Local poll spending issue rocks Assembly
Statesman News Service BHUBANESWAR, March 30:
The Opposition Congress stalled the proceedings of the Assembly for several hours today demanding a discussion on alleged misuse of official machinery, enormous money and muscle power during the recently concluded panchayat elections. Raising the issue soon after the question hour, Congress leader Mr Nalinikanta Mohanty drew attention of the Speaker to the motion given by the Opposition. He went on to note that due to constraints of time, the motion was later converted to a notice of adjournment and it ought to be taken up for discussion. Speaker Mr Maheswar Mohanty, however, said that due to time constraint and the need to discuss the vote on account, the adjournment motion could not be discussed. Protesting against this, the entire Opposition trooped into the Well of the House forcing a series of adjournments. Ruling BJD member Mr Ranendra Pratap Swain intervened to note that there was no precedent of any election being discussed in the House. He alleged that it was the Congress which had given tickets to criminals and muscle men. This provoked the Opposition to counter by raising slogans and chaos prevailed right through the morning session. Mr Arun Dey of the OGP said the extent of money and muscle power used in the panchayat elections was unprecedented. It is a threat to democracy, he said. In the post-lunch session, the Chair continued to carry on with discussion on the vote-on-account and the Opposition staged a token walkout. Opposition members returned soon to take part in the budget discussions. Outside the Assembly, Congress members alleged that both sides had agreed to discuss the panchayat poll issue by way of a notice for adjournment, but for some strange reason, the decision had been reversed. Deputy leader of the Congress Mr Narasingha Mishra, who has resigned from the business advisory committee in protest, said this only showed that the ruling combine did not have the moral courage to face the charge of massive funding of panchayat polls and gross misuse of official machinery.

Strike cripples power generation
Statesman News Service BHUBANESWAR, March 30: Generation of power from Ib Valley Thermal plant came to a grinding halt today resulting in a shortfall of 420 MW as striking engineers paralysed the unit to press for their long standing demands. The engineers association of the unit had given prior notice of the strike and since their demands were not met within the notice period, they stopped work for one day today. They have, however, warned the government that the token one-day strike was a wake up call and if their demands continued to be overlooked, they would intensify their agitation. Significantly, the resumption of power generation at the two 210 MW units will take several hours ~ that means ~ not before tomorrow evening. One of the major demands of the engineers was the establishment of the third and fourth units of the power plant, which, for some strange reasons, have been hanging fire for several years. Chief minister Mr Naveen Patnaik had laid foundation stone for the additional two units amid much fanfare prior to the last Assembly elections. But nothing has moved since then as the government seems to have developed cold feet over continuing its partnership with US-based AES company. Presently, the government holds 51 per cent of stake and AES has 49 per cent of the Orissa Power Generation Company-run Ib Thermal plant. Since the AES is in litigation with the government on the front of its distribution wing, there is a marked disinterest in going ahead with the third and fourth unit. The reluctance has cost the power plant dear and rather inexplicably, the government has plans of setting up a thermal plant involving OMC and OHPC, neither of which have any previous experience in thermal power generation. The striking engineers are also demanding revision of salary and promotional avenues. Incidentally, the issue was raised in the Assembly today with Congress member Mr Nalinikanta Mohanty pointing out that huge loss to the state exchequer was taking place due to closure of the two units on the very day the vote-on-account was being discussed and tall claims of revenue generation being made by the government.

Maa Higula Puja to begin in Gopalgarh tomorrow
Statesman News Service ANGUL, March 30: The famous nine-day long Maa Hingula Puja will begin on 1 April at Gopalgarh, 25kms away from here. The main jatra will be observed on next Sunday. It is likely to attract thousands of people. Preparations have been completed to manage the crowd. Maa Hingula is already being worshiped in the form of fire near Hingula temple at Goplagarh. Various cultural groups and folk groups from different parts of the state will perform over the next nine days. The festive events will end on the ninth day when Sitali Puja of the goddess will be held. Every year on Bishudamanak Chaturdashi (Chaitra Sukla Chaturdashi) the goddess is believed to appear before her devotees in the form of fire at a spot near Hingula temple located at Gopalaprasad, one of the famous Shakti Pithas in India. Quoting from religious texts, Jagmohan Garnaik, former secretary of Hingula Unnayan Parishad, said Gopalgarh, 25 Km away from here, was the puja stali of the goddess and the Sreemandir at Puri is her karmastali. Myths have it that Lord Vishnu tore the body of Sati (Parbati) into 52 pieces. The places where each of the pieces of her body fell came to be known as Shaktipitha. But a piece identified as Brahmandreya fell at a place which is currently in Pakistan where Shakti appeared in the form of fire. In course of time, Nala raja of Vidarva region of western India became an ardent devotee of the goddess and brought her from Pakistan to his kingdom. When the Raja decided to start anna prasad at the temple of Puri, Lord Jagannath responded to his prayers and asked him to bring Hingula to manage his kitchen. Accordingly, Puri Raja went to Vidarbha and requested Nala raja to arrange for the goddess’ arrival to Puri. Nala Raja, on the request of Puri Raja, set out to bring the goddess in the form of fire and in course of his journey he reached at Gopalgarh where he took rest for some time. Garnaik said that the goddess was highly pleased to be at Gopalgarh covered with dense forests and appeared to the Raja in his dream to tell him that Gopalgarh would be his puja pitha where his two associates Kuteisuni and Karnadevi will get puja in her name. She also told that for one day she would come from Shreemandir to Gopalgarh to receive homage. Since 1575, Maa Hingula has been worshiped here. Birabar Harichandan was the first king of Talcher who started jatra and puja. On the day of jatra, the fire is covered with a canopy given by the king of Talcher and the site is visited by thousands of devotees from far and wide irrespective of caste, creed and religion. It is believed that the canopy put up just above the fire did not catch fire even if fire sometime moves very close to it. Maa Hingula who manifests herself in the form of fire is just another incarnation of Maa Durga. There are many similarities between Hingula Jatra and Ratha jatra and legends abound about the Hingula Pitha.

Children lured away for employment
PHULBANI, March 30: Seventeen labourers, all of them aged between 14 and 18 years, had been lured away by one Pradip Jagdev of Banapur with the help of a middle man Satya Deepa to be engaged as labourers to Alluwalliah Construction India in Maharastra, district labour office sources said. According to reports, the parents of these teenagers are villagers of Bagha Dungri, Bhata Bahal, Talapanga and Balibhata under Gochhapada PS. They have recently lodged an FIR with Balandapada police alleging that their children had been forcibly taken away from them and sold to a labour contractor Pradeep Jagdev of Banapur with the help of the commission agent Satya Deepa. They also alleged that Police demanded money from the parents to conduct search for their children. But the concerned police officials refuted the allegations. After being informed of the incident, district labour officer Mr Kumud Ranjan Dash have ordered Pradeep Jagdev and Satya Deepa to produce the boys before their parents by 18 April. Mr Dash also informed the incident to the Collector and the SP of Kandhamal and also the labour commissioner and asked them to take appropriate action by deputing police official to rescue the boys from the clutches of the contractor who is said to be the agent of a New Mumbai Construction Pvt. Ltd. in Maharastra. If any child labour is engaged by the contractor in defiance of the law, he would be heavily punished, Mr KR Dash, district labour officer of Kandhamal said today.SNS

A long wait in vain
Statesman News ServiceKEONJHAR, March 30: At first sight, Cupid’s arrow struck both Rashmi (false name) and Nimain. They danced away the time. When the time of marriage came, Nimain told Rashmi to wait till he found a job. And, Rashmi has been cocking an ear for the sound of Nimain coming up her home for the past five years. And in the meantime, she gave birth to a male child. Only recently that Rashmi had come to know that Nimain had settled in his life and married another woman. Her love for Nimain has given place to hate. Rashmi of Sagadapata village under Harichandanpur police station has filed a case with Harichandanpur police station.


Sonu denies role in bank heist
KEONJHAR, March 30: Barbil police’s tall claim to have achieved a major breakthrough in the Bank of Baroda robbery case has gone in the smoke when Sonu Singh, arrested from Patna, denied his involvement in the heist. But the interrogation has established Sonu’s involvement in four major robberies in Barbil. On 15 March, 2003, he looted Rs 9 lakh from the staff of Grewal Associates. On 29 March, 2003, he looted Rs 3.5 lakh from a Joda Central Hospital worker in front of the Orissa Petrol Pump. On 16 May, 2003, when the general manager of Ahluwalia company was coming out of the Bank of Boroda with Rs 7 lakh, he snatched away the bag containing cash and on 17 September, Sonu, impersonating as a CBI officer, forced his entry into Deepak Steel owner Mr Charan Gupta’s residence and went away with the valuables worth lakhs of rupees. With regard to the Bank of Baroda heist, SP Mr GhanashyamUpadhyay said that the identikit prepared by the experts ~ based on the accounts given by eyewitnesses ~ had been circulated and investigation was going on.SNS

Nandigram angers hard Leftists
Press Trust of India BHUBANESWAR, March 30: A rally was held here today by the CPI (ML) and civil right activists to protest against the Nandigram police firing in West Bengal. They staged a demonstration in front of the Assembly and burnt an effigy of West Bengal chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhatt-acharjee and copies of the SEZ Act. CPI (ML) leader Mr Shivaram claimed that the Left movement had lost its credibility in the country due to the “wrong doings” of CPI-M and the West Bengal chief minister’s “craze for industrialisation.” Participants in the rally, veteran Leftist Mr Gananath Patra condemned the brutal killing of farmers in Nandigram. “Though CPI-M claims to be a friend of the poor, it has forgotten its ideology. Like NDA leaders, the CPI-M too is working for multinationals and corporate houses,” he alleged, adding that farmland could not be given to industries under any circumstance. Mr Shivaram claimed that at least 4,65,909 people had been affected in Orissa due to industrialisation, while 5,46,794 people had been completely displaced. “Only 1,92,840 people had been rehabilitated in the state.” The participants, however, hoped that Left ideology would not “die” in the country despite CPI-M’s “betrayal.”

CAS soon in Bhubaneswar
Statesman News Service BHUBANESWAR, March 30: Union minister of information and broadcasting and parliamentary affairs Mr Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi said that the conditional access system (CAS) would be introduced in Bhubaneswar soon. The ministry has plans to introduce it in Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Bhopal in the second phase, he said. Talking to reporters here today, Mr Dasmunshi emphasised the need for expanding the direct to home (DTH) system allover the country, including in Orissa, for uninterrupted programmes with quality for the consumers. Citing instances of far-flung areas in Orissa like Phulbani district, he said people in such areas were unable to listen to AIR and they also did not get to view Doordarshan programmes due to lack of signal. The ministry will try to expand coverage to such areas and steps are also being taken to start FM radio service under Prasar Bharati in Orissa, he added. On the proposed Broadcasting Bill, he said that the UPA government had been taking a cautious approach. “The draft is almost ready. We are trying to bring the Broadcasting Bill in the monsoon session or latest by this winter session,” he maintained. He iterated that the UPA government was not for any regulation on the electronic media. He, however, said that liberalisation did not mean jungle raj and the electronic media should obey the law of the land and respect the sentiments of the people. Orissa needs more public information campaigns (PICs) to create mass awareness of various developmental programmes and schemes of the UPA government. People need to know about programmes and policies in order to derive maximum benefit. The minister made these remarks while addressing a meeting of heads of all media units of Information & Broadcasting Ministry in Orissa organised at the Press Information Bureau (PIB) here. He reviewed the progress of PICs on Bharat Nirman in Orissa organised by PIB in association with other media units of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting during 2006-07. Mr Dasmunshi informed the gathering about the steps being taken to give Prasar Bharati a new look by June this year. If needed, the Prasar Bharati Act would be amended to give the body a new face. The minister underscored the need to increase AIR’s news frequency in non-working hours. He said AIR’s focus should be more on rural folks and airing of updated news items. Union minister of information and broadcasting and parliamentary affairs Mr Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi said that the conditional access system (CAS) would be introduced in Bhubaneswar soon. The ministry has plans to introduce it in Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Bhopal in the second phase, he said. Talking to reporters here today, Mr Dasmunshi emphasised the need for expanding the direct to home (DTH) system allover the country, including in Orissa, for uninterrupted programmes with quality for the consumers. Citing instances of far-flung areas in Orissa like Phulbani district, he said people in such areas were unable to listen to AIR and they also did not get to view Doordarshan programmes due to lack of signal. The ministry will try to expand coverage to such areas and steps are also being taken to start FM radio service under Prasar Bharati in Orissa, he added. On the proposed Broadcasting Bill, he said that the UPA government had been taking a cautious approach. “The draft is almost ready. We are trying to bring the Broadcasting Bill in the monsoon session or latest by this winter session,” he maintained. He iterated that the UPA government was not for any regulation on the electronic media. He, however, said that liberalisation did not mean jungle raj and the electronic media should obey the law of the land and respect the sentiments of the people. Orissa needs more public information campaigns (PICs) to create mass awareness of various developmental programmes and schemes of the UPA government. People need to know about programmes and policies in order to derive maximum benefit. The minister made these remarks while addressing a meeting of heads of all media units of Information & Broadcasting Ministry in Orissa organised at the Press Information Bureau (PIB) here. He reviewed the progress of PICs on Bharat Nirman in Orissa organised by PIB in association with other media units of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting during 2006-07. Mr Dasmunshi informed the gathering about the steps being taken to give Prasar Bharati a new look by June this year. If needed, the Prasar Bharati Act would be amended to give the body a new face. The minister underscored the need to increase AIR’s news frequency in non-working hours. He said AIR’s focus should be more on rural folks and airing of updated news items.

CIL to upgrade Central Hospital
Statesman News Service ANGUL, March 30: Public sector Coal India Limited (CIL) has decided to set up a modern cardiac unit at the Central Hospital of Mahanadi Coalfield at Talcher Coalfields part of its mission to provide best medical services to its six lakh workers. According to a top MCL official, the CIL would also open speciality units for other critical ailments like cancer and for nephrology and neurology at the five other subsidiaries of the CIL. The objective is to discourage the employees and their families from go for outside treatment, said the source. The director (personnel) of CIL, Mr Muhammad Sallimuddin, visited the Central Hospital here some months ago and held talks with the director (personnel) of MCL, Mr GD Gulab on the matter in the presence of MCL chief Mr Abhiram Sharma. He expressed his desire to make the 250-bedded Central Hospital on a par with the AIIMS of New Delhi. Initially, there would be 34 beds for cardiac patients in the hospital. As per the invitation of the medical authorities of the MCL, a team of medical experts from the AIIMS will come to the Central Hospital in Talcher to advise the authorities on the development of the existing hospital with doctors and equipment. He also said that funds would never be a constraint for the establishment of the cardiac unit. While procurement of ultra modern equipment is not a problem, there is a dearth of doctors in the coal company to handle the unit. The company will either recruit heart specialists or will train the existing doctors. As of now, there are about 18 vacancies of doctors and most of them are that of specialists. Against a total strength of 128 doctors in the company, only 110 are there now. The company also faces a serious shortage of paramedical staff, particularly nurses. Hospitals are virtually crippled for want of nurses. Sources say that of 132 sanctioned strength, 86 are available, leaving 46 vacancies for a long time. The reason for these vacancies is the non-recruitment of staff and doctors in Mahanadi Coalfield Limited. Many wards in Central Hospital at Talcher and Ib valley coalfield remain understaffed causing worry to the patients and their families. The attempt by medical authorities to deploy nurses and other paramedical staff on contractual basis also did not materialise so far. The chief medical services of the company, Dr SK Mahanaty, exudes the hope that the shortage situation would be solved after recruitment. He said that it was the resolve of the MCL to provide best of the medical services to its workers.

‘FTV did not respond to notice’
BHUBANESWAR, March 30: FTV did not respond to the notice served on them and enough scope was given to them to explain, but they ignored it, said Union minister Mr Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi while replying to questions on the two-month ban imposed by his ministry. He cited the instance of AXN and said they had also faced a similar ban recently, but they realised their mistake and after following necessary procedures, everything was settled. However, in the latest instance related to FTV, the channel failed to respond to the notice and was therefore served with a two month ban, he added.SNS

New Delhi, March 28 (IANS) Nearly 53 percent of unwed mothers in tribal Orissa are below the age of 18, says a study by an NGO.
Though there is no exact data with the government regarding the number of unwed mothers, experts believe that Orissa is home to 10,000 such women, of which over 70 percent belong to the 11 tribal dominated districts.
"Poverty, coupled with ignorance and innocence, compound the problem of unwed mothers in tribal Orissa. Nearly 53 percent of surveyed unwed mothers are below the legal marriageable age. It's shocking and unfortunate," Amrendra Kishore, executive director, Indian National Trust for the Welfare of Tribals (INTWOT), told IANS.
According to a sample survey by INTWOT, an NGO working in tribal Orissa, 103 unwed mothers of the 216 surveyed were between 14 and 18 years old and another 11 were between nine and 14 years.
The survey also found that among the tribal districts, Kalahandi accounts for 57 cases (27 percent) and Phulbani reported 47 cases (22 percent).
Interestingly, the areas where primary health and education are still a far cry, sex stimulant drugs and blue films are easy available in grocery shops.
"Their easy availability is adding fuel to the fire. These teenagers are enticed into watching them with gifts, cosmetics and food items like mutton and chicken, which otherwise cost nearly twice the daily wages they earn.
"Deprived of worldly pleasures, these immature girls get easily trapped, and since sex is not a taboo in tribal communities they get physically involved," said Kishore. He added: "Is the value of a girl less than a kilo of chicken?"
However, police said tribal people never come forward to report such illegal cases and it compounds their problem.
"We have registered 10 cases of unwed mothers in 2006. Of these seven are charge-sheeted and three are pending, including the case of Hema Rana, a 15-year-old mother of a baby girl," said Kalahandi Superintendent of Police S.C. Chauoupattanaik.
Giving Hema Rana's example as a model, Chauoupattanaik said her father reported the case too late. "Sadhu Rana reported the case late to the police as they were involved in getting the case adjudicated in the village. The father wanted to marry off Hema to the boy involved.
"The department is trying its level best but the whereabouts of the boy are yet to be ascertained."
Hema Rana is a resident of village Jampadar of Kalahandi. She is a Class 6 dropout of Turlapadar Middle School. About a year ago, Hema came into contact with Saroj Manjhi, a rich tribal youth who allegedly instigated her into having sex with him. When Hema got pregnant, Manjhi fled. Hema's angry father filed a criminal case against Manjhi.

NEW DELHI: Public sector unit SAIL on Friday reported an 11 per cent growth in hot metal and crude steel production during third quarter of 2006-07 as compared to the same quarter previous fiscal. During the first nine months of this year, the production of saleable steel went up by six per cent to 9.3 million tonnes and exports grew four per cent to four lakh tonnes, an official release said. "Rourkela steel plant recorded a phenomenal rise in production during the April-December 06. While the production of saleable steel recorded a 34 per cent jump and the production of hot metal and crude steel was 31 per cent" SAIL chairman S K Roongta said in the release. Union Steel Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Friday reviewed the PSU's quarterly performance and commended it for the performance.


Clips amiss on tracks, railway services hit
OUR CORRESPONDENT, Bhubaneswar, March 30: Rail services between Sambalpur and Rourkela were disrupted when unidentified miscreants removed clips from the railway line between Sonakhand and Bamra railway stations today.
However, an alert gangman detected the missing clips well in time to avert any mishap.
Police said about 52 pendant clips were removed from a 50-m stretch of the railway line in a forested area under Kutra railway station close to the border of Sundargarh and Sambalpur districts.
“This was detected before any train could pass on the affected stretch. We suspect that some mischief-mongers might have done it,” said Sundragarh SP Praveen Kumar.
Top railway officials have reached the spot and repair work is on. However, this is not a new incident in the stretch where about 270 clips went missing hours before the Puri-Hatia Tapaswini Express was to pass two days ago.
Teen kills mother
An unemployed youth was today forwarded to court on the charges of killing his mother. Police said Karma Lakra (20), an unemployed youth in Baunskana village close to the Jharkhand border, had a row with his mother Birsi Lakra on Tuesday evening.
After an angry Birsi slapped him, the son took an axe and attacked her. She died the following evening.

Heritage building in a shambles
Statesman News Service BALASORE, March 27: The heritage building and properties of the doyen of Oriya language, Fakir Mohan, at Shanti Kanan is in a state of neglect due to the apathy of the department as well as the government. The district library on the premises of the building has been hamstrung by the absence of a proper reading room, fewer number of chairs, tables, racks and shelves for quite a few years now. The improper arrangement of books, periodicals, magazines and other materials has become a cause of concern for its members. The library houses over 30,000 books and countless periodicals, sources say many of which have ever been entered in the registered and over 60 per cent of these have not been catalogued either. As a result these are always kept away from the readers. “In the absence of adequate rooms and racks, we are facing severe problems of stocking them. Hence, despite our desire we are unable to fulfil them. It is not wise to catalogue them, however the stock up dating is carried to time to time”, said the district culture officer Mr Kanhu Charan Biswal. The library receives several books from the Raja Ram Mohan foundation free of cost every year and in most of the cases the readers are deprived of these valuable books being ignorant of their existence. In the late nineties the library was shifted to its current location ~ the house of Vyasa Kabi from the one-room facilities in the district museum. The museum as 19 monuments mostly donated by Mr Manoranj Dev- one of the heirs of Raja Baikunthanath Dev. The look the museum would be a self-explanatory to speak how much attention it has been drawing from the department. Even though the building was inaugurated in 1983 by the then department minister it has not been whitewashed for years, allegedly. “We hardly receive any money from the department annually under the heads of purchase for library or maintenance of the museum, hence it is difficult to bring any kind of developmental change out of it” replied Mr Biswal. He however informed that the department was actively planning to erect the district cultural centre out of a fund of Rs 20 lakh. Meanwhile, the present secretary of FM Sahitya Parishad Mr Abhay Das besides alleging that the Vyasa Kabi’s land is under encroachment also alleged that the birth place of such great personality lacks sanctity due to various reasons. Mr Das alleged that some construction for the purpose of rent have been made on it. He also said that different activities (not anti social) were continuing on the premises, when it should be exclusively reserved for literary promotional activities. He demanded the eviction of those on the encroached land, and urged the Balasore municipality, to construct the cultural centre without further delay. “The sift was initiated as we desired to make the library into a model one hoping tourists visiting the place would admire the library as well as museum, but that remained as dream only. Nothing has been done substantially till date to preserve or present the district culture and heritage potential. Once we boast ourselves as culturally rich district , this nothing but sheer neglect” remarked Mr Chandra Kumar Mohanty, an eminent poet, writer and member of Fakir Mohan Sahitya Parishad. He too demanded for further development of the cremation spot of Fakir Mohan at Chattua Pokhari. Mr Das besides demanding more research on Fakir Mohan and subsidy on the creations of Katha Samrat, too demanded for observation of Jayanti at state level.

