Junagadh District police stations - CCTV cameras in Saurashtra

Rajkot District police have installed high resolution closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras, which also have night vision capability, in all the police stations under their jurisdiction to keep an eye on the officials and also the accused in the lock ups.

As per Latest Interviews who is Superintendent of police Premvir SinghRajkot rural said that, “The CCTV cameras have been installed in all the 21 police stations in the district.

"There are three CCTV cameras in a police station -- at the offices of police inspector (PI) and police station officer (PSO) and the lock-up."

"This will facilitate remote base monitoring system in each police station helping even the PSO and the PI to keep an eye on the accused."

The CCTV cameras at the police stations are connected to the DSP's office.

These will help the SP to monitor the happenings in each police station in the district.

"The basic idea is not distrust of the police officials, but to ensure they behave nicely with complainants and maintain discipline always. Past experiences suggest that this has helped a lot in improving discipline among the officials.''

"There have been many complaints about police officers' reluctance to lodge first information reports (FIRs) and also allegations of misbehavior against them. The CCTV cameras to a great extent will solve this issue and will be helpful to the police officers as well as the common people."

"We will cover all the police stations in Jamnagar and Surendranagar in a phased manner. The project is being implemented on public-private partnership (PPP) model.''

"CCTV cameras will be also installed on main entry points, major traffic junctions, vital installations, markets and crowded places in the towns of Rajkot, Jamnagar and Surendranagar districts.''

As of now, the CCTV cameras are installed at the police stations in Bhavnagar, Junagadh and Porbandar districts in Junagadh Police range.

Mahuva Taluka Bhavnagar District Nirma Cement Plant News Gujarat India

Natural resources belong to people, govt only a trustee for future and present generations, allotment can be cancelled if industry violates environmental rules, says panel

Around 1,000 Saurashtra Villagers from across Gujarat participated in a public hearing on the issue of arbitrary land allotment by the state government to the industrial houses, at the Gujarat Vidyapith on Sunday.

A panel of experts at the hearing has made certain recommendations on the issue, which will be forwarded to the Centre and the Gujarat State Government. No invitee from the state government was present during the hearing though.

Villagers from Kutch District, Bhavnagar District, Junagadh District and elsewhere presented their concerns over the state government’s move to allot public and agricultural land to industrial houses. Some of the important issues, which were raised at the hearing, include the allotment of a substantial portion of land, which has been identified as a water body, to Nirma Company Ahmedabad City for a proposed cement plant in Mahuva taluka of Bhavnagar district.

The villagers also raised their concern over other such allotment for setting up mining, cement, nuclear plants and SEZ projects, before the panel. They explained how the arbitrary allotment of fertile agricultural land has, or can cause serious environmental, food security and employment related problems for them.

Dr Syeda Hameed, a member of the National Planning Commission and a member of the panel said: “There is a lot of merit on the representations made by the villagers at the hearing which have to be heard by the authorities with the utmost urgency.”

For the absence of the invitees from the state government at the hearing, she said it is very disappointing that nobody is present to hear the people’s concern at the hearing.

Among other things, the panel has recommended that Gauchar and wasteland are common village property that cannot be allotted to any private body or a company, and that it should be restored to the gram sabha.

The panel also recommended that the allotment of land should be cancelled if the industrial house has been found violating environmental and other rules.

The panel also held that natural resources belong to the people. Under the doctrine of public trust the government is only a trustee for the future and present generations. As such these resources should be protected.

Other members of the panel were nuclear physicist Dr Surendra Gadekar, Gandhi Peace Foundation Chair person Radha Bhatt, Gujarat Vidyapith VC Dr Sudarshan Iyengar and senior Supreme Court advocate Sanjay Parikh.

Junagadh Bhavnagar District New Samachar Saurashtra Gujarat India

Gandhians, others join hands for ‘coastal yatra’ against land acquisition.

Say unmindful industrialization, capitalist-imperialism led to economic disparity, corruption and poverty.

Opposition to land acquisition in the state is getting momentum. The Gujarat Lok Samiti, headed by noted Gandhian, Chunibhai Vaidya, has announced plans to take out a ‘yatra’ along the state’s coastline to mobilize people against such acquisition for industrial houses.

Though the date for the yatra is yet to be finalized, Vaidya, flanked by columnist and thinker Prakashbhai Shah and activist Ilaben Bhatt, said it would start from Porbandar, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, and terminate at Umargam in south Gujarat. Umargam is the place where retired Army Colonel Pratap Save died in police custody after being arrested for leading a protest against acquisition for setting up of a port by a multinational company in April 2000.

Vaidya, Shah and Bhatt said they were not opposed to development, but extremely concerned about the displacement of the local people. They said the acquisition of agricultural land by the government for industries has resulted in huge unemployment among the villagers.

Unmindful industrialization and capitalist-imperialism has resulted in economic disparity, promoted corruption and poverty as also crime against women, they said.

