News Analysis India

Tag: Chhattisgarh

  • Two elephant calves succumb to Herpes virus infection at rescue centre in Chhattisgarh

    By PTI

    KORBA: Two elephant calves have died due to Herpes virus infection in the last two days at a rescue centre for these animals in Chhattisgarh’s Surajpur district, a forest official said on Saturday.

    While a calf named Lakshman died on Thursday, another named Reva succumbed to the infection on Friday at the Elephant Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Tamor Pingla wildlife sanctuary, said Prabhakar Khalko, Deputy Director Elephant Project (Surguja).

    Both these calves, aged one year and nine months, were the offspring of Kumki elephants that have been brought from Karnataka to tackle the human-elephant conflict, she said.

    Kumki elephants are trained in capturing and taming wild elephants, she said.

    “On Wednesday, Lakshman showed symptoms of the virus infection, following which the medical treatment was started.

    But despite the efforts by veterinarians, the jumbo could not be saved and it died on Thursday,” Khalko said.

    The next day, another calf that had been kept separately after showing similar symptoms, died, she added.

    Their post-mortem confirmed that they were suffering from Herpes virus (EEHV) infection.

    However, their viscera samples have been sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh for further examination, the official said.

    The Herpes virus generally affects the elephants aged below 10 years having low immunity.

    Usually, these animals die within 24-48 hours of exhibiting the symptoms of this virus, she said, adding that its vaccine is not available in the country.

    After the deaths, the remaining elephants at the rescue centre have been shifted to other places within the premises where disinfectants have been sprayed, Khalko said.

  • Congress leader, wife found dead in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district, murder suspected

    By PTI

    RAIGARH: A local Congress leader and his wife were found dead in their house in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district on Thursday with the police suspecting that they were murdered.

    Madan Mittal (54), an elected member of the Lailunga Nagar Panchayat, and his wife Anju Mittal (52) were found dead in their bedroom on the ground floor of their house at Lailunga in the morning, district Superintendent of Police Abhishek Meena said.

    Their son Rohit, who was sleeping with his family on the first floor, informed police, he said.

    The bodies were sent for autopsy, the SP added.

    “There were no signs of any struggle in the room, but it appears that the couple were smothered or strangulated. The exact cause of death will be known after we get the post-mortem report,” Meena said.

    “Initially it looked like a case of robbery, but jewelry worth more than Rs one crore was found untouched in the adjacent room,” he added.

    Some suspects have been identified for questioning, the SP said.

    Shops in Lailunga town, meanwhile, remained shut in protest against the suspected murder.

  • Man brutalises woman after rape attempt in Chhattisgarh; held

    By PTI

    MAHASAMUND: A 30-year-old man allegedly attempted to rape a married woman and inserted a wooden stick in her private parts in Chhattisgarh’s Mahasamund district, police said on Monday.

    The accused has been arrested and further probe was underway, said Mahasamund’s Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Megha Tembhurkar Sahu.

    The accused and the victim hail from the same village that falls under the Basna police station area, the police added.

    “Finding the victim alone during night on September 17, the accused barged into her house and attempted to rape the woman. On failing in his attempt, the accused inserted a wooden stick in the woman’s private parts before escaping, leaving the victim bleeding profusely,” said Sahu said.

    The victim was rushed to a Raipur hospital, where her condition is stated to be out of danger, the ASP said.

    An offence in this connection was registered at Raipur’s Telibandha police station and later the case diary was forwarded to the Basna police following which the accused was arrested, she said.

    The accused has been charged under IPC sections 376 (sexual assault) and 450 (house-trespass in order to commit offence punishable with imprisonment for life), Sahu added.

  • Former Chhattisgarh Minister Rajinder Pal Singh Bhatia found hanging at home, suicide suspected

    By PTI

    RAJNANDGAON: Former Chhattisgarh minister and senior BJP leader Rajinder Pal Singh Bhatia was found hanging at his residence in Rajnandgaon district of the state on Sunday, in what police suspect is a case of suicide.

    Bhatia, 72, was found hanging at his house in Chhuriya town in the evening, a police official said.

    Soon after being alerted about it, a police team rushed to the spot and his body was sent for post-mortem, he said.

    Police are yet to confirm whether a suicide note has been recovered from the spot or not.

    According to BJP leaders, Bhatia had tested positive for COVID-19 in March this year and he had been keeping unwell after recovering from it.

    The three-time MLA from Khujji Assembly constituency of the district, Bhatia was Minister of State for Commerce and Industry in the first BJP government led by Chief Minister Raman Singh, they said.