Alternative road to NH-200
Statesman News Service JAJPUR, March 27: Government has decided to construct an alternative road from Chorada Chhak, Vyas Nager to Duburi in Kalinga Nagar, the steel hub of India, in view of the mounting pressure on National Highway-200 connecting Duburi to Chandikhole in Jajpur district. After the 2 January, 2006 police firing in Kalinga Nagar, where 13 tribals were killed while opposing the construction works on a boundary wall undertaken by the Tata steel, all trucks are ferrying iron ore through this 16 KM long road. Despite the lifting of the 14-month-old road blockade by the Kalinga Nagar tribals on 8 March, the truckers are still hesitant to ply on the NH-200, the life line of Orissa. The truck operators are apprehensive that the tribals, who still oppose the industrialisation drive in the region, may cause any harm to them any moment. Though the express highway is cleared of the blockade, only a handful of trucks have started plying on the stretch between Duburi Chhak and Chandikhole. Many trucks still prefer the alternative passage from Duburi Chhak to Chandikhole via Panikoili avoiding the trouble-torn Duburi-Chandikhole route on the express highway. As many as 3,000 heavy vehicles are plying on the road everyday, creating problems for the public as well as the industries. “We have decided to make a four lane road connecting Chorada Chhak to Duburi on public-private partnership (PPP),” said finance minister Mr Prafulla Chandra Ghadei. Accordingly, a road plan has been formulated to rope in industries to fund the project, along with Central and state governments. While Rs 42 crore has been allocated from the government, the rest of the amount will be collected from the mines and industries being set up in Kalinga Nagar. Finance minister Mr Ghadei said that the state government was committed to providing basic infrastructure in the industrial areas like Kalinga Nagar where huge investment for steel sector has been tied up. Finance minister added that National Highway-215 from Chorda to Danagadi would have four lanes and the two lane road from Danagadi to Duburi would be upgraded to a four-lane one. Making the 16 KM road from Chorda Chhak to Duburi four lane will entail an investment of Rs 92 crore. The road will connect the NH-200 to NH-215, said chief engineer (roads) of works department. Rs 13 crore will be spent for acquiring land required for the four lane works and the construction work would start soon, works department officials said. A high-level committee has been set up under the chairmanship of the finance minister to find funds for the ambitious project. Industrial Development Corporation has been assigned the job of making land available for the road project. According to officials, the entire project will be completed in a time-bound manner to ease the huge traffic congestion in view of the rise in trucks laden with mineral on the NH-200 due to export of chromite and iron ore following good demand for these minerals in the international market.

From Kalinga Nagar to Nandigram
Statesman News Service JAJPUR, March 27: Unfazed by the detention by the West Bengal police at Kharagpur, a 38-member Kalinga Nagar tribal delegation reached Nandigram to express solidarity with the locals who were victims of police atrocities. The delegation ~ consisting of some woman members, headed by Visthapan Virodhi Janmanch general secretary Mr Rabindra Jarika ~ was detained by Kharagpur police yesterday. It was a unique gesture in many ways as the Janmanch has been leading a resistance ever since 2 January 2006 when police had gunned down 13 tribals in Kalinga Nagar. Now they were out to empathise with people of Nandigram. “We were taken by surprise. About 40 police personnel, many of them in plain clothes, surrounded us at Kharagpur railway station and asked why we were going to Nandigram. We told them we were going to express our solidarity with the people of Nandigram. But they herded us into a waiting van,” said Mr Amar Singh Banara, one of the delegation members on telephone after reaching the destination. West Bengal police swung into action after reportedly getting an alert message from their Orissa counterparts. Mr Banara said the delegation was interrogated by police. He added that police had looked keen to know if the tribal group had any links with Maoists. “Though they gave us food, they did not allow us to move out,” he said. Janmanch president Mr Chakradhar Haiburu (senior) said that there was no difference between Kalinga Nagar and Nandigram. “Hence, the people of Kalinga Nagar thought it was their duty to stand by the people of Nandigram in their hour of crisis. Nandigram people had come here to console us after the ghastly police firing.” Palpable tension prevailed in the tribal-dominated villages in the industrial complex area when the detention of the news of the tribals by the police at the railway station reached. An emergency meeting of the Janmanch under the chairmanship of its president was held at the outfit’s head quarters at Ambagadia as soon as the news of detention spread among the tribals in Kalinga Nagar. The subsequent release and visit to Nandigram has eased the situation here.

More villages to become self-reliant
Statesman News Service BHUBANESWAR, March 27: Mr Lennart Båge, president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development and chief minister Mr Naveen Patnaik today launched the second phase of Orissa Tribal Empowerment & Livelihoods Programme extending it to another 20 blocks of three districts with an investment of $30 million. The OTELP is a $90 million programme with its first phase of $8.9 million being implemented in four districts since 2004 and the second phase beginning today in three more districts. Mr Bage said the objective was to empower, build capacity and strengthen institutions so that people could develop their own model of economic prosperity. The village development committees will handle everything, including funds, he said. He did not apprehend any problem working in the Maoist-infested districts of Malkangiri, Nawarangpur and Rayagada which are to be covered in the 2nd phase of the programme. They (Maoists) realise that this is unlike any traditional government programme and that it is controlled by people themselves. He added that the IFAD was working in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh which has a similar Maoist problem. The IFAD president said he was satisfied with the results of the first phase wherein 396 villages had been covered. The tribals are aware of the adverse effects of shifting cultivation and have learnt other methods and are taking to sugar cane cultivation he noted. As many as 12 NGOs are involved in the programme, he informed. The first phase was spread over Koraput, Kalahandi, Kandhamal and Gajapati districts, while the second phase will involve the villages in Rayagada, Malkangiri and Nawarangpur districts. Mr Patnaik lauded the efforts of IFAD, World Food Programme, DFID and other partners for their concerted efforts in implementing the first phase of the programme. “Tribal communities in Orissa constitute almost a quarter of our population. It has been our endeavour to implement various programmes for all section of the society in general and tribal communities in particular, in a holistic manner without disturbing their cultural diversity,” he said. The programme adopts a participatory appro-ach ensuring complete involvement of the tribal communities in planning and executing the activities by themselves. It facilitates the process of empowering the poor tribal people in real sense by building self-reliance and self-esteem in them. The special survey and settlement operation in the villages under OTELP is a very welcome step for addressing critical issues of landlessness and poverty, which are major challenges in the path of development of tribal communities, he said. Yesterday, Mr Bage visited some areas of Gajapati and Koraput districts. Reports from Paralakhemundi said he reached Teraba village and conducted a field visit. “It is remarkable that the women in this district are in the forefront of forest protection and this should set a bright example to others. I am pleased to mark that the funds being allotted by us are being used for the right purpose and direction,” he said. The IFAD team was impressed by the work being undertaken by the SHG in this area.

OGP lambasts govt & Cong
Statesman News Service BHUBANESWAR, March 27: The entire controversy over Mr Maheswar Mohanty, who happens to be the Speaker of the assembly, facing a case registered by none other than the State Election Commission cannot be washed or wished away as the case stands, said OGP president Mr Bijoy Mohapatra. Addressing a Press conference here today, Mr Mohapatra wondered why chief minister Mr Naveen Patnaik, who preached morality, was silent and inactive on this issue. He had dropped ministers saying they were under a “shadow” of corruption even before charges had been framed against them, quipped the OGP chief. There is nothing wrong in welcoming the Speaker to preside after a four days’ gap but the fact is that the charges and the case remain, he said. Criticising the Opposition Congress, Mr Mohapatra said they first served a notice against the Speaker, marched to the Governor and then did not press for the motion, all of which were ridiculous. What about the charges that they had leveled? People have a right to know the fate of these charges, he said. The onus of restoring the dignity of the House rests primarily with the leader of the House, he noted, while adding that political considerations have no place on such an issue. Citing instances of ministers being dropped and how one BJP minister had resigned after a case was instituted against him, Mr Mohapatra wondered where all the morality preached by the CM had gone. The OGP chief was, however, uncomfortable when reporters grilled him over why OGP members had not raised these aspects in the Assembly. They had welcomed and praised the decision to withdraw or drop the motion against Mr Mohanty, reporters pointed out. Mr Mohapatra was unconvincing when he took the plea that the OGP was never in favor of a no-trust against Mr Mohanty and had not been part of the delegation to the Governor. Raising another politically sensitive issue, Mr Mohapatra said several ministers of the BJD-BJP government had lost their “political deposits” in the recently concluded panchayat elections. If the CM claims that he has got the mandate of the people in the panchayat polls, he should first look at the performance of his Cabinet colleagues , many of whom had lost even in their home panchayats and wards, he charged. This shows that people have rejected the ministers on the basis of their performance, so how can the CM claim that he has performed well, asked the OGP chief. Despite the money power and the fact that MNCs participated in the panchayat elections for the first time in the history of Orissa, ministers lost badly, he alleged.

Sambalpur (Orissa), March 27 (IANS)
By the early 1980s, Padiabadmal, a remote tribal village in Orissa's Sambalpur district had lost its forests. Lost with it were the village's age-old mechanisms to cope with drought till a farmer pioneered a movement to bring back its lost glory.
'Since 1982, our village has become testimony to a new phenomenon - large scale migration in search of jobs outside,' says Mahadev Bhoi, a 65-year-old farmer who has seen his village through both phases - prosperity and penury. 'Before the '80s, although we had years of drought and migration, we were not too distressed,' he says.
The village had a good forest cover and traditional water harvesting structures, which helped in coping through drought years.
But, Mahadev, an ordinary farmer with four acres of land, is also witness to another phase of development, which he has led in his village.
He has successfully experimented with traditional knowledge and wisdom of harvesting rainwater and conserving ecology. The youngsters have followed his example and the village has turned its grey topography to green once again. Migration has stopped since 2004, reports Grassroots Features.
'We have four acres of land, and paddy was the principal crop even when I was a child. However, we had indigenous seeds at home and had other crops to sustain the farming. We had paddy at crop fields and millet at the uplands and field bonds,' says Mahadev.
As a young farmer, he convinced his father to start vegetable farming and they succeeded to some extent. 'We had a particular type of water harvesting structure near our crop fields and that sustained our vegetable farming besides helping the paddy fields,' says Mahadev. 'As time passed, however, for some reasons I can't recall, the villagers started facing difficulties.'
Things changed so drastically that the villagers migrated en masse in search of jobs and the village wore a deserted look each drought year.
'It continued almost for two decades when Manav Adhikar Seva Samiti (MASS), a voluntary organisation, came to us and discussed our plight in 2001,' says Nrushingha Charan Naik, president of Brajeswari Krushak Club, which was formed after MASS motivated and organised the villagers.
The village plan that we made with help of MASS helped us revisit all those areas and indigenous technology, informs Puspashree Nayak, a senior programme officer with the organisation. But, when it came to reviving some of the structures, the difficult task was to decide who would start first? No farmer wanted to take a risk because MASS didn't offer an easy grant. 'People had to contribute a major portion of the work through labour and we only offered meagre grants,' says Nayak.
Mahadev decided to experiment yet again. He constructed a huge 200 sq ft 'paenghara' (small tank), which cost Rs.7,000. MASS provided him with 80 percent of the cost and he had to contribute the rest in the form of labour.
The first revival by Mahadev brought him instant benefits. Besides saving his crops, he could also start growing multiple crops. In a year's time, about 11 farmers constructed such paengharas.
With the water scarcity situation easing, migration also stemmed to a large extent. The challenge then was to look beyond paddy and practice sustainable farming, which required crop diversification. But breaking the shackles of current agriculture practices in their village was not easy for the villagers and Mahadev.
During his younger days, deviations in rainfall patterns were not too extreme. The villagers, therefore, were happy with their paddy production and never thought of supplementary cultivation or diversification of their cropping patterns. However, repeated failures of the kharif crop have forced the villagers to think beyond paddy.
Here too Mahadev took the lead. He began diversification of crops with kulthi and berseem crops. The villagers succeeded in their initiatives as those crops require little rainfall. Mahadev then thought of vegetables and other crops.
The villagers now have two types of collectives - a farmer's club and all-women self-help groups (SHG) - and have taken several initiatives to drought-proof their village. The villagers have studied traditional drought resistant seeds of paddy that had earlier helped them to cope with drought years. 'We have also started collecting other types traditional seeds,' informs Nayak.
Currently, there are as many as five women SHGs in the village. It is a matter of pride for the SHG members that all the public representatives to the local grassroots-level body are members of their federation. 'With these kinds of initiatives, we feel empowered as our vulnerability has decreased considerably,' says Premshila Bhoi, president of one of the SHGs.
Not only has availability of water increased but food production is also on the rise. The village institutions are taking up social issues too. Most importantly, the village has decided to take up forest protection to sustain all these efforts.
'Unless the forests are conserved, no water conservation efforts will succeed,' says Mahadev, a hero at 65.
Will other villages get champions like him?

Coastal security in troubled waters
Statesman News Service KENDRAPARA, March 26:
The ambitious coastal security plan has hit a roadblock in the infiltration-prone Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts even as the state forest department has shied away from handing over the required land for the early establishment of marine police stations. “We are not throwing a spanner. The setting up of marine police station is of strategic importance. But we are adhering to modalities for land alienation exercise,” said a forest official. The Centre accorded clearance more than a year back for the setting up of five marine police stations in strategic coastal region of the state as a part of country’s coastal security plan. The financial grants for early establishment of this much-awaited marine policing project have accordingly been released. Accordingly, Kendrapara district would have a marine police station at Jamboo under Mahakalpada tehsil, while neighbouring Jagatsinghpur would have similar police station near Paradip port town. There has been inordinate delay in site selection for the project. “There were several factors beyond our control for the delay,” admitted police sources. The site selected for the project in Kendrapara falls under forestland category. There was hardly any strategically viable site available under the revenue circles. Thus forestland was preferred to cope with the suitability, said sources. “We are not empowered to transfer the forestland for expeditious completion of the project.The matter has been referred to the Union environment and forest ministry and unless the ministry accords sanction, the land would remain in possession,” said a senior forest official of Bhitarkanika National Park. “A formal request for land alienation was made only a couple of months back. We accorded the priority to it and duly sent the proposal to the Centre for approval. The revenue and police officials should have acted with degree of urgency as the Centre had approved the coastal security plan in 2005. There was lack of decisiveness on their part in selecting the sites in time,” admitted forest officials. Keeping in view the significant nature of the Central project and considering the fact that there has been a spurt in unlawful activities on sea routes by illegal migrants in this infiltration-prone coastal district, administrative emphasis was on to get the infrastructure ready for the project on a priority basis. But things have moved on the contrary, sources remarked. These stations as per the Union home ministry instructions would have well-furnished jetties for sea-worthy vessels and boats to venture into seawaters for coastal vigil. The jetties need not be on the seacoast. The preferred site of jetty, according to home ministry plan, should be slightly inside the river mouth or the creeks so that the anchored vessels should be able to approach the seawaters in all seasons. The proposed jetty should also have adequate space so that it can house the impounded vessels without space constraint.

‘Hurdles will be off Posco in 3 months’
Press Trust of India NEW DELHI, March 26:
The Orissa government today said it would within the next three months, remove all hurdles to South Korean steel giant Posco’s Rs 52,000 crore plant in the state amid a possible review of investment by the steel maker. “We will find ways within the next three months to sort out all hurdles. Already, the steel giant has been given 1,100 acres of land for its proposed 12 million ton integrated steel plant in Jagatsinghpur district,” state steel and mines minister Mr Padmanabha Behera told PTI. He reasoned that misgivings among the people in the project site were being addressed and hoped that Posco would commence work on its project in due course. Reacting to media reports that Posco was planning to withdraw from the coastal state, Mr Behera argued: “One needs to understand that we are progressing as per the terms and conditions enshrined in the MoU we signed in June 2005.” Posco was last week reported to be reviewing its India investment plans owing to problems on the ground. The company is believed to have told the Centre and the Orissa government that “if matters were not sorted out within the next two-three months, then it could re-consider its investment plans in the country,” an official source said. Seeking categorical assurance from the government on various issues pertaining to its project, Posco has asked the the Naveen Patnaik government to spell out its stand on its project “as it cannot afford to wait for an indefinite period,” the source said. The company was also actively toying with the idea of shifting to Vietnam, which has a huge potential market and an investment friendly climate. Earlier, on a petition by Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd (KIOCL), the Orissa High Court had ordered that status quo be maintained on grant of prospecting licence of Khandadhar iron ore mines in Keonjhar district in favour of Posco. In its petition, KIOCL had submitted that the state government’s decision to recommend the grant of prospecting licence in favour of the Korean steel company was not proper. KIOCL had earlier sought prospecting licence for the said mines. Posco had submitted its application to the state seeking recommendation of the same to the Centre for grant of prospecting licence for Khandadhar mines in its favour. Subsequently, the state government had forwarded the application of Posco to the Centre in December last, recommending that the company be granted the prospecting licence. In February last, steel minister Mr Ram Vilas Paswan had also urged the ministry of mines to allot the mining lease of Khandadhar mines to KIOCL. He suggested that legitimate interests of KIOCL be considered in the larger interest of the workers of the company.

Terror spectre haunts R Udayagiri, one year after
Statesman News Service PARALAKHEMUNDI, March 26: An year ago, the entire state had woken up to the reverberating gun fire of Naxalites and policemen attacking each other in R Udayagiri and the shock waves this incident sent through out the entire state has yet to settle down. It was one of the audacious Naxalite operations and the first in terms of the ultras abducting two policemen in Orissa. The incident took place on 24 March, 2006 and the abducted duo were released after ten days ~ that too ~ to the media as the malcontents feared that anything short of such a release was dangerous because the two may be killed by the state to besmirch the image of Naxalites. After this, there has been several Naxalite attacks and subsequent killings, creating major headache for the police and the state government. But there has been no such incident where the entire police force and the government have been challenged by hard core radicals led by the CPI (Maoist) commanders who taunted the security forces by kidnapping the IIC of the R Udayagiri police station and the superintendent of the sub jail and kept them hostages for ten days in the deep jungles. Though the episode ended happily with the release of the policeman Mr Ranjan Kumar Mallick and the jail superintendent Mr Rabindra Kumar Setty, the entire drama is still a mystery and nobody has managed to unravel as to why and under what conditions were the two released . People of R Udayagiri vividly recalled the events of last March. It was around 5.15 am, more than 250 armed radicals stormed the R Udayagiri police station destroying all communication sets. When the OSAP camp adjoining the police station was also attacked simultaneously there was resistance form the camp. By then the radicals had managed to take to the IIC, Mr Mallick, as hostage and more than 15 policeman inside the police station were at their mercy. Seeing the inspector as the hostage the OSAP, jawans were forced to lay down their arms and large amount of weapons inside this camp were looted. The radicals during the course of this operation also destroyed all the documents and furniture in the tehsildar office and the sub-treasury which also neighbours the police station. In a pre-planned manner, a group of armed radicals reached the sub-jail and forced the staff to hand over the keys of the jail and released 44 prisoners housed in the jail. The entire operation went on unhindered, unopposed and unimpeded with the entire population of R Udayagiri watching the drama unfolding before them until 8.15 am when the last of the gun fire stopped . The collector of Gajapati, Mr Binod Behari Mohanty, who was camping overnight at the Revenue IB of R Udayagiri, escaped as he managed to slip away and himself in the house of a peon. Today, an year after, the police are not taking any chance. Patrolling has been intensified in the entire district and in the R Udayagiri and Nuagada blocks, heavy combing operation is on. The police in the past one year have managed to arrest around 35 persons, including women on charges of participating in the R Udayagiri carnage, but dreaded commander Sabhya Sachi Panda is still at large. The R Udayagiri block is now protected by OSAP, SOG and CRPF which eliminate any chance of a repeat action. The fear psychology over the incident still persists, but as long as the police forces are there, people feel a bit safe and at least better than last March . On the development front, nothing much has been done except for promises. There has been police harassment in the name of combing, but the release of the hostages unharmed was the only bright spot of the ten day ordeal. Another resident Anantaram Majhi explaining his ideas said: “The radicals took advantage of the people’s disenchantment with rampant corruption prevalent in the revenue office, tehsildar office, treasury office etc in this block. There were a number of supporters in the mass attack who were victims of bribery and financial inducement. A talk with the locals indicate that though the security infrastructure has improved, corruption continues. The former IIC Ranjan Mallick, who is now transferred to Cuttack ,talked to this paper over phone and said “I extend my heartfelt thanks to all concerned for whom I am a free man now.”

