Orissa 'Marathon Boy' Budhia stopped from attempting 500-km walkathon
Bhubaneshwar (Orissa), June 6 : The Orissa Government today stopped marathon kid Budhia Singh from undertaking a 500-kilometer walkathon, saying he would not be able to walk that long.Five year-old Budhia had planned to walk from Bhubaneshwar to Kolkata.'We have come to execute the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) order which says that the wonder kid cannot be engaged in the proposed walkathon by any person. If they try to do it forcibly, we will take preventive action,' Amitabh Thakur, Superintendent of Police, said. The administration had also moved two platoons of armed police to the spot. Higher-ranking administrative officials thereafter began discussion with Budhia's coach and mentor Biranchi Das and mother Sukanti Singh who had moved court last week after the CWC executed a stay order. The ban was imposed by the CWC on the ground that Budhia would not be able to undertake the 11-day walk at the peak of summer.Das and Sukanti Singh are on an indefinite strike against the CWC decision.'He would have undertaken 10-15 minutes of walk as it is. They should actually see the real motive behind such an act,' said Das. Officials here had earlier praised the boy as the media raced to cover his every step. But leading rights bodies later criticised the State Government and Budhia's coach for endangering the boy's health.Doctors of a state-run hospital, who had examined Budhia's health after a 65 km run last year, said his protein catabolism rate was high and he was under 'cardiological stress.'Doctors opined that if the child continued to run such long distances, he could experience renal failure.Budhia, who surprisingly does not feel pain or exhaustion, has often said running comes naturally to him.

Orissa prevents Budhia's walk to Kolkata, coach moves court
Bhubaneswar, June 6: Five-year-old Budhia Singh was about to begin his 500 km walk to Kolkata on this hot Wednesday morning when police and Orissa government officials turned up to prevent the 'summer marathon' - a move the child's coach has challenged in a court."I as a guardian of the kid have moved the court of the district judge at Bhubaneswar against the government's move," Budhia's mentor and coach Biranchi Das told IANS. Budhia's mother Sukanti Singh too moved the same court on behalf of the Budhia Singh Trust, the organiser of the marathon, he said. "The government is deliberately out to humiliate Budhia when hundreds of thousands children in the state are left without care and the government never takes any steps," added Das who has adopted Budhia after paying Rs.800 to his impoverished mother. Das and Sukanti Singh along with about a hundred people including children staged a sit-in protest near the Judo Hall where the Orissa government, represented by a full force of police, child welfare personnel and senior officials, stopped the marathon kid from marching to Kolkata.Budhia, who has been at the centre of an escalating controversy over child rights and exploitation, was attempting to walk the 500 km between Bhubaneswar and Kolkata in an incredible 10 days.This would have entailed at least 50 km of walking a day under a relentless sun in these days of peak summer.The Khordha District Child Welfare Committee, which had formally banned the walk last week, had Tuesday night also passed an order specifying that nobody could use or engage Budhia for walking the long distance."As per the order, we can't allow any person to take Budhia on his long distance journey to Kolkata," Khordha police chief Amitav Thakur, who had reached the hall at 9 a.m. to stop the march, told IANS.Thakur was accompanied by Khordha Collector Narayan Chandra Jena - in charge of this state capital which falls in Khordha district - and other police personnel.The boy said his walk was intended to create awareness among the youth about sports. Child Welfare Committee chief Rabisankar Mishra said he was empowered to protect the interests of children in the state.Clearly unhappy with the move, Das said Budhia's mother, who lives in a slum, was to "take him on the long walk"."Some 500 others were to accompany them with medicines and food items. But the government is not cooperating with us. What can we do?" Das said.Budhia became a celebrity last year after he earned a place in the Limca Book of World Records for his 60 km run between Puri and Bhubaneswar. Budhia runs 45 km twice a week and 20 km on other days.