    In 2013, he revolted against the party for being denied an Assembly ticket and unsuccessfully contested as an independent candidate from Khujji seat during the state polls.

    However, he had later rejoined the party, the party leaders said.

    His wife had died a few years back and his only son Jagjeet Singh Bhatia is in the management of a private hospital in Raipur, they said.

    (If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation – 04424640050 (available 24×7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences’ helpline – 9152987821, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm)

  • Wild elephant tramples man to death in Chhattisgarh; 11th such fatality in state in September

    By PTI

    KORBA: A 50-year-old man was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Chhattisgarh’s Surajpur district on Sunday, taking the count of such fatalities in the state to 11 so far this month, a forest official said.

    The incident took place at around 2 am at Badma village under Pratappur forest range, he said.

    As per the preliminary information, there was a folk dance programme in the village and after watching the event, the victim, identified as Veersai Paikra, was going to drop a girl of his village to her home when the incident happened, he said.

    “They came face-to-face with a jumbo, following which the girl managed to escape from the spot, while the elephant caught hold of the man and crushed him to death,” he said.

    The kin of the deceased were provided an immediate aid of Rs 25,000 each, while the remaining compensation will be disbursed on completion of necessary formalities, officials said.

    With this, 11 people have been killed in elephant attacks in the state so far this month, they said.

    As per the government records, 204 people were killed in elephant attacks in Chhattisgarh between 2018 and 2020, while 45 jumbos have died during the same period in the state.

    According to officials, movement of at least 307 elephants in 16 herds has been recently reported from different parts of the state, especially Surajpur, Raigarh, Mahasamund, Korba, Balrampur, Jashpur, Gariaband, Balod districts.

  • Chhattisgarh to frame ‘robust’ EV policy, invest in promotion of e-vehicles

    Express News Service

    RAIPUR: With the Electric Vehicle (EV) industry in India picking pace, Chhattisgarh prepares itself for EV future by roping in the experiences and the major support from key players in the existing market of the E-Mobility segment.

    The government organised an extensive virtual session with the industries and organisations in the EV sector as the state pledged to assist and extend support to them in the draft policy that promises to promote the e-vehicles.

    “There is a pressing need to follow the current trends on energy consumption. We are swiftly working on what it will take for Chhattisgarh to be in a ready state, invest in electric vehicles through favourable policy as we are gearing up to promote its adoption”, said Dipanshu Kaabra, Addl Commissioner (Transport)

    For the robust EV policy, the state is accessing a high level of expertise from across the country with valuable inputs for the officials in the transport department.

    “The future of e-vehicles is bright in our country and the Chhattisgarh carries immense potential. We are gearing up for a strong and economically viable roadmap for E-vehicles in our state”, said Mohammed Akbar, the transport minister and he further added that the transport sector should no longer be a major contributor to emissions.

    The experts from companies like TATA, MG Motors, EESL, Ather Energy, Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT) Pune, ParXsys MoBLiT, National Garage among others shared their suggestions and knowledge during the detailed panel conversations on various aspects pertaining to EV, required infrastructure, energy, various myths, charging stations etc.

    According to Shekhar Dhole of CIRT, the policies should attract and engage more people towards EVs, where the range of vehicles remains the key factor.

    “The price of EVs will significantly fall when Li-Ion battery components’ prices will come down. Amid a lot of government schemes for EVs, we expect that probably India would have the cheapest Li-Ion manufacturing globally by 2025 or 2026”, said Srikanth S from Ather Energy.

    Another panelist Syed Haseeb Arfath cited Chhattisgarh with a wide mining sector can adopt a business model wherein the electric bikes can be made available for the employees for in-campus travel.

  • Chhattisgarh: Three killed in elephant attacks; 9 deaths reported in September

    By PTI

    RAIPUR: Three persons were killed in elephant attacks in Mahasamund, Jashpur and Balod districts of Chhattisgarh, taking the count of such fatalities to nine so far this month, a forest official said on Friday.

    A 48-year-old employee of the health department was trampled to death by a tusker, when he tried to take selfies with the animal in a forest near Kona village of Mahasamund district on Thursday evening, the official said.

    Ajay Tiwari, a peon at sub-health centre in Khatti village, was returning home from work, when he stopped midway after finding out about the movement of elephants and entered the forest, he said.

    Despite being warned by villagers, Tiwari went too close to the jumbo and tried to take selfies with the animal on his phone, but the tusker suddenly charged towards him and crushed him to death, he said.

    With this, four persons have been killed by elephants in the district this month alone, the official said, adding that villagers have been cautioned not to venture into forest, especially after dusk.