A trip ended in police custody
Statesman News ServiceJAJPUR, March. 26: A 38-member delegation headed by Visthapan Virodhi Janmanch general secretary Mr Rabindra Jarika has been detained by the West Bengal police at the Kharagpur Railway Station last night. According to sources, the delegation ~ consisting of some woman members of the Janmanch, leading the anti-industrialisation movement in Kalinga Nagar, including its leader Mr Jarika, were detained at the railway station as they were heading towards Nandigram to express their solidarity with the family members of the victims, who died in police firing on 14 March. Mr Jarika and few other members of the delegation are high hard tribal leaders and to avoid any further problems in Nandigram, they have been detained, sources said, adding, the area is still tense and such leaders’ presence in Nandigram may create further problems.The Janmanch took a decision on Friday at Ambagadia, the unofficial head quarters of the outfit in Kalinga Nagar area under Jajpur district that a delegation under the leadership of Jarika will go to Nandigram on Sunday. The delegation, which was heading towards Nandigram on Puri-Howrah Express, boarded the train at Jajpur-Keonjhar road railway station and was detained at Kharagpur and are being held at the station. When the detention of the news of the tribal leaders by the police at the railway station reached in Ambagadia, palpable tension prevailed in the tribal-dominated villages in the industrial complex area. An emergency meeting of the Janmanch under the chairmanship of its president was held at the outfit’s head quarters as soon as the new of detention spread among the tribals in Kalinga Nagar. Vistapan Virodhi Janmanch president Mr Chakradhar Haiburu (senior) said: “We condemn the detention of our activists at the railway station by the police while they were on their way to Nandigram. Nandigram tribals had come here to console us after the ghastly police firing and our men were going there to empathise with them on humanitarian point of view as a friend in need. West Bengal government is trying to procure land from the farmers of Nandigram against their will. We will pledge our support to them as our crusade is on against the industrialisation."Fourteen innocent farmers, including women, were gunned down and scores of others injured by the police bullets when they were resisting forcible acquisition of their farm land for a special economic zone project at Nandigram in East Medinapur district in West Bengal on 14 March.Talking to The Statesman over phone from Kharagpur town police station, Mr Rajendra Sarangi said: “We are yet to be informed as to why we are being detained. Since 3 AM, we are trying to find out but the police does not tell us anything.”
NEW DELHI, MAR 25: In what may prove to be one of the easiest ways of increasing its carrying capacity, Indian railways is planning to run heavy haul trains with an axle load of 28.5 tonne, and later may increase it to even 40 tonne.
Railway board chairman JP Batra said, “We are planning to start demonstration runs of heavier axle load trains on iron ore routes such Bhillai, Rourkela and Keonjhar.” Initially the trains would be of 28.5 tonne and later this may be increased to even 40 tonne, he added.

Vedanta Resources's Orissa project gets environment approval for phase 1 -report MUMBAI (AFX) - Vedanta Resources PLC's Vedanta Alumina Ltd has secured environmental clearance for phase one of its 95 bln rupees, 0.5 mln tonne per annum aluminium refinery at Jharsuguda in Orissa from India's Union ministry of environment and forest, the Business Standard reported.
The approval for the first phase, which envisages a 0.25 mln ton capacity, comes as a relief to the company which has been facing allegations by green activists of proceeding with the project without proper environmental clearance, the report said. The approval for the first phase, which envisages a 0.25 mln ton capacity, comes as a relief to the company which has been facing allegations by green activists of proceeding with the project without proper environmental clearance, the report said. The approval for the first phase, which envisages a 0.25 mln ton capacity, comes as a relief to the company which has been facing allegations by green activists of proceeding with the project without proper environmental clearance, the report said. The approval for the first phase, which envisages a 0.25 mln ton capacity, comes as a relief to the company which has been facing allegations by green activists of proceeding with the project without proper environmental clearance, the report said. The approval for the first phase, which envisages a 0.25 mln ton capacity, comes as a relief to the company which has been facing allegations by green activists of proceeding with the project without proper environmental clearance, the report said. The approval for the first phase, which envisages a 0.25 mln ton capacity, comes as a relief to the company which has been facing allegations by green activists of proceeding with the project without proper environmental clearance, the report said. The approval for the first phase, which envisages a 0.25 mln ton capacity, comes as a relief to the company which has been facing allegations by green activists of proceeding with the project without proper environmental clearance, the report said. The approval for the first phase, which envisages a 0.25 mln ton capacity, comes as a relief to the company which has been facing allegations by green activists of proceeding with the project without proper environmental clearance, the report said. The approval for the first phase, which envisages a 0.25 mln ton capacity, comes as a relief to the company which has been facing allegations by green activists of proceeding with the project without proper environmental clearance, the report said. The approval for the first phase, which envisages a 0.25 mln ton capacity, comes as a relief to the company which has been facing allegations by green activists of proceeding with the project without proper environmental clearance, the report said. The approval for the first phase, which envisages a 0.25 mln ton capacity, comes as a relief to the company which has been facing allegations by green activists of proceeding with the project without proper environmental clearance, the report said. The approval for the first phase, which envisages a 0.25 mln ton capacity, comes as a relief to the company which has been facing allegations by green activists of proceeding with the project without proper environmental clearance, the report said. The approval for the first phase, which envisages a 0.25 mln ton capacity, comes as a relief to the company which has been facing allegations by green activists of proceeding with the project without proper environmental clearance, the report said. The approval for the first phase, which envisages a 0.25 mln ton capacity, comes as a relief to the company which has been facing allegations by green activists of proceeding with the project without proper environmental clearance, the report said. The approval for the first phase, which envisages a 0.25 mln ton capacity, comes as a relief to the company which has been facing allegations by green activists of proceeding with the project without proper environmental clearance, the report said. The approval for the first phase, which envisages a 0.25 mln ton capacity, comes as a relief to the company which has been facing allegations by green activists of proceeding with the project without proper environmental clearance, the report said. The approval for the first phase, which envisages a 0.25 mln ton capacity, comes as a relief to the company which has been facing allegations by green activists of proceeding with the project without proper environmental clearance, the report said.

School kids form human chainFriday March 23 2007 11:16 IST
ROURKELA: Hundreds of schoolchildren formed a human chain to spread a message on water conservation on World Water Day here on Thursday.RSP Managing Director B N Singh flagged off the human chain at Ambagan near here and also released a balloon. Singh was accompanied by RSP executive directors, M S Barapanda, S S Mohanty and S P Rao. Ispat General Hospital director Dr D N Mohapatra planted a sapling at Tarkera pump house and also inspected the water facility.At a function held at Bhanja Bhawan, Singh expressed satisfaction over the significant cut in specific water consumption at RSP.


ORISSA, Mar 24, 2007
War for ‘elixir of life’ beginsFriday March 23 2007 11:15 IST
ROURKELA: They say the next big war would be fought over water, but people and the district administration appear unfazed by the ever-growing demand for water and its depleting availability.Even as the Steel City celebrated World Water Day on Thursday the burning issue of water conservation was relegated to the background. The administration’s lack of concern for the issue was evident from the fact that none other than Rourkela Steel Plant organised a function on the day.The district and Rourkela in particular, with its ever-growing population is staring at an imminent water problem. Notwithstanding, the city looks more content to fight it out with the just completed Sewerage Board Project.It’s just unimaginable to figure out as to from where the huge amount of water would come from to meet the future needs in the wake of depleting groundwater table and gradual drying up of natural water courses, locals feel.There is no denying the fact that the amount of fresh water that gets wasted exceeds the amount of water actually consumed. Sample this: locals have pierced several holes on the huge pipeline and the place is aptly known as Phatapipe.Thousands of litres of water flows down the drain here. Similar is the case in Birajapali over bridge area where water gets wasted constantly. PHED executive director C R Jena, however, makes no bones in admitting that open pipelines are being tampered with impunity by the locals.The remedial measures: RDA Secretary and Rourkela municipality executive officer Debjani Chakraborty said each individual should realise the need of water conservation and lay thrust on regeneration of the ‘elixir of life’. A rooftop rainwater harvesting structure would soon be constructed at the civic bodybuilding, she said. Other city buildings would also be encouraged to go for it.In what could be a wake up call for the depleting water level from natural sources, the natural watercourse adjacent to the famous Ghoghar temple near Rajgangpur has dried up since long.

Displaced threaten economic blockade
Statesman News Service ROURKELA, March 23: The Rourkela Displaced Association (RDA) has threatened to go on another economic blockade of the city here demanding the fulfillment of their demands. The office-bearers of the RDA were supposed to meet Mr Ashok Dalwai of the RDC here. The meeting, a tripartite one, was supposed to be between the representatives of RSP, RDC and the displaced association members. And accordingly, the meeting was convened at the RDA meeting hall, but the association members did not turn up. So, Mr Dalwai left the hall after holding discussions with the RSP officials without meeting the other party as he had other engagements elsewhere. However, they turned out in around 200 and tried to barge into the RDA. But, with the intervention of police, they could not do so and congregated at the Uditnagar parade ground and held a meeting, which was addressed by Mr Rama Sahu, the president of the association. Speaking to the gathering, Mr Sahu warned that they would again stage an economic blockade in the city if the government did not pay attention to their demands. This blockade will be held next week. Earlier, the association, along with Railway Displaced Persons, held a 42-hour economic blockade of Rourkela on 8 January last year just two days after the infamous Kalinga Nagar incident. This was lifted after the intervention of the state administration when Mr Dalwai had held a meeting with them.

Animal lover Maneka scores a point
Statesman News Service BHUBANESWAR, March 23: Orissa remains to be a treasure house of nature with its animal and bird life, while that of UP, Bihar and Rajasthan have been plundered. Yet, the state has the maximum number of animal sacrifices and contributes in a big way to the $2 billion illegal trade of animal hides, said Ms Maneka Gandhi. Addressing the inaugural session of a workshop organised by the animal rights activists here today, she said cows from Orissa were transported to Andhra Pradesh illegally and it was a business worth Rs 8 crore per month. Similarly, bears, snake venom and turtles make their way to the flourishing illegal trade. Only yesterday, a person authorised to carry out research on King Cobras was found illegally selling venom at $ 3000 a vile, she stated. It needs to be understood that protecting animals and birds is good economics. More than industries nor agriculture, it is the animal and bird life that will save India, she said. If wild life disappears there will be no rains, no forests and no agriculture. “So when we save animals, we are actually saving ourselves,” she added. Elephants help spread 200 varieties of trees, she said while noting that use of chemical fertilizer destroys the earth worm and absence of vultures had devastated the natural scavenging system. Citing one instance of insensitiveness and ignorance on the part of administrators, she said a decision was taken in Surat to kill street dogs. As a result of this, lakhs of rodents surfaced and resulted in a plague effecting the tourism industry and causing huge loss to human life as well as the state exchequer. The police as well as the people need to be sensitised. Many of them are ignorant of the law protecting animals and hence, the illegal trade goes on, while in other instances, the enforcers are hand in glove with the traders, she charged. Lauding the efforts of the Orissa government in effecting a turn around as far as Chilka dolphins and Olive Ridley turtles were concerned, Ms Gandhi said much more needs to be done. She showered praise on chief minister Mr Naveen Patnaik describing him as the most responsive and compassionate CM before going on to implore him to effectively stop animal sacrifice, make budgetary provisions for the State Animal Welfare Board, check the Akhand Shikar in Similipal and nominate tribals are honorary wild life wardens. The Akhand Shikar annual hunting festival at Similipal is not done by tribals but outsiders masquerading as tribals, she charged. Responding to her, Mr Patnaik said the state animal welfare board was being reconstituted and he would certainly encourage training of police personnel in the context of animal protection laws. With regards to the other demands, he assured that they would be examined. Mr Patnaik recalled that his grandfather Laxminarayan Patnaik was the first to establish animal rights protection body in the state way back in 1934. Ministers Mr Golak Nayak, Mr DP Mishra, animal rights activist Mr Jeevan Das and others also spoke. A few activists and forest officers were felicitated at the function.

Chandipur residents to be shifted for Astra test
Statesman News Service BALASORE, March 23: In view of a series of tests from ITR from 25 March, 826 families of Chandipur will be shifted to temporary shelters, while the fishermen have been asked not to venture into sea within a radius of 20 KM on 25,26 and 27 March. A Press release issued on behalf of the district administration said that the decision to the effect had been taken following a joint meeting between the senior officials of the ITR and district administration held under the chairmanship of Dr Alekh Chandra Padihary. “While a special test would carried out from LC-II, the inhabitants in a radius of 2.5 KM of the complex would be shifted to the temporary shelters, along with domestic animals. They will be paid compensation as well, the release mentioned. While the affected six villages are Gudupahi, Nidhipadasahi, Jaydevkasba pahi and Padampurand Badakia, three shelters have been erected at OP-4, 000, OP-10,000 and Sitala Mata Yubak Sangha near Coast Canal, it said. The revenue, police, fisheries, health, I & PR and transport departments have been asked to do needful for smooth conduct of mobility exercise. While the each affected adult will be provided with Rs 120, minor will get Rs 60. To all affected persons, Rs 25 would be given for diet and Rs 10 for cattle feed. While a massive operation is underway for quite some days for the tests, a sources said that the ensuing test would be of Astra, the air to air missile which is presently under development. Another souses said after Astra’s test, there would be tests for Brahmos, Dhanush, Agni-III and the air defence of Prithivi missiles within first week of April.

Rare devotee’ to visit Temple after 40 years
Press Trust of IndiaPuri, March 23:
Officials at Sri Jagannath Temple here are working overtime to welcome a “rare devotee” who will offer puja inside the sanctum sanctorum of the 12th century Vishnu shrine after a gap of 40 years. Interestingly, this devotee is not a person from a far- off place, but someone who lives barely 500 metres from the temple. She is Maharani Lilabati Pattamahadei, wife of Gajapati maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, who is considered the living incarnation of Lord Jagannath. Though Lilabati became maharani of Puri after marrying Dibyasingha Deb 25 years ago, she has never been inside the temple. The last maharani, the wife of maharaja Birakishore Singh Deb, visited the temple to offer puja in 1966, and the practice was that each maharani visits the shrine only once in her lifetime, sources said. This is, however, only a tradition and there is no hard and fast rule preventing maharanis from visiting the temple. The temple’s administration received a letter from the palace which said the “maharani has desired to offer puja inside the shrine on 8 April,” the temple’s assistant administrator Mr Surendranath Mishra said. “This is a rare occasion for the temple and for the priests. Maharanis of Puri do not frequently visit the temple due to several factors and the tradition associated with temple rituals,” said Rabinarayan Pratihari, a senior priest and a former member of the temple’s managing trustee.

Coaches, Bhubaneswar, March 23:
An additional AC-3 tier coach and two sleeper coaches will be added to the Puri-New Delhi-Puri Neelachal Super Fast Express, and two sleeper coaches will be attached to the Puri-Hatia Tapaswini Express from 1 April. PTI

Bank looted, Keonjhar, March 23:
Suspected Maoists today looted more than Rs 2.5 crore from the strongroom of a nationalised bank in Barbil, 80 KM from here. Police said a nine-member armed gang had barged into the Bank of Baroda branch about 10.10 AM when only a few customers were present. The officer-in-charge of Barbil police station, Mr SK Nayak, who rushed to the spot, said the bank manager had claimed over Rs 2.5 crore was looted by the gang but the actual amount was yet to be ascertained. “All of the gang members were holding pistols and threatened to open fire if we tried to raise alarm,” a bank customer said.PTI

Patra fails in ‘Centre bashing’
Statesman News Service BHUBANESWAR, March 23:
Energy minister Mr SN Patro’s attempt to shift focus on delayed release of funds from the Centre yesterday proved in vain as members cutting across party lines lambasted the poor performance in rural electrification. The Opposition-sponsored notice for adjournment was pressed and the deputy Speaker put it to vote before allotting two hours for a full fledged discussion. Later, in the post-lunch session, the minister was shouted down by the Opposition and before he could conclude his reply, he was virtually timed out. Earlier, setting the tempo of the discussions, OGP member Mr Arun Dey and Congress member Mr Nalinikanta Mohanty chided the minister as a non-performer and one who was “enjoying power like a prince”. The fact that the government had failed to even electrify villages which were disconnected since the 1999 cyclone was driven home by both Opposition and ruling party members. It is futile to discussion rural electrification or the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana as it has been done on 12 previous occasions and even a committee headed by the Speaker is looking into it, noted Mr Dey. The minister talks tall and produces nothing. The CM reviews, but the end result has been zero all these years, he added. Sarcastically thanking the CM for being in the House to listen to the debate, Mr Dey said: “I am grateful he is here as he rarely stays during discussions.” The OGP member then went on to list out the failures of the state government in availing of Central funds under all previous schemes related to rural electrification, be it the MNP or the accelerated rural power development schemes. While all other states got incentives and spent crores of rupees, Orissa had missed out, he charged. Mr Dey urged the CM to convene a meeting and fix responsibility. Significantly, even ruling party members were bitterly critical. Mr Pradip Maharathy pointed at the discrepancy in figures as cited by Mr Mohanty and wondered why the minister was feeling helpless. He warned that elections in MP had been lost on the issue of power. His senior colleague and former minister Mr Damodar Rout said villages effected by the 1999 cyclone in his constituency of Erasama were still in darkness. Two years after the cyclone, an estimate of Rs 2.65 crore was made to electrify the villages but it has not been done as yet, he alleged. Responsibility should be fixed, he demanded. Mr Rout’s remark that schemes named after the Nehru family had a strange way of flopping provoked the Opposition benches who protested vociferously. The minister, however, informed the members that two districts would get an allotment of Rs 30 crore each under the RGGVY very soon. He informed them that the government had signed the quadripartite agreement with CPSUs, REC and state power utilities in October 2005. The projected habitations to be electrified under RGGVY scheme is 56189 and detailed project reports of 29 districts have been sent to the REC for sanction. The DPRs of Angul, Nayagarh and Jajpur districts have been accorded final sanction for Rs 409.77 crore. The tentative DPR estimate of all 30 districts in the state amounts to Rs 4140 crore, he informed.

Orissa poorest State: survey ,Aarti Dhar
Poverty low in Chandigarh, J&K, Punjab
Poverty declines to 21.8 per cent in 2004-05 from 26.1 per cent in 1999-2000
However, 238.5 million Indians still live below poverty line
New Delhi: Poverty in the country has declined to 21.8 per cent in 2004-05 from 26.1 per cent in 1999-2000, according to the latest figures released by the Planning Commission on Wednesday.
However, in absolute terms, the number of those still living in poverty is a whopping 238.5 million.
The figures are based on the report of the 61st round of the National Sample Survey (NSS).
The decline is notably sharp in the rural areas where the percentage of those living below the poverty line (BPL) has come down to 21.8 per cent (2004-05) from 27.1 per cent in 1999-2000. The percentage in the case of the urban areas was 21.7. It was 23.6 per cent in 1999-2000, according to the estimates based on the Mixed Recall Period (MRP) — consumption distribution data.
This method involves estimating consumer expenditure data using 365-day recall period (reference period) for five infrequently purchased non-food items such as clothing, footwear, durable goods, education and institutional medical expenses and a 30-day recall period for the remaining items.
In terms of absolute numbers, of the 238.5 million people living under undesirable conditions, 170.3 million are in the rural areas and 68.2 million in the urban areas.
The Expert Group on Estimation of Proportion and Number of Poor of the Planning Commission also used the Uniform Recall Period (URP) system that involves consumption data of 30-day recall period for all items and is comparable to the 1993-94 figures. According to this estimation, the level of poverty declined to 27.5 per cent in 2004-05 from 36.0 per cent in 1993-94.
The level of poverty under the URP method in the rural areas fell to 28.3 per cent in 2004-05 from 37.3 per cent in 1993-94 and in the urban areas to 25.7 per cent from 32.4 per cent during the corresponding period.
Based on the URP consumption data, 301.7 million people are living below the poverty line — 229 million in the rural areas and 80.8 million in the urban areas.
Based on the MRP consumption data, Orissa is the poorest State with 39.9 per cent of people living below the poverty line. It is followed by Jharkhand (34.8 per cent), Bihar (32.5 per cent) and Madhya Pradesh (32.4 per cent). In absolute terms, the number of people living below the poverty line is 45.8 million in U.P, followed by Bihar (29 million) and Maharashtra (26 million).
Poverty levels are low in Chandigarh (3.8 per cent people living below the poverty line), Jammu and Kashmir (4.2 per cent) and Punjab (5.2 per cent). In Delhi, 1.6 million people are living below the poverty line, accounting for 10.2 per cent of the capital's population.
The percentage of those living below the poverty line is 15 per cent in Assam, 12.5 in Gujarat, 9.9 in Haryana, 17.4 in Karnataka, 11.4 in Kerala, 32.4 in Madhya Pradesh, 17.5 in Rajasthan, 17.8 in Tamil Nadu and 20.6 in West Bengal.

Orissa student killed by friends for Rs.500,000Mar 22, 2007 - 7:25:26 PM
The kidnappers called up Monday and asked for immediate payment of the ransom amount, to which the family members said they could arrange only Rs.80,000.
By IANS, [RxPG] Bhubaneswar, March 22 - An engineering student in Orissa was allegedly abducted by his friends, who later killed him after his parents failed to meet their ransom demand of Rs.500,000, police said Thursday.Police have arrested two of the three youths who allegedly killed Pritish Ranjan Das, 19, a first year student of Jagannth Institute of Engineering at Jagatpur industrial area near Cuttack, some 26 km from here.The arrested youths have been identified as Kapu Sahu and Papu Swain, who confessed to having committed the crime along with another friend, Santosh Sarangi, who is absconding.The trio were known as anti-socials, but had befriended Das.Based on their confession police also recovered Thursday morning the decomposed body of Das from a water tank from the outskirt of the city. The body had injury marks.Das, who had left his home at Baramunda, a posh colony on the outskirts of the state capital Bhubaneswar, to attend coaching class in the same area March 18, did not return, distrct police chief Amitav Thakur said.The family members came to know about his kidnapping after the youths, who did not disclose their identity, informed over telephone that they abducted Das. They also demanded Rs.500,000 for his release, Thakur added.The family members, however, bought some time but assured the abductors that they would arrange the money.The relatives informed the police despite being threatened by the kidnappers with dire consequences.The kidnappers called up Monday and asked for immediate payment of the ransom amount, to which the family members said they could arrange only Rs.80,000.The abductors then asked the family members to be present near Khurda on the Bhubaneswar-Chennai national highway with the ransom money. But such an arrangement did not materialise and the kidnappers killed the student, the police official said.

