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Assam and Arunachal Pradesh will dismantle bunkers built by their respective police forces on either side of the border as a confidence building measure to resolve the tension along their borders. The Centre may allocate an alternate site for the proposed Haripur nuclear power plant. Acquiring land for the project became difficult at Haripur, a fishing hamlet in West Bengal’s East Medinipur district, amid protests from villagers. The project was to be built with the by a Russian nuclear power equipment and service export company, Atomstroyexport. [email protected] UICIDES by farmers were common- place in Andhra Pradesh a few years back. In most cases, farmers had ended their lives after they failed to repay the huge amount of accumulated loans. But, such cases were very uncommon in West Bengal. But, the story of Jitu Bagdi may remind the people of West Bengal again about the pathetic plight of Andhra Pradesh farmers. Jitu was a 30-year-old farmer of Karatia village in Ausgram block of Burd- wan district which is known as Bengal’s rice bowl. Last week, Jitu ended his life by consuming pesticides. He had taken a loan from a local money lender and failed to repay the money as he could not cultivate rice due to prevailing drought situation in West Bengal. The same fate befell Yunus Seikh of Basantapur vil- lage, again in Burdwan district. Like Jitu, Yunus was also unable to settle the loan as he could not produce rice due to acute scarcity of water. Both Jitu and Yunus were so impoverished that they could not buy water for cultivation, though the cost of water for agriculture is the lowest in the state compared to other provinces. In West Bengal, just Rs 37 is required for watering one hectare of land, while in other states, one needs to cough up between Rs 156 and Rs 267. West Bengal is now reeling under an intense drought-like situation. The state government has re- cently declared 11 of the total 19 districts in the states as “drought hit districts”. Finance minister Asim Das- gupta asserts that, based on a preliminary assessment, the financial losses will swell to Rs 5,000 crore if this crisis persists for another month. Mr Dasgupta also points out that this year West Bengal has witnessed a rainfall deficit of 35% and this has aggravated the pathetic plight of the farmers in the state. Total agricultural land distributed in West Bengal is 11.26 lakh acres and the number of poor farmers who have benefited has now reached 29.95 lakh. A major section of this farming community has now fallen prey to the drought-like situation and are now at the mercy of raingods. Believe it or not, many farmer families even in Burdwan district, which is still known to be a CPM stronghold, were evok- ing the gods for rains. In West Bengal, the total land area is 88.75 lakh hectare of which 55.78 lakh hectare is farmland. A major por- tion of this 55.78 lakh hectare of farmlands have been brought under various irrigation schemes and farm- ers ploughing these lands should not get affected ad- versely due to inadequate rainfall. But, the state government admits in a recent pres- entation to the Centre that “due to the vagaries of na- ture over the decades, irrigation structures (major and minor) and canal systems could not be maintained adequately. There has been around 25% reduction of irrigated area compared to the ultimate potential cre- ated after commissioning of the schemes. The stabili- sation of this irrigation potential would be another cost-effective step.” Writers’ Buildings bosses also concede in their drought-related documents to New Delhi that “the state government would have to undertake, in a phased manner, thorough overhauling of the canal system, specially improvement of the hydraulic struc- tures, for preventing loss of water. The ongoing medi- um irrigation schemes particularly in Purulia district also need to be completed at an early date. A sum of Rs 400 crore has been assessed as the expenditure need during the year 2010-15.” Interestingly, Purulia is one of those 11 districts in the state which have been de- clared as a drought-hit zone. The state government’s submission to the Centre clearly indicates that the administration has failed miserably to maintain these irrigation canals to help them carry water to the farmlands and enable farmers to cope with this testing situation. Apprehending a huge negative impact on the agri- culture sector and agricultural production due to the current