Child dies after consuming prasad in Orissa
Bhubaneswar, May 25: A child died while over 50 people, mostly women and children, fell sick in an Orissa village after consuming prasad, a health official said Thursday.
As many as 30 people were admitted to the Dharmasala hospital and one of them, Chandan Mallick, 8, died in the afternoon.
Residents of Sarei village in Jajpur district, about 130 km from here, had taken Sirini - a religious offering made of rice, milk, coconut, and sugar - during a village festival Tuesday.
After 48 hours many of them complained of giddiness and acute stomachache. Many vomited and complained of diarrhoea, a medical officer of the hospital said.

Friday, May 25, 2007
Rapist marries victim in Orissa jail
In what may be a case of repentance or an easy way to get out of jail, a man in an Orissa prison has tied the knot with the young woman he raped.
Naukunj Sandha, 23, who has been in jail since the March 23 rape, married Munnu Bhuyan inside the Jharsuguda sub jail Wednesday, a police officer said. The families of both the bride and groom attended.
The marriage was solemnised by an official, A.B. Khatei, in the presence of jail superintendent P.N. Bag and P. Nageswari, lawyer for the accused.
'What I did was wrong,' a lawyer quoted Naukunj as saying after the ceremony. 'Now I am happy to get a chance to make amends.'
Bhuyan, who looked happy, said she was ready to forgive her tormentor.
'For the time of rape I hated him. I wanted to tear him to pieces. But I have a different feeling now. I have forgiven him because he has chosen me as his wife,' she said.
On March 23, Naukunj, who was a crane operator in Easter Power and Steel Ltd at Lehendapur, was visiting Kantapali to attend a marriage where he raped the 21-year-old.
Later, Naukunj's relatives and his advocate approached the girl with a proposal to marry him. With help from legal counselors, the two agreed to marry.
'The marriage was solemnized inside the jail and attended by parents of the boy and girl. While the bride left for her in-laws' house, the groom remained in the jail,' said Nageswari.
A prison official said: 'All this is part of our policies of reforms and rehabilitation.' Following the marriage, a bail petition has been moved to free Naukunj.

WB to provide Rs 1,406 cr for Orissa roads
AGENCIES
Posted online: Friday, May 25, 2007 at 1316 hours IST
BHUBANESWAR, MAY 25: The World Bank has agreed to provide Rs 1,406 crore as assistance for implementation of Rs 2,121 crore Orissa State Roads Project (OSRP), official sources said.
Under the project 200 km of road would be constructed within the current fiscal, sources added.
Of the total amount, Rs 415 crore would be invested during the current financial year to build the 68 km Bhawanipatna- Khariar road, 95 km stretch of Chandbali- Bhadrak-Anandapur road and 41 km Berhampur-Taptapani road.
About 700 km of roads would be constructed during the next fiscal.
The matter was discussed at a meeting between the state's Works Minister A U Singh Deo and a World Bank team comprising B Raja and A K Swaminathan here yesterday, the sources said.
A proposal was also mooted to set up a construction academy in Orissa modelled after the one present at Hyderabad to contribute towards capacity building of contractors and workers by imparting training in modern construction technique, they said.
Steps would also be taken to develop a core road network system for undertaking urgent repair works. The Sambalpur-Rourkela, Joda-Bambri and Koira-Tensa-Rajamunda roads were being taken up for expansion and widening under the public-private-partnership mode, the sources said.

Robbers flee with Rs.250,000 in Orissa
Bhubaneswar, May 24: Robbers looted a total of Rs.250,000 in two separate incidents in western Orissa, police said Thursday.Three masked men decamped with Rs.133,000 after threatening an insurance firm employee at gunpoint at Mangalbazar in Jharsuguda town."Dileswar Bag, an employee of National Insurance, had gone to a bank to deposit the money. When he parked his bike in front of the bank, three youths accosted him and snatched the bag carrying money," said a police officer from Jharsuguda."The trio fled away on a motorcycle. This was the fourth such incident in the town in two months."In another incident, a phone booth owner was robbed of Rs.117,000 by unknown miscreants in the Sambalpur Court premises, 320 km from here.Mangtu Ram Agarwal had withdrawn the money to buy a piece of land at Badbazar and had gone to the court for its registration."Keeping the money in the side-box of his bike, he went to buy stamp papers for documentation. On his return, he found the side box broken and the bag containing the money missing," police said.Police launched investigations to nab the culprits.

Friday, May 25, 2007
Couple commits suicide in Orissa
From correspondents in India, 03:30 PM IST
Driven to desperation by acute poverty and family tensions, a couple allegedly committed suicide in their village home here.
Santosh Jena, 28, and his wife Laxmipriya Jena, 24, allegedly consumed poison Thursday evening in their home in Chaitana village, about 80 km from Bhubaneshwar.
Jitendra Dalasi, officer-in-charge of the Naugaon police station, said the couple were in dire straits after their marriage and many times did not have enough money to purchase daily rations and clothes, even though Santosh worked as a daily labourer.
The couple got married after many years of a steady relationship in July 2006 and were living separately from Santosh's parents and brother.
'Both husband and wife committed suicide owing to acute poverty. Even the district administration and panchayat representative didn't pay heed towards them. They were grossly neglected,' states the first information report (FIR) in the case.
A police official said poverty was not the sole cause: 'They must have family problems and altercations with other family members.'

