Munda moots ISM upgrade proposal

DHANBAD: Jharkhand chief minister Arjun Munda on Saturday assured the students of Indian School of Mines University here that the state cabinet would send a proposal to the Centre seeking its upgradation as an IIT.Addressing the students andteachers of ISM here, Munda said the cabinet would pass a resolution in thisrespect soon. "I will request all MPs from Jharkhand to meet the Prime Ministerand press for the upgradation of ISM."Munda, who was in town,appeared before sub-divisional judicial magistrate Kamal Nayan Pandey inconnection with a case filed in 2009 against him during the elections undersection 188 of IPC. He was charged with violation of model code of conduct. Thecourt granted him bail after he furnished a bail bond of Rs 3,000. He wasaccompanied by the BJP MP from Dhanbad P N Singh.Munda alsoaddressed the Dhanbad Bar Association and assured its members that theassociation would soon get a plot for construction of its building. He asked thedeputy commissioner to select a site and send a proposal to the state governmentand he would approve the site.While addressing a press conference,he said Jharkhand would bring a legislation on the lines of Bihar Service Actsoon. "People have rights to get their works done in a time limit and defaultingofficers and employees will be punished if they delay the disposal ofapplications of the common man."Munda also said the IT act would beenforced in the state to bring all government departments information oninternet. The state government will shortly appoint a large number of doctors tofill up the vacancies in the rural areas. Munda said the government was tryingto improve the power supply in the state and admitted there was heavytransmission loss. "The system will be corrected for uninterrupted supply ofpower. The Damodar Valley Corporation has been requested to supply power to thedomestic consumers in its areas. A note has been sent to the Union energyministry in this regard seeking guidance to the DVC," he said.Aboutthe Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Scheme, Munda said the state had askedthe Centre to provide 63 to 100 KV power stations in the rural areas as 10 KVstations were insufficient.