Unbridled with Life: Interview with Mira Nair
[22 March 2007]
Mira Nair makes films about movement -
Across continents and generations. With The Namesake, based on Jhumpa Lahiri's popular novel, the director has found an ideal subject -- a family full of complex characters who spend their lives traversing traditions and expectations.
by Cynthia Fuchs
Mira Nair has a cold. She’s been traveling for her new film, The Namesake, and has been recently laid low by one of those stuffy-airplane-cabin-borne viruses. But she’s hardly slowed down. To the contrary, it’s as if her sensitivity is heightened.
Born in Rourkela, Orissa, educated at Delhi University and Harvard, Nair makes films about movement—across continents and generations. In her brilliant debut feature, Salaam Bombay!, the movement was at once limited and incessant, tracking the efforts of street kids just to survive. Mississippi Masala and Monsoon Wedding expanded her carefully composed color and political palettes, as did her segment of 11’09’01 (titled “India") and 2004’s Vanity Fair. Each of her films combines canny political critique with thick, wholly captivating cultural context. With The Namesake, based on Jhumpa Lahiri’s popular novel, the director has found an ideal subject—a family full of complex characters who spend their lives traversing traditions and expectations.
The Namesake
(Fox Searchlight Pictures; US theatrical: 9 Mar 2007; UK theatrical: 30 Mar 2007)
Trailer
Official Site
How does your background in documentary influence your fiction films, in form and concept? Well, I never leave documentary behind, even in fiction films. Sections of all my fiction films, even The Namesake, are composed like a documentary film. I go out with the camera, without actors, and we shoot, because documentary is my treasure, like life is my treasure. And in India, especially, the sort of orchestration of chaos that one can do with the documentary camera, you can’t do it the same way with a full set-up. When we shot in the train station in Calcutta in The Namesake, the local paper wanted to pay homage and respect, as my films have many Bengali fans. And so they published on the morning of the shoot a very respectful article, noting the time and place [of the production], very sweetly. It wasn’t gossip or that nonsense. We had a super-mob watching us and a super-mob within us. That’s the sort of thing I mean. It was a crazy scene, but it also was so unbridled with life. I love that, so even in fiction, I’m constantly relying on what we know as documentary.
How does that kind of life affect your sense of composition? The composition of frames is vital in any case, whether on a set or outdoors. That’s why I work with specific cinematographers [for Namesake, the great Frederick Elmes]. It’s not just that you do or don’t “shoot from the hip.” Many of my films, and The Namesake especially, are conceived in a kind of austere, photographic style, inspired a lot by great photographers, like Garry Winogrand and Adam Bartos, or modern Indian photographers like Raghubir Singh. I had these frames in my head as leaping off point for many images.
How does your experience of living in multiple places—feeling at home in them—shape your work? With The Namesake, it was uncanny, that it was set in the two cities in which I a) grew up, which is Calcutta, and b) formally learned to see, which is New York. These streets and these situations are now more than 40 years in my blood. In the conception of the film, I decided to shoot the two cities as if they were one city. This is also the state of being for an immigrant. I have a hesitation, though: I don’t think of myself as an immigrant because I actively live in three countries [the third being South Africa]. It was moving to me, and I was able to cut to the chase each time, to decide on the bridges [the Howrah Bridge over the Hooghly River and Manhattan’s 59th Street Bridge], because the bridges were the same. And then to decide on shots of “nature,” trees and such. Knowing these places so well made it easier to make transitions between locations, without resorting to clichés and spoon-feeding by subtitles and voiceover and all that.
I knew Garry Winogrand in my youth, because I was married to a photographer, and Garry used to be his teacher. He was a wonderful wild man, and has had a book published posthumously, Arrivals and Departures, about airports. Airports are like the temple for an immigrant. We’re always in these neutral spaces, you live your most crucial hours in them, as you’re on your way to from one home to another, or your father’s funeral, for instance. I learned a lot about how to read the airport from Garry, the building elements, the reflections. So that scene, for instance, when Ashima [Tabu] and Ashoke [Irfan Khan] are saying goodbye [at JFK], it’s only one shot—we had to shoot quickly and on a small budget—but there are so many layers. She’s in the foreground and then she turns and the focus changes. But in this one shot, you get everything: you get the gulf between them, the fact that they don’t touch and hug and kiss to say goodbye, but the love is visible. The way to shoot these things came from photographers.
That image and others—like the one where Ashoke places his hand on the glass while he’s talking on the phone to Ashima, or when Gogol [Kal Penn] slips on his father’s shoes—show a kind of communication without words. You know, this whole film was inspired by grief. I had just lost my mother-in-law. There so many things in that particular shot for me. With my mother-in-law, she was there, and the next day I was cleaning her hospital room. It was a wild insane mess in the main room, but when I opened her cupboard, she had left her perfume, all in order, and these exquisite, tiny Ferragamo shoes. She would never step in them again. At that moment, she was in the ICU, but I just knew. All of this was in the film.
I gather she has influenced you in other ways. She was a radical woman who really made it possible for me to shoot film. She lived with us. I used to wait for her to come so I could shoot film, and the house could carry on. She was an amazing woman.
Like Ashima… Yes, an anchor. In that very unshowy way.
I was struck by Ashima’s making her elephant greeting cards... She’s so careful with her handmade work, absolutely unfettered with the new world and this crap that you buy—the conspiracy of Hallmark. That’s also a very Bengali thing; it’s such a deeply cultured community. I went to stay with my mother’s best friend, just to squat there quietly without the press knowing everything. And there she was, painting her greeting cards. Again, not showy at all: this is what she had done for 70 years. It’s all about the handmade. There is nothing more beautiful.
The movie is unusual in that it offers a number of perspectives. The book is very different. In spirit, it’s very similar, but the book moves from the parents very quickly to Gogol. I knew because of my love for the older generation, that I wanted to have two pillars in the story. First, a very adult love story, which I think is a very erotic idea, two strangers who marry and then fall in love in a completely foreign, terribly cold place—it’s an enchanting a strange idea. And then, of course, it’s Gogol, what they create. I fashioned more of a balance between those stories. For the parents, every scene is economically designed, to show the depth of their love and the uniqueness of their love. It’s not about giving diamonds or saying, “I love you,” but about how you look at each other over a cup of tea. It’s small things. The second pillar shows Gogol on his own but also in relation to his parents. The audience should love Ashoke so much, as his son does, so that when he is gone, the blow is sudden, like the phone call in the night.
And so Gogol’s loss is at once specific and familiar. If there’s anything I want to create with The Namesake, it’s a sense of mindfulness. [Laughs] Youth is created to forget, but you know, it will soon be too late.
Can you talk about how names work in the movie, as they are imposed (as in the racist graffiti) or part of your own decision and self-making? I have a name that is so simple. I always say, “You say ‘Me’ so much, just add ‘Ra’ to it. And the “Nair” rhymes with fire, and I always correct the pronunciation when I’m outside of India. But when you grow up with names given to you, like Gogol, when you’re the only brown face in a sea of white ones, you don’t always have that courage. That’s the difference between Gogol and Nicky.
And he comes to understand that he can be both, that his identity needn’t be limited to one or the other. This is a very Indian concept, the pet name and the public name, the person you are at home and the persona you are outside.
This duality becomes more complex, I think, but it’s possible to see Gogol’s options rather too neatly embodied by the two women, Maxine [Jacinda Barrett] and Moushumi [Zuleikha Robinson]. Well, it’s the folly of youth, that he sees it this way. You have to go through things like that to understand who you are. What I love is the flow between the traditional anchor of Ashima—who is traditional, but also porous and brave. She’s fortunate to have married this particular man. Moushumi, I love her, because she’s the bad ass. That’s Jhumpa [Lahiri]’s brilliance, because she’s not what you expect. That’s what the Asian community is, like any other community, full of good asses and bad asses. And when you’re a full-on frumpy teenager, you decide that the way to exist is to have affairs and explore who you are. You don’t read about these characters, but they exist.
Maxine is an interesting character for me: she’s empathetic and intelligent, but she could so easily have become this whining, self-centered girl. What’s interesting to me, and what people here [in the U.S.] don’t always realize, is that she also has a typically American subliminal arrogance, as if she thinks, “This is my world. I do what I do, even if you tell me not to use first names with your parents. This is my world.” It’s a very different experience when you’re the Gangulis, and you have to negotiate and you have to be mindful of the other community. We’re not taught humility in the U.S. In India, it’s a big part of life. It’s very moving for me when I work with legendary musicians, as I have for many of my soundtracks, and they open up their instrument boxes and they have [references] to gods and their ancestors. I mean, the most modern people do this, like every note they make is from someplace or someone else. And they acknowledge and treasure it. You’re only part of a universe. It’s not “me, me, me.” That is deeply missing in American culture. That’s why America is what it is, too. It gallops along and does its thing. It’s missing for Maxine, and she doesn’t realize it. Gogol doesn’t see it either, until she’s looking at his trip to India as just a trip.
Maxine seems to me not only arrogant and “galloping,” but also appropriative. Gogol looks “cool” to her, someone she wants. You know, loads of people wished that he had married Maxine. But “appropriative” is right. Her sort of attitude, I get it all the time. They ask me questions that they would never ask another film director, and they’re not even aware of it. The typical “arranged marriage” question, or some other version of the “hothouse flower” question, as I call it. Like, “Ooh, you flew in from another planet. Describe it for us.” Again, it’s part of the reason the U.S. gallops along, because it’s not a habit to put yourself in someone else’s place, to see things are larger than you.
Some of this emerges in the reverence for the new, and the loss of previous generations. Here, they don’t keep those generations near. It’s all nuclear family, and it’s an enormous deprivation to the culture.

Orissa labourers return disabled from Gujarat's Alang shipbreaking yardFrom our ANI CorrespondentAdapada (Orissa), Mar 22:
Alang, the lone ship scrapping yard in the country, is drawing the ire of not just environmentalists, but humanitarian groups.

These groups are particularly angered over reports of more than sixty workers from Adapada village in Orissa's Ganjam District being left maimed for life after a stint at the shipbreaking yard.Most have suffered grave injuries from heavy structures falling on their limbs.The injured have returned to their impoverished homes in Orissa, with no hope of earning a livelihood. Since they fall in the unorganised sector, they have no social security net to fall back."We were working in a shipbreaking yard. Lots of ships come to Alang. We go to such places to earn a livelihood because we have no source of income here. A huge piece from the ship fell on my leg. I am not the only person suffering. There are hundreds others who have lost a hand or a leg while working there," said Guria Swain, a worker. Thousands of men from Orissa flock to Alang to their earn wages."After sustaining the disabling injury at work, I was left with no aid or compensation. The unit owner gave me Rupees 500. The doctor there also refused to issue a disability certificate to me. So, when I came back home, all I am capable of doing for a living is begging. I beg to keep my family fed," said Dinabandhu Nayak, another worker.The shipyard made headlines when the environment group 'Greenpeace' protested over the permissions granted to allow the Norwegian cruise line 'Blue Lady' and the French ship 'Clemenceau' to be broken down in Alang.France was forced to recall the decommissioned aircraft carrier 'Clemenceau' after it was reported that the vessel contained toxic asbestos.A Greenpeace report published in December said thousands of workers in the ship-breaking industry in countries such as India, China and Pakistan had probably died over the past two decades in accidents or due to exposure to toxic waste.Alang dismantled 700 ships between 1997-1999. The numbers of ships to be dismantled have been declining, but working conditions remain abysmal.


THIRU T.R. BAALU APPROVES ROAD REPAIR WORKS IN ORISSA
The Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, Thiru T.R. Baalu has approved road widening works in various stretches of National Highways No. 224 (NH-224) in the state of Orissa at a total cost of Rs. 4956.89 Lakh. The work of widening the existing single/intermediate lane carriageway to two-lane carriageway with strengthening has been approved at four different stretches of NH-224, which starts at Khurda and ends at Bolangir town. Of the above sum, an amount of Rs. 1311.96 lakh has been sanctioned for widening the existing single/intermediate lane carriageway to two-lane carriageway with strengthening from km 257/0 to km 265/0 and an amount of Rs. 1289.57 lakh from km 249/0 to km 257/0 on NH-224. Further on the same Highway, an amount of Rs. 1143.70 lakh has been sanctioned for widening existing single/intermediate lane stretch from km 198/0 to km 205/0 and a sum of Rs. 1211.66 lakh has also been sanctioned from km 191/0 to km 198/0. This stretch serves towards transportation of agricultural product of Nayagarh, Boudh, Sonepur and Bolangir Districts. Morevover, this road is a vital link for the South Western Orissa to the Eastern Part of the State. It also provides link to some tourist and pilgrimages locations. The necessity of widening of the road arises also due to the increase of Traffic in terms of PCUs and simultaneously strengthening is required due to inadequate thickness of existing crust. It is expected that the improvement would help in boosting the economic activities of the region.

Orissa student killed by friends for Rs.500,000
Bhubaneswar, March 22 (IANS) An engineering student in Orissa was allegedly abducted by his friends, who later killed him after his parents failed to meet their ransom demand of Rs.500,000, police said Thursday.
Police have arrested two of the three youths who allegedly killed Pritish Ranjan Das, 19, a first year student of Jagannth Institute of Engineering at Jagatpur industrial area near Cuttack, some 26 km from here.
The arrested youths have been identified as Kapu Sahu and Papu Swain, who confessed to having committed the crime along with another friend, Santosh Sarangi, who is absconding.
The trio were known as anti-socials, but had befriended Das.
Based on their confession police also recovered Thursday morning the decomposed body of Das from a water tank from the outskirt of the city. The body had injury marks.
Das, who had left his home at Baramunda, a posh colony on the outskirts of the state capital Bhubaneswar, to attend coaching class in the same area March 18, did not return, distrct police chief Amitav Thakur said.
The family members came to know about his kidnapping after the youths, who did not disclose their identity, informed over telephone that they abducted Das. They also demanded Rs.500,000 for his release, Thakur added.
The family members, however, bought some time but assured the abductors that they would arrange the money.
The relatives informed the police despite being threatened by the kidnappers with dire consequences.
The kidnappers called up Monday and asked for immediate payment of the ransom amount, to which the family members said they could arrange only Rs.80,000.
The abductors then asked the family members to be present near Khurda on the Bhubaneswar-Chennai national highway with the ransom money. But such an arrangement did not materialise and the kidnappers killed the student, the police official said.

Speaker leaves it to House’s conscience
Statesman News Service BHUBANESWAR, March 21:
Deftly handling the delicate issue of an Opposition-sponsored resolution for his removal from the post of Speaker, Mr Maheswar Mohanty today left it to the conscience of the members with a poser on whether actions of the State Election Commission against him were justified and whether such action had belittled the prestige and dignity of the Speaker. Mr Mohanty announced that he would not preside in the House pending disposal of the Opposition resolution. After saying this he called for the deputy Speaker Mr Prahlad Dora and vacated the Chair. The entire Opposition, baring the lone JMM member, had boycotted the Governor’s address today. The Opposition had demanded that Mr Mohanty should not preside as they had moved several charges against him and the SEC had directed registration of an FIR against him. After the Governor’s address to the House and obituary references, Congress member Mr Satya Bhusan Sahu stood up requesting the Speaker not to preside till the resolutions seeking his removal were disposed. Responding to this, Mr Mohanty acknowledged receipt of the resolution and said he had no intention of keeping it under wraps. He then went on to refute the four charges against him as mentioned in the resolution. “The first relates to my remarks on Congress MLA Mr Taraprasad Bahinipati in March 2005. The matter was discussed and we had mutually agreed to close the chapter in the same session,” noted Mr Mohanty. With regards to a non-bailable warrant pending against him, Mr Mohanty clarified that he had obtained a stay from the High Court prior to assuming office as Speaker and later on the court had quashed the charges. “The third relates to my absence at a meeting convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Mr Somanth Chatterjee and the charge is that I acted under pressure or direction from the NDA,” said Mohanty while claiming personal reasons for his non-availability. There was no pressure or direction from the NDA, he maintained. But the most interesting bit came when he touched upon the latest controversy relating to the SEC issuing directions to register a case against him for violation of Model Code of Conduct during the panchayat elections. “The issue relates to posters being carried in a vehicle of the Assembly in which I was not involved and it was a conspiracy against me,” he said. Noting that the model code does not cover the Speaker, Mr Mohanty said on a false allegation, the secretary of the SEC sent a show-cause to him and within two days, a crime branch probe was ordered. Even before the probe could begin, the SEC directed for registration of a FIR against the Speaker. Is this justified and has it not lowered the prestige and dignity of the Speaker, asked Mr Mohanty, while appealing to the conscience of the members. Touching on the sentiments of the members he said: “I am the Speaker, some of you may occupy the post too and it is in view of the dignity of the post that you should decide whether the resolution submitted by the Opposition members should taken up for discussion or withdrawn.” “Keeping the high traditions of democratic and parliamentary norms I will not preside till the matter is disposed,” he concluded. Later talking to reporters, leader of the Opposition Mr JB Patnaik said it was good on the part of Mr Mohanty to have taken such a decision. He, however, added that the Opposition had not listed out all the charges in the resolution. He also rejected the contention that the SEC should not have given directions for registration of an FIR when he had already asked the crime branch to probe into the allegation. There is nothing wrong in it, said Mr Patnaik.


Coca-Cola shifts Kerala bottling unit to OrissaTIMES NEWS NETWORK[ THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2007 01:10:11 AM]
NEW DELHI: Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, the bottling arm of Coca-Cola India, has relocated one bottling line of its controversy-ridden Plachimada plant in Kerala, to Orissa. This could mark the beginning of Coca-Cola relocating its entire bottling operations out of the state. In all, the soft drink major has three bottling lines at its Plachimada plant, all of which have been lying idle since 2004. A Coca-Cola spokesperson, however, clarified that the company was not shifting its bottling plant out of Kerala. “The relocation is in line with the on-going restructuring exercise for our bottling operations. The move is aimed at ensuring that our equipment is placed in plants that serve areas with the highest demand,” the spokesperson said. He added that the relocated line constitutes less than 10% of the Kerala plant’s overall manufacturing capacity. The soft drink major had suspended bottling activity in the state three years ago, following a government directive to stop drawing ground water from its plant premises. Subsequently, Coke obtained a conditional licence to operate its plant, renewable every three months. However, the conditional licence was rejected by Coca-Cola. The company is in the midst of a $250 million restructuring exercise involving its bottling and marketing operations. It is in the process of buying out idle manufacturing capacities of co-bottlers, besides setting up new lines to support its proposed forthcoming launches. The company has been in negotiations with its co-packers in Balia, Kanpur, Rourkela and Aurangabad, to buy-out their excess capacities, and some of the deals have already been sealed.


India : Orissa’s talent mirrored by handicraft expoMarch 20, 2007
An exhibition-cum-sale is on at Murugan Kalyana Mandapam, situated at 22, 100 Feet Road, Velachery. Handloom and handicraft works from Orissa as well as other parts of India are on display.Saris from Orissa having unique bold patterns in various finishes, salwar kameez materials, cloth, ikkat dupattas, along with envelopes, bookmarks and decorative items featuring palm leaf drawings are showcased at the expo.Exhibition will conclude on March 22, 2007.

COMPENSATRY AFFORESTATION IN PROGRESS IN MINING AREA OF ORISSA
17:15 IST
Lok SabhaThe Ministry of Environment and Forests has accorded environmental clearance to 36 (thirty six) mining projects in the State of Orissa, since January, 2005. The environmental clearance is granted subject to various conditions and environmental safeguards which inter-alia include proper management of Overburden (OB), reclamation of Overburden (OB) dumps, providing of garland drain around the Overburden dumps, transportation of mineral through covered trucks, development of green belt, sprinkling of water on haul roads, adoption of control blasting, regular monitoring of air and water (ground and surface) quality etc. During the same period, forest area admeasuring 4,978.548 hectares has been diverted under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 for mining purposes in Orissa. To reduce the effect of mining on surrounding area, forestry clearance is granted subject to conditions such as Compensatory Afforestation, Implementation of Reclamation Plan, Payment of Net Present Value for the area diverted, conservation measures for flora and fauna, fencing and maintenance of safety zone etc. The above conditions have been successful to a large extent in controlling pollution and other ill effects due to mining. This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Shri Namo Narain Meena in a written reply to question by Shri Sugrib Singh :in the Lok Sabha today.
KP:PM

ETV lifts Airtel Media Cup
Statesman News Service BHUBANESWAR, March 18: ETV lifted the first Airtel Media Cup Cricket Tournament 2007 by defeating OTV in the finals played here today. The Airtel Media Cup organised by Bharti Airtel Ltd, a three-day event full of excitement and high spirits, came to a close at Kalinga Stadium with ETV outbatting OTV by posting 169 in the allotted 10 overs. The Airtel Media Cup jointly hosted by Orissa Sports Journalist Association witnessed participation from 12 teams including The Statesman, The New Indian Express, The Pioneer, The Sambad, The Samaya, The Pragativadi, The Odisha Bhaskar, The Anupam Bharat, ETV, OTV, Big FM and Radio Chocolate. Four teams were selected through the knockout format within group matches for the Semifinals. In the first semifinal, ETV from Group A beat Radio Chocolate from Group D by 47 runs and in second semifinal OTV form Group C beat Big FM from Group B by 48 runs to enter the final. Mr Sanjeev Kumar Saxena, COO, Mobility, Bharti Airtel Ltd handed over the Airtel Media Cup 2007 to the winner and the Runners Up. Vikash Das from OTV bagged the Best Batsmen Trophy, Prabodh Baliarsingh got the Best Bowler Trophy, Abdul Aziz from ETV got the Man of the Series, Chandrasekhar Sahoo from ETV got the Best Feilder Trophya and Suman Bhattacharya from The Statesman bagged the Best Enthusiast Trophy.

