Advani laid stone but new Capital still a dream

Meanwhile, residents of Sukkurhuttu village in Kanke, where the new capital is supposed to come up, are eagerly waiting for the project to begin. It would raise the prices of their land and finally bring electricity to their homes. Residents here have threatened to boycott the Assembly polls if they do not receive electricity. In the Lok Sabha polls, posters such as ‘‘bijli nahi to vote nahin’’ were common here.

Tipple tale

A seizure of 240 empty liquor bottles, bearing labels of the Army canteen, in Namkum block has led to much excitement in this otherwise sleepy neighbourhood near Ranchi.

The Army’s 23 Artillery Division is stationed here. And the hot topic among officials these days is how these bottles of Old Monk, Bagpiper and Bacardi — available at concessional rates for Defence personnel — found their way out of the Army canteen. That these brands were being sold outside in collusion with the staff is not being ruled out. But an FIR filed by the Namkum police last week claims that the bottles came from scrap dealers.

Police say, the seizures were made after two incidents involving illicit liquor were brought to their notice. In the first case, a few Army jawans alerted their bosses on spotting a dhaba in front of the 23 Infantry Division’s headquarter office in Deepatoli selling illicit liquor in branded bottles meant for the Army. In the second incident, on Thursday last, the Army’s Intelligence Bureau sleuths chased a man on a scooter, later identified as Kailash Bhokta, and caught him. He was handed over to the Namkum police, who raided Bhokta’s house and seized illicit liquor. Police say that dhabas dotting NH-33 were the main buyers of this illicit liquor. Bhokta has reportedly told the police that he procured the branded bottles from scrap dealers.

PM calls off visit

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been in the spotlight here ever since he cancelled his visit to the state, scheduled for October 25, without citing any reason. His security personnel — 20 SPG officers and commandos — had already arrived by an Indian Airlines flight and the IAF’s chopper, Gajraj, had ferried the bullet-proof BMW and Ambassadors meant for his entourage. The entire exercise cost nearly Rs 1 crore, which simply went down the drain, as the PM chose to call off the trip.

The power behind

Soon after the bifurcation, former Energy minister Lalchand Mahato had requested the government to appoint H.B. Lal, a retired Bihar Electricity Board official, as the chairman of the Jharkhand State Electricity Board (JSEB). But the then chief secretary, V.S. Dubey, had put his foot down, saying Lal did not have an unblemished record of service. But on October 16, the CM appointed the 76-year-old as JSEB chairman. Lal’s appointment indicates that Mahato, a rebel JD(U) MLA, has considerable influence on CM Munda even after losing the Power portfolio. Irked by the developments, JD(U)’s state unit president Inder Singh Namdhari has given a warning to Munda, saying his party would withdraw support to the BJP if the CM did not remove Mahato from the chairman’s post of the Tenghat Nigam Ltd. Munda is yet to respond to this. Lal seems to be the least bothered over the controversy. Soon after assuming office, he issued a notification, making it compulsory for his staff to attend a special session by Art of Living experts. While he has taken care of the spiritual wellness, Lal has done little to check power cuts so far.

Koda ‘loses’ wife too

It seems former Jharkhand minister Madhu Koda has not only lost his portfolio but his wife too. His marriage has not even completed a year, but Koda’s wife has reportedly walked out on him. On October 24, sources say, Koda’s wife and her lover were returning from Karra forest in a Maruti when they were stopped by the minister’s followers and taken to the nearby police station. Koda soon reached the spot and pleaded with his wife to return home, in the presence of the police and local media. But she preferred to leave with her companion. The police did not pursue the matter as none of the three had lodged a complaint.