTSs of 2G, 3G, GSM and CDMA in Jharkhand. DoT guidelines clearly say that sites found non-compliant by TERM Cells will face a penalty of Rs 5 lakh per BTS. It also adds that the site, found non-compliant, may also be shut down.

Prasad, however, said that there is no government direction about the installation of mobile towers near educational institutions, hospitals, playgrounds and other public places.

RANCHI HAS MORE THAN 1000 ILLEGAL MOBILE TOWERS

RANCHI: Almost 1000-odd base transceiver stations (BTS towers) better known as mobile towers, which can jeopardize several lives any time, have been illegally erected, said Ranchi Municipal Corporation officials. The civic body has already issued a public notice, through newspapers, to all such mobile tower operators urging them to comply with the norms. The RMC authorities will soon sit down for a meeting and decide upon the last date for the mobile operators to take necessary measures to comply with the RMC Building By-laws or else their mobile towers will be sealed or dismantled. The move will break down all mobile networks in Ranchi (because one tower is used by several operators) and affect thousands of lives across the state.

Deputy chief executive officer of RMC Gopalji Tiwari said, "RMC Building By-laws strictly say that mobile tower operators need to obtain no objection certificates (NOC) from the civic body before any of the towers are installed. But none of the existing mobile towers have taken NOC from RMC for the erection of their infrastructures." It may be noted that municipalities in Delhi, Pune, Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai and other cities have already launched similar drivers.

Most of the mobile towers are situated near hospitals, schools, colleges, playgrounds and other public places. RMC claims that none of the towers follow building structural safety norms and their structural safety is unchecked and uncertified. In case, the mobile towers collapse owing to rains or powerful winds, they may lead to serious casualties.

In a sample survey conducted some months ago, RMC had found gross violations of structural safety by these mobile towers. "A meeting of the operators from various companies was called and instructions issued. But only 35 of them have submitted their documents so far," said Tiwari.

It has been over three months since the public notice was released by the municipality. But the civic body has neither sealed the mobile towers nor dismantled them.

A deputy director general rank official in BSNL said on conditions of anonymity, "We do not have any instructions from our ministry to seek such NOC from the local municipality." BSNL has, however, submitted several documents to RMC which it has obtained from DOT. Private mobile operators could not be reached for comments.

ARJUN MUNDA BANKS ON DIVINE INTERVENTION TO SAVE HIS GOVERNMENT

RANCHI: Jharkhand chief minister Arjun Munda is banking on divine intervention to save his government, as Shibu Soren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has mounted pressure on him to quit.

Soren on Wednesday insisted that the BJP should abide by an unwritten power-sharing agreement between the two parties that they would run the government on 28-month rotational basis.

Sources in CM's house said Munda and his wife chant Sankat Mochan Hanuman mantras and read Hanuman Chalisa seven times every day. Munda does not even take breakfast before his daily puja.

Acharya Ravi Shastri, who had done vaastu corrections at then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao's official residence in 1995, said he did a similar ritual at Munda's house. "The vastu correction was done to avert political crisis," said Shastri. "No political crisis would plague the government. I had told the same to Rao in 1995 when he had taken me for vastu corrections."

Shashtri said Rao's coalition government was in trouble throughout, but managed to complete its term.

Ajay Shastri, chief priest of the CM's in-house temple, said, "Mundaji does a parikrama of the temple every morning after chanting mantras as advised to him."

It is believed that the one who does this where Lord Hanuman's idol is installed in its Sankat Mochan form is saved from all troubles and enemies. "As advised, Munda has started wearing a Sankat Mochan Kavach (cover) in his neck too," said a source.

Munda is known for his religiosity. He arranged an elaborate 'grih pravesh' after ensuring certain vaastu corrections at the CM's official residence when he took over for the first time in 2002.

He installed a Sankat Mochan Hanuman temple at his official residence to ward off evils that could harm his health and political career after surviving a helicopter crash in May. In July, he even invited a group of priests from Ayodhya for vaastu corrections at his official residence again.

GIRL GETS FORMER BOYFRIEND STONED TO DEATH IN JHARKHAND

RANCHI: The Khunti police have arrested one, Renu Kumari, besides three others, for stoning to death her boyfriend Arun Kumar Mahto at Topra block of the district on October 1.

The twenty-two-year-old Arun was stoned to death by Renu current boyfriend - Nelson Aind and his two friends Alexandra Horo and Dipesh Horo -- with her watching from distance. The police on Tuesday recovered Arun's decomposed body from a jungle in Torpa block.

 Khunti SP Amarnath Mishra said Arun's head was crushed with boulders in the jungle by the trio.

Police said Renu had asked Arun to meet her at Kujri village in Torpa block on October 1. When Arun arrived at Kujri village at around noon he was confronted by Nelson, Alexandra and Dipesh. The trio forced him to go along with them to a deep jungle where he was stoned to death even as his girlfriend watched the gory incident from a distance.

The SP said Arun was Neha's first boyfriend. "The two had met at an ITI centre in Koderma a few years ago. The girl is originally from Simdega district, 50km away from Khunti. Arun even used to visit her in Simdega," the SP said.

Though Renu loved him a lot, Arun was not very attractive. In the meantime, Nelson, who was Arun's friend , came into her life she started going around with him. "The girl has confessed that Nelson met her just a couple of months ago," the SP said. After meeting Nelson, Renu started ignoring Arun and he went into depression.