Minister’s pep talk on schemes
Statesman News Service DHENKANAL, March 18:
Minister for fisheries and animal resources development, textile and handloom Mr Golak Behari Naik felt that greater awareness among people of programmes Bharat Nirman could ensure its proper implementation and effectiveness. Inaugurating the five-day public information campaign on Bharat Nirman here yesterday, the minister lauded the effort of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for organising such PICs all over the country. He called upon the NGOs and women self-help groups to involve themselves in the PICs. Speaking on the occasion, collector of Dhenkanal Mr Jamail Ahmed Khan highlighted the steps taken by the government to improve the economic condition of those living in rural areas. He claimed that National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme under the Bharat Nirman is was well implemented in Dhenkanal district Deputy director general (media and communication), Press information Bureau, New Delhi, Mr DN Mohanty, said the PICs are meant to fill the information gap between the government and common people. He informed that the PIB has already completed 101 PICs throughout the country and many more would be carried out in the near future. A number of seminars and workshops on Bharat Nirman, NREGS, Sarva Sikhya Abhiyan, Mid-Day Meal Scheme, ICDS, National Rural Health Mission, HI-V/AIDS, Immunisation and PM’s 15 point programme on welfare of minorities, tribal welfare and women empowerment have been organised during the PIC


Suicide bid
Angul, March 18:
An under-trial Baya Bhutia (36) today morning attempted to commit suicide in Angul jail by cutting his throat by a tin plate. Baya was admitted to a local government hospital in a critical condition about noon. His condition is now stated to be stable, according to police. Baya belongs to Bahal Sahi of Chhenipada area. The reason is still unknown. n SNS

New official for NTPC plant
Statesman News Service TALCHER, March 18:
An executive director of NTPC, Mr SN Banarjee, will be in-charge of the NTPC Super Thermal Power Plant at Kaniha following the transfer of current general manager Mr B Pradhan. An order to this affect has come to the NTPC Plant here, according to the NTPC officials. Mr Banarjee is, at present, in charge of Tanda power station of NTPC. A new general manager, Mr Bijay Kumar, has also been posted at NTPC-Kaniha Plant, besides the ED. As per the NTPC decision, the 3000 MW Super Thermal Power Plant at Kaniha near here will henceforth be headed by an executive director. Meanwhile, works are on to restore the unit which was shut down after fire had gutted down one of the generator transformers of the fourth unit. Bhel’s top officials will arrive in Kaniha tomorrow to install the new generator transformer in the 500 MW unit. According to reliable sources, NTPC’s top brass is disappointed at the mishap said to be the first of its kind in any plant.

Two burnt to death
SAMBALPUR, March 18:
The driver and helper of a Volvo truck carrying coal were burnt to death yesterday morning when the truck hit another truck parked on the roadside at Remed. The deceased are identified as Somanath Singh (40) and Barun Sahu (28). Both the truck and the Volvo caught fire immediately after the accident and the two could not come out of it. The truck carrying coal from Ahmedabad to Cuttack was gutted. When the helper of the truck Mr Nishan Singh has been severely injured and was hospitalised, the driver had a narrow escape since he was not inside the vehicle. n SNS

Editor on fast in jail
Statesman News Service BALASORE, March 18:
Resenting police atrocity and demanding justice, an inmate of Balasore jail, Basanta Panigrahi, has been on fast for the past three days. Panigrahi, editor of a local vernacular weekly The Light was arrested by the Balasore town police under Sections 448,323,354,294,506 and 34 of IPC on 14 March following a compliant filed by his sister-in-law. Panigrahi is also the state president of Hindu Mahasabha. “We have been administrating glucose and other liquefied food to him on the advice of jail doctor after he refused to take food,” jail superintendent Mr RN Sethi said, adding that they would transfer him to the District Headquarters Hospital. Alleging that police had adopted a biased approach towards the FIR without proper investigation, he said that dispute over property was the sole reason for the case. Since he was a bachelor, other members of the family wanted to grab his property situated at Orod Bazar, Panigrahi alleged. “I have been harassed by the family members for the past five years for refusing to transfer the property. I was implicated in similar false charges on earlier occasions too,” he alleged. Meanwhile, he had sent letters to different authorities, including human right commission, seeking their intervention.

A widow’s plight
Statesman News Service BHADRAK, March 18:
She is 29 year-old and has been a widow for the past six years. Her only son, two daughters and old mother-in-law depend on her for living. She is Sasikala Roy of Batola village under Chandabali Block. Sashikala turned to destitute in June 2001 when her husband Adarshamanyu Roy died in a police firing in Kathmandu, Nepal. Manyu had been to his brother-in-law in Nepal at a time when curfew was imposed by the Nepal Government following the palace massacre. On 5 June, 2001, Manyu sustained injuries in police firing while he was in the town for shopping. He was brought to the Vir Hospital and died their. Sashikala, who faces penury after the demise of her husband, ran after district administration for financial help to keep on living her children and aged mother-in-law. She also made fervent appeal to the state home department on the advice of the district administration. In response, the home department directed the district administration to report on the economic status of the widow and it was submitted within an hour, Sashikala said. She added that the home department had directed her to submit a fresh application demanding a compensation of Rs 1 crore from the Nepal government after two years. “I did accordingly and since then, I have been running from pillar to post for money,” she said. While the young woman is now in difficulty to pull on her family, she is worried as to how she could marry off her grown up daughter. When contacted, district collector Nalinikanta Verma said that a number of reminders had been sent and the last reminder was dispatched on Friday. Meanwhile, the widow was given Rs 10,000 and given a temporary employment in Akhandalamani Temple Trust office by the district administration, the collector said. However, Md Farooque, the secretary of Fellowship, a non-government organisation, urged the district administration to draw the attention of International Human Rights Organisation to Nepal government’s apathy to the widow.

Badminton
SAMBALPUR, March 18: The engineering department of the east-coast railway defeated the medical department in the inter-departmental badminton tournament both in the singles and doubles held at Sambalpur. In the final match Mr Kamesh Patnaik of engineering department defeated Dr Pranabandhau Sahu of medical department. Similarly in the doubles, Mr Ajit Kumar Singh and Mr Kamesh Patnaik defeated Dr Manoj Kumar Behera and Dr Pranabandhu Sahu to win the champion’s trophy. n SNS

JITM vows to become top institute
Statesman News Service PARALAKHEMUNDI, March 18:
The Annual Day Celebration 2007 of the Jaganath Institute of Technology and Management (JITM) was arranged at the open air auditorium of the institute today evening. Mr MC Goel (vice-president technical of JK Paper Mills) was the chief guest of the evening while Dr Pratul Patel (Birla Soft) was the chief speaker of the event. Prof CV Gopinath welcomed the delegates and the students and read out the annual report of the college. While speaking at the occasion speech he informed that out of the seven courses under the Berhampur University five of their students have topped in Chemical, Computer, ECE, EEE and E & I while 19 students have been absorbed by companies like Wipro, Birla Soft, US Technology, Miracle software, Blesso Software, Satyam, Iftronics, Vedanta Aluminum, Saigon, and Mahindra and Mahindra. “The institute has proved its versatility and achieved its aims and objective of ensuring quality education and arranging adequate placement for its students” said the principal Mr Gopinath. The principal also informed that the institution has received special financial grants from Sail, HPCL, UTI Bank, and DST while it signed MOU for different educational projects DISR, CISCO, CTST, and RRL. The director of the Institute Prof DN Rao in his speech informed that they have taken over the management of the institute which had been established by Mr Alluri Murty Raju in the year 1994 and their ambition was to make this technical college one of the best in the country. The former principal and now dean R&D Prof Dhananda Mishra also addressed the gathering. A cultural programme was organised for the occasion.


Cycle rally for nature protection
Statesman News Service BHADRAK, March 18: For NSS volunteers of Chandabali College, cycling is more than a hobby. It is a mission motivated by a novel desire to carry the message of environment preservation and protection. Seven Chandabali College students in Chandabali block launched an arduous cycle journey over 500 KM from Vitarkanika to Chilika yesterday. Cycling over hundred KM on village roads, they reached Bhadrak in Sunday morning and decided to complete their mission on Wednesday at Chilika. Under the banner of National Service scheme (NSS) the youths have to cover villages and interact with the rural people on Nature and human coexistence.

Briefs
Prison death Balasore, March 18:
One under trail prison Satrughna Mahji (50) of Panibandha Sajanagarh died today at the Nilgiri hospital while undergoing treatment. The undertrail prisoner was admitted to the hospital yesterday evening following ailment and died 4 AM today. He was arrested in connection to a rape case on 11 December last year. He was suffering from tuberculosis, police sources said, adding a case of unnatural death has been registered. n SNSRobbery BALASORE, March 18: The cases of drugging and looting passengers while on the rise, of late, the drugging of taxi passengers too has come to notice. Raibu Nayak (22) native of Joshipur, Mayurbhanj on the way to his village by a car was allegedly drugged by the driver and a suit case containing Rs 15,000 in cash was looted, along with his belongings. Mr Nayak is stated to be working in CrPF. The victim was allegedly offered tea near a road side dhaba on NH-5 near Gadadeulia. He was later rescued by the locals and rushed to DHH here with the help of the Baisinga police. n SNSCricket BALASORE, March 18: An inter-club cricket tournament organised under the aegis of district athletic association concluded today following a final match between Samrat club and You and Me after having league matches. The Samrat club won the match by 88 runs while the ‘You and Me’ club batting second could score only 174 runs losing all wickets. The district association vice-president and Orissa volley ball association president Mr Prasanta Acharaya, general secretary Mr Adhip Das, Mr Santosh Das, Mr Kalinga Mohapatra were present at the match. n SNSWire theft JAGATSINGHPUR, March 18: Two persons, Sukant and Sanjay, engaged in theft and trade of electric wires, were arrested by the police today. The two were caught while trying to sell a consignment of stolen wires to a person from Cuttack. Wires weighing over one quintal were seized from the duo. Police said that the arrested used to steal wires from electric poles, plunging the villages into darkness. People of Tirtol and Raghunathpur villages had often complained of disruption in power supply due to theft of electric wire. The district superintendent of police, Mr YK Jethwa, had formed a special squad to nab the culprits as it had become a major problem in the district. Both Sukant Rout and Sanjay Rout were produced in court today. n SNSVigilance KORAPUT, March 18: The vigilance department here registered a case against a medical officer in charge of PHC Madanpur Rampur, drawing and disbursing officer of the PHC and Chandra Bhanu Tarai, Jr.Clerk for demanding bribe from Dr Desabandhu Behera, medical officer of PHC for drawing his arrear KBK incentive allowances. Yesterday, Mr Tarai was trapped by the officers of Koraput vigilance division after he paid only Rs 35,000 to Dr Behera of the total amount of Rs 55,000 by deducting the bribe money of Rs 20,000. During interrogation, Tarai said that he deducted Rs 20,000 on the direction of the senior doctors. The involvement of others is being investigated, said officers. n SNSPollutionTALCHER, March 18: Police arrested the project officer of Lingaraj coal mine for dust pollution. He was released on bond from the police station later. The arrest was in connection with a complaint filed by the villagers. The police action came close on the heels of public outcry over the huge dust emission from the mine situated close to sub-divisional headquarters. The dust enveloping the villages had caused invisibility in the evening and suffocation. The police had also warned the Lingaraj general manager of action if the dusts control measures were not taken properly. n SNS

Six lose eyesight after surgery camp visit
Press Trust of India BHAWANIPATNA, March 18:
At least six persons, including four women, lost vision in one eye allegedly due to the negligence at a cataract operation camp held at the District Headquarters Hospital here. The victims, all above 60 years of age, lodged a complaint with the Town police station against the doctors here yesterday. They held the doctors responsible for their plights. According to the FIR, some residents of Madel, a village under Narla block in Kalahandi district, had underwent cataract operation at the District Headquarters Hospital on 21 and 22 January. They were released after two days of the surgery. The patients, identified as Kamala Majhi (70), Kaikei Rana (60), Ratani Majhi (60), Sudra Majhi (70), Gimila Rana (65) and Hanu Rana (65) of the village, 20 KM from here, had come to the hospital complaining of eye watering and pain. They were, however, asked to leave the hospital after doctors administered some eye drops on them. The poor villagers, however, came to know about the fate of their eyes after their eye bands were removed yesterday. They failed to see anything and alleged that each had lost one of their eye balls. When contacted, the head of the eye department at the hospital, Dr Bharat Bhusan Panda, said that the six people had lost one of their eyes due to serious infection. He said that villagers did not take post-operation care which led to damage of their eye balls. He, however, dismissed the allegations that their eye balls were removed during operation as alleged by some of the kin of the patients. The doctor claimed that there was no problem in their eyes immediately after the operation. All the problems started after they spent some days at home. Therefore, the doctors are not at fault, Dr Panda reasoned.

Economic growth through highways’
Press Trust of India BHUBANESWAR, March 18:
About 50,000 KM of National Highway in the country are being improved with an investment of Rs 2,20,000 crore to boost economic growth, Union minister of state for road transport Mr KH Muniyappa said today. “Our vision and plan is to complete the improvement and widening of the highways by 2012,” Mr Muniyappa, currently on a visit to the state, told reporters here. “This will boost economic growth by one to two per cent even as the smooth highways will enable vehicles to move at a speed of 120 KM/H.” The government’s ambitious 5,846 KM Golden Quadrilateral project is almost 95 per cent complete, and about 5,600 KM of the project are being developed into six-lane highways. The 7,300 KM corridors linking Silchar and Porbandar and Srinagar and Kanyakumari will be completed by 2008-09, he said. The National Highway Development Programme (NHDP) is being implemented in seven different phases, and about 11,000 KM are being taken up under Phases 3A and 3B. Work had already begun on a total stretch of 4,000 KM. The detailed project report is being finalised for the remaining 7,000 KM and this work will be completed by 2009-10, he said. The NHDP also includes development of 1,000 KM of expressway in the country, Mr Muniyappa said. The new projects being undertaken, he said, included about 550 KM of new highways in Orissa for which the state government must act fast to acquire land and remove other hurdles. This relates to six different roads that are included in NHDP 3A and 3B. He said the roads are Panikoili-Keonjhar-Rimuli (163 KM), Rimuli-Roxy extended up to Rajamunda (106 KM), Duburi-Chandikhol (39 KM), Chandikhol-Talcher (98 KM), Puri-Bhubaneswar (59 KM) and Sambalpur-Bargarh extended up to the Chhattisgarh border (88 KM). The total cost of these projects would be around Rs 2,500 crore and tenders for them were being invited. The Central government has also sanctioned National Highway status for four state highways in Orissa in view of their economic importance. They are the Khurda-Balangir (299 KM), Puri-Satpada (49 KM), Puri-Konark (35 KM) and Champua- Rimuli (14 KM) roads. “The chief minister (Naveen Patnaik) should take steps to expedite these projects and we expect full cooperation from the state government,” he said. Mr Muniyappa, who attended the bhumi puja for the improvement of a 12 KM stretch of NH-217 in Berhampur yesterday, said 434 KM of the Golden Quadrilateral is in Orissa, and the widening of these highways to four lanes should have been completed by December 2006. While the widening of 326 KM of NH-5 to four lanes had been completed in Orissa, work on the balance portion of the highway is expected to be completed by December 2008, he said. The delay in work is mainly due to opposition from people who have refused to part with land and the matter has gone to court in several cases, he said. “People must understand the purpose behind this highway development as it will strengthen the economy and their own future,” he said, adding that they are obstructing these works because they have not understood the purpose behind them. The improvement and widening of highways will reduce the requirement of fuel by 30 to 35 per cent, lessen travel time considerably and improve the durability of vehicles, he said.

Maoist arrested with huge explosivesSunday March 18 2007 03:34 IST
UNI ROURKELA:
A suspected maoist was remanded to jail custody after being arrested on Saturday for illegally possessing 290 detonators, 200 gelatin sticks and fuse wires.Sukdeb Hota (37) of Bamra village under Badgaon police station in Sundargarh district was taken into custody for possessing huge explosives.He was later forwarded to a local court in Rajgangour, which remanded him to judicial custody.Police suspected that Sukdeb has links with the maoists operating in the area.
BHUBANESWAR:
The threat to wildlife in Orissa is growing as large-scale industrialisation and mining activities push them out of their habitat. With their hideouts lost, these animals are now straying into human habitat in search of food and water and are falling easy prey to poachers. In fact, international gangs dealing in wildlife body parts have become quite active in the state.
In recent weeks, a series of seizure of precious wildlife body parts by forest and police officials brought to light the vulnerability of these wild animals. Last month, a joint team of forest personnel and crime branch police busted an organised racket linked to wildlife poaching in Orissa and arrested three persons. Tusks weighing 14.3 kg and a six-feet-long leopard skin were seized. The crime branch had been directed by the government to investigate into the spate of elephant deaths in some sanctuaries, including Satkosia between September to November 2006, as 11 tusker killings were reported in November alone. According to crime branch inspector general, BK Sharma, the three persons were caught when the divisional forest officer of Satkosia wildlife division, Susanta Nanda, posed as a prospective buyer and approached them. Following this prize catch, the forest officials seized a leopard skin. Similarly, ivory was seized from three persons in Nilgiri forest division. Last year, the forest officials of Baliguda division seized a huge quantity of tusk and tiger skins.
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On March 14, forest officials in Mayurbhanj district arrested three persons involved in poaching wild elephants and smuggling of ivory. According to Debabrat Swain, director, Similipal Tiger Reserve, the ivory could be of the tusker killed recently in Kuldiha wildlife sanctuary. While a leopard skin fetches Rs 30,000 in Nepal, elephant tusks are sold between Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 per kg in India, while they fetch Rs 25,000 a kg in Nepal.
Interestingly, it so happened that many a times forest officials have seized fake hides and tusks. Enterprising wildlife dealers have now honed the art of faking goat-skin as leopard hide and leg bone of the elephant as tusk.
However, the methods being used by forest officials to catch poachers and traders has kicked off a controversy with several forest officials and wildlife lovers alleging that this is causing serious harm to wildlife. With forest officials decoying as prospective buyers of wildlife body parts, an artificial market is being created for poachers and traders, they say. This is indirectly encouraging poachers to go for killing animals.
‘‘The forest officials may succeed in busting the racket but by then the animals are dead. As most seizures are of body parts of animals killed very recently, it may have so happened that the poaching took place after taking advances from decoy forest officials’’, said a former chief wildlife warden. Forest officials should endeavour to save wild animals rather than seize their body parts, he suggested.

Improvement of National Highways to be completed by 2012
Bhubaneswar, March 19. (PTI):
About 50,000 km of National Highway in the country are being improved with an investment of Rs 2,20,000 crore to boost economic growth, Union Minister of State for Road Transport K H Muniyappa said on Sunday.
"Our vision and plan is to complete the improvement and widening of the Highways by 2012," Muniyappa, currently on a visit to Orissa, told reporters here.
"This will boost economic growth by one to two per cent even as the smooth highways will enable vehicles to move at a speed of 120 kmph."
The Government's ambitious 5,846 km Golden Quadrilateral project is almost 95 per cent complete, and about 5,600 km of the project are being developed into six-lane highways.
The 7,300-km corridors linking Silchar and Porbandar and Srinagar and Kanyakumari will be completed by 2008-09, he said.
The National Highway Development Programme (NHDP) is being implemented in seven different phases, and about 11,000 km is being taken up under Phases 3a and 3b. Work had already begun on a total stretch of 4,000 km.
The Detailed Project Report is being finalised for the remaining 7,000 km and this work will be completed by 2009-10, he said.
The NHDP also includes the development of 1,000 km of expressway in the country, Muniyappa said.
The new projects being undertaken, he said, included about 550 km of new highways in Orissa, for which the State Government must act fast to acquire land and remove other hurdles.
This relates to six different roads that are included in NHDP 3a and 3b.
He said, the roads are Panikoili-Keonjhar-Rimuli (163 km), Rimuli-Roxy extended up to Rajamunda (106 km), Duburi- Chandikhol (39 km), Chandikhol-Talcher (98 km), Puri- Bhubaneswar (59 km) and Sambalpur-Bargarh extended up to the Chhattisgarh border (88 km).
The total cost of these projects would be around Rs 2500 crore and tenders for them were being invited.
The Central Government has also sanctioned National Highway status for four State Highways in Orissa in view of their economic importance. They are the Khurda-Balangir (299 km), Puri-Satpada (49 km), Puri-Konark (35 km) and Champua- Rimuli (14 km) roads.
"The Chief Minister (Naveen Patnaik) should take steps to expedite these projects and we expect full cooperation from the State Government," he said.
Muniyappa, who attended the 'bhumi puja' for the improvement of a 12 km stretch of NH-217 at Berhampur on Saturday, said 434 km of the Golden Quadrilateral is in Orissa, and the widening of these Highways to four lanes should have been completed by December 2006.
While the widening of 326 km of NH-5 to four lanes had been completed in Orissa, work on the balance portion of the Highway is expected to be completed by December 2008, he said.
The delay in work is mainly due to opposition from people who have refused to part with land and the matter has gone to court in several cases, he said.
"People must understand the purpose behind this Highway development as it will strengthen the economy and their own future," he said, adding that they are obstructing these works because they have not understood the purpose behind them.
The improvement and widening of Highways will reduce the requirement of fuel by 30 to 35 per cent, lessen travel time considerably and improve the durability of vehicles, he said.
The 96-km Mahatma Gandhi expressway between Ahmedabad and Vadodara now enabled people to traverse the distance in 55 minutes, he said.

