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A Village Burnt Overnight: Tears, Loss and Survival in Dhamangaon Blaze

  Sitting amid the blackened remains of his home, 32-year-old Nikesh Gawali carefully broke open a half-melted plastic box with a screwdriver. His hands shook slightly, not out of fear, but out of hope. “I’m trying to find my daughter Aarti’s gold earrings,” he said quietly, still focused on the box. “She’s just five. I got them made recently after months of labour work.” The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village . All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there. Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work,...

VCA yet to clear Rs 3.19 crore dues of Rural Police

By Dheeraj Fartode

Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) is yet to clear the dues for availing police bandobast for the security during T-20 and Test Cricket matches held during last few years. The figure of outstanding dues is whopping Rs 3.19 crores and remainders of district police force failed to entice any response from VCA officials. 
According to information, Nagpur Rural Police provided security to IPL T-20 matches in the year 2010. The Rural Police had sent bill of Rs 2,30,33,821 to VCA the same year. However, VCA did not pay the amount. In the Test Match held in year 2015 too Rural Police provided bandobast and a bill for Rs 89,36,664 was dispatched to VCA. This bill is also outstanding.
With such outstanding dues, the Nagpur Rural Police are contemplating whether to provide security in upcoming T-20 matches in March 2016. Sources informed that the Rural Police is required to deploy manpower of 900 policemen including Dog squads and Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) for security arrangement at Jamtha stadium which has capacity of 49,000 spectators. 
Nagpur Rural Police does not have not that much man power to spare and hence the additional manpower is requisitioned from neighboring Wardha, Chandrapur and Bhandara district force. Besides four Additional Superintendent of Police rank officers are also called for helping out with managing such a large police force at the ground.
On many occasions VCA officials did not even officer food or water to the on duty policemen which sent wrong message in the police department, said the sources.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Nagpur Rural Anant Rokde informed that a meeting was held between office bearers of VCA and Rural police to clear the outstanding dues. The VCA have objection on the rates of officers and constables who were deployed during the matches, he said. “We will also ensure proper food and drinking water for the policemen,” said Rokde. 

More exit points to avoid chaos 

SP Anant Rokde also informed that District Collector Sachin Kurvey and Zilla Parishad CEO Shivaji Jondhale will be visiting the Jamtha stadium on Monday to study creating additional exit routes to avoid chaos. District administration is considering tarring of another road connecting to Jamtha from the Hingna side so that Wardha Road crowding can be avoided. The road comes under the jurisdiction of Zilla Parishad and if  CEO gives his approval then traffic chaos on national highway could be averted.


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