"I had asked Nelson and his friends to finish Arun," Renu said in her confessional statement to the police. Renu had earlier promised to marry Arun after he completed the technical course, said a police officer. Nelson, Alexandra, Dipesh were also students of ITI in Koderma and hail from Khunti district.

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PEOPLE PEE ANYWHERE IN RANCHI, EVEN AT DHONI’S BUNGALOW

Ranchi: In capital town Ranchi every unoccupied place is a lavatory, or so people think. Not only public places are used to ease even private properties are not spared. On Thursday evening this correspondent caught a man peeing at the backyard wall of Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni palatial house.

“Now newspapers have stooped to this level (reporting peeing activities)?” the middle-aged man quipped as if proud to have peed on Dhoni’s house. He refused to disclose his name. Dhoni’s house is high-walled. As there is no guard at the back door no one forbade him.

A sanitation inspector with Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) said comic is the sense of sanitation in locals here.

“Certain folk, especially those coming from rural areas, never use urinals. They would urinate beside the urinals but not into it,” said the inspector.

He also said, “The other sort of folk not only urinate into the urinals they also shit. I receive daily complaints from my sweepers.”

Gopalji Tiwary, additional municipal commission RMC, said, “laws have been enacted to punish those indulging in the dirty act at public places. Jharkhand Municipality Act 2011 authorizes its civic officials, including RMC to charge no less than Rs 500 from people found doing the “dirty activity” in public places. No one has however been charged so far.

Gopalji Tiwary, said, “NO has been charged for peeing in public. Actually it is difficult to catch such people.”

There are only 46 public toilets and 13 urinals in town where over 11 lakh people reside. Ranchi is spread over more than 175 square kilometer. In such a large place 55-odd toilets are lost and people find it difficult to locate them and urinate wherever they want to.

Men may not mind, but the dirty act has girls hang their heads in shame at city St Xavier College. Over 10,000 girls pass by a urinal near Sadar hospital adjacent to the prestigious college.

“It is a surprise how people manage to do it in an open place,” said Premlata Rani, of St Xavier College. Another girl Ankita Kujur had a suggestion, “Jhakrhand Mukti Sangh should throw acid on these people.” JMS had recently threatened to throw acid on jeans-clad girls in Ranchi.

Similar is the situation at Jakir Hussain Park and St John School where urinals are situated. “We throw little stones at those indulging in the dirty act outside the urinal,” said Spardha Singh, a class X student.

Swati Singh, a doctor, said almost 90% men don’t have any regard for women let alone for people of their own sex. “Until and unless there would be strict punishment, it will continue,” she added.

Amool Ranjan, director Ranchi Institutte of Neuro Physiatrist and Allied Sciences (RINPAS) said, “It has become a habit of these people. It is because there is a severe lack of toilets in the city. People always do it at roadside and have no qualms about it.”

However, those urinating in public places are not exclusively at fault. “Actually no urinal or toilet in Ranchi is clean. It is deathlike to spend even five minutes into them,” said Srikant Chaubey, an employee at Nepal house, the state’s secretariat.

On contract with the Jharkhand government, toilets are maintained in the state by Sulabh International, a sanitation agency. The toilets were constructed with funds from the state government and handed over to the agency which charges Rs 2 for each use. 

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SEX BEFORE MARRIAGE: LIVE-IN COUPLE KILLED BY NAXALS In JHARKHAND

RANCHI: Peoples' Liberation Front of India (PLFI) rebels on Saturday night killed an unmarried couple for maintaining a live-in relationship in Atheldih village, some 50km from here. The victims, Sanjay Purty and Itwari Oriya, were planning to marry next year. In January, the rebel outfit PLFI had killed seven persons for indulging in "immoral activities".

Khunti SP M Tamil Vanam confirmed that the couple was living together for the last two years even though they were not married. "An FIR was lodged against unknown assailants," said the SP. The police said: "They were keen to live their life as shown in movies. Blind to how the villagers look at their relationship, the couple was living in a separate room at a deserted locality in Atheldih village."

Locals said a group of PLFI guerrillas came to their village around midnight. "They warned of dire consequences and asked us not to venture out of our houses," the police quoted the villagers as saying. After warning the villagers, the men broke open the door of the couple's house and fired several rounds of bullets, killing the duo on the spot.

Purty, a 22-year-old farmer and a resident of the neighbouring Kowa village, had fallen in love with Oriya, 17, who hailed from Daugara, another village the vicinity two years ago. They started dating and their love affair became the talk of the town. Etho Panda Munda, father of Oriya, had initially opposed the advances of Purty but could do nothing.

The bodies have been sent for post-mortem. An investigation has been launched into the incident. "We are trying to know whether PLFI had given any warning to the couple's parents or not," said Vanam. It might also be that Purty had refused to join their ranks or had done something against PLFI's interests.

The PLFI guerrillas also allegedly killed one of their colleagues who apparently opposed this sort of moral policing. "A body has been recovered from a nearby jungle," said an officer at Murmu police station. "The victim might have opposed the moral act, for which he was killed," said Khunti SP. The body is yet to be identified. "The victim was wearing shoes and that shows he was a militant. "Villagers usually do not go into the forests wearing shoes," said the Khunti SP.

PLFI came into existence in July 2008, when a gang of criminals in rural Ranchi, adjoining Simdega and Gumla districts, adopted Maoist tactics to create terror. Initially, the group was known as Jharkhand Liberation Tigers (JLT) and the members of the group on several occasions were identified by police to have looted and killed innocent people. According to former Ranchi SSP M S Bhatia, who is now IG (Ranchi zone), one Dinesh Gope organised the veteran criminals and ex-Maoists to join his fold under the banner of JLT.