Jajpur (Orissa), March 16:
At least one person died and two people sustained critical injuries Thursday in an accident in the premises of Jindal Stainless Ltd (JSL) in Orissa, said police officials.
The mishap occurred at about 4.30 p.m. in the Kalinga Nagar industrial complex in Jajpur district when three contract workers of the steel plant were working on an iron beam at a fabrication site.
The beam, a 100 feet above the ground, fell during the erection of a power plant, a police official told IANS.
The work was being carried out by the Benz Company, he said.
While Nazir Hussein, 28, died on the spot, two others sustained injuries, the official added. While one of the injured has been identified as Arjun Saha, 30, the other was yet to be identified.
All three are reportedly from Bihar, he said. The injured were initially rushed to the local government hospital at Danagadi village. Later one of the injured was shifted to the Sriram Chandra Bhanja Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack after his condition deteriorated, the police official said.
Tension ran high in the Kalinga Nager industrial complex after the news about the incident spread.
Over a thousand workers, including contract labourers of the JSL, surrounded the plant, demanding compensation and jobs for family members of the deceased and injured.
Over 30 policemen have been deployed at the site to avoid any untoward incident, the official added.
IANS

MLA resignation makes Cong jittery
Statesman News Service BHUBANESWAR, March 15:
The sorry state of affairs in the rudderless state Congress unit took a further plunge today as it was caught unaware of veteran leader and MLA Mr Kartik Mahapatra’s resignation from the party as a precursor to his intention of quitting from membership of the House. Mr Mahapatra, who was angered by OPCC president Mr Jayadev Jena’s decision to expel newly elected Balasore ZP chief Mr Girish Dash, said he had sent in his resignation to the party president. Asked whether he would resign from the Assembly, Mr Mahapatra, who had clearly drawn up his plan of action, said: “I am in Soro, my Assembly constituency, and I will seek their permission.” It was evident that Mr Mahapatra, a veteran who has been elected to the Assembly as well as parliament and has also been a minister, had worked it all out prior to the ZP polls. The party had ignored his protégé Mr Dash’s claims for the ZP chief’s post, but he contested and won defeating the official Congress nominee. Mr Mahapatra was instrumental in Mr Dash’s victory and the fact that he had managed to secure votes from the ruling BJD-BJP combine gave room for suspicion that top leaders of the ruling coalition were in the know of everything. It is speculated that Mr Mahapatra will resign from membership of the Assembly necessitating a by-poll for the Soro seat and he has been “assured” of a ticket from the ruling coalition. The only hitch to the plan is that Soro is a seat allotted to the BJP whereas it is the BJD which allegedly was in touch with Mr Mahapatra. The veteran Congress leader, however, denied such charges and speculations saying it was being spread by his rivals to try and denigrate him. “I have not been in touch with the chief minister, Mr Naveen Patnaik, or any of the BJP leaders,” he said. Answering a question as to why he had decided to quit the party, Mr Mahapatra said gross injustice had been done to the people of Soro and the sacking of Mr Dash without even a show-cause notice was not acceptable. Though he did not announce his resignation from the Assembly, Mr Mahapatra said: “I will seek permission of the voters and I am sure they will allow me to do so.” When contacted, OPPC chief Mr Jayadev Jena, who was in New Delhi, said he had not received Mr Mahapatra’s resignation as yet. “I will find out and talk to him. He is a sentimental person,” said Mr Jena. Clearly, the OPCC chief was caught unawares of the political design but he did hint at a “bigger game”. Ironically, the Congress had done extremely well in the panchayat elections in Balasore district. But the ruling combine seems to have pulled off a coup in Mr Dash’s election to the ZP chief’s post and taken advantage of the bitter infighting in the Congress.


NAIR DO WELL: The Namesake director hovers about Tabu, who plays the matriarch of the Ganguli clan.
(CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)
Mira Nair has a cold. She's been traveling for her new film, The Namesake, and recently has been laid low by one of those stuffy-airplane-cabin-borne viruses. But she's hardly slowed down. To the contrary, it's as if her sensitivity is heightened.
Born in Rourkela, Orissa, and educated at Delhi University and Harvard, Nair makes films about movement — across continents and generations. In her debut feature, Salaam Bombay!, the movement was at once limited and incessant, tracking street kids hustling to survive. Mississippi Masala and Monsoon Wedding expanded her carefully composed color and political palettes, as did her segment of 11'09'01 (titled "India") and 2004's Vanity Fair. With The Namesake, based on Jhumpa Lahiri's popular novel, the director has found an ideal subject — a family full of complex characters who spend their lives traversing traditions and expectations.
Nair says that her background and continuing interest in documentary shapes all of her fictional films. "I go out with the camera, without actors, and we shoot, because documentary is my treasure, like life is my treasure," she says. Filming in Calcutta, she recalls, provided particular opportunities for "orchestrating chaos." When a crowd of fans showed up at the train station, Nair laughs, "We had a super-mob watching us and a super-mob within us. It was a crazy scene, but it also was so unbridled with life. I love that."
At the same time, though, her compositions were "conceived in a kind of austere, photographic style, and inspired by great photographers like Garry Winogrand and Raghubir Singh." She delicately shapes the space in front of her with her hands: "I had these frames in my head as a leaping-off point for many images."
This aesthetic is of a piece with her political and cultural sensibilities, as she "actively live[s] in three countries," including South Africa. For The Namesake, she says, "it was uncanny, that it was set in the two cities in which I a) grew up, Calcutta, and b) formally learned to see, New York. I decided to shoot the two cities as if they were one, cutting between [the Howrah Bridge over the Hooghly River and Manhattan's 59th Street Bridge]." Knowing these places so well, she says, "made it easier to make transitions, without resorting to cliches and spoon-feeding by subtitles and voiceover and all that."
Read Cindy Fuchs' .Nair says she was especially interested in emblems of transit — bridges, train stations, airports — finding inspiration in Winogrand's book Arrivals and Departures. "Airports," she smiles, "are like a temple for an immigrant. We're always in these neutral spaces, we live our most crucial hours in them." She describes the scene when Ashima (Tabu) and Ashoke (Irrfan Khan) say goodbye at JFK as composed of layers, visual and emotional. Though it's only one shot (they worked on a tight schedule and budget), "You get everything: the gulf between them, the fact that they don't touch and hug and kiss to say goodbye, but their deep love is visible."
Reminded of another affecting shot, in which Gogol (Kal Penn) slips his feet into his father's shoes, Nair nods. "This whole film was inspired by grief. I had just lost my mother-in-law." She remembers cleaning her hospital room. "When I opened her cupboard, she had left her perfume, all in order, and these exquisite, tiny Ferragamo shoes. She would never step in them again."

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The Namesake's younger, "American" generation — including Gogol, Maxine (Jacinda Barrett) and Moushumi (Zuleikha Robinson) — are all at first inclined to leave the past behind. Nair sees the WASPy Maxine as embodying a "subliminal arrogance, as if she thinks, 'This is my world.' It's a very different experience when you're the Gangulis, and you have to negotiate and you have to be mindful of the other community. We're not taught humility in the U.S. In India, it's a big part of life. That's why America is what it is, too. It gallops along and does its thing."
Nair says she encounters Maxine's "attitude" frequently. "[Interviewers] ask me questions that they would never ask another film director, and they're not even aware of it. The typical 'arranged marriage' question, or some other version of the 'hothouse flower' question, as I call it. Like, 'Ooh, you flew in from another planet. Describe it for us.'" She sighs, "In America, it's not a habit to put yourself in someone else's place, to see things are larger than you."

Balasore ZP chief for optimum fund use
Statesman News Service BALASORE, March 15: The newly-elected ZP president, Mr Girish Dash, has attached priority to the optimum utilisation of funds under Central as well as state schemes for the development of rural sector. He observed that the district had failed to win some projects owing to non-presentation. In a Press brief, he said that micro plan considering the necessities of each village would be made and fund allotment will be done accordingly to accelerate the development. He added that there would be an addition of fund of another Rs 40 to 50 crore since this district has been included in the employment guarantee scheme. Mr Das said that the utilisation of funds under different schemes has been around 70 per cent, while the IAY utilisation was around 50 per cent. He demanded a government a medical college and engineering college in the district. There was a scope for improvement of FM university as well, he said.

Speaker: BJP to toe BJD line
BHUBANESWAR, March 15: Taking the convenient plea of “coalition dharma,” state BJP leaders have reportedly decided to toe the BJD line in the event of the Opposition tabling an impeachment motion against Assembly Speaker Mr Maheswar Mohanty. Senior BJP leaders, who had rushed to New Delhi to seek opinion of their Central leaders on the issue, were asked to ensure that the Congress dis not take advantage of the situation. It is learnt that a sizable section of the state BJP wanted Mr Mohanty to step down and had hoped that the BJD would nominate a non-controversial person with a clean image to the post of Speaker. Sensing that the BJD was backing Mr Mohanty, despite all controversies, the BJP had rushed to New Delhi for consultation with Central leaders on the issue. This had fuelled speculations that the BJP may take a stand of its own and even differ with the BJD. But reports from New Delhi indicated that like all previous occasions, the state unit leaders were directed to act as per the wishes of the BJD.SNS


Kaniha plant to be shut down for 2 weeks
ANGUL, March 15: The 500 MW unit of NTPC-
Kaniha Power Plant where a fire accident took place yesterday will remain shut for at least a fortnight till a new generator is installed in its turbine. The power plant, the largest in India, has six 500 MW units. There was a major fire in the generator transformer of the turbine belonging to Unit No-4 of the NTPC-run Talcher Super Thermal Power Station (TSTPP) in Kaniha yesterday forcing the authorities to shut down the affected fourth unit. The shutdown is likely to affect supply to four southern states of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Puduchery. They were drawing 2000 MW per day and this has now been reduced to 1500 MW. Though the NTPC officials are yet to state any reason behind the fire mishap unconfirmed reports from inside the plant say the oil leakages which are common in the plant might have caused the fire. The fire, which broke out about 4 PM yesterday was put out by fire tenders of NTPC by 5.30 PM. Providentially, there was no one hurt or dead in the fire. The labourers, who worked in the turbine area, tried to check the spread of the fire. According to the NTPC officials, there are normally three generators in turbine. Here in this mishap, one of the three was burnt. Works are on to restore the unit by replacing the burnt with generator a new one. The generator was supplied and installed by public sector Bhel in 2001, source added. Meanwhile, taking a serious note of such mishap in the power plant, a 10-member official team led be a general manager from the NTPC Corporate office, is reaching here to enquire into the accident and furnish their report. Last year, the four southern states had suffered for three days following a major technical problem resulting in collapse of four 500 MW units dedicated to them. A high powered team from the NTPC corporate team conducted a probe but its findings has not made public nor is any responsibility fixed upon any one.SNS

Unending wait for a report
Statesman News Service BHUBANESWAR, March 15: Out to use the much-talked about Right to Information Act, an applicant has been running from pillar to post for almost nine months even as the state home department headed by the chief minister and the Information Commission continue to wrangle over providing the information to him. The entire issue has put the letter and spirit of the RTI, talk of transparency and accountability and other related matters, including orders of the Information Commission, to test. It relates to social activist Mr Biswapriya Kanungo’s petition for a copy of the Justice PK Tripathy commission report relating to Sorono police firing of 1999. Interestingly, Mr Kanungo today filed a petition seeking token compensation of one rupee from the government for disobeying the order of the Information Commission and for violation of the spirit of the Act. The Commission heard his plea and asked the officer concerned of the home department to appear in person on 5 April. Mr Kanungo’s initial application for the report had been rejected by the home department. His subsequent appeal was upheld by the State Information Commission and after several hearings, orders were passed in January that the report should be given to Mr Kanungo. The home department, however, submitted that it will move the High Court in appeal against the order. Mr Kanungo filed a caveat in court. During the hearing today, Mr Kanungo said neither he nor the Commission had received any orders from the court staying operation of the Commission’s order to furnish the Tripathy Commission report. Hence, the order to give the report stands and he was entitled to it. Judicial panel had probed into police firing at Sorono in which four persons including a woman had died.

Campaign on Domestic Violence Act launched
Statesman News Service DHENKANAL, March 15: District Legal services authority team headed by chairman and district and sessions judge Debebrata Das launched a massive seven-day campaign on Protection of Women From Domestic Violence Act, 2005 during International Women Week celebration in different parts of the district. All judicial officers of district court joined hands for a week and coordinated with people, launched awareness of legal redress for endemic violence against women in rural areas yesterday evening. Addressing the women and self-help groups in Krushnakumarpur village, district and sessions judge Das highlighted the rights and duties, dignity of women for disciplined function of social system. He said that men and women have equal role in the development process. Unless they are brought into mainstream of the society, the development will be lopsided. So they should raise voice against violence. Women have every right to live with dignity and identity, fight against hurdles . The new Act covers rights and rehabilitation packages for their security and protection of their interests, Das said. A woman can be protected from mental torture, oppression and assault, emotional torture and maintain her dignity by herself under the Act. He assured to provide assistance if anybody seeks for justice under legal services authority. The other judicial officers also spoke.

Butchers back in action in residential areasThursday March 15 2007 13:02 IST
ROURKELA: A six-year-old girl, Rajni Bara, ran to her mother in the busy Basanti Colony market area out of fear. She was frightened at the grisly sight of a goat being butchered just along the road.Even as the Supreme Court ruling bans killing of animals in the open such acts have been continuing with great impunity in the Steel City. Lawyer Rajesh Prasad feels that besides the violators, law enforcers should also be brought to book for contempt of the apex court order.As per Orissa Municipal Act, slaughtering of animals is allowed only at authorised abattoirs located outside the residential limits. However, for the 200-odd butchers of the city, laws are meant to be broken.The scenario turns even more grim on holidays or special occasions when demand increases. And with the law enforcers preferring to keep mum and meat buyers not minding standing in queue, it's no wonder that the sensitive people have learned to live with the reality and agony in silence.However, things were not so hopeless till 2004. Former Rourkela municipal chairman Narendra Tripathy had made it mandatory that roadside meat shops should perform butchering at a secluded place. A modern abattoir dedicated for the purpose is lying idle.Meanwhile, the urban body has no immediate plan of setting up a slaughter house. While executive officer Debjani Chakraborty avoided commenting on the issue, Rourkela Additional District Magistrate Krishna Kumar has promised action against the violators. Roadside butchering of animals would be stopped, he added.

Cong. to move no-confidence motion against Orissa Speaker
Bhubaneswar, Mar 10 (PTI) Amidst demands for the resignation of Orissa's Speaker Maheswar Mohanty, the opposition Congress today turned on the heat by deciding to move a no-confidence motion against him when the Assembly meets for a brief session on March 21.
"The speaker has no moral right to continue in his post after cases have been registered against him," state Congress president Jayadev Jena said.
Former Lok Sabha speaker Rabi Ray too demanded Mohanty's resignation, saying he should have quit in the wake of "serious allegations" against him during recent panchayat polls.
Noting that Mohanty is the symbol of "prestige and dignity" in the state assembly, Ray said in a statement that he would do well to resign forthwith while keeping in view the age-old principle that "Caesar's wife must remain above suspicion".
Mohanty has been embroiled in a controversy after election material belonging to the ruling BJD was allegedly found in a vehicle belonging to the assembly that was seized by police. The vehicle was on its way to Puri during the panchayat elections.
The vehicle was stopped at Chandanpur by Congress supporters and three cases were registered in this connection, including one by the sub-collector of Puri.
Congress chief whip Satyabhushan Sahu told PTI: "We have given notice to the assembly secretariat about our intention to table a no-confidence motion against the speaker in the ensuing session."
Sahu said Congress members, who had signed the notice, were of the opinion that Mohanty should not preside over the House in view of the cases pending against him concerning several issues, including the seizure of the vehicle.
"A speaker has to be impartial in whatever he does," Sahu said.
Mohanty, however, appeared combative when he told a local TV channel that he was prepared to face the motion against him.
"It is news to me. We will see," Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said when he was asked to comment on the Congress' plan to move the no-confidence motion against the speaker.
The Congress also plans to send a delegation of its leaders to Governor Rameswar Thakur on March 19 to apprise him about the matter, party sources said.
They said the party had consulted other Opposition members, including those of the JMM, CPI, CPI-M and OGP, about its decision to move the no-trust motion against the speaker.

KalingaTimes CorrespondentPuri: Apart from carolling to the calypso beats and enjoying the sun, sand and surf, the fans thronging at the West Indies during the coming World Cup matches will get a chance to relish their eyes seeing the exquisite sand art of India. Internationallyacclaimed sand artist from Orissa Sudarsan Pattnaik will be in action on the scintillating Caribbean beach during the coming ICC World Cup cricket match.
According to Pattnaik, the vice-president of commercial & project of Vedanta Group, A.K. Samal has invited him to go to the West Indies to enthuse the team India by his various sand creations on the beaches (near to stadium) of the West Indies.
"Through my art, I want to support the Indian Cricket Team. It has been a dream of mine to showcase my talent on the Caribbean beach, which is unparallel among the other beaches in the world. I have plans to create life-size sculptures related to cricket," he said.
Pattnaik will be assisted by four of the students of his Golden Sand Art Institute.
Pattnaik's journey to the West Indies coincides with the master artist unveiling a replica of the World Cup trophy made of solid form of sand on the Puri beach on Friday. The trophy was kept in the middle of a mini stadium created on the beach. Pattnaik also wants to take the trophy with him to the West Indies.
Earlier, Pattnaik had also participated in many sports events like 1999 cricket World cup in England, FIFA World cup 2006 in Berlin, Doha Asian game 2006 and showed his talent on sand.
Sudarsan has so far participated in more than 31 international sand sculpture championships across the world and won many awards for the country. His sand sculpture on Black Taj Mahal earned him accolades all over the world. Through his art he helped the tsunami victims in India, save the endangered Olive Ridley Turtles and spread awareness of the dangers of HIV-AIDS and polio.

Talcher still on track of neglect
Statesman News Service ANGUL, March 13: Though Railways had sustained a revenue loss of Rs 22 crore due to the 26 day strike by locals in 2006 demanding the upgradation of the station and running of all Express trains through Talcher Station, nothing is provisioned in current Budget to fulfil their long standing demands. Talcher Station is the largest single point loading point in Asia and ranks amongst the highest revenue earning stations of the country. With daily earning of Rs 3.5 crore from coal traffic alone, Talcher Station accounts for the 90 per cent of the annual revenue collection of Khurda Road Railway Station per the record. As per the information available from the commercial department of Khurda Road Division, the annual earnings from the passenger ticket came at Rs 3, 07, 37097 during 2005-06. And up to December, 2006, the collection on this head was Rs 2, 57, 48328. The Railway rule says that any station that crosses the revenue of Rs 2 crore per annum from passenger tariff should come under the B category. The station is still under D category, according to Mr Purna Chandra Sahu ~ the convener of All Party Coordination Committee to save Talcher station ~ who spearheaded the agitation against the Railways in the past for the fulfillment of the demands. The people also feel that they were discriminated against and neglected in terms of routing of some of the important Express trains through the Talcher station. The Railway authorities have diverted some Express trains ~ depended by business people to reach state capital and other important cities of the country ~ from the station on the ground of excess time. These trains are Bhubaneswar-Raipur Express (daily), Bhubaneswar-Jodhpur (weekly), Bhubaneswar-Titilagarh Inter-City (daily) and Puri-Sambalpur Inter-City (daily). The Railways discontinued the service of these trains to Talcher saying that there would be an extra time of 40 minutes if any train was diverted from the mainline to Talcher station and comeback on the same on Talcher-Sambalpur route. This argument advanced by the Railways at meetings and even in their affidavit to the Orissa High court is contended by Mr Sahu. Mr Sahu points out that the delay will be not more than 20 minutes as there is a second platform constructed at the station to speed up the evacuation of passengers. While other Super Express trains running between Bbubaneswar and Sambalpur pass through the station, why do not these trains required by the people come, asked Mr Sahu. There was a loss of Rs 80 lakh per a day to the Railway, according to the minister of state, Mr NJ Rathwa. Charging the railway with deliberating denying the justice, Mr Sahu threatened to go for another strike soon, paralyzing the Railways in Talcher. Repeated attempts to contact DRM of Khurda Division yielded no result. Local official declined to comment saying it was a high level matter.

