Ranchi: Stepping up preparations for Shravani Mela, the cabinet on Tuesday resolved to complete the queue complex at Baidyanathdham in Deoghar from its own resources, as due to a change in the Centre's funding pattern under the Narendra Modi government, only Rs 11.85 crore of aid was released of the Rs 23.71 crore promised in 2012 during the UPA regime.
The month-long Shravani Mela, attended by lakhs of people every year, is expected to start from July 28 this year.
Finance department additional chief secretary Sukhdev Singh said that in 2012, the state government had decided to set up a Rs 31.14 crore queue complex in Deoghar with amenities on the lines of Tirupati. Of this, the Centre was to contribute Rs 23.71 crore and the rest Rs 7.43 crore was the state's share. But, the Centre stopped financial aid after releasing Rs 11.85 crore, he said, but could not specify when. "Now, the cabinet has decided to complete the pending work of queue complex from its own resources," Singh said.
No formal deadline of the queue complex's completion was given, though it is a priority given how at least 11 persons died and scores were injured at the Deoghar stampede in 2015.
Keeping in mind the huge pilgrim rush during Shravani Mela, the cabinet resolved to set up 23 temporary police outposts and 14 temporary traffic outposts for crowd management and crime control. These temporary outposts would be managed through available resources and no fresh recruitments would be made.
Other decisions
• The cabinet handed over Chalet House in Latehar, the summer residence of Bihar-Orissa (now Odisha) lieutenant governor, to tourism department. This century-old wooden structure, built when Sir Edward Gait was lieutenant-governor, was a favourite summer getaway for British officers, and initially, Netarhat Vidyalaya operated from here
• For integrated growth of most backward tribal-dominated districts such as Khunti, Gumla, Sahebganj, Pakur, Simdega and West Singhbhum, the cabinet approved Rs 50 crore to each to execute three-year special development plans. Panels headed by respective DCs will select the plans at the district level, but the schemes will be approved and monitored by a committee headed by the chief secretary
• The DA of state government employees still getting Fifth Pay commission was raised from 268 to 274 per cent with retrospective effect from January 1, 2018.
• A previous cabinet decision taken in October 2014, proposing pension to teachers and employees of madarsas and Sanskrit schools was nullified
• Drafts of ordinances proposing Capital University in Koderma by Choudhary Charan Singh Education Society and Ram Krishna Dharmarth Foundation University by Ayushmati Education and Social Society were approved, but it has not yet been decided where the second varsity will come up
• Land measuring 3.55 acres was transferred to ONGC in Gomia, Bokaro, to explore coal-based methane gas, and 2.11 acre to Central Excise and Service Tax department for setting up its offices in core capital area of Ranchi
• Special Economic Zone Policy, 2003 scrapped. The state has decided to adopt Centre's SEZ policy - 2005 and its regulations approved in 2006
• Regulations were approved for hiring child development project officers.