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TOP BUREAUCRATS IN JHARKHAND DON’T RETIRE

Ranchi: For top bureaucrats in Jharkhand, retirement is just the beginning of a new life. Their average age is around 65 but at heart they are 25. Former chief secretaries, development commissioners and other top babus who have got merit postings make up for their sagging skin and receding hairline with their enthusiasm and energy. Even after putting in eight to 10 hours in office daily, they are raring to go after retirement.

The secret behind their energy is perhaps a daily exercise schedule and positive thinking. Push-ups, reverse push-ups, jogging and various forms of exercise ensure there's never a dull moment in their lives. Most of them claim they have brought about a sea-change at their respective organisations. Most of them are also blog warriors, eager cooks and gardeners.

For former chief secretary of Jharkhand, Lakshmi Singh, age does not matter either. The 1970-batch Jharkhand cadre IAS is more comfortable working after retirement. Singh is the head of the Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC). "I find post retirement assignments more comfortable. I have more freedom of action, thought and speech. I need not wait for the approval of any minister to implement my idea for reforming the council," said Singh, who comes to office at 10 in the morning and leaves after 5 in the evening.

"I cook my own food," Singh, who retired as chief secretary of Jharkhand in August 2005, said. A healthy diet and regular physical activities have kept Singh healthy and hearty. At JAC, Singh, who headed the Jharkhand State Women's Commission after retirement, conducts exams for lakhs of students. She also has to her credit a long list of achievements and reforms at JAC.

Years have added wrinkles to Singh's face, but her soul is as fresh as it was the day she joined the IAS. "I am ready to accept more responsibility after retiring as JAC chairperson," said Singh, whose tenure ends next month.

Mukhtiar Singh, 64, is the big boss of the Jharkhand Electricity Regulatory Commission. "If we forget our goals and principles we become old. The number of years can never make one old," said the 1976 batch Jharkhand cadre IAS officer.

Singh retired as Development Commissioner of Jharkhand in December 2007. Singh is a stickler for rules. "Whatever is the weather; I get up at 5 in the morning and then go for a walk. Rain, sunshine, cold, nothing stops me. I go for a walk in every season," he said.

At JSEC, Singh's achievements are many. "If your purpose of living is clear you will never grow old. Help those in need and your passing years will work as tonic for you,” he also said.

Former chief secretary of Jharkhand, Shiv Basant is another example of youth in middle age. The 1976 batch IAS officer served as chairman of the Jharkhand State Electricity Board and is now chairman of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC).

"Age is how you see it. If you think you are ageing, you will feel old," said Basant. Healthy and punctual to office, Basant has initiated many reforms at JPSC.

The 69-year-old Narendra Bhagat, a 1975 batch IAS officer, is working to revive the Jharkhand State Education Tribunal (JSET). A regular blogger, he said, "I never think I am losing my youth." Bhagat practises yoga regularly.

These youthful old babus are guiding a young state as the Jharkhand government has always been keen to provide merit postings to retired babus. Former chief secretary, M K Mandal, and retired IAS officer, BB Lal, have served as commissioner in JSEC. Former secretary in the Revenue Department A C Ranjan has served as member of JSET. IAS officer J L Baishyantri was made consultant in the Income Tax department after she retired. Secretary in the water resources department, she was appointed chairperson of the Public Distribution Grievances Commission.

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Aspiring MBAs, Engineers, CAs play ‘Priests’ At Baidyanath Dham

Deoghar: It may sound strange but it is true. Students pursuing engineering, MBA, MCA, Company Secretary and Chartered Accountancy in Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata have abandoned their studies and descended in Baidyanath Dham shrine to earn money. The sojourn is however month-long when income is huge. These modern day ‘pandas’ derogatorily called “visiting Pandas” perform the rituals in jeans and t-shirts. All of them are sons of the priests at the temple.

Panda Dharma Rakshni Sabha (PDRS), the central body of the priests at Baidyanath Dham shrine, is happy that the new generation is interested in the sacred acts. Durlav Mishra alias Kaliya Panda, PRDS general secretary said more than 700 such students have come this year. On an average these students make Rs 30,000 to 40,000 in one month. The money is used to sponsor studies, he added. Few visiting Pandas however use the bucks to buy bikes, laptops or high-end phones.

Meet Shyamal Kishore Parihasht a 5th semester electronics engineering student of Punjab University. Parihasht, 22, is on a month’s holiday here and is helping his father Nand Kishore Pandit, a member of PDRS. “Our ancestors have been plying priests at the shrine. I have just come to help my father. It feels great,” said Parihasht. This boy, however, is determined to become an engineer and not a panda like his father.

Clad in jeans and T-shirt 22-year-old Kundan Pandit, who was photographed making some kanwariyas do certain rituals inside Baba Baidyanath shrine on Monday has already completed two stages to become a Chartered Accountant. “I am determined like hell to become a successful CA. I cracked Common Proficiency Test in 2009 and Integrated Professional Competence Course in 2011,” said proud Pandit.

Son of Anil Pandit, a member of PDRS, Kundan live in Delhi and takes tuition at a prominent private institute. “I shifted to Delhi in 2009 after I completed my schooling from here. I come home to help my father in every Shravani Mela. I hope to crack CA this year,” Kundan added.