JAMSHEDPUR, MARCH 12 : In response to the Centre's department of expenditure (DoE) and the central vigilance commission's (CVC) diktat that public sector units in the country should replace their current paper-based procurement systems with electronic ones by April 1, companies into e-procurement are gearing up for a share of the potentially huge market that awaits them.
Estimates say government departments, agencies and pubic sector units in the country procure materials worth as much as Rs 5,00,000 crore per annum.
Players like MSTC Ltd, which promotes e-commerce through its portals mstcauction.com & mstccommerce.com, Wipro's Business Optimization Services (BOS), US-based Ariba, CommerceOne and mjunction services ltd (MSL) have all got busy conducting seminars to educate stakeholders about their services.
According to MSL managing director Viresh Oberoi, "With emphasis being put on e-governance by central and state governments, e-procurement plays a major role in bringing transparency and efficiency into the existing processes."
Indian Institute of Materials Management (IIMM) too is conducting workshops and seminars on the subject at various regional and national fora.
To serve PSUs better, mjunction's in-house technology team has developed a robust and innovative solution called the Enterprise Procurement System (EPS), which, apart from being an independent platform, is a scalable sourcing solution that addresses most of the problems that crop up in the procurement business.
MSL, a 50:50 joint venture between its founder-clients, Tata Steel & Sail, has also set up a dedicated team equipped to make detailed presentations not only on EPS but also on how organisations could use their existing IT infrastructure to implement e-procurement without additional investment.
According to Oberoi, mjunction's EPS makes sourcing execution, performance measurement and monitoring efficient, while lending itself to be configured for providing sourcing solutions to any industry.
Mjunction's EPS runs on an IBM technology platform it has successfully deployed in SAIL's Rourkela plant and at Tata Steel, where it is the preferred mode. MSL has also run pilots for Hindustan Copper Ltd (HCL) and for SAIL's Durgapur Steel Plant and IISCO.
"It provides a common business hub for multiple buyers and sellers, bringing them together for business without compromising on individual requirements and relationships among the participants," Oberio said in a written reply to one of FE's queries recently. He said Mjuncition's EPS reduces the time cycle of procurement of products while consequently bringing down inventory carrying costs.
MSL's buyjunction division, which conducts negotiations for clients, has facilitated buys of over Rs 130 crore worth of materials from overseas for its clients during the current fiscal.
Started six years ago, MSL, with its four divisions, metaljunction, coaljunction, autojunction and buyjunction, conducted e-transactions worth Rs 5,533 crore in 2005-06 and wants to touch over Rs 8,000 crore during the current fiscal.JAMSHEDPUR, MARCH 12 : In response to the Centre's department of expenditure (DoE) and the central vigilance commission's (CVC) diktat that public sector units in the country should replace their current paper-based procurement systems with electronic ones by April 1, companies into e-procurement are gearing up for a share of the potentially huge market that awaits them.
Estimates say government departments, agencies and pubic sector units in the country procure materials worth as much as Rs 5,00,000 crore per annum.

Players like MSTC Ltd, which promotes e-commerce through its portals mstcauction.com & mstccommerce.com, Wipro's Business Optimization Services (BOS), US-based Ariba, CommerceOne and mjunction services ltd (MSL) have all got busy conducting seminars to educate stakeholders about their services.
According to MSL managing director Viresh Oberoi, "With emphasis being put on e-governance by central and state governments, e-procurement plays a major role in bringing transparency and efficiency into the existing processes."
Indian Institute of Materials Management (IIMM) too is conducting workshops and seminars on the subject at various regional and national fora.
To serve PSUs better, mjunction's in-house technology team has developed a robust and innovative solution called the Enterprise Procurement System (EPS), which, apart from being an independent platform, is a scalable sourcing solution that addresses most of the problems that crop up in the procurement business.
MSL, a 50:50 joint venture between its founder-clients, Tata Steel & Sail, has also set up a dedicated team equipped to make detailed presentations not only on EPS but also on how organisations could use their existing IT infrastructure to implement e-procurement without additional investment.
According to Oberoi, mjunction's EPS makes sourcing execution, performance measurement and monitoring efficient, while lending itself to be configured for providing sourcing solutions to any industry.
Mjunction's EPS runs on an IBM technology platform it has successfully deployed in SAIL's Rourkela plant and at Tata Steel, where it is the preferred mode. MSL has also run pilots for Hindustan Copper Ltd (HCL) and for SAIL's Durgapur Steel Plant and IISCO.
"It provides a common business hub for multiple buyers and sellers, bringing them together for business without compromising on individual requirements and relationships among the participants," Oberio said in a written reply to one of FE's queries recently. He said Mjuncition's EPS reduces the time cycle of procurement of products while consequently bringing down inventory carrying costs.
MSL's buyjunction division, which conducts negotiations for clients, has facilitated buys of over Rs 130 crore worth of materials from overseas for its clients during the current fiscal.
Started six years ago, MSL, with its four divisions, metaljunction, coaljunction, autojunction and buyjunction, conducted e-transactions worth Rs 5,533 crore in 2005-06 and wants to touch over Rs 8,000 crore during the current fiscal.

KalingaTimes CorrespondentJajpur: An uneasy calm prevails in the Kalinga Nagar Industrial Complex in Orissa's Jajpur district even as three days have passed since the agitating tribals lifted their road blockade agitation.
Very few trucks could be seen passing on the Daitari-Paradip national highway near Ambagadia village where the local tribals had blocked the road under the banner of Visthapan Virodhi Janmanch, an organisation spearheading anti-displacement agitation in the area.
The tribals had lifted the road blockade showing respect to the High Court which had directed the State Government to remove the obstruction from the highway.
However, as the tribals had vowed to continue their agitation against the setting up of the proposed steel plant project Tata Steel in the locality, many truckers still avoiding to drive on the particular patch of the highway near Ambagadia. The fear of any attack by the tribals is dominating their mind.
`Lifting of the road blockade by the tribals does not mean an end to the opposition to industrialisation in the area. They have decided to continue their agitation against the proposed Tata steel plant. Under such circumstances, I cannot allow my trucks to ply on this stretch,' said a truck owner.
The Janmanch had blocked the highway since January 2 last year when 13 tribal men and women were been killed in police firing while opposing ground leveling work for construction of a boundary wall for the six million tonne steel project of Tata Steel.
Several rounds of discussions between the agitating tribals and the government had not helped the tribals to be convinced for lifting the road blockade agitation. They were insisting that the authorities should fulfill their seven point demands before they lift the blockade.
The situation, however, started changing after the High Court acted upon a petition pertaining to the road blockade and directed the authorities to remove the blockade.
Starting with a complete road blockade of the highway, the tribals had subsequently allowed passenger vehicles to ply on the road while opposing movement of trucks carrying various minerals.

KalingaTimes CorrespondentBhubaneswar: More than 200 students, including the daughter of a legislator, have been booked on the charges of malpractice during the ongoing annual matriculation examinations in Orissa.
While 85 students had been booked for cheating under Sambalpur zone, 40 had been booked under Bhubaneswar zone, 27 under Balasore, 21 under Cuttack and 20 under Berhampur zone by Saturday.
The authorities have also initiated action against teachers and Superintendents of different examination centres where the examinees had resorted to malpractice.
According to reports, the daughter of Sundargarh legislator Sushma Patel was caught red-handed while copying answers from a test paper on Saturday. The girl was appearing in the examination in a sick room due to illness.
Nearly four lakh students are appearing in the High School Certificate examination across Orissa. The examination that started on March 7 will continue till March 16.
Millennium Bismay, an eight-year-old boy from Balasore, is appearing in the examination despite his tender age following a High Court order in his favour. He is appearing in the examination at Cuttack.

Code to keep tabs on books - Project to catalogue 35,000 publications in SAIL library.

SAIL’S research and development centre in Ranchi which houses the library. A Telegraph picture
March 5: The library in SAIL’s research and development centre, Ranchi, is set to get a makeover.
The publications in the facility, which boasts of 35,000 books and claims to be Asia’s biggest library on ferrous metallurgy, will be bar-coded by the end of this month.
“There will be a digital database of vital information of the books (after the bar-coding) and this will minimise errors,” said K.N. Jha, senior manager of information at SAIL.
Earlier, lending and retrieving books was done manually and the process was an ordeal, said the manager. The R&D centre has over 2,000 employees and it is difficult to keep tabs on borrowing of books.
But after the bar coding, a unique number will be generated for each book and this would be stuck to the book. When the barcode reader is passed over the number, the machine reads the details of the book, including the author, contents and the borrower.
This information will be stored in the database to easily answer any query about the books here.
The project is being undertaken by Oriental Enterprises, a Jamshedpur-based technology provider, which is taking care of the software, hardware and implementation of the project.
The scheme is estimated to cost about Rs 2,00,000, said Jha.
The project is expected to help several people as many research scholars and employees of SAIL approach the authorities in the information division to collect relevant data about particular projects that are being carried out.
“Some of the projects stretch for up to two years and the information collected over that period is vital,” said Jha, explaining the relevance of the data. “Our library is the largest one with regard to information available on ferrous metallurgy.”
A hard copy of the collected data is also preserved for future reference.
“We acquire books anticipating demand. If a major project is launched, we get all related books beforehand,” said Jha.
Not only do the several departments of SAIL utilise the books, occasionally requests from other industries, too, come in. The authorities from other corporations also come here to refer the SAIL library for research.
SAIL has other libraries also, one is in the corporate office in Delhi and many others are in the plants. But, Jha said, the libraries at Bhilai, Rourkela, Durgapur and other plants are small.


Small is beautiful, says CM on big day
OUR CORRESPONDENT

Participants run in a mini marathon organised on the birth anniversary of former chief minister Biju Patnaik in Bhubaneswar.Pictures by Sanjib Mukherjee
Bhubaneswar, March 5: The focus of the Naveen Patnaik government is not only on big-ticket projects but also on micro, small and medium enterprises.
Inaugurating a state-level function to mark the beginning of the third Entrepreneurs’ Week here today, the chief minister said Orissa has emerged as a major investment destination in recent years attracting potential investment exceeding Rs 400,000 crore in sectors such as steel, aluminium, alumina and power.
More than 60 private companies have signed MoUs with the government for setting up steel, alumina and power plants. As of now, more than 25 such industries are at different stages of implementation involving an investment of over Rs 30,000 crore. They will create employment opportunities for more than 30,000 people, he said.
“While mega and large industries have an important role to play in the economic development process, we must always remember that small is beautiful. My government fully recognises this and has accordingly taken various initiatives to promote micro, small and medium industries in the state,” said Patnaik.
Some of the major initiatives include restructuring of the Orissa State Financial Corporation, one-time settlement policy for loan defaulters, preferential treatment in grant of fiscal incentives and rehabilitation of potentially viable sick industries.
“We are also keen to attract investment in certain thrust sectors such as agro-processing, automobiles and auto components, textiles and apparel as well as downstream and ancillary industries. We also want to promote handicraft, handloom and performing arts,” said the chief minister.
Drawing attention to the link between the handicrafts sector and tourism, he said the latter should not be limited to the hotel and travel industry alone.
Patnaik hoped that the new industrial policy would give a much-needed boost to the process of industrialisation. He launched a website of the industries department featuring an investors’ guide, tips to set up industry, sops available under the new policy and an application form.
Industries minister Biswa Bhusan Harichandan said the government has introduced a single-window system and enacted the industries facilitation act for the benefit of entrepreneurs. Four “industrial corridors” have been planned for downstream and ancillary units, he said.
Injeti Srinivas, the industries secretary, said “shilpa adalats (industry courts)” would be held every month where officials of all related departments/agencies would be present to hear and redress the grievances of investors.
The unresolved issues would be referred to the single-window clearance authority and high-level clearance authority where major policy decisions are involved.
The event has been organised as part of the 91st birth anniversary of former chief minister Biju Patnaik. A function was organised at the BJD headquarters here to commemorate the occasion even as the state observed the occasion as Panchayati Raj Day.
In Rourkela, the BJD youth wing organised a blood donation camp while several cultural functions were also held in the steel city.

BHUBANESWAR: The National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela, has firmed up plans to set up a department of biotechnology and bio-medical engineering ...

ROURKELA, March 6: The Rourkela Intellectual Forum has appealed to Governor Rameswar Thakur to introduce Oriya in the subordinate judicial courts. ...


Runaway inflation
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
Business Standard / New Delhi March 09, 2007
Given the panic in the political class over the rising inflation, not surprisingly, most regional language newspapers also played up stories relating to this. While detailed stories on the government’s attempts to control prices of steel and cement were carried on the business/inside pages of most newspapers, those in the north especially played up Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi’s remarks on the impact of inflation on the recent state elections in Punjab and Uttarakhand.

Mahengayee mar gayee (inflation killed us) was Hindi daily Rajasthan Patrika’s lead story and others like Dainik Bhaskar and Dainik Jagran had similar stories displayed prominently on the front page over the past few days. Indeed, Jagran’s Budget coverage had a front page anchor story on how Chidambaram had lowered excise and customs duties in a bid to curtail prices. The paper also had a lead article during the week arguing that failure to contain inflation would also cast its shadow on the elections in Uttar Pradesh. Bhaskar carried Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath’s statement on how the government might ban exports of cement if prices didn’t come under control — this was the lead story on the business pages. On another day, the business page’s lead was about the profiteering by the cement industry.

In Andhra Pradesh, most Telugu newspapers downplayed the post-Budget developments, including the Sensex crashing and the domestic steel and cement manufacturers announcing price hikes. Leading Telugu dailies Eenadu, Vaartha and Andhra Jyothi relegated the news on inflation to the inside business pages, as the second or third lead.

On Saturday, Eenadu splashed a story on “sugar companies stocks turn bitter” as the lead on its business page with a table of various sugar companies’ scrips and their performance during the last 52 weeks. On Tuesday, Andhra Jyothi’s second lead story was on a virtual cricket stock exchange (www.crickstock.com) developed jointly by the students of IIM-Ahmedabad and IIT-Rourkela through which cricket enthusiasts can trade stocks on their favourite cricketing icons. The only business story that appeared on page one during the week was in Vaartha.On Saturday, the newspaper carried a lead story on its front page on the rise in chicken and egg prices, linking this to the forward trading of maize.


PHL: Orissa Steelers pips Sher-e-JalandharPosted at Tuesday, 06 March 2007 09:03 IST ,Chandigarh, March 6:
Orissa Steelers won the Premier Hockey League title here tonight by defeating Sher-e-Jalandhar 4-3 in the deciding final which was marred by unsavoury incidents mainly involving the losing side.After being tied at 3-3 till the end of three quarters, skipper Dilip Tirkey gave Steelers the winning goal in the 56th minute through a penalty corner.The victory meant Steelers won the best of three finals 2-1, the Shers having won the first match, and pocketed the winners' cheque of Rs. 40 lakh.But the losers were not gracious in defeat as they created a ruckus over Tirkey's winner.The Shers, including skipper Kanwalpreet Singh, Harpal Singh, Baljit Dhillon and others, rushed towards international umpire Satender Sharma, whom they manhandled and pushed around after he allowed the goal by Tirkey.They argued that the ball was pushed by the Steelers before they were ready to take it.Harpal immediately dropped his stick and rushed towards the umpire and was joined by others.The uncalled-for behaviour on part of Shers happened even as Indian Hockey Federation president K.P.S. Gill was watching from the stands.As play remained suspended on the turf, tournament director Shakeel Qureshi along with IHF Secretary General K. Jothikumaran and other officials went into a huddle to find a way out of the impasse.Reserve umpire Suresh Kumar, who had in the meantime replaced Sharma, took the help of the video replays and awarded the goal in favour of the Steelers.

The markets reaction to the Budget and cement firms hiking prices in defiance of the government received very little attention in the Kannada press. These issues were covered as routine developments in the business section of the newspapers. There were plenty of local issues and they were covered extensively by all the leading Kannada dailies like Vijaya Karnataka, Praja Vani and Kannada Prabha.

The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal’s final award continued to dominate the news in Karnataka. Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee’s attempts to find a solution to the issue by convening a meeting of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu MPs failed miserably and it received front page coverage in all the newspapers. In their editorials, they lambasted the Centre for “continuing” to “neglect” Karnataka. Protests and demonstrations against the award continue to be the order of the day with all newspapers reporting them.

Unlike the English-language pink papers, though, none of the regional language papers criticised the government’s attempts at price controls as ill conceived — indeed, most lauded the attempts to curb “black marketers and hoarders”.

KalingaTimes CorrespondentBhubaneswar:
In its efforts to make gram panchayats in Orissa work more effectively, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced that all panchayats in the State will be computerised in a phased manner.
Addressing the State level Panchayati Raj Day celebrations here on Monday evening, Patnaik said measures will be taken to ensure that all gram panchayats had their own buildings.
The Chief Minister said necessary steps were being taken to recruit more people in various panchayats to help them cope with the increasing workload.
Patnaik informed that efforts were also on to organise training sessions to acquaint the thousands of new elected representatives of the three-tier Panchayati Raj institutions for better implementation of various developmental programmes.
Expressing satisfaction over the growth of the women self help group (SHG) movement in the State, Patnaik further said that his government was working on preparation of a vision document to enhance and broaden the micro finance activities of these groups.
A federation of the SHGs would be formed in each district of the State to further strengthen the SHG movement under the Mission Shakti programme.
The Panchayati Raj Divas is organised to commemorate the birth anniversary of the late Biju Patnaik who accorded priority for the strengthening of gram panchayat bodies during his tenure as Chief Minister of the State.
At another function, Patnaik also launched the common integrated police application (CIPA) programme by inaugurating a computerised set at the Capital Police Station of Bhubaneswar on Monday evening.
Over 100 police stations will have such computer systems installed by May this year. The facility will help the people filing of their complaints and receipt of the copies of the First Information report.

Puri (Orissa), March 9 A popular sand artiste of Orissa Friday created a sand replica of the ICC World Cup 2007, a mini stadium along with a bat and ball.
Sudarsan Patnaik created an image of a mini stadium in sand and placed it at the centre of the golden sea beach.
'I have made the replica of the trophy using solid form of sand,' Patnaik said. He has also created an image of a 15-feet long bat and a ball.
'It took 14 days to complete the replicas of the stadium, the bat, ball and the cup placed in the middle of the sand stadium,' he said. Students of my golden sand art institute assisted for the creation, he said.
A number of cricket-fans thronged the beach and put their signatures on the sandy bat, an initiative that he has launched to wish good luck to the Indian cricket team.
Patnaik has participated in more than 31 international sand sculpture championships across the world and won many awards.

By IANS, [RxPG] Kendrapada, March 9 -
At least 40 people including nine children fell ill after consuming poisoned dead fish from a pond in Orissa's Kendrapada district, police said Friday.Residents of Dashipur village, some 45 km from the district headquarters of Kendrapada and 70 km from the state capital, Bhubaneswar, brought fish from their village pond and fell ill after consuming fish curry Thursday, office-in-charge of the local Aul police station Subash Chandra Panda told IANS.'The village pond was leased out to one Keshava Mohanty, a villager, for two years in 2005. Last Wednesday, he tried to catch the fish from the pond but was prevented by some villagers as the lease period had been over some three months ago, the villagers alleged.On that night, Mohanty's supporters allegedly poured poison in the pond. As a result almost all the fish died, according to a villager Vivekananda Das. All the ill were admitted to the local government health centre and conditions of at least six was stated to be serious. A medical team from the district headquarters of Kendrapada rushed to the spot to test the remaining fish and check the condition of people who ate the fish curry.The villagers have lodged complaints with the local police, Panda said. We are investigating the matter, he added.

Orissa activists revive irrigation methods
NDTV CorrespondentFriday, March 9, 2007 (Sambalpur, Orissa):
Activists in Orissa are trying to revive traditional irrigation methods and awareness about indiscriminate industrialization.Ranjan Panda from Sambalpur in Orissa took everyone by surprise when he predicted the desertification of vast stretches in western Orissa in the next 100 years. "We just took statistics from the state's own departments and one could find that degradation of land in Orissa had gone beyond all predictable limits," Panda, who is an environment conservationist said. "Taking all these statistics we have only made a very simple assessment that the state might really head for a process of desertification," he said. About two-thirds of the state's agricultural land suffers sever erosion and low fertility.Soil erosion due to forest degradation is serious in 52 per cent of total geographic area in Orissa Between 1986 and 2003 forest cover shrunk by close to 5000 sq kilometres.Rainfall in the western and southern Orissa decreased drastically. Of 6.56 mn hectares of agricultural land, 4.33 mn hectares is highly eroded. Soil erosion due to forest degradation is rampant. Between 1986 and 2003, forest cover shrunk by 4,797 sq km Rainfall in western, southern Orissa has gone down significantly.IndustrialisationPanda fears more trouble if the state government continues to patronize water and power intensive industries like steel and bauxite... as well as thermal power plants. Conservative estimates have put that if the proposed steel plants start functioning they will alone emit 392 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide by 2010, as they will require to burn 55 million tonnes of fossil fuel.The whole world is now worried about only .5 degree Celsius increase in the temperature during the last 50 to 100 years, says Panda. "If you can just go to some parts in Western Orissa a common man's perceptions will tell you that within the last 13 to 14 years it's more than 10 degree Celsius increase in temperature," he points out. "What we are trying to do is once again revive some of the water harvesting skills and techniques by the communities themselves," Panda said. Panda and his organization MASS have convinced people to focus on traditional forms of irrigation. A small tank in the remote tribal village of Tellibenna brought about a remarkable change. "No one wanted to marry their daughters with anybody from this village because of water problems. Now we have marriage proposals round the year," a villager said. People's knowledge of the topography must be respected. It's not at they would just dig a pond anywhere," Panda added. Another villager said, "MASS people asked us to dig a tank because we had no water at all. We chose this place because it was a low-lying area with the depth to trap run-off water."Degradation of land, desertification and now community action that's a local action against a global problem.

