Road cave-in on Jaipur’s Gopalpura by-pass as heavy rains lash city

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Jaipur, June 20 (IANS) With the onset of monsoon in Jaipur, glaring lapses in civic infrastructure are beginning to surface. Even mild rainfall is leading to water-logging and road damage.

In a major incident on Friday, a large section of the road near TN Mishra Marg and the Ganga-Jamuna Petrol Pump on Gopalpura Bypass caved in, significantly affecting traffic movement in the area. The collapsed section measures approximately 60 feet in length, 25 feet in width, and 15 feet in depth, creating a massive pothole and raising serious safety concerns.

The incident triggered a dispute between officials of the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) and the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), with both departments blaming each other for the collapse.

JDA’s Superintending Engineer, Deepak Mathur, attributed the incident to a burst water pipeline, stating, “The road caved in due to damage in the water line. Once PHED repairs the line, we will begin road restoration.”

On the other hand, PHED officials argued that the road construction itself was faulty.

According to an official, “rainwater seeped through the poorly constructed road, eroding the ground beneath and leading to the collapse. The water line got damaged as a result of the road sinking, not the other way around”.

This incident highlights serious flaws in coordination between city departments and raises questions about the quality of urban infrastructure and preparedness for the monsoon season. Commuters and residents have expressed frustration over frequent road damages and the lack of preventive maintenance.

Authorities have cordoned off the area, and repair work is expected to begin once the inter-departmental responsibilities are resolved. Actually heavy rains have lashed the city since Friday afternoon.

Around 23.6mm rainfall has been registered in the city till 5.30 in evening thereby bringing a drastic decrease in temperature. The city recorded a dip of 10 degrees Celsius, bringing in minimum temperature of 25 degrees Celsius while maximum temperature in city came down to 28.3 degrees Celsius.

–IANS

arc/pgh

Related Posts

Nearly 2,23,000 growers in Himachal Pradesh adopt natural farming

Shimla, May 25 (IANS) Nearly 2,23,000 farmers and horticulturists in Himachal Pradesh have adopted natural farming, either partially or fully, in almost all panchayats, the government said on Sunday.

The government focuses on exploring options for additional income generation for farmers, ensuring fair prices for their produce, providing quality seeds and expanding and strengthening irrigation facilities, besides providing crop insurance and promoting agricultural research.

In a first-of-its-kind decision, the government has promoted natural farming by providing a minimum support price (MSP) for various crops grown through this method.

Last year, an MSP of Rs 30 per kg was fixed for maize. This decision brought cheers to the faces of farmers and motivated them towards adopting chemical-free farming on a large scale. The government further increased the MSP for maize from Rs 30 to Rs 40 per kg in 2025-26. So far, the government has procured around 400 metric tonnes of maize from 1,509 farmers at the MSP.

Similarly, the procurement process for wheat is ongoing in the state, and it is being procured at an MSP of Rs 60 per kg.

Seeing the response of the farmer for opting for natural farming, the government has further announced an MSP of Rs 90 on raw turmeric. From this fiscal, the government has decided to provide an MSP for raw turmeric that will be processed and marketed under the brand name ‘Himachal Haldi’.

The government has set a target to connect 9.61 lakh farmers with natural farming in phases.

To facilitate the sale of produce from natural farming, designated spaces are being developed in 10 market yards with the necessary infrastructure. Under the Prakritik Kheti Khushal Yojana, in 2023–24 and 2024-25, an expenditure of Rs 27.60 crore has been incurred, and for the current financial year, a Budget of Rs 7.28 crore has been allocated.

A high-level committee at the state level, under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, has been formed to provide valuable guidance under the scheme.

The implementation and monitoring are being done by a special task force headed by the Chief Secretary.

To further encourage farmers to adopt natural farming, the government is providing various types of subsidies, including Rs 750 per drum up to a maximum of Rs 2,250 for the purchase of drums.