President of PDRS Vinodaat Dwariji said that sons of Pandas are internally religious even though they have a modern outlook. MBAs are also in action. Kuldeep Tiwari who pursues two-year course postgraduate diploma in management at a private college in Delhi is also plying ‘priest’ at the shrine. This boy, who gets Rs 70,000 annual scholarship from the college, is also a visiting priest here.

The Shravani Mela also has the IIT-JEE touch. Chandan Kumar Mishra son of priest Dileep Mishra and Amrit Kashyap son of priest Shiv Shankar Khawade were in KOTA for IIT-JEE few years back. Amrit, a gold medallist in his school R K Mission in Deoghar, has cleared AIEEE this year and will take admission into the prestigious NIT-Jamshedpur in a few weeks from now. “Both the students have also been a helping hand to their fathers during Shravani Mela in past,” said Hari Shankar Panda a member of the PDRS.

According to PDRS there are around 150 professionals who take a month’s leave without pay and come to Deoghar in Shravani Mela to serve the God. Amit Khawade, a postgraduate diploma in finance management from Anna Malai University, who works with a MNC in Delhi, is here to support his father Dhhupad Khawade.

Notwithstanding, there are a few detractors of these “visiting pandas”. A life member of PDRS (requesting anonymity) said, “These boys are only attracted by moolah. Each one of them make huge money some even earn Rs 50,000 in a month.”

PDRS general secretary Kaliya Panda however said nothing was wrong in earning money. “The cost of education is huge these days. They support their studies in costly cities like Delhi, Pune with this money,” he added.

Kaliya Panda informed that there are dozens of sons of Pandas here who are currently settled in America, Hong Kong, Germany, China and earn a huge pay packet. “There was a time when all of them used to support their fathers in doing pujas at Baidyanath Dham shrine,” Kaliya Panda said.

PDRS was founded in 1692. Currently it has 5000 life members (the head of a Panda family) and the number of its total membership is 30,000 (approx).

SNAKES MAY FLY FROM RANCHI WITH FLYERS

Ranchi: Remember the scene of horrified passengers in 2006 Hollywood thriller ‘Snakes on a Plane’. In a virtual replay of reel life in real life in Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi, passengers were equally horrified when snakes appeared in the terminal building of Ranchi’s Birsa Munda airport.

On Monday evening and then again on Tuesday evening two snakes had appeared at the airport terminal building last week. Airport director Raju Raghavendra Kumar confirmed the sighting of the snakes.

“There was enough room for the snake to sneak into the luggage. There were quite a few luggage lying around near the X-ray machine where the snake was spotted,” said Ranjan Sen, a passenger waiting for Jet Airways Kolkata-Ranchi-Kolkata (9W-2859) scheduled to depart at 7:20pm on Tuesday.

A separate terminal building (apart from the existing one) is being constructed at the airport for which over 20,000 sq meter lands has been concretised. “It has destroyed the habitats of the snakes and they are looking for new habitats,” said wildlife expert D S Srivastava.

Ranchi airport has a runway length of 8,900 sq ft and thick bushes surround the runway that work as a safe habitat for snakes. A large number of rats are found in the bushes too which work as food for the snakes.

According to CISF staff on Monday the venomous snake, possibly ‘harhara’, had appeared near Air India’s cabin. Generally passengers drop in their luggage near the cabin while getting clearances done from the airlines. At this point there were chances of the snake sneaking into the luggage.

“Initially we got an impression that the snake has managed to get into someone’s luggage. It was first sighted around 6:45pm and then suddenly disappeared. Not only passengers standing nearby started searching their baggage for the snake but also AI staff looked underneath the tables,” said a CISF inspector, requesting anonymity.

The Go Air Delhi-Ranchi-Delhi flight (G8-714) was scheduled to take off for Delhi at 8:05pm and over 100 passengers were in the passengers’ lounge when the snake was sighted.

The CISF staff, armed with carbolic acid (a snake repellent), started looking for the snake that was found after one-hour search at 7:55pm barely 10 minutes before the departure of the Go Air flight.

The airport authorities got snake repellent medicines spread in and around the airport after the incident. But on Tuesday evening again a snake, some three feet long, appeared near an X-ray machine. The machine is in service and several baggages are x-rayed in it. This snake was also recovered after CISF staff chased it for over one hour.

“The news has shocked me,” said Shahid Ansari, director at a posh city hospital and frequent flyer. In 2008 when 2.47 lakh flyers used the airport for various destinations across the country, sighting one snake in a week was not an unusual affair, said a source.

Airport director Raju, however, said, “There is no chance of a snake getting into a luggage and thus getting into the cargo hold of the aircraft. Before the luggage get into the cargo hold they are handled and checked at five to six points.”

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STRAY TIGER KILLS AND EAT UP A MAOIST IN JHARKHAND

Ranchi: A stray tiger has killed and eaten up a dreaded Maoist in Jharkhand’s jungles. The incident is suspected to have occurred in Bundu forests, some 40km from here.

The incident suggests that there are more than six tigers in Jharkhand who the forest department thinks live in Palamau Tiger Reserve, a 1000 sq km area.

A handwritten letter of dreaded Maoist Kundan Pahan, who features in the Union Home Ministry’s wanted list and is the commander of South Chhotanagpur Zonal Committee, has confirmed the development.

In the 150-odd words letter, which is addressed to a Maoist Pragti Da, Kundan Pahan has deeply regretted the loss of the aide (Maoist).

“A friend was killed and eaten by a tiger recently. It is a huge loss and a cause of great concern. I am just briefing you about the incident. I will tell you more when we meet,” the letter read.

