News Analysis India

Tag: Chhattisgarh

  • Trouble brews for Congress in Chhattisgarh

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: While there is a buzz about the change of guard in Rajasthan following Sachin Pilot’s recent meeting with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, trouble is brewing in party ruled Chhattisgarh with state cabinet minister TS Singh Deo pressing for a quick decision on his elevation as state CM and emphasising how indecisiveness could harm the party.

    Deo, who has been waiting for clarity from the top leadership on the rotational formula promised to him in 2018, was assured in August 2021 that the matter will be looked into later as changing Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, an OBC, then could impact the party in the five-state assembly elections.

    “He has been seeking clarity from top leadership on whether it will implement a rotational formula or not. But there has been no clarity. We have a good chance of winning back in Chhattisgarh but the matter should be addressed timely,” said a senior Congress leader.

    Another party leader from Chhattisgarh cited the caste equation playing against Deo’s elevation with less than two years left for elections. 

    ALSO READ | Congress brainstorms on targeting BJP

    “He comes from the upper caste and only 6-7 per cent of the total state population is from the upper/minority caste. The state has 32 percent tribal population and 45 per cent is OBC and Baghel comes from the OBC community. It clearly shows how the odds are stacked against him (Deo),” said the leader.

    In the past few months, Deo has met top leadership on the issue. “He is silent but not sitting quiet and there are reminders from him that regularly come to state in-charge PL Punia and top leaders. The ball is in the court of the Congress president,” said a senior party functionary.

    Deo recently claimed that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) contacted him but he will not leave the Congress.  

    “AAP contacted me. I am openly saying that I have not met AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal. I am in Congress and will continue to remain in Congress. I will not join the BJP because of ideological differences… Five generations of my family have been in Congress. I am not leaving the party. It is difficult for me to even think beyond Congress,” he said.

  • Felling of trees for Parsa coal mining project in Chhattisgarh starts; villagers protest 

    By PTI

    AMBIKAPUR: The Chhattisgarh forest department on Tuesday launched a tree cutting exercise to pave the way for start of the Parsa coal mining project in the Surguja division, triggering strong opposition from local villagers who forced the authorities to halt their action after 300 trees were axed.

    The move came days after the Chhattisgarh government granted the final approval for non-forestry use of forest land in the Parsa coal mining project area.

    According to villagers, they learnt about the deforestation exercise early in the morning and rushed to the spot to register their objection.

    On April 6, the state government had given the final approval for non-forestry use of 841.

    538 hectares of forest land for the Parsa coal mine spread across Surguja and Surajpur districts in northern part of the state.

    The mine has been allotted to Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (RRVUNL).

    “As many as 300 trees were felled in Janardanpur village (Surajpur district) under the Ramanujnagar forest range for the Parsa coal mine project. After the objection by local villagers, the work was stopped,” a local forest official said.

    “Around 1,590 trees are to be cut in this area for the project. Further action in this direction will be taken after getting directives from senior officials,” he added. 

    On getting information about the deforestation work in Janardanpur which is close to Salhi village (Surguja district), residents of project-affected villages reached there, said Ramlal Kariyam, a resident of Salhi.

    Over 50 police personnel were deployed to facilitate the deforestation work, he added.

    “The residents of Salhi, Fatehpur and Hariharpur villages have been protesting against the project for a long time. We have even demanded a probe into forged gram sabha documents based on which clearances have been given for the project,” he said.

    “This forest is part of the biodiversity-rich and ecologically sensitive Hasdeo Arand region. Mining in this area will not only result in displacement of local tribals but also cause destruction to the environment. We will not allow this area to get destroyed,” said Kariyam, who is associated with the Hasdeo Arand Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, an outfit spearheading the agitation against tree cutting and raising other environmental issues.

    Convener of the Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan (CBA), Alok Shukla, termed the forest department’s move as “very sad” and claimed that to extend benefit to corporates, constitutional rights of tribals are being crushed.

    The CBA has been fighting for rights of tribals and environment conservation.

    “It is very sad that the process for the project is being carried forward by crushing the constitutional rights of tribals and ignoring their welfare. The state government did not even consider it appropriate to investigate the fake Gram Sabha proposals and under corporate pressure, the felling of trees started at midnight,” Shukla claimed.

  • Significant drop in naxal activities in Bastar: Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel

    By PTI

    RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday claimed that naxal incidents have significantly declined in the Bastar region of the state.

    His government was ready to hold talks with the rebels if they expressed faith in the Constitution, he said, speaking to reporters here.

