BIG 92.7 FM enters Bhubaneswar
Friday - May 18, 2007
Televisionpoint.com Correspondent
Within a fortnight, Bhubaneswar got the taste of second private FM channel. Big 92.7 FM, the initiative of Adlabs Films, launched its Orissa operation by formally airing programmes from its Bhubaneswar station.Bhubaneswar is the ninth station to become operational of the 17 places in the country for which Big FM has got licence's in the first round of bidding. The radio station has come up with a 19-hour non-stop programmes, which are blend of information and entertainment. Besides music, the station will keep listeners updated with city traffic positions, weather and health tips."The programming mix of station has been put together after much research and understanding of our listeners' requirements. It is our aim to create content that is relevant, credible and has an aspirational value to the listeners," Sudden Dutta, Associate Vice-President, East Region said.Though trial run was going on since April 14, the company formally launched the channel presenting its radio jockeys before media. Dutta also informed that Big FM's second station in Orissa will come up by September at Rourkela.Earlier on May 3, city-based Eastern Media Limited had launched its channel, Radio Choklate, first private FM channel in the State of Orissa.

Man gets death sentence for killing wife, son
Bhubaneswar, May 19: A court in Orissa Saturday awarded death sentence to a man for killing his wife and their one-year-old son in the steel city of Rourkela last year over a family quarrel.The judge of a Rourkela fast track court, Sobhan Kumar Das, handed down the sentence to Mohan Mohant, a tribal, for killing his wife and their son at their residence in Rourkela, 470 km from here, on Jan 12 last year.Mohant was arrested July 23 and charge-sheeted after he confessed to have committed the crime. At least 21 witnesses were tried in the court.

Death sentence for killing wife, son(IANS)20 May 2007
BHUBANESWAR — A court in Orissa yesterday awarded death sentence to a man for killing his wife and their one-year-old son in the steel city of Rourkela last year over a family quarrel.
The judge of a Rourkela fast track court, Sobhan Kumar Das, handed down the sentence to Mohan Mohant, a tribal, for killing his wife and their son at their residence in Rourkela, 470km from here, on January 12 last year. Mohant was arrested on July 23 and charge-sheeted after he confessed to have committed the crime. At least 21 witnesses were tried in the court.


Gallows for killings
OUR CORRESPONDENT
Bhubaneswar, May 19: A fast-track court in Rourkela today ordered that a man be hanged to death for killing his wife and one-year old son on the night of January 12, 2006.
The judge also fined Mohan Mahanta (36), the convict, to pay a fine of Rs 5,000.
Bishra police said Mohan Mahanta (36), a construction worker and vegetable trader hailing from Teterkela, lived in a rented house in Bishra daily market.
Mohan had married Muni — it was his second wedding — and had a son, Babu, out of the relationship.
On the midnight of January 12 last year, Mohan slit the throat of his wife with a sharp weapon and strangled his son using a handkerchief before fleeing the spot.
R.K. Chauhan, a home guard and a neighbour of Mohan had heard screams coming from the house of the killer and went to investigate, but Mohan had escaped after committing the murders.
He remained at large for about seven months and was arrested on July 30, 2006.
After hearing of as many as 10 witnesses, ad-hoc additional sessions judge (fast-track) Sobhan Kumar Das today awarded capital punishment and the fine.
Assistant public prosecutor Chandramani Jena, who represented the state, said: “Circumstantial evidence collected by the police as well as the testimonies given by the witnesses proved it beyond doubt that Mahanta committed the crime.”
But Mohan’s lawyer P.C. Das said: “Mahanta’s presence at his home on the fateful night has not been conclusively proved.
He will appeal in the high court against today’s judgment.”
Though Mohan did not react when the sentence was read out, he later broke down and protested against the sentence.

Orissa High Court strikes down Act
Cuttack, PTI:
The Orissa Professional Educational Institution (regulation of admission and fixation of fee) Act, 2007, aims to regulate the admission, prohibition of capitation fee and course fee structure in privately-run educational institutions.
In a setback to the state government, the Orissa High Court has struck down the Orissa Professional Educational Institution (regulation of admission and fixation of fee) Act, 2007, which aimed to regulate the admission, prohibition of capitation fee and course fee structure in privately-run educational institutions.A bench comprising Chief Justice A K Ganguly and Justice Nityananda Prusty said in their order yesterday that the act was unconstitutional, inoperative, invalid and not binding on the petitioners."The state government does not have the legislative competence to promulgate such an act," the bench said.The act had already received Orissa government's assent in March after the bill was passed in the Assembly.It was, however, challenged by four different bodies under the umbrella organisation of association of private management colleges, engineering colleges and medical colleges in the high court.The association had said in four separate writ petitions that "the state government lacks the legislative competence to enforce such an Act."