Vaidya said, farmers at several places like Anwarpura in Patan, Vadodara-Jhala in Junagadh district, Jharpara village in Kutch district and Mahuva in Bhavnagar district are already opposing the land acquisition for industrial purposes. He said the government was even acquiring the common ‘gauchar’ land and handing them over to the industrialists, leaving no land for the cattle in the village. This was weakening the rural economy, he said.

“This is inhuman and undemocratic,” said Shah.

Meanwhile, farmers in Ichchapore village near Surat have moved the court against Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Agriculture Minister and the Union Environment Minister over the allotment of a big piece of land to a private firm, Gujarat Hira Bourse, for setting up a gem and jewellery park.

The land was acquired by the government for setting up an industrial estate but the plan could not materialize. So, they allotted it to the private party.

The farmers are now demanding it back, saying the allotment was against the land acquisition provisions of the state government.

Several farmers from villages around Sanand have also declared to launch a protest movement against the acquisition of more land for the Tata Motors’ Nano car project. Recently, they called on the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation officials in Gandhinagar and demanded a halt to the acquisition, saying a large number of farmers would be rendered jobless.

Farmers in the adjoining Manjusar industrial estate in Vadodara have also opposed the acquisition of land for expanding the industrial estate.

Bhavnagar Surendranagar Junagadh Districts Saurashtra Gujarat India Monsoon News

Second spell of rain brings cheer to farmers. The second spell of rain in many parts of Saurashtra has brought cheer to farmers. They feel it will help their crops survive and reduce power usage. According to them, the rain will help bajra, cotton, sesame and groundnut crops. Since the last two days, scattered rain has been reported in the region. Due to delayed rain, farmers had to use groundwater which needed more power for pumping. "We were eagerly waiting for rain. Production will be less than usual, but this rain will help save late-sowing crops like BT cotton and sesame," said farmer Valji Patel from Sayla in Surendranagar district. Sayla received 15 mm rain on Friday. Surendranagar district has received less rain as compared to other districts in the region. "This rain will also help the pastoral community in the district. A drinking water crisis was staring us in the face. This rain will avert it, though it's insufficient," said Laxman Patel from the district. "We had lost all hope of saving our crops due to delayed rain as ours is a totally rain-fed area. Now, groundnut and bajra will get a new lease of life.

Also, rain will help harvest crop in rabi season and recharge groundwater,'' said farmer Narayan Shiyal of Dugeri village in Mahuva taluka of Bhavnagar district. However, according to Rajkot flood control room, the district did not receive any rain on Friday.

"In the first spell, we received good rain but we still need to draw water from the ground. If the second spell comes, we will get relief and need not use power to pump groundwater,'' said Mensibhai, a farmer in Maliya Hatina in Junagadh district. On Friday, in Amreli district, Rajula received 17 mm and Savarkundla 52.

In Bhavnagar, Ghogha received 65 mm, Mahuva 23, Sinhor 34 and Bhavnagar 10. In Surendranagar, the rain received was: Lakhtar 57 mm, Limbdi 56, Dasada 34, Chuda 15, Sayla 15 and Wadhvan 7. In Porbandar, Kutiyana received 35 mm and Ranavav 9, while in Junagadh, Una received 18, Keshod 8, Manavadar 5 and Maliya Hatina 20 mm.

Junagadh, Jamnagar,Bhavnagar District(Saurastra) Development News

Gujarat seeks World Bank aid to develop infrastructure.

The Gujarat government has sought an Rs.705-crore ($146-million) aid package from the World Bank to upgrade urban infrastructure in 10 townships, a senior government official said Monday.

The official at the department of urban development said the amount, if sanctioned, would be used to upgrade infrastructure in the towns like Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh and Veraval so that these areas could attract more industrial investments.

The state government has already told the World Bank that it would invest Rs.30 crore to upgrade infrastructure in these townships.

The government has earmarked Rs.400 crore in the budget for 2009-10 for upgrading civic amenities.

Junagadh District Saurastra Monsoon Samachar

Dams in Saurastra, Kutch dry up Dams across Saurastra and Kutch are drying up fast with rains getting delayed.

The first week of July has passed but most dams in the region are empty as there is no inflow of rain water. According to government sources, on an average there is only 11.17 per cent water stored in 131 schemes across the Saurastra.

In Kutch district, there are 20 schemes in all, which have an average 4.72 per cent water of total capacity.

"Absence of inflow of fresh water in all these dams is a major concern. Apart from coastal villages, major parts of Saurastra and Kutch are yet to get good rain," said a government official. "31 dams in Rajkot district are only 7.3 per cent full. If there is no fresh influx, coming days will be worse for people, as the city is already facing drinking water crisis," he added.

The delayed rain has affected pre-monsoon crops and forced farmers to go for other crops. According to Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority's official data, as on July 7, Surendranagar District received 9.86 per cent of its total annual rainfall, Bhavnagar and Kutch districts have got 10.47 per cent and 13.20 per cent respectively.

Porbandar and Junagadh districts were comparatively better off having received 43.96 and 29.44 per cent of their annual rainfall respectively.