    Asked about reports that Kondagaon district in the Bastar division had been removed from the list of districts affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE), Baghel said naxal-related incidents have been “declining consistently”.

    Earlier, only news reports of naxal attacks dominated the electronic and print media, he said.

    “Through our public welfare schemes, we have succeeded in winning the confidence of people there, which has resulted in pushing the naxals on the backfoot,” the chief minister said.

    “It is a matter of happiness and satisfaction and we don’t want such incidents to take place any more. We want peace and normalcy to return to Bastar. The region will reclaim its earlier identity of peace, brotherhood and tribal brothers and sisters living peacefully with nature. We have been making efforts in this direction,” he said.

    Asked if the state government will take steps to hold talks with the naxals, Baghel said, “I have been saying from the very first day (of his government) that if naxals expressed faith in the Constitution of India, we are ready for talks on any platform”

  • Not squeezing into mould as per husband’s desire no decisive factor for woman to lose child’s custody: Chhattisgarh HC

    By PTI

    BILASPUR: Quashing a family court’s order that granted custody of a child to the father, the Chhattisgarh High Court has observed that if a woman “does not squeeze into the mould” as per the desire of her husband, it does not become a decisive factor for her to lose the custody of their child.

    A division bench of Justices Goutam Bhaduri and Sanjay S Agarwal, while delivering the judgement in a case related to the custody of a 14-year-old boy, also said the character certificate by the society’s few members with “ostrich mindset” should not be allowed to decide the character of a woman.

    The judgement, which was passed on March 28, was uploaded on the high court’s website on Monday, according to which the custody of the child was granted to his mother, the woman’s lawyer Sunil Sahu said on Wednesday.

    The couple had got married in 2007 and their son was born in December the same year.

    They got divorce with mutual consent in 2013, following which the custody of the child was given to his mother, a resident of Mahasamund district, he said.

    “In 2014, the woman’s husband, who hails from Raipur district, filed an application in Mahasamund district family court seeking the custody of the child on the ground that the woman is in company of different male and used to travel along with other male member and her attire was not befitting to which would reflect that she had lost her chastity.

    The man also said, if the child is kept in her custody, there would be an ill effect on his mind,” Sahu said.

    The family court in 2016 had handed over the custody of the child to his father, he said.

    The woman then challenged the family court’s order citing it was passed only on the basis of presumption, which requires interference.

    Setting aside the family court’s order, the high court said, “…The evidence on behalf of father, it appears that the witnesses have stated according to their own opinion and thought. If the lady is required to do a job that too in the field for her livelihood, naturally she would be required to move from one place to other and only because of the fact that she is required to rub her shoulder with public at large or male i.e.to accompany them in the car, there cannot be an inference that she has lost her chastity.”

    “Only bald oral statement is made that she is addicted to consume liquor and smoke, etc. It is important to set a red line when the attack is made to assassinate the character of the lady. The statement of witnesses of plaintiff would show that they are largely influenced by attire of women as she wears jeans and T-shirt along with the fact that she is marching along with male members of society,” it said.

    We are afraid that if such ill-conceived exercise is given a spotlight, then to protect the right and freedom of women would be a long arduous battle.

    If the wife does not squeeze into the mould as per desire of husband, it would not be a decisive factor to lose custody of the child by her, the high court observed.

    “By attacking the character of the wife to impress upon that it would have an adverse impact on the mind of the child, the degree of nature of evidence should have been much more and severe to hold that continuous a kind of behaviour of wife would be detrimental to the interest of child.

    The character certificate by few of the society members, who might have ostrich mind set, should not be allowed to decide the character of a woman and to draw an inference while deciding the custody of the child that because of the behaviour of mother it would have an adverse impact on the mind of the child,” it said.

    The high court also granted visitation and contact rights to the father and issued directions in this regard.

  • Raipur Diary: All that is happening in the ‘Rice bowl of India’

    Express News Service

    Exhibition-cum-sale at state emporium in Delhi

    A 10-day exhibition-cum-sale organised by the Chhattisgarh Handicraft Development Board at the ‘state emporium’ in Rajiv Gandhi Handicraft Bhawan in Delhi, continues to mesmerise a lot of visitors visiting. The exhibition once again found a never-ending craving among the Delhiites for handicrafts and weaves as the visitors appreciated the diverse range of products available for sale.