scenario, West Bengal chief minister Bud- dhadeb Bhattacharjee has recently written a letter to the Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, re- questing him to send a central team to visit the drought-hit districts and prepare a report on the basis of their ground-level experience. West Bengal agriculture min- ister Naren De says that it would not be possible to cultivate about 11 lakh hectare of the to- tal 55.78 lakh hectare of agricultural land in the state due to this critical climate. He also indicates that food output in the state will be less by 27 lakh metric tonnes compared to the levels in the previous year. Mr De’s observations clearly underline a food scarcity in the state in the days ahead. However, the government is hopeful about combating the situation by encourag- ing alternative farming. Mr Dasgupta also indicates that responding to the chief minister’s appeal, a central team will arrive in West Bengal next week to travel to the drought- scarred districts. “The Centre has recently extended us Rs 170 crore under the rural employment guarantee scheme, though we deserve Rs 1,400 crore under this head. Even though we have received just Rs 170 crore, we have sanctioned Rs 172 crore for rural em- ployment guarantee to help the farmers who are struggling to survive,” Mr Dasgupta informs. The finance minister also claims that his depart- ment had earlier sanctioned Rs 50 crore from its own funds to the farmers. “Our government has further sanctioned another Rs 87 crore (in addition to the central grant),” he adds. Finance minister Dasgupta says that there were 11 lakh ponds and water bodies in West Bengal. “We are planning to prepare a masterplan to utilise these ponds and waterbodies during such a crisis.” He adds that the government is planning alterna- tive farming to cope with this crisis. “We are also con- sidering proposals to distribute maize seeds and differ- ent types of pulses to the farmers in September so that they can minimise the financial losses they have al- ready suffered due to the drought,” Mr Dasgupta says. “The government also plans to set up 2,700 seed vil- lages which will help farmers to acquire seeds at cheaper rates. Our target is to create 7,000 seed vil- lages, but right now we are planning to create 2,700 such units to help farmers in an emergency,” he informs. N OT TOO long ago, the rich in Ranchi had little to do after dark. Leisure options were few and far between. Access to old world clubs like the Ranchi Gymkhana or the Ranchi Club was confined to a select band of some 3000-odd denizens. The growing flock of top government officials and corporate exec- utives who had settled down in Ranchi after the birth of Jharkhand in circa 2000, scarcely had good places to chill out. Eating out wasn’t exciting either as it meant choosing between a half decent restaurant or a lonely dhaba on the Patna-Ranchi highway. Catching a movie was nearly out of the question, given the dismal upkeep of local cinema halls coupled with their unsavoury ambience. But all that may soon be history as change is in the air. People with serious disposable incomes in these parts may finally be able to let their hair down after sunset. Jharkhand is silently getting its entertainment act in place. Old, conventional cinema halls are swiftly making way for new age multiplexes and malls. And the growing appetite for upmarket entertainment options is already palpable. Ever since Ranchi got its first two-screen miniplex, Eyelex, in Year 2007, it sparked off an interesting trend. First, it was popular cinema hall Sujata which developed the ‘Sujata Miniplex’ within its confines. Thereafter, a spate of local cinema halls like Vishnu Talkies, Sandhya, Uphaar to Plaza went for a complete makeover. And the makeover is clearly generating the moolah for these erstwhile movie hall owners. People are making a beeline for these trendy zone in droves and the cash registers are jingling. These plush multiplexes despite higher ticket prices have been an instant hit with Ranchi’s upwardly mobile crowd. “We don’t mind paying more if the film is good and the ambience, comfortable. What matters most is I get to spend quali- ty time with family. I am so happy the entertainment scene is finally livening up here,” says Ranchi old timer Frank Tirkey. Jharkhand’s first shopping mall, JD Hi Street, is also poised transform retail experience in Ranchi. Promoted by Jokhiram Durgadutt, this upmarket mall will be launched next month. The mall will include