The letter (a copy of which is with TOI) was seized from a guerrilla Ram Mohan Singh Munda, a close aide of Pahan. Munda was arrested from Tamar block on Saturday.

In the letter Pahan has asked Pragti Da to felicitate the organisation of training camps in the jungles of Ulidih in Ranchi and in Khuti districts. The camps are to be organised on June 30 and November 15 respectively.

Ranchi SSP Saket Kumar Singh said, “The guerrillas and the tigers become dependent on few ponds for water in summer because many ponds naturally dry up. The Maoist (who was eaten up by the tiger) may have been caught unawares and fallen pray.”

Ranchi SP (rural) A V Minz, who has led several anti-guerrilla operations, said, “The guerrillas generally live near water bodies in summer because it is easy for them to cool off in the heat.”

A senior IPS said that in summer guerrillas restrict their movements and prefer to remain static at a place for long. “As summer days are exhausting for the guerrillas they feel sleepier. In deep jungles, especially when they feel relaxed, the guerrillas keep their arms in camps or hang them in trees. This Maoist (killed by the tiger) may have been caught by the tiger in a similar condition,” the IPS added.

National Tiger Conservation Authority member (monitoring wing) and Jharkhand’s tiger man D S Srivastava said that tigers prefer to wander during summer.

“Apart from the Palamau Tiger Reserve area, tigers have been wandering throughout Jharkhand. Tigers have been sighted in Hazaribagh, Latehar, and and Koderma as well,” said Srivastava.

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FARMER’S SON TO WORK WITH INDIA’S ‘MISSILE WOMAN’

Ranchi: A farmer’s son Vivek Kumar, who lived in extreme poverty and cracked IIT-JEE in 2008, will now work on missile research with the ‘Missile Woman of India’ Tessy Thomas.

Vivek Kumar, 21, has been appointed scientist at Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in January (2012). The boy had joined IIT Roorkee as an aspiring mechanical engineer. 

During his training as a scientist Vivek, son of a poor farmer Umesh Prasad, will be working on missile research, fighter aircraft, artificial intelligence, combat vehicles, radar system etc. The training will start in August when Vivek will get the chance to work with Tessy Thomas.

Vivek’s father earns (according to his income certificate available with TOI) Rs 25,000 from his agriculture activities and Rs 50,000 from other sources annually.

“When I was busy in studies, my father was busy selling ancestral lands to support my education. I suffered a lot when I was young, my parents are still suffering,” said 21-year-old Vivek. Now Vivek’s father hardly has any land left to sell.

“I don’t care that I have nothing. Education of my son is my property which is imperishable,” said Umesh Prasad, who himself could not get much formal education because of money (educated till intermediate).

Vivek’s happiness knew no limits when DRDO announced his selection in February (2012). “I was the only one to be selected out of 550 students from IIT Roorkee,” said Vivek.

But the happier he got the more Vivek cried. “I still remember authorities at Surendranath Centenary School Ranchi calling me out of the assembly line for fees,” Vivek said.

Ultimately Vivek’s mother Meena Devi, a standard VI educated lady, sold her jewelleries to support education of Vivek, his elder brother Abhishek Kumar, and two daughters Deepati and Nandita. The family, which hails from Bihar’s Gaya district, live in a rented house in Ranchi. But Vivek's father is still engaged in farmig in Gaya. 

A topper at Bangalore Military School Vivek completed his class VI to IX education free of cost. The boy did his internship last year at Novosibirsk State Technical University, Russia and also got a research paper published in Russia after which he was offered 100% scholarship for a Ph.D programme.

The 16-week training of the boy will start in August at Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune. ARDE is the training centre of DRDO.

On the basis of subject-wise overall merit of marks secured by him, Vivek has also been recommended (a copy of the appointment letter is with TOI) for a scientist position at Aeronautical Development Agency (Bangalore) that develops India’s light combat aircraft programme.

“I am excited that I will work with the missile lady of India. I will devote my body and mind in the training programme. Because on the basis of my performance in training, I will be allotted the desired departments,” said Vivek.


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A “PHOTO-COPY” OF AMITABH BACHCHAN HAS PEOPLE AMAZED

Ranchi: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan is in Ranchi or so believe the rural folks here. People are flocking to the house where he is staying, commuters stop by when he moves on roads to have a glimpse of him and TV channels are after him for interviews. But this is not Big B. It is Amit Khan, a lookalike of the superstar.

Peace Party candidate for the Hatia assembly byelection Arshad Ayukh has invited Amit Khan to campaign for him. The election is scheduled for June 12.

Amit delivers the superstar's popular dialogues like "Tumhara Naam Kya hai Basanti" from Sholey and "Abey Bbuddah Hoga Tera Baap" from Buddah Hoga Tera Baap among dozens of films in exactly the same deep voice as Big B's.

The 52-year-old, who also sports a white French-cut beard like the superstar, had taken commandos outside Big B's Juhu house Pratiksha by surprise in June 2010. As soon as Big B had left his house, Amit Khan arrived to meet him (Big B) and the incident surprised the Bachchans' guards too.

When Amit had landed at Mumbai railway station, hundreds of Big B fans flocked to him and he had a tough time convincing them. He was offered VVIP treatment when he visited a shop in Mumbai to buy some clothes.

"No one in the crowd was ready to believe that I am not the original Big B. Several fans took my autograph and got photographed with me," said Amit whose earlier name was Sajid Khan.
Father of two daughters and a son, Amit has been looking like Bachchan from his childhood. "But the resemblance has grown after my beard grew white and I started keeping French-cut," said Amit who is 6-foot tall while Big B is 6.2-foot.