Orissa prevents Budhia's walk to Kolkata
Bhubaneswar, June 6 (IANS) Five-year-old Budhia Singh was about to begin his 500 km walk to Kolkata on this hot Wednesday morning when police and Orissa government officials turned up to prevent the 'summer marathon' - a move the child's coach has challenged in a court.
"I as a guardian of the kid have moved the court of the district judge at Bhubaneswar against the government's move," Budhia's mentor and coach Biranchi Das told IANS.
Budhia's mother Sukanti Singh too moved the same court on behalf of the Budhia Singh Trust, the organiser of the marathon, he said.
"The government is deliberately out to humiliate Budhia when hundreds of thousands children in the state are left without care and the government never takes any steps," added Das who has adopted Budhia after paying Rs.800 to his impoverished mother.
Das and Sukanti Singh along with about a hundred people including children staged a sit-in protest near the Judo Hall where the Orissa government, represented by a full force of police, child welfare personnel and senior officials, stopped the marathon kid from marching to Kolkata.
Budhia, who has been at the centre of an escalating controversy over child rights and exploitation, was attempting to walk the 500 km between Bhubaneswar and Kolkata in an incredible 10 days.
This would have entailed at least 50 km of walking a day under a relentless sun in these days of peak summer.
The Khordha District Child Welfare Committee, which had formally banned the walk last week, had Tuesday night also passed an order specifying that nobody could use or engage Budhia for walking the long distance.
"As per the order, we can't allow any person to take Budhia on his long distance journey to Kolkata," Khordha police chief Amitav Thakur, who had reached the hall at 9 a.m. to stop the march, told IANS.
Thakur was accompanied by Khordha Collector Narayan Chandra Jena - in charge of this state capital which falls in Khordha district - and other police personnel.
The boy said his walk was intended to create awareness among the youth about sports.
Child Welfare Committee chief Rabisankar Mishra said he was empowered to protect the interests of children in the state.
Clearly unhappy with the move, Das said Budhia's mother, who lives in a slum, was to "take him on the long walk".
"Some 500 others were to accompany them with medicines and food items. But the government is not cooperating with us. What can we do?" Das said.
Budhia became a celebrity last year after he earned a place in the Limca Book of World Records for his 60 km run between Puri and Bhubaneswar. Budhia runs 45 km twice a week and 20 km on other days.

Pay 'road tax' to an elephant on Orissa highwayBy Sarada Lahangir
Barbil (Orissa), June 6: An elephant in Orissa is charging 'road tax' in an unusual way on the highway.Blocking the traffic for hours at times, the pachyderm ensures that the cars passing by him are personally inspected and no one goes through without sharing his or her lunch. Everyday, many passengers roll down their window panes to pass on lunch. At times, they have to come out of their vehicle in submission. Many commuters complain that if anyone turns adamant by not sharing food, the elephant would stand in front of the car. People accept that the pachyderm has no choice but to resort to such acts after losing their homes in the dense forests."The elephant blocks the road for eight to nine hours. Their plight can be understood thinking their lives are not safe anymore in the jungles, "said Sailesh Karmarkar, a commuter.Forest officials, however, say the elephant is old and is, therefore, looking for easy food.hey are planning to shift the elephant to a nearby forest where he could get enough food."This is a short-term measure. It is not practical round the year. We keep it under vigil. We want to immobilise the elephant and shift to the nearby forest," said Bimal Kumar Acharya, District Forest Official.Elephants are a protected and endangered species in India, which has nearly half of the world's 60,000 Asian elephants.But conservationists say its population has fallen rapidly in recent years because of loss of habitat as a result of human encroachment into forest areas.

Sita, the tigress struggles in Orissa zoo Sita,
Posted Wednesday, June 06, 2007 at 15:59
New Delhi: In the Nandankana Zoo in Orissa a tigress is struggling to survive after she was shot by poachers more than two months back.
Sita (as she is known in the Zoo) is rapidly deteriorating. Now the Nandankana authorities made an appeal to veterinarians in the hope that an expert can save the tigress.
Sita who has been in agony ever since, is admitted in the Nandankanan Veterinary Hospital. For the seven-year-old, the hospital is now her home as she has been here since the last two months.
The Royal Bengal tigress had suffered eleven gunshots and one bullet is still stuck in her body.
Though the best vets in the state are treating her, it cannot be ascertained whether she would survive.
"Her condition is very critical. She cannot move her posterior portion and the bed sores have compounded her condition,” says Veterinary Surgeon of the Nandankanan Zoo, Dr Ranjit Samantaray.
Meanwhile, the Nandankanan authorities are getting in touch with veterinary experts in India as well as abroad. And more than a lakh of rupees have already been spent despite the fact that the tigress has not really improved.
"I want to make an appeal to all medical experts who can share their expertise to save the tiger. They may please approach us and we will accordingly precede if we find that the treatment will help her to recover,” says Director of the Nandankanan Zoo, Ajit Patnaik.


