World's longest free Wi-Fi zone in Patna

If you have an internet-enabled device and you are anywhere on the stretch from NIT-Patna on Ashok Rajpath to Danapur, you can now access the internet free of cost.

Once known as a backward state, Bihar has made a strong bid for a mention on the world's infotech map as chief minister Nitish Kumar unveiled the 20km free Wi-Fi zone, the longest across the globe, at a function christened e-Bihar summit in Patna on Wednesday. Kumar also unveiled a 'city surveillance and dial 100' scheme under which at least 100 CCTV cameras installed in different localities of the state capital became operational. A state data centre has also been opened for storing of the 'data' collected by these cameras.

Speaking on the occasion, CM Kumar announced an IT City would be developed on a 200-acre plot at Rajgir. He also said the government has in principle approved an infotech building on a plot of one lakh sq ft and another on a plot of 5 lakh sq ft in Patna. Besides, an infotech park is coming up on the outskirts of the city.

Kumar asked the information technology department officials to hold roadshows in select cities across the country to spread awareness about the progress made by Bihar in the field of information technology. "Our state should now be the IT industry's fave destination," he said.

The state's free Wi-Fi zone is the longest in the world since China's 3.5km zone was treated as the longest so far. The 'city surveillance and dial 100' project is first of its kind in the country as it integrates the surveillance of the city, vehicle tracking and dial 100 control centre schemes. An automated number plate recognition system has been installed on 11 roads, which will automatically note the registration number of the vehicles entering and exiting the city. "It was with this surveillance system's help that the Patna police rescued the son of a city-based trader from Ara within 24 hours of his kidnapping recently," CM Kumar said.

IT minister Shahid Ali Khan said free Wi-Fi facility would be provided at all the tourist spots in the state. Principal secretary (IT) N K Sinha said Bihar might be a late entrant to this sector but "we are on the cusp of IT revolution". Nasscom president R Chandrashekhar and Beltron MD Atul Sinha were among those who also spoke at the e-Bihar event.

Source: TOI

Nitish Kumar's Bihar to have road ambulances for emergency care of potholes

Bihar is all set to introduce a novel concept - ambulances to fix its roads. The first of these unique vehicles will hit the roads on January 14.

During its first term between 2005-10, the Nitish Kumar government was synonymous with improving the law and order situation, better health facilities and above all - good roads.

But many roads in the state have now fallen into disrepair - important highways like the ones connecting Patna to Aurangabad - are full of potholes.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is now in-charge of the roads department, has kicked off an ambitious 2500-crore programme to repair over nine thousand kilometres of state highways and village roads by May.

Mr Kumar also announced that 76 'road ambulances' will work round the clock to attend to complaints of people. Soon people in the state will be able to contact a 24 hours call centre and ask for these 'ambulances' to fix their roads.

These vehicles will be equipped with all materials to fix potholes. They will be fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) and will be tracked from a central control room being set up in Patna. They will be owned and run by private contractors but the government will control the design and operations of these 'ambulances.'

Pratyay Amrit, the state's Road construction secretary says Bihar is perhaps the first state to have such a large fleet of these vehicles. "The first ambulance will be available after January 14 and we hope the entire fleet of 76 is on the road by March 15," Mr Amrit said.

Source: NDTV

IIT-Delhi signs MOU with Bihar Bridge Corporation for traffic models

IIT-Delhi today entered into an agreement with the Bihar State Bridge Corporation for use of high speed traffic models in Patna to decongest the city's main roads of heavy vehicular density.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed today between the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) of IIT-Delhi and the Bihar State Bridge Development Corporation (BSBDC) in this regard, sources said.

As per the MOU, BSBDC can use Swap Based Traffic Interchange (SBTI) and GSUI (Grade Separated U-turn Interchange) models developed by IIT-Delhi, which will be used here for the first time in the country, BSBDC chairman Sanjeev Hans told reporters.

Hans said the foundation is going for a patent of the models and in future if somebody wants to opt for them, it has to approach the BSBDC.

According to a survey, the traffic density on this stretch of Bailey Road, which houses important government offices and where an international museum is also coming, is presently 2000 passenger car units. 

Source: ET

Ignoring fear, millions celebrate Diwali across Bihar

Millions of people across Bihar celebrated Diwali with religious fervour Sunday, barely a week after serial blasts in Patna killed seven people, including a suspected bomber, and injured nearly 100 others.

There was no apparent impact of the blasts in Patna as people were busy enjoying the various aspects of the festival, Arun Singh and his wife Chanchal of Hermitage Majestic Apartment near Patliputra Colony here said.