Girls, too, are infatuated with him as they feel they are with Bachchan. "A young girl of the age of my daughter was madly after me in Jamshedpur. I had a difficult time convincing her," said Amit.
A native of Daltonganj, Amit is is a businessman in Jamshedpur.

During his campaign, Amit draws hundreds of people towards him. "I had seen you only in films. It is my good fortune that I am seeing you in person. You are our God," Big B fans tell him. Earlier Amit Khan has campaigned for the JMM in Jamshedpur.

Amit, who has worked on his voice and look to resemble the legendry actor, has seen almost all movies of Bachchan and is himself Big B's die-hard fan. But unfortunately, he has not been able to meet Bachchan more than once when he caught him at Allahabad in 1984. Amit Khan has visited Big B's house in Juhu thrice but to no avail.

Now films are also coming his way. "A Bhojpuri movie 'Tu Hau Hammar' will be released in June while two more are on the anvil.


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“DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY” THIS BARBER ASPIRES TO BE A LECTURER

Ranchi: Customers at a makeshift hair-cutting saloon on Ranchi's main road are not aware that the barber chopping off their hair is a PhD degree holder and also a writer.

It has been 15 months since Ashraf Hussain earned his doctorate "Doctor of Philosophy" (faculty of humanities) from the Ranchi University (RU) and this year in September his book on Urdu women writers of Jharkhand is expected to be ready.

Located in the Upper Bazaar locality, Ashraf's saloon has the bare necessities: an old chair and a small mirror. A plastic sheet supported by two bamboo sticks completes the infrastructure. He manages to earn Rs 150-200 every day working for eight hours or so.

Ashraf, who has to run a seven-member family exclusively with earnings from the saloon, may be poor but his ambitions are not. "I am hopeful of clearing the UGC's National Eligibility Test (NET) which I took last December. I will apply for lectureship after that," said Ashraf.

The results of the NET test, held in December 2011, are likely to be out soon. And pray, what was the subject of his thesis? "A comparative and analytical study of eminent Urdu short story writers of Jharkhand".

Ashraf has been cutting hair ever since his father, Abdul Aziz, expired in 1991. He had just cleared his intermediate examination then. "Under financial pressure I had to abandon studies till 1999," he said.

But the desire to learn kept simmering inside Ashraf. Somehow, he started his studies all over again. He did his BA (Urdu honours) from Doranda College between 1999 and 2002 and postgraduation between 2003 and 2005.

Ashraf is writing a book on women Urdu writers of Jharkhand, which will be ready by September. "The state has many good writers, but all of them are not famous," he added.

The barber, however, has no plans to quit his work right now. "I prefer working as a barber because there is no pressure or stress. I get ample time to study. I also study at my saloon," said Ashraf.

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SWETT MARDEN AND SHIV KHERA FAIL TO INSPIRE THIS BILLIONAIRE

Ranchi: Reading books of famous American writer Swett Marden and Indian motivational speaker-cum-writer Shiv Khera thousands have benefited across the world. But there is a billionaire builder in Ranchi who got no benefits of these celebrated motivators.

Ranchi police on Monday seized goods worth over Rs 1 crore from the palatial house, Karan Villah, where builder J D Nandi used to live. During the seizure operation this correspondent came across over 10 motivational books of Swett Marden and Shiv Khera stashed in the cupboards of Nandi’s master bedroom.

The builder, who founded and headed one of the largest property developers Sanjeevani Buildcon, is accused of cheating crores of rupees from over 100 people in Ranchi whom he promised flats. After the forgery came to light Nandi escaped to Malaysia with is second wife Anamika Nandi, the owner of Karan Villah, also an accused.

The books were 'Living With Honour' by Shiv Khera, 'Byabhar Kushal Kaise Bane' by Swett Marden, 'Peace of Mind' by well-know American author Joshua Loth Liebman, 'Only Love is Real' by Brain Leslie Weiss among others. Nandi's fraudulent acts seem to have mocked at great beliefs too.

Just above the main entrance of Karan Villah there was a large display-board which had one such great beliefs written “Christ is the Head of this house; the Unseen guest at every meal; the Silent listener to every conversation.”

“It is a clear indication that the internal being of Nandi was no less cheat. He showed to the world that he was honest and had regard for the values of life. But actually he had none,” a 65-year-old man, from whom Nandi cheated Rs 17 for getting him flats, said requesting anoynimity.

Neighbours got on their rooftops to see as four trucks drove treadmills, two large plasma TVs, three master beds, three huge conchs and reclining chairs, several advanced interior designing equipment, several ACs, and other household goods after day-long seizure.

The entire two-storied bungalow in a 5000-odd sq ft high-walled campus had several photographs of Nandi his wife and their son Karan.

“Thoug it is still to be valued, I estimate the cost must be over Rs 1 crore,” said investigating officer Arvind Kumar Sinha. The goods were dumped in Sadar police station.

The neighbours are sort of shocked. “Just a month ago, Nandi used to come out of this house protected by private body guards in a cavalcade. I can’t still believe that it all has happened to him,” said Abhishek Kumar, a college boy.

The police will also attach Nandi’s immovable properties if he does not surrender now. “In a period of six months, we will attach his immovable properties,” said Sinha.

