NEWS

Calling his demand to rename Bakhtiyarpur “nonsense”, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday slammed BJP MLA Hari Bhushan Thakur Bachol. Bakhtiyarpur is a city located about 50 km from the state capital Patna. “It is sheer nonsense. Bakhtiyarpur is my birthplace, who will change its name? People keep talking such nonsense about Bakhtiyarpur. That was the reason that Nalanda University in late 12 century went from our control,” said Kumar, after winding up his public interaction programme ‘Janata Ke Darbaar Mein Mukhyamantri’.

He made the remark in reply to a question from journalists who sought his views on the BJP MLA’s demand to rename Bakhtiyarpur as ‘Nitish Nagar’. Bachol recently told the media in Patna that Bakhtiyarpur should be renamed as ‘Nitish Nagar’. “Since Bakhtiyarpur is the birthplace of the CM, it must be renamed as ‘Nitish Nagar’. Bakhtiyarpur is named after Bakhtiyar Khilji – the military general of Qutb-ud-Din-Aibak – who destroyed the famed Nalanda University. Khilji was a robber, therefore, name of the city must be changed,” said the BJP MLA.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert in seven districts, an orange alert in six districts and a yellow alert in eight districts for the next 24 hours due to heavy rains.

IMD on Sunday predicted heavy to very heavy rains in 1-2 districts and flash floods as well.

"Odisha IMD issues red alert in 7 districts, orange alert in 6 districts, yellow alert in 8 districts for next 24 hours due to heavy rains. There are chances of heavy to very heavy rains in 1-2 districts. There are also chances of flash floods," Umashankar Das, a scientist at IMD Bhubaneswar said.

The weather forecasting agency also confirmed that a depression has formed over Northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining the Odisha coast. 

Jails in Uttar Pradesh are no more "fun" centres for criminals and they have turned into "reform homes" for them, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Sunday (September 12).

The chief minister proclaimed it while inaugurating and laying foundation stones for 122 developmental projects worth Rs 245 crore in Sant Kabir Nagar district. The projects also included the district prison built at Rs 126 crore.

"We have converted state jails into reform homes where criminals are being given an opportunity to reform. The UP jails are no more places of fun for criminals," an official statement quoted the chief minister as saying on the occasion.

Insisting that revenue records only identify ‘Gair Mumkin Pahar (uncultivable hilly areas)' and make no mention of ‘Aravalli', a high-level committee of the Haryana government has asked officials to identify the areas under Aravalli on the basis of a 1992 notification of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), which only covers the areas of the old Gurgaon district (currently Gurgaon and Nuh).

Environmentalists say that by that definition, the provision of the National Conservation Zone (NCZ), which places restrictions on construction activity, will not be applicable to Aravalli areas in Faridabad.

A state-level committee led by Haryana Principal Secretary (Town and Country Planning) A K Singh had met on August 9 “for ground-truthing of NCZ in Haryana Sub-Region of National Capital Region”.