    Craftsmen and weavers are showcasing their crafts and handlooms. Woodcraft and bell metal from Bastar displayed at the exhibition-cum-sale inaugurated by Resident Commissioner (Chhattisgarh Bhawan) M Geetha. 

    State seeks extension of GST compensation for 5 years

    CM Bhupesh Baghel has written a letter to his counterparts in 17 other states, including 5 ruled by the BJP as well as the AAP in Delhi – seeking their support to persuade the union government on extending the compensation mechanism under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) beyond June 2022 for five years.

    The chief minister reminded that the Centre has decided to stop the compensation to states under GST after June. “The move will cause a massive loss of revenue to the manufacturing states. Either the Centre should continue with the GST compensation or make an alternate arrangement,” the CM said and added that Chhattisgarh is expected to face a revenue loss of approximately Rs 5,000 crore annually if the compensation mechanism is not extended.

    Dustbins made mandatory in cars in city

    Some may not consider a trash can a car interior accessory, but it is now mandatory in Raipur to keep one in your vehicle – failure of which will invite a punitive fine. This is an attempt by the Raipur Municipal Corporation (RMC) to keep the city ahead in the list of the cleanest city in India under the ‘Swachh Survekshan-2022’.

    Mayor Aijaz Dhebar, speaker Pramod Dubey, members of Chhattisgarh chambers of commerce, and social organisations got engaged to create awareness on cleanliness among the drivers and passengers of the vehicles at Jaistambh Chowk, junctions, intersections and pedestrian crossings. 

    State planning to procure cow urine

    After the cow-dung scheme, the state government is gearing up to procure cow urine soon. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel directed the state officials to constitute a technical committee that will study various aspects on procuring cow urine.

    It will recommend to the government regarding the collection of cow urine, testing its quality and using it to prepare products. Cow urine will be purchased from farmers and cattle owners on the same lines as cow dung under ‘Gaudhan Nyay Yojana’ by the state. Besides, ensuring cow protection, the move is expected to better the source of income of cattle owners.

  • Man rapes and kills teen in Chhattisgarh’s Surajpur, tries to pass it off as suicide

    By PTI

    KORBA: A teenage girl was allegedly raped and killed by a 23-year-old man in Chhattisgarh’s Surajpur district and the latter tried to pass it off as a case of suicide, police said on Sunday.

    The incident took place on March 24 and during a probe into it, the police on Saturday arrested the man, identified as Sabir Ali alias Baba Khan, who allegedly strangled the victim to death and then hanged the body from a ceiling fan at her house in Bhatgaon police station limits, Surajpur Addl SP Harish Rathore said.

    As per preliminary investigation, the victim, a Class XII student, appeared for her practical exam on Thursday and then returned home in Surajpur, located around 300 km from the state capital Raipur. Her mother was in Bilaspur to take care of her ailing father, who was admitted in a hospital there, while her younger brother had gone out of home to play, the official said.

    “On finding the victim alone in the house, the accused went there. He allegedly raped her and then strangled her to death with her scarf. The man then hanged the body from a ceiling fan and wrote a note on her hand with a pen to make it appear as a case of suicide,” the official said.

    Later, the victim’s brother and neighbours found her hanging and informed the police, he said. Based on the investigation, the accused was arrested and booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 302 (murder), 376 (rape) and other relevant provisions, the official said.

    “The exact age of the deceased is yet to be ascertained and if she is found to be a minor, provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act will be included in the case,” he added. On Saturday, a large number of people gathered in Jarhi area of Surajpur to pay tributes to the victim and demanded death sentence for the accused.

  • Shivalinga appears before court after summons sent to Chhattisgarh temple

    By ANI

    RAIGARH: In a bizarre incident, a Shivalinga, which was uprooted from a temple in Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh, was brought to the Tehsil office here to appear before the court after a summon was issued against the Shiva temple by the revenue officials.

    A few days ago, the revenue officials of Raigarh had given notice to Shiva temple to appear in the court. On March 25, the villagers uprooted the Shivalinga at Shiva temple in Raigarh and carried on a cart to present it in the court. However, the hearing was cancelled and the date of hearing was set for April 13.

    “Our villagers and a Shiva Temple were given the notice to appear before the court by a Tehsil Office and a fine of Rs 10000 was also imposed. So we appeared in the court with the Shivalinga. But after waiting for hours, a notice was posted that the next hearing will be on April 13. We were not informed about this earlier. Sudha Rajwade, who is a resident of our village had moved the petition to the High Court. We urged her not to do this but she refused and said that she is a government official and is doing her work,” said local councillor Sapna Siddar.