"It is a good thing that people are illuminating their houses, bursting firecrackers and sharing sweets with each other," Singh said.

Reports reaching here from rural areas, small towns and other districts say people have celebrated Diwali with traditional gusto.

Security was tightened following an alert in the state after intelligence reports of terror strike threat during the festival.

Six of the seven blasts took place Oct 27 at Patna's Gandhi Maidan before Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi addressed a rally. The seventh explosion was at the railway station.

Source: DNA

Narendra Modi visits Bihar, meets kin of Patna blasts victims

Meeting the families of six persons killed in serial bomb blasts during his Sunday rally, BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Saturday assured them all help from the party.

Amid tight security, Modi first headed for Gaurichak in old Patna locality to convey his condolences to the kin of village Azeemchak resident Raj Narain Singh, 65, who had died in the serial blasts.

The BJP leader garlanded the photograph of Singh, sat on the floor as he consoled the family and handed them a cheque of Rs five lakh on behalf of the party, said Arun Sinha, BJP MLA from Kumrahr.

Singh was a farmer and an ardent follower of Jaiprakash Narayan. He had gone to Modi's rally without informing his family, the Gujarat chief minister was informed by Bihar's former deputy chief minister sushil Kumar Modi who accompanied him.

Leader of opposition Nand Kishore Yadav was also present.

Sinha said the family sought a job for one of the three sons of Singh and Modi assured them he will look into it. Singh's other two sons are in the Army.

"Modi consoled Singh's widow. The family was assured that the party will take care of them and and they were satisfied that Modi had come to meet them," BJP leader Ravishanakar Prasad said.

Modi's visit was delayed by two hours this morning due to fog. As the weather opened up, he left for Gauraichak, 25 kms from here, in a helicopter. He has been accorded the status of "state guest" by the Bihar government. The state guest house where he has been staying is opposite to chief minister Nitish Kumar's official residence.

Heavy security arrangement were in place Modi's visit.

Besides, Bihar police personnel, 150 police officials from Gujarat including one Additional Director General of Police rank officer, two deputy inspector general of police and six deputy superintendent of police level officials have come to Bihar as part of elaborate security cover for Modi at all the places he would visit, police sources said.

As part of Z++ VVIP security arrangement for Modi, the Bihar government has issued an alert. A DIG rank officer along with commissioner is accompanying the Gujarat chief minister in all the districts he is visiting, police sources added.

At Singh's residence, Patna senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaj was present. Mediapersons were allowed near the residence after a thorough check. From Gaurichak, Modi was slated to families of victims in Kaimur, Gopalganj, Supual, Begusarai and Nalanda. Nalanda, the home district of chief minister Nitish Kumar, will be the final destination of Modi. From there he will fly in helicopter straight to Patna airport to return to Ahmedabad in his chartered plane, BJP sources said.

Six persons were killed in multiple explosions on October 27 during "Hunkar rally" which was addressed by Modi, his first major political show in rival Nitish Kumar's home turf after parting of ways of JD(U) and BJP on June 16 last.

The investigation in the blasts case has pointed to involvement of Indian Mujahideen militant outfit.

Within a week, Narendra Modi has returned to Bihar to pay condolence to the six persons killed in the blasts on Sunday.

The ruling JD(U) hit out at Modi, alleging that he was playing politics of polarisation and questioned why he had never visited the families of 2002 Gujarat riots.

"This kind of behaviour does not behove a person who has been named as the prime ministerial candidate by the main opposition party. We are not saying he should not come to Bihar. But the time he has chosen is not right," JD(U) leader Shivanand Tiwari said.

His colleague K C Tyagi attacked Modi for travelling with a large security entourage from Gujarat, saying his actions were an insult to the prestige of Bihar.

"It is naked aggression from one state against another. He is behaving like the cruel invaders from the medieval period. Till now we had only seen Centre's interference in affairs of the states," he said.

Modi arrived in JP Airport Patna late on Friday night around 11:15pm from Pune. He was received at the airport by Sushil Modi, Nand Kishore Yadav, Shahnawaz Hussain, Ravishankar Prasad, Dharmendra Pradhan among others.

Source: TOI

Police detain 4 suspects in Patna blasts, probe Ranchi link

The police have detained four persons in connection with the blasts in Patna that killed at least five persons and left more than 90 injured on Sunday. They were also investigating a possible Ranchi connection to the explosions.


A person is wheeled into the Patna Medical College and Hospital after he was injured in one of blasts before Narendra Modi's rally on Sunday. (PTI Photo)

"We have some information about a Ranchi connection to the incident," said SN Pradhan, Jharkhand additional director general of police (ADGP) and police spokesperson.