Afraid with seizure of Nandi’s house, another accused in the forgery case Ram Prasad Verma, one of the directors of Sanjeevani Buildcon, surrendered in Ranchi civil court on Monday.

The other accused in the case are Anamika Nandi, Shyam Kishore Gupta, P P Lala, Arvind Singh alias Pappu, Abdul Baham and Shamim Khan. The court has ordered the attachment of the houses of all these accused.

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PRIVATE DIARY OF A SPURNED LOVER

Ranchi: I am giving away my life to you. But you may be too busy to catch hold of it, let alone care, last entry into 23-year-old Santa Das’s private diary, read.

An office management student of St Xavier College, Das hanged herself with her dupatta under strange circumstances at her lodge recently. Das’s boyfriend had dumped her, suggested 200-odd words suicide note.

“What was my fault? What was it that made you leave me for ………?” Das wished to ask, but her voice ditched her too.

Das wanted to speak to her love about the pain he had given, but her love hardly had time to listen. Cowardly, however, Das was not careless about her guy, at the very least.

“After I am gone, you will not be able to live with her happily. It is all that I know,” advised the tribal girl.

Certain scrawls in the succeeding paragraph indicated Das wanted to advice her guy to keep away from his new love. But once again her strength collapsed.

Das, who hails from Dhanbad district, was staying in Ranchi for the last four years. On the basis of a suicide note police suspect a triangle love affair was behind the incident.

“It appears that the boy, with whom Das is suspected to be having an affair, had recently developed relations with another girl. The deceased seems to be depressed over it,” said officer in-charge of Lower Bazaar police station A K Giri.

The suicide note does not however specify any name. The mobile phone of Das has gone missing, leaving the police clueless about Das’s boyfriend.

Words from Das’s diary have the police more confused. A paragraph loosely suggests: “I had told you if you cheat me, I will either kill myself or kill you. I hope killing myself is better.”

Das’s cousins told TOI they had no clue about the love affair of the girl. “I don’t know anything,” said one of her cousin sisters, who also studies at St Xavier.

But girls staying in a room next to that of Das’s at the lodge are not totally clueless. “Of late she had become more reserved than she actually was. We wanted to know, and she was uneasy,” said a friend of Shanta, who is preparing for Bank PO examinations.

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BEWARE: TRUCKS AND SUVS ARE HIJACKED HERE

Ranchi: Gangs from Delhi, Haryana, West Bengal, UP and Bihar are hijacking trucks and SUVs from Ranchi and adjoining districts in Jharkhand at gunpoint.

President of Jharkhand Truck Owners Association (JTOA), Uday Shankar Ojha has claimed that 50-odd trucks have been hijacked from Ranchi and adjoining districts in the past six months.

“All truck owners are scared. The incidents occur mostly on Ranchi-Patna, Ranchi-Tata highway and Barhi national highway,” Ojha told TOI. “I do not know the exact number. But I have received complaints from these truck owners,” added Ojha.

Even cops agree that there have been a series of hijacking (vehicles theft). The hijackers are experts in truck and SUVs theft.

A source in the police informed TOI: “In Delhi NCR over a dozen gangs engaged in lifting trucks, SUVs and autos have been busted recently. While petty criminals have been arrested there, kingpins have escaped and moved to Jharkhand and Bihar.”

Ranchi is one of the epicentres of such hijackings. Ranchi SSP Saket K Singh claimed that city police have been able to nab many of such hijackers.

“Quite a few cases of trucks and SUVs lifting have been registered at various police stations. It is generally a winter season phenomenon. Now we have increased vigil on national highways. It has led to good results too,” city SP Ranjeet K Prasad said.

City’s Ormanjhi police station has solved one case. “A Haryana based gang was involved in lifting the vehicle. Around half a dozen criminals have been arrested,” said a senior cop at Ormanjhi PS. Inroads have also been made into investigation of the lifting of a truck from city’s Booty More under Sadar PS.

A source in the police informed that the gangs generally comprise of around half a dozen hijackers. “They move by an SUV of their own. They give their target vehicles, be it a truck or an SUV, a chase. As soon as they seize “the right moment” they intercept and hijack the vehicle at gunpoint,” said the source. Sources suggest that a few city based criminals who have been recently released on bail are also involved into such activities.

Hazaribagh is 100 km far from Ranchi. A 40-odd km highway between Ranchi and Hazaribagh passes through several thickly forested and zigzag Ghatis. Police presence here (in Ghatis) is sparse. Thus it gives the hijackers the moments of confidence. At a number of occasions drivers and cleaners have been found with their hands and legs tied and left in the forests.

Hazaribagh SP Pankaj Kamboj has also busted around half a dozen such gangs in recent months. “Police stations situated throughout all these Ghatis (including those at entry and exit points) have been instructed to maintain strict checks. It has not only helped us recover vehicles lifted from Ranchi and other parts of the state, but also from adjoining states,” said Kamboj.

At times, vehicle lifters had abandoned the vehicles in Ghatis, he added. After TOI intervention Ranchi SSP and Hazaribagh SP have promised to increase police vigil at strategic points to further check such incidents.

The truck owners association, however, is least satisfied. A delegation of JTOA will meet DGP Gauri Shankar Rath to demand strict measures to give commuters on Jharkhand’s highways a fearless passage.

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THIS STORY CAN MAKE YOU CRY AND LAUGH

Ranchi: As a housekeeping boy at a non-descript hotel in Jamshedpur, Satish Chandra Buriuly, had never dreamt of a Rs 10 lakh job offer. But with a degree from Indian Institute of Management Ranchi, he now has two equally lucrative job offers to choose from.