    Shiva temple at Kauvakunda in Raigarh town was served a notice complaining of illegal occupation.

    The Tehsil office had also issued a notice to villagers and summoned them. The Tehsildar had also warned everyone in the notice that failure to appear at the hearing could result in a Rs 10,000 fine and eviction from the premises.

    The incident came to light after a petition was moved in the Chhattisgarh High Court regarding illegal possession of government property by Sudha Rajwade, a government official, after which the administration issued a notice.

  • Chhattisgarh: Pastor killed by Naxals on suspicion of being police informer in Bijapur

    By PTI

    BIJAPUR: A local pastor was allegedly attacked and killed by Naxals, who suspected him of being a police informer in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, police said on Saturday.

    The killing took place in Angampalligua village under Madded police station area on Thursday, while the victim’s body was recovered on Friday, an official said.

    “As per preliminary information, a group of suspected armed Naxals entered the house of local pastor Yallam Shankar, and dragged him out. They attacked him with sharp-edged weapons, killing him on the spot,” the official said.

    After being alerted about the incident, a police team was sent to the spot on Friday and the victim’s body was sent for post-mortem examination, he said.

    A handwritten note was recovered from the spot, in which the Madded Area Committee of Maoists has claimed responsibility for the murder and accused the victim of being a police informer, the official said.

    Further investigation is underway to ascertain the identity of the assailants, he said, adding that the murdered pastor had no association with the police.

  • Bypolls in Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Maharashtra announced

    By IANS

    NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Saturday announced that by-elections in the states of West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Maharashtra will be held on April 12.

    “The Commission has decided to hold the by-election to fill vacancies in the states of West Bengal – Asansol (Parliamentary Constituency) and Ballygunge, Chhattisgarh – Khairagarh, Bihar – Bochahan (SC) and Maharashtra – Kolhapur North,” the Election Commission said.

    According to the EC, the date of issuing gazette notification is March 17 and the last date of nominations is March 24. The last date of scrutiny of nomination is March 25 and the candidature can be withdrawn till March 28.

    The date of polling will be April 12 and the votes will be counted on April 16, Saturday.

    “The Model Code of Conduct shall come into force with immediate effect in the district(s) in which the whole or any part of the Assembly constituency going for election is included,” the EC said.

    The Commission said it has decided to use EVMs and VVPATs in the by-elections in all the polling stations. Adequate numbers of EVMs and VVPATs have been made available and all steps have been taken to ensure that the polls are conducted smoothly with the help of these machines.

    Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) shall be the main document of identification of a voter. However, Aadhaar Card, MNREGA Job Card, Passbooks with photograph issued by Bank/Post Office, Health Insurance Smart Card issued under the scheme of Ministry of Labour, Driving License, PAN Card, Smart Card issued by RGI under NPR, Indian Passport, Pension document with photograph, Service Identity Cards with photograph issued to employees by Central/State Govt/PSUs/Public Limited Companies, Official identity cards issued to MPs/MLAs/MLCs and Unique Disability ID (UDID) Card, can also be shown at the polling station.

  • Chhattisgarh: Naxals set machines, vehicles on fire at road construction project site

    By PTI

    KANKER: Naxals set three machines and two vehicles engaged in a road construction project ablaze in Chhattisgarh Kanker district, police said on Saturday.

    As per the preliminary information, nobody was injured in the incident.

    The ultras video recorded the act and circulated the clip on social media, a senior police officer said.

    The incident occurred on Friday evening between Kalmuchhe and Marapi villages, where the road construction work is going on under Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY), Kanker Superintendent of Police Shalabh Sinha said.

    According to the preliminary information, a group of armed ultras stormed the construction site, located around 20 km from Kanker town and about 170 km from the state capital Raipur, and threatened the labourers to stop the work, he said.

    They then set afire two trucks, two mixture machines and a JCB machine, the SP said.

    A police team reached the spot and launched a search operation to trace ultras.

    The video of the incident showed two trucks on fire while some men, clad in a Naxal ‘uniform’, are walking nearby.

    One of the ultras is seen video recording the burning trucks.

    In a banner put up at the spot, Naxals have asked to stop the construction works and threatened to kill road contractors if they take up the work without the approval of locals.

    Naxals have frequently tried to disrupt road construction works in the Bastar division, which consists of seven districts, by launching attacks on security forces and damaging the roads, vehicles and machines used in the work, according to police.