PMO calls for review meet on Posco’s Orissa project
ABHISHEK ANAND
Posted online: Thursday, June 07, 2007 at 0000 hours IST
NEW DELHI, JUN 6: The prime minister’s office (PMO) will convene yet another meeting to discuss the progress of South Korean major Posco’s steel project in Orissa on June 15.
“The PMO has called for a quarterly review meeting on the progress on Posco’s project and is likely to discuss steps which could expedite the progress of the project,” said a senior Orissa government official.
The meeting is likely to be attended by senior officials from various ministries including mines and steel as well as by the principal secretary of Orissa. But, unlike the last meeting, Naveen Patnaik, chief minister of Orissa will not attend the meeting.
Steel major’s 12 million tonne project likely to come up with an investment of Rs 52,000 is facing stiff resistance from the local people on account of land acquisition.
The Orissa government has recently asked the company to negotiate directly with the land owners of 438 acres of private land.
Also, delay in the processing of the mining lease application has turned out to be a major stumbling block for the 12-million tonne capacity steel plant proposed to be set up at Paradip.
Orissa government has recommended mining lease for Posco on which centre has to take a final call.
However, two of the three mines located by the State Government for Posco-India are under litigation.
The Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited (KIOCL), a public sector undertaking, has filed a writ petition against the State Government in the Orissa High Court after the Khandadhar iron ore mines was recommended for Posco-India.

Orissa power plants may face coal shortage
STATE BUREAU
Posted online: Thursday, June 07, 2007 at 0009 hours IST
BHUABANESWAR, JUN 6: Coal-fired power plants in Orissa and southern states may face shortage in the supply of coal as production at Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) has been hit by agitation.
According to MCL sources, daily production from Talcher coalfields has come down to 1.06 lakh tonne from the targeted 1.4 lakh tonne. Similarly, production from the IB Valley coalfields has dropped from 2.5 lakh tonne to 1.77 lakh tonne.
Production at the Jagannath, Bharatpur and Balaram open cast mines has virtually stopped owing to resistance from local people, sources said.
Power plants of NTPC, TTPS, Nalco and those located in southern India have stocks that will last less than four days.
The MCL authority has sought the state government's help to sort out the problem.

Wednesday, June 06, 2007
3 killed, 12 injured in road mishap
Three persons were killed and twelve others injured, two of them critically, when a bus turned turtle near Chota Kudna village on Manoharpur-Ranchi route under Manoharpur police station in West Singhbhum district last evening.
While two of the critically injured passengers were referred to Rourkela for treatment, the rest were undergoing treatment at nearby Manoharpur Primary Health Centre, police said.
The driver of the Manoharpur-bound bus, with 45 passengers on board, lost control over the vehicle while negotiating a turn after the brake failed, sources said.
Three persons, including the 50-year-old bus owner, Bidmohan Kandulna were killed on the spot.

Brajrajnagar sizzles at 45Tuesday June 5 2007 12:26 IST
ROURKELA/JHARSUGUDA: While Steel City Rourkela recorded 44.2 degrees Celsius on Sunday, the hottest of the season, the mercury in Brajrajnagar hovered around 45, instiling the fear of a harsh weather among the people.Although Jharsuguda and Belpahar towns recorded a degree less than Brajrajnagar, the blistering heat conditions continued to prevail paralysing normal life in Sundargarh and Jharsuguda districts.Humidity made life worse which was never associated with heat in Jharsuguda.Rourkela recorded 85 per cent humidity, official sources said. This has forced people to remain indoors. The few seen in the afternoon are labourers, who sweat it out in the sun despite the ban on manual labour between 11 am and 3 pm.While the vegetable market opened in the evening, the few who open shops during the morning hours admit that they hardly do any business. In fact, the town wears deserted look from 8 am to 5 pm.Although the people of Jharsuguda district had experienced similar heat in the past, intermittent drizzle and cool breeze often brought the temperature down. But this time, there is no sign of drizzle or the storm making life unbearable.And if it is the heat which prohibits people from moving out, unscheduled power cuts have made life miserable for people indoors.Although Sub-Divisional Officer, Wesco, P Pradhan said all steps were being taken to provide uninterrupted power supply, frequent breakdowns are being reported from all over the district.The power cut is also having a bearing on drinking water supply by the PHED even as Pradhan said all efforts had been made to ensure power supply to the PHED.However, with the District Collector personally monitoring drinking water supply and Mahanadi Coalfields Limited, OPGC and Brajrajnagar Truck Owners Association working overtime to provide drinking water through tankers, it’s hoped that the crisis won’t be too hard.

