Jamshedpur, Aug. 30: A landmine blast, allegedly triggered by Maoists, killed 11 Jharkhand Armed Police personnel when they were returning from nearby villages in Ghatshila after searching for stolen motorbikes.

Police sources said Maoists belonging to the Bhelaipahari platoon was behind the attack that occurred around 1.30pm when two teams from Ghatshila police station were returning after the raids.

The first team of 22 jawans was travelling ahead while the other team was coming back on foot. They boarded their jeep to cross a mud road. The blast occurred soon after, killing all of them on the spot.

Jamshedpur, Aug. 30: The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) has decided to disclose “misdeeds” of the UPA government in Jharkhand.

Addressing a newsmeet this afternoon, Arjun Munda, the leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, said recent political developments reflect where the state is headed.

“People know what the government has achieved in the past two years. Now, it should announce the plans for the next two years,” the senior BJP leader said. Alleging that the Centre played a key role towards the formation of the government, the former chief minister said, the central government does not have honest intentions about Jharkhand.

Jamshedpur, Aug. 29: The general post office in Bistupur has entered the corporate league with improved infrastructure and a host of customer-friendly services.

Inaugurating the new-look post office at a function today, chief postmaster-general of Jharkhand Abhay Sekhar Prasad said the revamp had brought with it a perfect work ambience for all employees.

“While we have introduced facilities for customers, the new services are also aimed at making work faster and easier for the members of staff. The initiative has been taken by the postal department’s Delhi office. We can now keep pace with time in a better way,” he said.

Officials said 56 desktop computers had been provided to expedite the work process. “We will also have 12 multipurpose counters. Each counter will be equipped to carry out every kind of transaction. So, customers can bid goodbye to serpentine queues and long hours of wait. Their job will be done in a jiffy,” said an official.

Jamshedpur, Aug. 29: Failing to get giraffes from Africa, Tata Steel Zoological Park is now looking forward to a pair of the animals from Alipore zoo in Calcutta. But the wait could be long.

The zoo is trying to get a pair to mark the centenary year of Tata Steel. But the hassles in getting the animals from Africa, where there are a number of giraffe breeding centres, has forced the zoo to look for alternatives in the country itself.

“We found it hard co-ordinating between the Government of India and Africa. Moreover, there are many hurdles in getting the animals transported from one country to another. We have conducted preliminary rounds of talks with the Alipore zoo officials and have placed an order for a pair of giraffes from there,” said Manik Palit, the Tata Steel zoo assistant director.

Apart from Calcutta, the zoos at Mysore, Chandigarh and Kanpur also breed giraffes. The decision to shift focus to Calcutta, however, is set to delay the Tata Steel zoo’s plans of getting a pair of giraffes.