Orissa team studies welfare schemes
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Chennai, May 25: A five-member delegation from Orissa, led by Information and Public Relations Minister Debasis Nayak, today studied various welfare schemes being implemented by the Tamil Nadu government for journalists.
The team held talks with Tamil Nadu Information Minister Parithi Ilamvazhuthi and department officials with regard to provisions laid down for journalist pension scheme in the state.
Besides studying the structure and functions of the state Press Academy, the delegations also looked into procedures like identification of journalists eligible for pension scheme, contribution to the pension fund, investment of the fund and disbursement of the pension.
The team comprised Information and Public Relations Commissioner-cum-Secretary Digambar Mohanty and three journalists from Orissa, an official press release said. (Our Correspondent)
Published: Friday, May 25, 2007

Two Die Of Anthrax In Orissa
Friday 25th of May 2007 :- Two people have died of anthrax in Orissa's tribal dominated Koraput district, while five have contracted the deadly disease in the last two days, health officials said Friday.Bisu Sisa, 45, of Phulba village and Nanda Jani, 35, of Padiguda village under Semliguda block in Koraput, nearly 500 km from Bhubaneswar, fell to the disease reportedly after consuming cattle meat.K.H. Reddy, chief district medical officer (CDMO) of Koraput headquarters hospital confirmed the deaths and the anthrax infection. 'The two were brought dead. Those who have contracted the infection are undergoing treatment in hospital and their condition is said to be stable,' Reddy said.The state government has sent a team of doctors to the two villages to treat villagers and create awareness among them about the disease.'The team will camp in the villages to monitor the situation. They have also destroyed cattle meat preserved in some houses there,' the official said.'As a precautionary measure, another health task force has been deployed in these villages to prevent further infection,' he added.Villagers however alleged that no veterinary staff were present for the vaccination of animals.Orissa has reported cases of anthrax infection in the past too, specially from Kalahandi, Koraput and Rayagada where tribals often consume infected meat.Over 200 cattle and five people lost their lives to anthrax between 1994 and 2006. In 1998, as many as 43 cattle died in Niali area of Cuttack district due to the deadly disease.'Though 18 of the 30 districts in Orissa have been identified as endemic to the deadly anthrax, the state government is yet to launch an Anthrax Control Programme (ACP),' Parshuram Pradhan, a human right activist, told IANS.

Friday, May 25, 2007
Summer storm leaves four dead in Orissa
A summer storm wreaked havoc in north Orissa Friday killing four people, besides injuring two others and causing widespread damage to houses, shops, vehicles and communication network, police said.
According to police, Ramesh Dalei of Chhadchhadia village, Sukanti Barik (Angula), Jaga Khatual (Mulising) and Paresh Das (Routraypur) in Balasore district, nearly 200 km from Bhubaneswar, were killed when a lightning struck them.
The tragedy occurred in the afternoon when the deceased were working in a paddy field. The two injured were admitted to a local hospital in critical condition,' a senior police official from Balasore said.
Strong winds accompanied by hailstorm threw life out of gear disrupting traffic movement in many places of the district.
'Roofs of several thatched houses and government establishments were flown away due to the high-speed winds. Supply of electricity and telecommunication facilities to rural pockets also were disrupted for many hours,' said Anup Kumar Das, a villager.
Balasore Collector A.C. Padhiary confirmed the deaths, adding, 'besides, some thatched houses agricultural establishments have been damaged. But the actual loss is yet to be ascertained.'

Orissa cop gets reprieve from Rajasthan court
Posted May 24th, 2007 by Tarique
Jaipur : B.B. Mohanty, a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from Orissa whose rape-convict son has escaped from a jail, got a reprieve from a court here Thursday as it refused to issue a non-bailable warrant against him.
The court of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate said that the Rajasthan Government's plea for a non-bailable warrant against Mohanty cannot be entertained as police should arrest him in the normal course.
"It seems that police were seeking non-bailable warrant against Mohanty without making any efforts to arrest him," the court observed.
"Mohanty is a senior police officer. He has not absconded fearing his arrest and is attending his office regularly," it said.
"Under such circumstances when the person in question has not absconded or shown any inclination to avert his arrest there is no need to grant a non-bailable warrant against him."
A police official said: "We are examining the judgement and we my approach a higher court with our plea."
The Rajasthan government had approached the court Tuesday against Mohanty in connection with a case registered at the Lal Kothi police station on Jan 10 for allegedly helping his son Bitti Hotra jump parole.
Mohanty had been directed by the Supreme Court to surrender before a Jaipur court.
Bitti was convicted of raping a 26-year-old German tourist in Alwar in March 2006. An Alwar court sentenced him to seven years in jail. On Nov 20, 2006, He was allowed a 15-day parole to meet his ailing mother but he jumped parole and has not returned.
The Rajasthan police after a probe into the incident filed a case against the convict's father for allegedly helping and abetting his son escape and harbouring him since then.

