Varanasi, Feb. 17 – By consuming illegitimate liquid, around five people were killed and about 16 others affected badly sick in Varanasi Wednesday.

“Those who died or fell ill after consuming illicit liquor are residents of Saidpur village,” District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar informed the media in Varanasi city.

“Preliminary investigations reveal that the residents of the Saidpur village had purchased pouches of liquor from a man of the same village involved in manufacturing illicit liquor,” he added.

The unauthentic liquor is composed by putting together jaggery, alum, ammonium chloride, ethyl alcohol and picking the essence for a good flavor. If the methanol use instead of the ethyl alcohol to add punch to the local-made liquor, it would be deadly harmed to the consumers.

As per the police officials, the bootlegger is run away. “Teams have been constituted to nab the man, who is primarily responsible for the incident,” a police officer said.

Varanasi, Feb. 8 – In a unique example of coalescing metaphysics with modern science, a Aghor sadhu of Varanasi and a Banaras Hindu University scientist have put together to make a model institution for sustainable development through integrated production system. Leveraging on usage of nature’s products and by products, they have evolved a new dimension through ‘waste not want not’ principle and to teach students to save environment.

The eco center is in the making across the river Ganga in Ramnagar with an objective to promote integrated system of agricultural production. The project works on three mechanisms – agriculture, animal husbandry, and fish farming.

The scientist from BHU professor Saket Kushwaha, teaches in Institute of Agricultural Sciences, BHU, has supported the plan based on his own experiences in Africa and South America. The eco center is being developed by the fund donated by domestic and foreign benefactors of Aghor Foundation. Mr. Kushwaha voluntarily devotes his holidays and free time to develop the center.

“Predominantly, the word sustainable clicks the thought of environment-friendly system but if deeply analyzed defines it as a holistic system which is socially acceptable, culturally rich, economically viable, environmentally sound, just and humane system,” he said.

“We call it Amrit Sagar Eco Centre, which is all about creating a model for the best environmental practices, as well as sustainable farming. Although we have acquired only a small portion of the total land area, we are moving ahead with a multi-phased masterplan,” said Baba Harihar Ramji, the founder of Aghor Foundation.

The distinctive usage of agricultural plant and animal by-products will constitute a response to the management of numerous problems that harm the environment. The center will not save environment to a great extent but also educate student and young agricultural entrepreneurs.

There are already people involving in the project. There is a pool of volunteers and followers of babaji busy themselves in Sunday to display traditional and innovative sustainable technologies.