1. Rains Bring Down Monsoon Deficit
After Vadodara, it was Rajkot's turn to be battered by rains. The city recorded 144 mm rainfall till 8 in the evening on Friday, 2 August, which was the second-highest in the state.
The highest rainfall was recorded in Mangrol taluka of Surat which recorded 187 mm rainfall. Several talukas of Saurashtra also witnessed heavy rains. Of the 144 mm, Rajkot received 71 mm rainfall within three hours. Private weather forecasting firm Skymet said that thundershowers are likely in state, particularly in the Saurashtra region, under the influence of a trough extending from Gujarat to North Bay of Bengal across North Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand. In all, 145 talukas in the state received rains on Friday.
Rains, however, gave a cold shoulder to Ahmedabad on Friday, but the MET department has predicted the possibility of light showers today. Heavy rains in the last few days have helped reduce the deficit in the state from June till August to 18 percent.
(Source: DNA)
2. Heavy Rain Forecast for Vadodara, South Gujarat and Saurashtra
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a heavy rainfall warning for Vadodara, South Gujarat and Saurashtra districts for Saturday and Sunday (3 and 4 August).
“Heavy to very heavy rains very likely at isolated places in the districts of Vadodara and South Gujarat, namely Valsad, Navsari, Dangs, Tapi, Surat, Narmada and Bharuch,” the warning states.
With an active southwest monsoon over Gujarat, heavy rainfall was recorded in the districts of South Gujarat and Saurashtra, while a total of 131 talukas received rainfall on Friday. Mangrol taluka in Surat received the highest rainfall of 6.25 inch in 12 hours, from 6 am to 6 pm, on Friday.
3. Redevelopment Cost of Gandhinagar Railway Station Shot up by 150%’
The redevelopment cost of Gandhinagar Railway Station has shot up by almost 150 per cent at Rs 610 crore, after a decision was taken to convert an under-construction 300-room hotel on top of the railway station to the 5-star category.
“Initially, the estimated cost of the redevelopment was Rs 243.58 crore. However, considering the change in the budget, from a 3-star hotel to a 5-star hotel, the project cost has been increased to Rs 610 crore,” states the first annual report of the Gandhinagar Railway and Urban Development Corporation Limited (GARUD) for the year 2017-18, which tabled in the recently concluded budget session of the Gujarat Assembly.
The annual report further states that the cost of the project spiked after “structural changes were suggested by the Hotel Operator (The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts)”, and the construction of additional structures, such as an approach and exit ramp, a road and an underbridge, were proposed to be developed as part of the project.
(Source: Indian Express)
4. State Govt Should Give Land for Land to Tribals, Says NCST
The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has recommended the Gujarat government to give land for land to tribals, in cases where their land is to be acquired for developing a tourism zone around the Statue of Unity in Narmada district. The Commission, however, could not speak with the tribals of the district likely to be affected by the proposed land acquisition, since nobody from the community came forward to meet it.
The Commission said this on Friday, 2 August, while interacting with media persons after its four-day visit to Gujarat and a meeting with top officials of the state government.
The state government is facing resistance from tribals of various villages around SoU, where it is planning a massive tourism zone. Recently, acting on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) moved by an Ahmedabad-based environment activist, the Gujarat High Court had ordered to maintain status quo on the land acquisition process in those villages.
(Source: Indian Express)
5. Bank of India Manager Held in Rs 2-Cr Fraud Case
Sardarnagar police on Friday arrested the manager of Bank of India, Delhi branch, in a Rs 2 crore fraud case that came to light last year. The accused has been identified as Rambabu Mahato (57) a native of Uttar Pradesh.
As per a police official, in a complaint lodged by Nisha Dagla, a resident of Banaskhanta with last year, she accused six people of duping the bank of Rs 2 crore.
She alleged that the accused had taken a mortgage loan of Rs 2 crore from the Bank of India, Sardarnagar branch in 2017 using a piece of land in Kubernagar area as collateral. During the investigation, it was revealed that the land belonged to the government and the accused had forged property documents of land to get the loan.
(Source: DNA)
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