Saturday, May 26, 2007 : 0300 Hrs
Minor re-shuffle in Orissa police administration
Bhubaneswar, May 26 (PTI): In a minor re-shuffle in the top police administration, the Orissa government has transferred Anup Patnaik, additional director general of police (ADG), human rights protection cell, as ADG, vigilance.
As per the notification issued here last night, S.S. Hansda, inspector general of police, intelligence-cum- operations, has been posted as IGP (operations).
While Arun Kumar Ray, DIG of police (south), Berhampur, was promoted and posted as additional director cum IGP (intelligence), S.K.Upadhyay, DIG of police (central), Cuttack has been promoted and posted as IGP (central) at Cuttack.
S.K.Nath, DIG of police, south-western range, Sunabeda had been given additional charge of southern range.
A.Bothra, superintendent of police, Koraput, has been transferred as commandant, special operation group (SOG) at Bhubaneswar. He would also hold the post of superintendent of police, Special Intelligence Wing (SIW), Bhubaneswar.
U.R.Rao, additional SP, Rayagada, has been posted as SP, Koraput.

(Saturday, May 26, 2007)
Orissa plans Rs 1000cr rural electrification
By Our Correspondent, Bhubaneswar, May 25:
In a rebuff to the Union government’s apathetic attitude towards Orissa, chief minister Navin Patnaik on Wednesday announced a Rs 1,000-crore Biju Gramya Jyoti Yojana (BGJY) for rural electrification in the state.
Under the scheme, at least 10,000 villages with a minimum population of 300 will be supplied electricity in next five years. The money for the programme will be allocated in the coming budget.
The programme was announced after a high level meeting held here at the state secretariat.
While announcing the programme, the chief minister told the media that although the state government had been asking the Centre for release funds for rural electrification in the state, the Centre was not paying any heed to it.
As per the direction of the Centre, the state government had submitted electrification plans for all villages in the 30 districts of the state under RGGVY programme.

Saturday, May 26, 2007
Marijuana worth Rs 700,000 seized in Orissa, 3 held
First Published: 23:49 IST(25/5/2007)Last Updated: 23:51 IST(25/5/2007)
Three people were arrested on Friday on charges of possessing marijuana worth Rs 700,000 in Orissa's Malkangiri district, an excise official said.
The accused - Prakash Debangan of Madhya Pradesh, Adu Matam of Nakamagodi and Sadhu Khila of Malkangiri, nearly 620 kms from Bhubaneswar, were caught by excise officials in the evening.
"Acting on a tip-off we raided a house in Tarlakota-C colony under Orkel police station while the men were about to leave with the marijuana. While three of them were nabbed, two others fled before we could reach the spot," excise sub-inspector Ashok Kumar Seth said.
A case has been registered under section 20 (B) of the Narcotic Drug and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
"They (accused) are being interrogated in the police station and will be produced in the court on Saturday. We are verifying whether they have links with other gangs operating in the locality," Seth added.

Saturday, May 26, 2007 : 0300 Hrs
World Bank to provide assistance for Orissa roads
Bhubaneswar, May 26 (PTI): The World Bank has agreed to provide Rs 1,406 crore as assistance for implementation of Rs 2,121 crore Orissa State Roads Project (OSRP), official sources said on Friday here.
Under the project 200 km of road would be constructed within the current fiscal, sources added. Of the total amount, Rs 415 crore would be invested during the current financial year to build the 68 km Bhawanipatna- Khariar road, 95 km stretch of Chandbali- Bhadrak-Anandapur road and 41 km Berhampur-Taptapani road.
About 700 km of roads would be constructed during the next fiscal.
The matter was discussed at a meeting between the state's Works Minister A U Singh Deo and a World Bank team comprising B Raja and A K Swaminathan here on Thursday, the sources said.
A proposal was also mooted to set up a construction academy in Orissa modelled after the one present at Hyderabad to contribute towards capacity building of contractors and workers by imparting training in modern construction technique, they said.
Steps would also be taken to develop a core road network system for undertaking urgent repair works. The Sambalpur-Rourkela, Joda-Bambri and Koira-Tensa-Rajamunda roads were being taken up for expansion and widening under the public-private-partnership mode, the sources said.

BOC India board recommends 25% dividend
The board of directors of BOC (Q, N,C,F)* India recommended a dividend of 25% for the financial year ended Mar. 31, 2007. The above decision was taken in the board meeting held on May 18, 2007.
In February 2007, the company inked a 10 year long term agreement with Adhunik Metaliks for setting up and operating 100 tons a day air separation unit at their steel works at Rourkela, Orissa for supply of oxygen, nitrogen and argon to them. BOC India is a member of the BOC Group, the second largest industrial gases company in the world. The company supplies about 20,000 gases and mixtures in three broad categories: industrial, medical and special gases. The UK parent, the BOC Group, owns 54.8% equity stake in the company.
Shares of the company were last trading up Rs 0.25, or 0.18%, at Rs 138.50. Total volume of shares traded at the BSE was 17,346 (3 p.m, Friday).