glitzy stores, food courts, gaming zones, bowling alleys and a huge parking lot. Says Anurag Sarawgi, JD’s managing partner: “It will be a total- ly new experience. There will be a three-screen multiplex. The gaming zone will be spread in 8,000 sq ft. Thus one can throw par- ties in a nice ambience and safe atmosphere. There will be eight- counter food courts for the ravellers. Besides, 5,000 sq ft space has been developed for fine dining,” he said, adding: “in order to man- age the mall professionally, we have hired a Singapore-based firm JLM (Jone Lang Lasalle).” The agency maintain ‘Select City Walk’ mall in Delhi and South City’ mall in Kolkata. Besides, another mall-cum-multiplex, with three-screens, is coming up at Hinoo in Ranchi. And the buzz isn’t confined to Ranchi alone. Things are looking up in Jamshedpur too. For instance, the Eyelex miniplex is about to arrive in the steel town by October. Says Anand Lohia, Eyelex Films director: “Though we’ve had our share of ups and downs, we’ve found the market pretty lucrative and plan to come up with new multiplexes. Besides Ranchi and Jamshedpur, we are also launching miniplexes in Bokaro, Deoghar, Katras, Phusro, Sambalpur and Asansol.” Jusco (read: Jamshedpur Utility Service Co) also plans to devel- op a multiplex-cum shopping mall at Bistupur, for which the groundwork is being laid. Noted film-maker Prakash Jha is also developing a multiplex at the same location. A Centenary City Centre, promoted by Tata Steel, is coming up at Golmuri, which will provide shopping delight to Jamshedpur. Some aren’t so optimistic. Reputed developer Chandrakant Raipat, for instance, feels the euphoria is misplaced. “The mall and multiplex business is seeing a downward trend in large metros. Though I welcome the changes in the retail and entertainment scene, I would like to see growth happen in a controlled way. One would need to factor in people’s purchasing power in a city. Ranchi or Jharkhand, for that matter, is far from being developed economically. Also there are several instances where these malls are in the red,”said. Be that as it may, Jharkhand’s denizens wish to live for the mo- ment and are thrilled with about the new dynamism in the state’s entertainment scene. Young banker Ashrita Sinha who is based in Ranchi sums up this emerging sentiment best. “I would like to have access to diverse entertainment options in my hometown, the kind of options that some friends in big cities like Kolkata, Del- hi or Mumbai enjoy.” Navtan Kumar PLANET EAST 10 THE ECONOMIC TIMES KOLKATA MONDAY 30 AUGUST 2010 ARTMART Vedanta Aluminium Ltd has sought an alternate source of bauxite from the Orissa government for its aluminium refinery unit at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district. This follows the environment ministry’s rejection of the company’s plan to mine bauxite at Orissa’s Niyamgiri. region recall events tracker BIZ BUZZ Aakriti Art Gallery presents a show called `No Content Worries’ -- on trends of contemporary art. September 3-18, 12-7 pm, Sunday closed Birla Academy of Art & Culture presents an exhibition of works by 18 Indian artists living in Paris. September 3-October 3, 3-8 pm (except Mondays & October 2) Chemould Art Gallery presents a solo exhibition of paintings by Ratna Bose. September 5-9, 2-7 pm West Bengal is witnessing farmers’ suicides as 11 districts in the state are hit by drought. The state now plans alternative means to help combat this crisis, writes Tamal Sengupta ACTION UNPLUGGED Bengal National Chamber of Commerce & Industry fields Farooq Abdullah, Union minister of new & renewable energy, at a meeting on renewable energy in West Bengal. The Oberoi Grand, August 30, 12 noon Bengal National Chamber of Commerce & Industry organises a meeting on company law and corporate governance with Salman Khurshid, minister of state for corporate affairs & minority affairs. The Oberoi Grand, September 2, 2 pm READY TO ROCK People with serious disposable incomes may finally be able to let their hair down after sunset in Jharkhand S SEEDS OF SORROW An upcoming mall in Ranchi Total land in state 88.75 lakh hectare Gross cropped area 96.34 lakh hectare Net cropped area 52.96 lakh hectare Net area under minor irrigation 44.34 lakh hectare Rainfall deficit in July-August this year 35% Drought-hit districts 11 of 19 Drought impact is being felt on 11 lakh hectare of farm land Crop loss amounts to 27 lakh metric ton Financial loss may rise to `5,000 crore CROP SHOW A miniplex in the city
