Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee,never popular in Jharkhand in the first place,has become the target of protests by traders who owe allegiance to the CPM. Following a decision by the Southeastern Railway to extend till January 20 a ban on night services on three routes Jamshedpur-Kharagpur,Jamshedpur-Adra and Jamshedpur-Rourkela- these traders burnt an effigy of the Railway Minister at Sakchi last week. They described the Trinamool Congress chief as a stooge of the Maoists and demanded resumption of those services,cancelled since the Jnaneshwari incident last May. Although Banerjee had promised to meet their demand,her efforts are said to have been foiled by a Maoist attack on Bandamunda station near Rourkela on January 9.
Jagannath the punisher
Towels,napkins dearer
Already struggling because of inflation,people of the state were stunned when the government decided to hike VAT by rates between 4 and 12.5 per cent on certain motor parts,towels,blankets,handkerchiefs and napkins. The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting headed by the Chief Minister ahead of the Budget Session next month. It has come in for criticism from the Opposition parties as well as the business community who expect sale of these commodities to drop. It is set to ruin business in these commodities, a Federation of Jharkhand Chambers of Commerce and Industry statement said. The governments target is Rs 112 crore annually.
Exams on Netaji birthday
Candidates for the Jharkhand Public Service Commissions preliminary exams on January 23 are set to sport black badges. This will be their protest against the exam date that coincides with the birth anniversary of Netaji S C Bose. A candidate sent an email on Thursday saying,No Public Service Commission in the country conducts examinations on Netajis birthday. The JPSC is an exception. Acting JPSC chairman R C Kaithal said the exams are always held on a holiday. The exams have seen controversy since 2002,with qualifiers as well as former JPSC chairman Dilip Prasad being probed by Vigilance for alleged fraud.