328 people killed by elephants in Orissa in 7 years
Bhubaneswar, June 5: In all 328 people were trampled to death by elephants in Orissa while 90 elephants were killed by human beings during the last seven years in Orissa.Replying to a question of Ulaka Ram Chandra (Congress) and Atanu Sabyasachi (BJD) in the State Assembly, Chief Minister Patnaik said a maximum 64 people were killed by elephants in 2004-05 followed by 59 in 2001-2002.The year wise break up was 2000-01 (39), 2001-02 (59), 2002-03 (43), 2003-04 (37), 2004-05 (64), 2005-06 (42) and 2006-07 (44).The Chief Minister said during the period also as many as 90 elephants were killed and offence cases had been booked under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 against 171 people.However, none of these cases has been finalised.Mr Patnaik said a maximum 19 elephants were killed during 2002-03 followed by 16 in 2006-07.While 11 pachyderms were shot dead during 2000-01, ten each elephants were eliminated in 2001-02 and 2003-04.During 2004-05 as many as 15 elephants were killed.The casualty, however, reduced to nine in the subsequent year but again increased to 16 during the year.Mr Patnaik said the government had so far paid Rs 1,75,44,500 as compensation grant to the local heirs of the persons killed by the elephants during the last seven years.In 2006-07, the government, he said had paid Rs 69.37 lakh as compensation.

Kidnapped Orissa trader dead in Jharkhand
Bhubaneswar, June 5: A businessman abducted from Orissa's capital last week has been found dead in neighbouring Jharkhand, the police said Tuesday.Rashmi Ranjan Mohapatra alias Chinna Barik, 34, from Keonjhar, about 200 km from the state capital, was in Bhubaneswar May 27 for work and did not return home.The same evening, Mohapatra's family said they got a telephone call from a man demanding Rs.20 million for his release.The Jharkhand Police spotted Mohapatra's vehicle parked near the Dhanbad railway station May 28 and found two bodies from two different spots the next day, said Amitav Thakur, the Khordha district police chief. Thakur said both the bodies bore bullet injuries. The Orissa Police identified them as Mohapatra and his driver Naba Kishore Mahanta. The relatives of Mohapatra and Mahanta have been called to Jharkhand for further investigation.

Worker from Orissa dies of food poisoningTuesday June 5 2007 13:37 IST
TIRUCHY: A 23-yearold man hailing from Orissa and employed in a steel and alloy factory near here died of alleged food poisoning on Sunday. Nine others, who also developed a similar symptom, were admitted to a private hospital here.All the 10 persons, hailing from Narasingpur in Cuttack district and employed in the factory in Manikandam near here, complained of dysentery after eating “chappati with sabji” on Saturday and were treated as outpatients at a private hospital in Nagamangalam.Meanwhile, Thippashetty died despite treatment. Manikandam police have registered a case..

Orissa to levy entertainment tax on DTH operators
BHUBANESWAR: The Orissa government is proposing to impose entertainment tax on DTH (direct to home) operators in the state. State finance minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadei said the government was taking steps to amend the entertainment tax laws to bring DTH operators under its fold. At present, Tata Sky, Zee TV and Dish TV have started their operations in Orissa. The minister said the government was conducting a survey to ascertain customer base of these operators.

Officer who failed to arrest Orissa DGP transferred
Jaipur, June. 5 (PTI): The Rajasthan Police officer who was sent to arrest Orissa DGP B B Mohanti but failed to apprehend him was today transferred, officials said.
Virendra Jhakar, the Station House Officer of Lalkothi police station, who returned from Bhubaneswar on June one after failing to arrest Mohanti -- accused of helping his son Biti to jump parole after being convicted for rape -- has been transferred to Banswara.
Inspector General of Police O P Galhotra told PTI that Jhakhar's transfer was a routine affair.
When asked whether there was any pressure from any quarter to transfer Jhakhar, he said nothing should be attributed to the government's move.
Galhotra, however, admitted that Jhakhar was posted at Lalkothi police station just one year ago.
Jhakar had gone to Orissa last week with a police team to arrest Mohanti, the Orissa DGP(Fire services), but returned empty-handed as the official had gone on medical leave.
Jhakar was not immediately available for comments.


Rajasthan officer who failed to arrest Orissa DG transferred
Jaipur, June 05: The Rajasthan police officer who was sent to arrest Orissa DG B B Mohanti but failed to apprehend him was today transferred, officials said. Virendra Jhakar, the Station House Officer of Lalkothi Police Station, who returned from Bhubaneswar on June 01 after failing to arrest Mohanti -- accused of helping his son Biti to jump parole after being convicted for rape -- has been transferred to Banswara. Inspector General of Police O P Galhotra told that Jhakhar's transfer was a routine affair. When asked whether there was any pressure from any quarter to transfer Jhakhar, he said nothing should be attributed to the government's move. Galhotra, however, admitted that Jhakhar was posted at Lalkothi Police Station just one year ago. Jhakar had gone to Orissa last week with a police team to arrest Mohanti, the Orissa DGP(fire services), but returned empty-handed as the official had gone on medical leave. Jhakar was not immediately available for comments. Bureau Report