This became possible because of Buriuly’s 10 years of undaunted struggle and undying support of his girlfriend. Buriuly’s tale is a story of “agonic hardships”, “committed love” and “super success”.  

Things were fine till 1999. Till this time Buriuly had just two degrees, matriculation with 51% marks in 1996 and intermediate with 50% marks in 1999. Due to unavoidable reasons he had to take a one-year break from studies.

“After my father’s death in 2000, my destiny took extreme turns. I worked as a housekeeping boy, as a door-to-door salesman, as a school van driver, and as a temporary computer operator,” Buriuly, 32, told TOI at the expansive IIM-Ranchi campus.

Buriuly hails from tribal dominated Chaibasa, headquarter of West Singhbhum district. Before IIM-Ranchi, Buriuly was academically average and had a Hindi medium academic background.

“It was beyond my dreams. I could see nothing. I could hear nothing. I could feel nothing. It was like a fantasy,” said Buriuly whose mother had died when he was 3-year-old. His stepmother brought up Buriuly.

“I had to abandon further studies in 2000. I had just passed my intermediate then. I was the eldest son and I had to run from pillar to post to get pension for my ‘mother’,” Buriuly said narrating his story.

This 5-member Buriuly family was now dependent on their small landholdings for two square meals daily. “In Chaibasa only paddy is grown. It is grown only once in a year. It was not enough and we were deep into credit,” Buriuly recalled.

In 2001 hunger drove Buriuly to Jamshedpur in search of jobs. “I was in desperate need and I did odd jobs to earn Rs 1500 to 2000 per month. Nothing worked. I was frustrated,” said Buriuly while looking back on his life.

Someone suggested me to learn computer and I did. “I worked at a computer institute for meagre sums in 2003 in Jamshedpur. In 2006 I got a computer operator’s job on temporary basis in Noamundi,” said Buriuly. During this period this tribal boy bought a used van. “I drove it myself and carried school children to make additional money,” recalled the IIM graduate.

“I was not ready to accept this as my destiny. At times I used to worry and break down,” admitted Buriuly.

But there is someone who will never allow Satish to break down. “It is my love. When I had nothing and no one was around, she was always there to stand by me,” said Buriuly.

“She is 30. Despite tremendous pressure from her family for marriage, she is still single. She has been waiting for me through these year,” Buriuly told TOI with moist eyes.

Buriuly’s girlfriend got job of a teacher at a government high school last year. She even financed Satish’s sundry expanses during his second year at IIM. Satish did not divulge details about his girlfriend to protect her identity. “I will name her in public only after I marry her,” he said.

It was his girlfriend who motivated him to do graduation. “I took admission in Tata College Chaibasa for degree course in 2006. I had to start study all over again after six years,” he said. Unable to speak English in 2006, Buriuly also started going to an English spoken class.

In 2009, Buriuly cleared CAT with 80.8 percentile. Thanks to quotas for Scheduled Tribe he made it to IIM. It was through the help of his acquaintances that Buriuly deposited Rs 1.10 lakh for admission to IIM.

An IT company has made an offer while a leading manufacturer of handmade carpets has made another offer. “We are very proud of this boy,” said IIM Ranchi director MJ Xavier.

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RARE MUGHAL MANUSCRIPT IN BOOK FORM SOON

Patna: Patna’s renowned Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, the proud possessor of the world’s only extant copy of ‘Tarikh-e-Khandan-e-Timuriyah’, has decided to reproduce the Mughal-era manuscript in digitized facsimile and also publish its hard copies by April this year.

The manuscript in Persian, dating back to AD 1577-78, is one of the 238 items identified from across the world and listed in the Unesco’s prestigious Memory of the World Register (MWR). The text recounts the history of the Timurids (Taimur and his descendants) in Iran and India. It was written 22 years into the reign of emperor Akbar.

The 338-page manuscript, made of handmade paper of sharp cream colour with a slight ivory gloss, also contains 133 illustrations on the theme of sieges and battles.

Some of the miniatures contain the names of leading contemporary painters, including Daswant, Miskeen, Madho Mukund, Haidar Kashmiri, Miskeen, Manohar and Basawan.

The Unesco’s website says Tarikh-e-Khandan-e-Timuriyah is part of the most precious documentary heritage of the world, representing the most exquisite cultural history of the Timurids and their artistic genius which influenced not only India but the world as a whole.

“Though we plan to reproduce a digitized facsimile edition, the heritage manuscript won’t be uploaded online. The hard copies are, of course, meant for circulation,” library director Imtiaz Ahmad said and attributed the move to the fact that its inclusion in the MWR in May last year has generated renewed interest in it among scholars and history lovers.

The Unesco’s MWR programme, as per its practice, offered monetary assistance for safe preservation of the unique manuscript. “But we did not accept it since we are adequately funded by the government of India,” Ahmad said and added as early as 2006 the manuscript was identified as a ‘Manuscript Treasure of India’ by the Union ministry of culture.

According to Ahmad, the manuscript is kept in an iron safe under double lock-and-key system with one key in his possession and the other in the possession of Patna divisional commissioner.

The MWR items belong to 11 countries, including Bulgaria, Fiji, Guyana, Ireland, Japan, Mongolia and Morocco. It covers various kinds of material, including stone, celluloid, parchment and audio recordings.

The register was launched in 1992 to “guard against collective amnesia through preservation of the valuable archive holdings and library collections” all over the world.

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