    In a similar incident in Jashpur district, Virendra Ekka (35) was attacked by an elephant on a forested route between Khari Bahar and Junwain villages when he was travelling on a bicycle late on Thursday evening, another official said.

    “There were no reports of movement of elephants in that area and it seems the animal had entered Jashpur from neighbouring Odisha,” divisional forest officer (Jashpur) Srikrishna Jadhav said.

    Forest personnel rushed to site and alerted residents of the villages in the area, he added.

    Meanwhile, a 48-year-old man was killed by a pachyderm near Adjaal village under Dallirajhara forest range of Balod on Wednesday evening, officials said.

    The victim Santosh Bhuarya had gone to see a herd of elephants near the village along with a few others.

    When the herd charged towards them, other villagers managed to escape, while a jumbo caught hold of Bhuarya with its trunk and slammed him on the ground, killing him on the spot, it was stated.

    According to the forest department, elephants have also destroyed crops in some villages in Dalli Rajhara area.

    The kin of the three deceased were provided an immediate aid of Rs 25,000 each, while the remaining compensation will be disbursed on completion of necessary formalities, officials said.

    With this, nine people have been killed in elephant attacks in the state so far this month, it was stated.

    As per government records, 204 people were killed in elephant attacks, while 45 have jumbos died in the state in the last three years.

    Several incidents of human-elephant conflict have been reported in a number of districts in the recent past.

  • CISF sub-inspector held with pangolin scales in Chhattisgarh

    By PTI

    RAIPUR: A sub-inspector of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) was arrested for allegedly smuggling pangolin scales in Raipur, forest officials said on Thursday.

    Acting on a specific tip-off, a joint team of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and Chhattisgarh’s forest department caught the accused, Jitendra Koch, in Jaistambh Chowk area here on Wednesday night when he was looking for customers to sell the pangolin scales.

    The wildlife and forest officials seized pangolin scales weighing about 3.5 kg from the accused, a native of Madhya Pradesh, who was deployed at the Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur, the officials said.

    The pangolin, also known as scaly ant-eater, is protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act.

    According to forest officials, the animal’s scales and other body parts are in huge demand in countries like China, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and other places for medicinal use.

    Meanwhile, a case was registered against the accused under provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 and an investigation was on to ascertain from where he procured the pangolin scales, the officials said.

  • Chhattisgarh govt to develop Gandhi’s ‘Sevagram’ ashram in Nava Raipur

    Express News Service

    RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh government has decided to set up a Sevagram ashram similar to the lines of the one in Wardha.

    The ashram will come up in Nava Raipur, announced chief minister Bhupesh Baghel along with declaring that the action plan for the ambitious project will be ready before October 2 this year. 

    “The proposed Seva Gram will be developed into a centre to foster Gandhian ideology and thoughts. The project will equally realise Bapu’s vision on Gram Swaraj,” the CM said.

    The upcoming Seva Gram, set to come up on 75-100 acres land, will be built using clay, limestone and other natural materials to safeguard the memories of the freedom movement and keep the history alive, a government spokesperson stated.

    The project is inspired by the Sevagram Ashram situated in Wardha, which was established in 1936 as the residence of Gandhi and his wife Kasturba.

    “The rural art, craft, artisans, folk music will be promoted, the experts will be routinely invited to offer guidance during the exchange of thoughts and ideas in the Seva Gram Ashram. There will also be an old age home and a school for the underprivileged. We hope the project will also promote tourism,” the official added.

  • Chhattisgarh: Three labourers killed after fly ash-laden tank falls on them at power plant

    By PTI

    RAIGARH: Three labourers were killed and two others injured after an iron tank carrying fly ash accidentally fell on them at a private power plant in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district on Sunday, police said.

    The incident took place in the plant of Sky Alloys and Power Private Limited located in Temtema area, around 25 km from the district headquarters and over 240 km from the state capital Raipur, Kharsia Station House Officer SR Sahu said.

    “Around 12 noon, an iron tank carrying fly ash accidentally fell on labourers who were engaged in welding and gas-cutting related tasks inside the plant. Three labourers died on the spot, while two others were injured and they were taken to a nearby hospital,” the official said.

    He said that the deceased were identified as Munilal Ram (40), Basant Yadav (30), both natives of Bihar, and Yadram Sarthi (25), belonging to Raigarh district. One of the injured labourers was a native of Bihar, while the other hailed from Janjgir-Champa district, the official said.

    After being alerted, police rushed to the spot and launched a probe to ascertain the cause of the incident, he added.