Dhanbad: Dr Arun Kumar Barnwal, newly appointed Superintendent of Sahid Nirmal Mahto Memorial Medical College and Hospital took charge as office and post on Sunday from the outgoing Superintendent Dr Arun Kumar Chaudhary.

Talking to media after assuming charge he said, "providing best possible health care facility to the people during the time of pandemic will be my top priority."

"I am fortunate to have a good and cooperative team and, Dr Shailendra Kumar, principal of the College is my batchmate, who has assured to extend all cooperation in the smooth operation of the hospital" said Barnwal.

"The previous team under the leadership of my predecessor Dr Arun Kumar Chaudhary has done a tremendous during the time of pandemic and I will try to carry forward their legacy" said Barnwal.

(Praduman Choubey)

Social outfit to launch stir against delay in drinking water projects in Adityapur

A damaged road in Adityapur due to digging for sewage and drinking water projects. Animesh Sengupta

Jamshedpur: Concerned with inordinate delay in execution of the multi-crores sewage and drinking water projects in Adityapur, a local social outfit in Adityapur has declared to launch agitation.

Jan Kalyaa Morcha (JKM), the social outfit has on Sunday in a meeting of its executive members resolved to stage a day-long dharna at Patel Chowk in Adityapur on August 14.

"The one-day dharna will be staged to protest the excessive delay in the two Megan projects being executed by the state urban development department in Adityapur. If the department fails to expedite the pace of ongoing works, then we will be compelled to intensify the agitation, " said Om Prakash, president, JKM while talking to The Telegraph Online.

Stressing on the need to launch an agitation, Om Prakash said that the two projects concerning the basic civic necessities are not only getting delayed, but also have thrown the local residents' life out of gear.

"Due to the sewage and drinking water projects, the executing agencies have dug up the roads, lanes and bylanes in the residential as well as the industrial areas in Adityapur. As a result of which the rest are finding it very difficult to negotiate through. The situation has aggravated due to the waterlogging during the current rainy season," said the JKM president.

He pointed out though the executing agencies have repaired the dug up roads at most of the areas, but the repairing work were done in haphazard and substandard way, causing the waterlogging.

The sewage project worth Rs 235 crores was supposed to be completed in December 2020 and the drinking water project worth Rs 400 crores was supposed to be completed in May this year.

As there is a forest clearance hurdle in the way of both the projects, it may take another year or more for the completion of them.

City manager, Adityapur Municipal Corporation (AMC), Ajay Kumar who monitors both the projects on behalf of the AMC confirmed about further delay in completion of these projects due to the forest clearance hurdle.

(Kumud Jenamani)