An assistance of Rs 8,000 is being given for the construction of a concrete floor in cowsheds and for building a pit to collect cow urine.

A subsidy of 50 per cent up to a maximum of Rs 25,000 is being provided for the purchase of indigenous cows, with an additional provision of Rs 5,000 for their transportation.

Another advantage of natural farming is zero-budget farming. The minimal input costs increase farmers’ income, leading to a significant improvement in their standard of living.

Crops grown using natural methods are more nutritious, and the absence of chemicals helps preserve the soil’s fertility and quality as well.

–IANS

vg/svn

RG Kar case: Trinamool leaders criticise victim’s parents over their views on death sentence for convict

Kolkata, Jan 27 (IANS) The parents of the woman junior doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital, who was raped and murdered within the hospital premises, faced the ire of senior Trinamool Congress leaders, on Monday, over their observations on the “death sentence” for convict Sanjay Roy proposed by both Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the West Bengal government.

Earlier, after the hearing concluded at a division bench of the Calcutta High Court, on the admissibility of two parallel petitions by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the West Bengal government seeking the death penalty for Sanjay Roy, the victim’s father said that they were not seeking the death penalty for Roy and want him to be investigated further to nab the main culprits behind the entire conspiracy.

Reacting to that the Trinamool Congress state general secretary Kunal Ghosh told media persons that the death penalty is the only right punishment for rape and murder.

“In every case of rape and murder, the victim’s family members only demand the death penalty but in R.G. Kar’s case, the victim’s parents are opposing the death penalty for the convict. Who are they being misled by? I have been telling this since the beginning that the left and ultra-left forces are behind directing the victim’s parents,” he claimed.

He further claimed that the victim’s parents are “acting” like the “spokespersons” of these persons.

“Why there is not any continuity in their claims should be investigated separately,” Ghosh said.

Four-time Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member and senior advocate of Calcutta High Court Kalyan Banerjee also criticised the victim’s parents.

“It is unfortunate that the victim’s parents are resorting to politics. Their observations now match with those from CPI-M leaders,” said Banerjee.

–IANS

src/dan

‘Darbar Move’ will be restored to preserve Jammu’s uniqueness: Omar Abdullah

Jammu, Dec 11 (IANS) J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday assured civil society members in Jammu that the annual ‘Darbar Move’ will be restored to preserve the uniqueness of Jammu.

Speaking to a cross-section of civil society including businessmen, industrialists, lawyers and people connected with other professions, Omar Abdullah said, “Jammu’s uniqueness will not be allowed to diminish. The government will restore Darbar move.”

The six-monthly sojourn of all the top offices of the J&K government between Srinagar and Jammu, a practice started by the Dogra Maharajas of the erstwhile state, was called the ‘Darbar Move’.

In order to save on the huge costs involved in shifting the offices lock, stock and barrel between the twin capitals of Srinagar and Jammu, the Lt Governor-led administration had dispensed with the practice in 2021.

“Darbar Move is an issue that I fail to understand as to why it was not projected during campaigning for Assembly polls. The issue gained momentum only after the election result, although we mentioned it in our manifesto and meetings,” the CM said.

“We assure you that the Darbar Move will be restored. Jammu has its own importance and we will not allow its uniqueness to diminish,” Omar told reporters after chairing over three-hour long meeting with representatives of civil society at his official residence.

Omar, alluding to the decision to cancel the Darbar Move, said the government takes its own decision which does impact the public.

“After a decision, whether its impact is right or wrong, there is a need to get feedback. Sometimes it becomes difficult to get the right feedback within the government system because you are mostly surrounded by people who only praise you. So when a meeting of civil society takes place like this, mostly the participants come without any agenda and they put forth their feedback and suggestions which turns out to be beneficial,” he added.

“The purpose of this meeting was to get feedback and suggestions as well so that those are implemented,” he said adding that such meetings will be convened twice a year both in Jammu and Srinagar.

–IANS

sq/uk