The police conducted raids in several areas of Ranchi on Sunday on the basis of information provided by those detained in Patna.

Six bombs - improvised explosive devices (IED) with timers - went off in and around Gandhi Maidan between 11.40am and 12.45pm on Sunday just ahead of BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's rally. Earlier in the day, around 9.30am, a bomb had exploded in a toilet at Patna Junction railway station.

There was confusion on Monday over reports that one of the injured, and also a suspect, had succumbed to injuries. Police later confirmed that he was still alive.

Officials in Patna refused to comment on the investigation saying it had been taken over by the National Investigative Agency.

Within hours of the blasts, the union home ministry in New Delhi had on Sunday rushed a team of NIA officers and bomb experts from the National Security Guards to the state. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had asked chief minister Nitish Kumar to take "immediate and firm action" to identify and act against those responsible.

The first crude bomb exploded in a public toilet building near platform 10 at Patna Junction, said Patna SSP Manu Maharaj. A man was injured and hospitalised. A bomb squad member was also seriously wounded while trying to defuse two more bombs found there, he said.

Two hours later, bombs went off in and around Gandhi Maidan - near a movie theatre, a hotel, a children's park and a bank - sending plumes of smoke in the air and people scurrying around in panic.

Police managed to prevent a stampede and the organisers of the rally also helped maintain calm by announcing that the blasts were tyre bursts or crackers going off.

"We detected four more bombs. Defusing them turned out to be a problem as they are all fitted with timers," said a bomb squad member.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar insisted there was "neither intelligence failure nor a security lapse".

After his rally, Modi tweeted, "Blasts in Patna are deeply saddening and unfortunate. Condolences with families of deceased and prayers with injured. I appeal for peace and calm."

The BJP called the blasts a design to create panic and scuttle the rally.

“We want a probe into the blasts. This is really unfortunate,” said BJP’s national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain.


Smoke rises after a bomb exploded near a public ground where Gujarat's chief minister Narendra Modi was to address a rally in Patna on Sunday. (Reuters Photo)

Source: HT

Serial bomb blasts rock Patna; 5 dead, 24 injured

At least five people were killed and 24 injured when a series of blasts rocked Patna ahead of BJP's Hunkar rally on Sunday.

Bihar DGP GP Abhyanand has confirmed 8 explosions. Most of the blasts occurred in and around the Gandhi Maidan.

People were seen rushing the injured to the hospital as the explosions sparked panic.

Six persons were injured in a blast before the Eliphistine cinema hall on the western side of the rally venue, police sources said.

Hours before that, a bomb exploded in a newly constructed toilet at the Patna railway station, two kilometers from the BJP's 'Hunkar rally' venue, injuring one person.

Immediately after the explosion, bomb disposal swept the area and discovered two more crude bombs, railway superintendent of police Upendra Kumar Sinha said.

One security personnel was injured while defusing a bomb recovered from the toilet, he said.

At the rally, plumes of smoke billowed from a couple of sites even as BJP leaders, including its Prime Ministerial candidate Modi, addressed the crowd.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned the blasts and appealed for calm. He spoke to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and asked him to speedily probe the blasts and ensure that perpetrators are punished.

The home ministry has sought a report from the Bihar government on the explosions and is sending teams of National Investigation Agency (NIA) and National Security Guard (NSG) to the state.

"We are in regular touch with authorities in Bihar and have offered them all necessary assistance. We are trying to get more information," minister of state for home R P N Singh said in Delhi, adding the Centre was ready to provide additional forces to maintain law and order.

The ministry has asked the state government to send a report about the nature of the bombs, suspected persons or organisations which could be behind it and steps taken to maintain law and order, official sources said.

The Centre also decided to send a team of explosive experts of the NIA to help the Bihar police in post-blast investigation, they said.

Station manager of Patna Junction Raju Kumar said eleven trains booked by the BJP for the rally had arrived much before the blast.

Patna City SP Jaykant said that security arrangements had been scaled up there.

The BJP demanded a probe into the blasts even as the incident triggered a political slugfest between the saffron party and its former ally JD(U).

"This blast cannot stop the youth from being part of Modi's rally. There is anger among people and they want to get rid of Congress and also other parties who are standing with it," BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.

"Investigation should be done so as to find out who is behind it," he said.

Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader Sabir Ali questioned why "such incidents were happening after JD(U) parted ways with BJP".

"There is something suspicious. I can feel. They will divide the nation, divide the people only for power," he said.