ORISSA, INDIA — Calm has returned to Gospel for Asia’s Bible college in Orissa, India, exactly one week after students were assaulted and the buildings ransacked in an attack led by anti-Christian extremists. The peaceful resolution to the volatile situation came Wednesday, March 7, after a meeting of Bible college administrators, about 20 representatives from the village and B.K. Luke, who oversees GFA’s work in Orissa. “One week ago they were hitting us and now they are shaking our hands and hugging us,” Luke said.
Gospel for Asia leaders in the area report the attack was spearheaded by a handful of anti-Christian extremists who took advantage of a land-use issue involving the Bible college and the village.
The injured woman --- the girls’ dormitory director — is recovering from a head injury
The small Bible college is located next to a river, and wedged between a large rice paddy and a gated brick factory. Before the Bible college was built, villagers routinely walked across the undeveloped land to access the river. Once the Bible college was constructed, villagers simply carved out a path through the campus to access the river. They even drove tractors and other motorized vehicles through the college campus. The noise from these vehicles disturbed students and their teachers as they tried to study God’s Word.
Bible college officials petitioned the local court for permission to close the unofficial trail to outside traffic, and the court ruled in favor of the college. Villagers could still access the river, but they had to go around the college and the brick factory.
Local law enforcement officials have determined that the Bajrang Dal, a youth organization affiliated with a Hindu extremist organization, greatly exaggerated the effects of the ruling and incited the villagers to attack the school.
Dozens of students were injured in the February 28 attack, and several of the buildings on the campus were ransacked. The extremists demanded that the school be closed and that all GFA work in Orissa be stopped.
Five people from the school—four male students and one female staff member—are still hospitalized as a result of injuries. One of the male students was injured when someone slammed a brick into his chest. He is still in critical condition. The injured woman—the girls’ dormitory director—is recovering from a head injury.
At the conclusion of Wednesday’s meeting, the college agreed to designate a pathway near the perimeter of the campus that would allow people to access the river. The villagers agreed to limit the pathway to foot traffic only and not drive motorized vehicles through the campus.
GFA leaders ask for continued prayers for those injured in the attack. Prayers are also needed as the students attempt to resume classes and conduct their graduation ceremonies on the damaged campus. Also continue to that the extremists who plotted the attack would receive Jesus as their Savior.

KalingaTimes CorrespondentBhubaneswar:
Taking a proactive step to attract investments, Orissa Government on Monday launched the official website of `Team Orissa', a body that provides necessary synergies and convergence of all Government efforts to ensure Orissa's position at the vanguard of economic and social prosperity.
The website of `Team Orissa' - www.teamorissa.org - was hosted by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at a function organised to launch the Entrepreneurs' Week being celebrated by the State Government's Industries Department.
Releasing a booklet that contained detailed plans and objectives of Team Orissa, Patnaik said the latest initiatives taken by his government to support the current industrialisation process include development of infrastructure through Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, especially in roads, railways and ports.
Patnaik also expressed satisfaction that Orissa was emerging as major hub for technical education. The State government was giving emphasis on quality improvement in technical education as availability of quality manpower, especially technical manpower, was a major factor that attracted investments, he said.
Launching of the website coincided with the observance of the birth anniversary of the late Biju Patnaik who was an entrepreneur with a vision of rapid industrialisation of the State.
Team Orissa, which is captained by the Chief Minister and operates from the Industrial Investment Promotion Corporation of Orissa Limited (IPICOL, offers guidance and assistance to entrepreneurs to set up industries in the state.
The supports that are provided by Team Orissa include designing growth strategies for the industrial sectors that were key drivers of the State's economy and necessary assistance and feedback in policy formulation for industrial progress.
Team Orissa, which encompasses the broad institutional framework of the government which is engaged in industrial facilitation and investment promotion in all key areas of economic growth, is also taking up investment promotional activities at the state, national and international levels.The Team Orissa website, which has been designed with a professional approach, has all details abut various developmental plans drawn up by the Naveen Patnaik Government to take the State ahead on the path of progress.
The highlights of Team Orissa's plans include development of road, rail and ports, facilitating the setting up of industries in different sectors and create world-class infrastructure in
Bhubaneswar.

Kendrapada, March 5 (IANS) Hundreds of villagers Monday blocked a road for hours in Orissa's Kendrapada district protesting the arrest of 14 fishermen by forest officials.
The fishermen from seaside villages in Mahakalapada block were arrested by the forest officials Sunday night when they were fishing in the prohibited zone of the famous Bhitarkanika national park, A.K. Jena, divisional forest officer of the park, told IANS.
The state government has imposed a ban on fishing within 20 km of the coast covering the 35-km-long Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in Bhitarkanika to protect the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles from Nov 1 to May 31.
The officials have also seized seven fishing trawlers used for fishing, Jena said.
Those arrested were produced before a local court, which rejected their bail applications and remanded them to jail custody.
Terming the arrest as illegal, at least 300 fishermen blocked the main road at Jamboo village for three hours.
Kendrapada District Fishermen's Association secretary Anatha Das alleged that forest guards and policemen had demanded Rs.10,000 as bribe from each boat owner to release their vessels.
When the fishermen refused to pay the amount the officials illegally seized their boats though they were fishing beyond 20 km from the marine national park, he said.
However, Jena denied the allegation.
The villagers lifted the road blockade after a district administrative official assured them to look into the matter.


SBI plans 250 ATMs in Orissa
BS Reporter / Kolkata/ Berhampur March 06, 2007

The State Bank of India (SBI) will add another 30 ATM counters across Orissa in the next one and half months to achieve its annual target of having 250 ATMs in the state in the current fiscal.
In the next financial year, the bank intends to install 80 more ATM counters in different parts of the state.
The bank also aims to extend its core banking facilities to 60 more branches by the end of 2007-08. At present, the core banking facilities are available in 178 out of 488 SBI branches in Orissa.
Meanwhile, SBI inaugurated a twin ATM counter near its main branch in Berhampur. This is the first of its kind in the southern Orissa and third in the state. The other two twin ATMs are located at Kandsar, near Nalco in Angul and Rourkela.
"We have installed the twin ATM in these places to meet the demands of the customers", says D.U.Nawalkar, the bank's General Manger (Networking), Bhubaneswar circle.
He said the bank will install the ATM counters in 39 major railway stations in the state by the end of the next year.
Stating that transaction through SBI ATM counters in the state was growing rapidly, he said the daily average number of transaction through ATM in Orissa is presently higher than the all India average.
The average hit rate in SBI ATMs in the state stood at 382 as against the all India average of 303. The figure for Berhampur is 569, which is much higher than the state and all India average.
"In SBI network Orissa stands third at the all India level on transaction through ATMs" said S.V.Vadhanam, the Deputy General Manager, Berhampur module of the bank.


Orissa duo shines in quiz
OUR CORRESPONDENT
Bhubaneswar, March 5: Akash Santra and B. Rout from Bhubaneswar have won the All-India Euro Enviro Quiz, 2006-07.
More than 4 lakh students from 304 schools in 16 cities participated in the quiz dedicated to the environment.
Santra and Rout, students of St Xavier’s School, were crowned the national champions in Mumbai recently.
Organised by Eureka Forbes Institute of Environment (EFIE), a non-profit institute dedicated to the cause of ensuring a better, pollution-free world, the quiz provided a platform to the young minds to exhibit their knowledge of the environment and their commitment to it.
The finals witnessed Kochi, Chennai, Indore and Bhubaneswar pitted against each other. The eventual winners, Bhubaneswar, received the trophy amid cheers from a vocal crowd.

India :
Govt deposits money with liquidator to revive Orissa Textile MillsMarch 2, 2007
CUTTACK:
To revive state-owned Orissa Textile Mills (OTM) unit at Choudwar, Orissa Government has deposited Rs30 crore with official liquidator.“The amount was deposited in pursuance of an order by Orissa High Court on a petition filed by the government for a rollback in the liquidation process of OTM,” said state counsel Prasanna Padhi.“The government had filed the petition after deciding to revive OTM under the proposed Integrated Textile Park in Choudwar,” Padhi added. Following the Government moving high court after closing the mill in June 2001, a liquidator was appointed for OTM in March 2002 and subsequently sale of factory complex for Rs23 crore was confirmed by the court in September 2005.The buyer failed to take possession of the assets of the mill as workers demanded payment of their arrears and revival of factory.Handloom and Textiles Secretary, Anita Agnihotri's petition in the high court to rollback liquidation process on October 10 2006, resulted into the court asking the Government to deposit Rs30 crore in official liquidator’s name.

KOLKATA:
Dhamra Port, a 50:50 joint venture between Tata Steel and L&T , has achieved financial closure .
The company is developing an allweather deep sea port at the mouth of river Dhamra in Orissa. The company has signed a loan agreement at Chennai on Tuesday with a consortium of lenders led by Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI). “The lenders have agreed to finance upto Rs 1,900 crore out of the total project cost of Rs 2,460 crore,” SK Mohapatra CEO, DPCL said. Dhamra Port will be one of the deepest all-weather ports of its kind in the country with a draught of 18.5 metre, which can accommodate super cape-size vessels up to 1,80,000 DWT, an official statement said. “Dhamra port is going to be major player in Tata Steel’s global plans and aspirations ,” Mr Mohapatra said. The port is located in the mineral-rich hinterland of north Orissa, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh which are in close proximity to the port and where a large number of steel plants and mineral based industries are located besides many more which are on the anvil. The cargo of mineral and mineralbased industries being highly freight sensitive ,a deep draught port will be of great advantage as such cargo can move in larger vessels leading to lower incidence of sea freight on the landed cost. The port project includes 62-km rail connectivity to the main Howrah-Chennai line at Bhadrak. The port will eventually have 13 berths to handle over 83 million tonnes of cargo per annum. Of these, the first two berths with a handling capacity of up to 25 million of bulk cargo per annum will come up in the first phase. When fully developed, the port will handle all types of cargo such as dry bulk, break bulk, liquid and container cargo. Apart from Tata Steel which is a copromoter of the port, a number of other steel plants, mines and industries in the region will use the port.

NEW DELHI:
State-run steel utility SAIL on Tuesday said Soiles Bhattacharya has assumed charge as its Director (Finance). Prior to this, Bhattacharya was the company's Executive Director (Finance and Accounts), SAIL said in a statement.
Bhattacharya, who joined SAIL in 1974, has served in different units of the company.
He was also involved in setting up of a cost control department at the company's Rourkela Steel Plant, it said.


MNNIT to start two new MTech courses
HT Live CorrespondentAllahabad, March 3
IN A step towards improving the quality of post-graduate technical and management education, Motilal Nehru National Institute of technology (MNNIT) will start two more MTech courses besides doubling up the number of seats in its MBA course and reinforcing its MCA programme from 2007-08 session itself.
Informing about the decisions, MNNIT Director, Prof Arun Baran Samaddar said that the institute has realised the importance of quality of human resource in the industry and economy and therefore decided to introduce the courses, upgrade the infrastructure and enhance state-of-art computer laboratory and other high performing accessories.
He said that two new M Tech courses— one in Information Security and another one in Environmental Science— are being introduced. He said the institute has also decided to double the number of seats of its MBA Programme from 30 seats to 60 from the forthcoming session.
He said that the Deemed University is also making all possible efforts to upgrade its MCA course by incorporating various changes emerging with the changing requirement and need of the IT industry. "It was decided in the Board of Director's meeting in 2005 to hold joint entrance examination for the admission in MCA course known as NIMCET with the aim of attracting the brightest students to the NIT run MCA course. The NIMCET is being participated by all 18 NITs and would be conducted by NIT Durgapur this year," he added.
Prof Samaddar said that MCA course in the NIT set-up are designed after keeping in view the needs of different software houses in India and abroad and has a high job potential in the IT sector. Throwing light over the admission criteria, he said that only students with first class degree and Mathematics/Statistics/Business Maths as one of the subjects in their graduation and 10+2 level would be allowed to appear in this entrance test.
The entrance examination would be conducted at Allahabad, Agartala, Bhopal, Calicut, Durgapur, Hamirpur, Jaipur, Jamshedpur, Jalandhar, Patna, Silchar, Kurukshetra, Nagpur, Rourkela, Raipur, Surat, Surathkal, Srinagar, Truchirappali and Warangal on May 25, 2007.
Prof Samaddar said that MBA course has also received good response from the industry and therefore institute has registered more than hundred percent placement during the last three years in blue chip companies.


KalingaTimes CorrespondentBhubaneswar:
Orissa Cabinet on Friday decided to adopt a new water policy for better conservation and management of water resources aimed at solving the drinking water crisis in different regions of the State.
The Cabinet also decided that a new law would be enacted to impose restrictions on mindless sourcing of groundwater by industries and other users. Such users would have to obtain prior permission from the authorities for sustainable utilisation of water.
With the requirement of water increasing for use by various industries and thermal power plants, the policy stresses the need for regulated sourcing of water from various sources.
The new policy also emphasises on involving the voluntary sector to spread awareness among the people for conservation of water to meet the requirement for drinking water and irrigation. The pani panchayat movement would be given a boost by adopting new measures.
The policy, framed on the lines of the 2002 water policy of the Central government, also stresses the need for ensure proper use of water by industries. Any industry polluting water sources will be fined, the policy says.
Long term measures for flood control and management in different regions has been emphasised in the new policy. Increasing irrigation cover in all blocks of the State has been given priority in the policy.


Sher-e-Jalandhar beat Orissa Steelers in the first PHL finalPress Trust of IndiaChandigarh, March 2, 2007
Sher-e-Jalandhar beat Orissa Steelers 7-6 via a sudden death tie-breaker in the first match of the best-of-three Premier Hockey League finals here tonight.
Locked 1-1 at the end of the regulation time and also after two sessions of extra-time, the match went into the tie-breaker, but when the two teams converted two attempts each, the matter was decided through sudden death.
It took the 15th hit in the tie-breaker from the Shers' Prabdeep Singh to break the deadlock.
The two goalkeepers Shers' Kamaldeep and Steelers' Pakistani import Salman Akbar stood like a wall forcing opposition players to make errors.
Earlier, the tournament's leading goalscorer, Sher-e-Jalandhar striker Gagan Ajit Singh found the target in the 37th minute of the match.
Gagan, who was inside the striking circle, got a long pass from captain Kanwalpreet and dodged a diving Salman Akbar before gently pushing the ball into the goal.
Sunil Ekka got the equaliser in the 64th minute from his side first penalty corner when he managed to push the ball in after a mix-up in front of goal.

Lalu mute on project funds refund plea
RANJAN DASGUPTA
Ranchi, Feb. 28:
Union railway minister Lalu Prasad has turned a deaf ear to Jharkhand’s plea to refund the funds the state had invested in the ongoing railway projects.
The state had provided the Union railway ministry about Rs 500 crore in the last four years in phases for setting up infrastructure, especially laying tracks, for movement of freight and passenger trains.
Before the presentation of the railway budget, the state government reviewed the progress of these projects.
Disappointed with their status, the state government sent a letter to the Union railway ministry seeking refund of the funds it had pumped in to those projects.
“We wanted the railways to bear the entire fiscal burden of the projects, as it does in other states. We apprehend that there will be cost escalation due to the delay and it would further affect the state financially,” said sources in the planning department.
Six different projects pertaining to laying of new railway tracks (about 500 km) are going on in the state. In most of these projects, the state had agreed to bear two-third of the total project cost.
Sources admitted that by not mentioning anything about these projects, the state government has become “apprehensive” about the future of the projects.
“Lot of industrial activities are in the offing in the state. There is an imperative need to speed up these projects for inward and outward movement of the freight. It remains to be seen how the present political leadership tackles this vital issue, as Lalu Prasad belongs to some coalition that is ruling the state,” said a senior official.
Sources in the chief minister’s office said the railway minister had even failed to respond to Madhu Koda’s demand for extending the Tata-Dhanbad Subarnarekha Express up to Rourkela. It is the only train in the state that links Santhal Pargana with Chhotanagpur.
The chief minister had also requested for four additional coaches in the Tata-Barbil passenger train following heavy rush in the train.


Orissa HC rules DGP may surrender before Jaipur court
Cuttack, Mar01:
The Orissa High Court today observed that the state's Home Guard chief B B Mohanty may surrender before a Jaipur court within six weeks in connection with his alleged involvement in his rape-convict son's disappearance during parole. "I dispose of the bail petition directing that the petitioner may surrender before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Jiapur city in connection with the case within a period of six weeks from today and move for bail," Justice Laxmikanta Mohapatra said. If arrested within the transit period, Mohanty, the Director General of Police (Home Guards) should be released on bail by furnishing a surety of Rs 10,000 and one surety for like amount to the satisfaction of the arresting officer, the court ordered. Justice Mohapatra held that the bail application filed before him by Mohanty was maintainable and in view of the facts alleged, most of the cause of action had arisen within the state of Orissa and the court had territorial jurisdiction. The DGP had filed the anticipatory bail petition before the court in the wake of the disappearance of his son Bittihotra Mohanty, a rape convict, while on parole from the Jaipur jail. The Rajasthan police had lodged an FIR against DGP Mohanty alleging that he had signed the surety for his son's parole and on the charge that he was shielding the convict. The DGP, however, had denied that he had visited Jaipur during November last as claimed by the Rajasthan police while pleading ignorance about the whereabout of his son. The court, which had also taken up the writ petition filed by Mohanty praying for quashing of the FIR lodged against him by the Rajasthan police in the Lalkothi police station of Jaipur, had posted the case for further hearing on March 26. The court had also issued notice to the Rajasthan government to file counter. Bittihotra, convicted for raping a 26-year-old German woman in March 2006, was serving a seven-year sentence in the Jaipur jail. The 23-year-old Management student was released on a 15-day parole on November 20 last but failed to return after its expiry.
Bureau Report


By Manoj KarKendrapara:
In a sharp reaction to governmental indifference to budding sporting talent, rowing queen Pravasini Dwivedy has charged that Union Sports Ministry has refused to disburse over Rs 2 lakh cash award against her winning gold in international events.
Hailing from an impoverished family in Orissa's Kendrapara district, Dwivedy recently hogged the limelight for bagging three gold and a silver medal representing Orissa in recently-concluded 33rd National Games at Guwahati.
`I am yet to get cash award of Rs 2.02 lakh for my meritorious performance in international rowing meets in 2003 and 2004,' she said on Thursday.
`My family needs money after the untimely death of my father in 2003. My brothers and sisters are too young to support the family. The cash award in recognition to my medal winning in international meets has not reached me from the Union Sports Ministry,' she lamented.
`In 2003, I represented India in Asian juniors rowing championship in Hong Kong. In team events, I bagged two gold medals, besides a bronze in an individual event. I was entitled for Rs 52,000 for the haul as per the Central Government rule. The ministry of sports had sent a cheque amounting to Rs 52,000. But the local bank officials did not honour the cheque as my name was wrongly inscribed. It was redirected to ministry of sports. This happened two years ago and I am still waiting for the money to reach me,' said Pravasini who has since won around 25 medals in national and international rowing events.
The prize money payable to her by the Sports Ministry for gold-winning rowing feat in South Asian seniors rowing championship in 2004 also remains elusive till date.
`This time, my ordeal was more upsetting. The cheque worth Rs 1.5 lakh did reach but at an inappropriate time. I received it hardly 12 days before the six-month validation period of the cheque. The Jagatpur branch of the State Bank of India redirected it for collection from the New Delhi-based branch which issued it. Time ran out and the cheque got invalidated by the time bank officials in New Delhi received it. The local bankers expressed helplessness to help me.
`Since then, I have been running from pillar to post. I had apprised K.P. Singh Deo, president of All India Rowing Federation of my sorry plight. Despite his intervention, the prize money from the Centre eludes me for over two years,' Pravasini rued.


KalingaTimes CorrespondentJajpur: Inadequate budgetary provision has come as jolt to the 82-km-long railway line project between Haridaspur and Paradip in Orissa.
In the railway budget proposals presented in Parliament on Monday, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad has allocated only Rs 20 crore for this ambitious project covering the steel hub of Jajpur linking Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts.
Allocation for the ongoing Haridaspur-Paradip project has been reduced from Rs 44 crore in 2006-07 to Rs 20 crore. Earlier, the State Government had demanded for Rs 30 crore for the project.
According to sources, the poor allocation will affect the Rs 345 crore project that started eight years ago. This apart, in absence of the sufficient funds for the last three consecutive years, the project work has been moving at a snail's pace.
Such a poor budgetary allocation has raised doubts over timely completion of the project. While laying the foundation of the project in 1999, the then Railway Minister Nitish Kumar had promised that the line would be completed within five years.
However, even after eight years, the Railway authorities were yet to complete land acquisition for the project. The district administrations of Jajpur, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur are at loggerheads over the handing over of the required land. Even they are yet to hand over 132 acres of government land to the Railway authorities as the latter failed to grant more money for the project.
The administration has also failed to provide compensation to those from whom it had acquired land. In many villages across three districts, land owners have taken the district administrations and the Railway authorities to court for not giving the minimum price for their land.
Meanwhile, about 390 cases have been filed in various courts for proper compensation for the land acquired for the project.
Jajpur Collector Arabinda Padhee said the required land was yet to be acquired by the district administration even after eight years as the Railway authorities failed to allot the entitled amount to provide compensation to the land owners.

S Bhattacharya is SAIL's new Director (Finance)
Mr Soiles Bhattacharya has assumed charge as Director (Finance) of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). Prior to this he was Executive Director (Finance & Accounts) in SAIL's Central Marketing Organisation.

After graduating as a Metallurgical Engineer from Banaras Hindu University, Mr Bhattacharya joined SAIL as Graduate Trainee in 1974. Continuing to pursue his academic interests, he completed his ICWA in 1989 while in service.

Mr Bhattacharya has served in different units of SAIL and has earned accolades for spearheading several key initiatives in the organisation. He has been credited with setting up the cost control department during his stint at SAIL's Rourkela Steel Plant. Mr Bhattacharya also had an opportunity to serve as a certified Action Leadership tutor at SAIL's Management Training Institute located at Ranchi.

Orissa formulates policy to streamline transport sector
Bhubaneswar, Feb. 28 (PTI): The Orissa Government has formulated a new policy to streamline the transport sector and ensure safety, security, comfort and economy of the mobile population.
The draft policy was approved by the state Cabinet, presided over by chief minister Naveen Patnaik here last night.
This would be achieved taking into consideration the technological, environmental, fiscal and road safety and management aspects of the transport sector, chief secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy told reporters after the meeting.
For infrastructure development, it was being mooted to set up an Orissa Transport Infrastructure Development Authority (OTIDA) which would act as facilitator in Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) mode projects including truck and bus terminals.
Besides, a Orissa transport and regulatory and advisory council would be established which would be responsible for fixing fares and tariff and frame policy guidelines, he said.
The establishment of a transport infrastructure development fund was also on the anvil, Tripathy said.