Three Orissa Fishermen Missing
Tuesday 05th of June 2007 At least three fishermen from Orissa's Balasore district have been missing since Monday night after a trawler carrying them was caught in a storm in the Bay of Bengal, officials said Tuesday.Five fishermen from the Balaramgad fishing base, about 20 km from this district headquarters, had gone to the sea for fishing.While a group of fishermen in another trawler rescued two of them Tuesday morning, the other three were still missing, Balaramgad Trawler Owners Association president Badal Das told IANS. Search and rescue efforts are on.

Three Orissa fishermen missing
Balasore (Orissa), June 5: At least three fishermen from Orissa's Balasore district have been missing since Monday night after a trawler carrying them was caught in a storm in the Bay of Bengal, officials said Tuesday.Five fishermen from the Balaramgad fishing base, about 20 km from this district headquarters, had gone to the sea for fishing.While a group of fishermen in another trawler rescued two of them Tuesday morning, the other three were still missing, Balaramgad Trawler Owners Association president Badal Das told IANS. Search and rescue efforts are on.

TCS recruits 1,100 in Orissa
KOLKATA: IT major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has made job offers to more than 1,100 students from 10 engineering colleges in Orissa in the current recruitment season. This is the largest campus recruitment of fresh talent in Orissa by any IT services firm till date, a release issued by TCS said. Nearly 65% of these job offers were made to students from four educational institutes in Bhubaneswar which includes Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology & Science, ITER, and College of Technology & Engineering. A TCS spokesperson said the number of offers made this year has been more than eight times of the previous year. “The record recruitment from Orissa establishes the state as a significant source for engineering talent for TCS. The students will be joining the company as trainees next year,” the spokesperson said. It may be noted TCS already operates a delivery centre at Bhubaneswar since 2001. However, the fresh recruits from the state can be placed in any of the global centres which the company operates in over 50 countries. TCS is yet to decide on the verticals where these fresh recruits will work. “This is decided after a 50-days mandatory training programme which transforms a fresh graduate to a professional. Post completion of the training, associates can be absorbed in any practise/project/vertical depending on the manpower requirement,” the spokesperson said. TCS, which currently has a headcount of 89,000 employees, recruited over 32,000 people in 2006-07 and has set itself an ambitious recruitment plan this year as well. A bulk of such recruitment will be from educational institutes across India as part of the company’s campus recruitment initiative.

Orissa is better place than neighbouring states: Naveen
Bhubaneswar, Jun 5: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today claimed the extremist violence in Orissa was much less compared to other neighbouring states.Replying to a motion moved by the Opposition on the law and order situation in the state, Mr Patnaik said there has been a substantial improvement in the overall situation.The extremist violence was much less compared to states like Chhatishgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, Mr Patnaik said.He said while only 22 Naxalite related incidents were reported during the year in Orissa, 169 cases were registered in Chhatisgarh followed by 118 in Jharkhand, 40 in Bihar and 38 in Andhra Pradesh.The Chief Minister said the security forces have arrested 35 Naxal activists during the year and recovered 15 arms and 21 improvised explosive devices. This apart the security forces, Mr Patnaik said have busted two arms manufacturing units of CPI(ML) during January next. He, however, said the government was not complacent about the situation and was continuing all efforts in maintaining law and order situation in the state.


Railway projects in AP, Orissa get clearance
Posted online: Wednesday, June 06, 2007
The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has got clearance for 84 projects to be set up in the private sector Out of this 56 are under its Khurda division, while 15 are in Waltair and 13 in Sambalpur. Also, 41 projects are in various stages of completion. According to the railways. with this clearance, the authorities of the projects will set up private railway sidings to facilitate movement of raw materials and finished products.
The railways will bear part of the cost of the sidings depending on the guaranteed cargo support, especially the cost of superstructure, which are called assisted sidings. Almost every new siding is being set up as assisted sidings, said ECoR sources.
Bride Groom 18 - 24 25 - 30 31 - 35 36 - 45 46 - 50 50+India USA United Kingdom UAE Canada Australia Pakistan Saudi Arabia Kuwait South Africa
The cost of a siding comes to about Rs 3.5 crore to Rs 6 crore per km. This is mostly dependent on the topography of the area. Needless to say, the length of the siding is different for different projects. Some are less than one km but others could be as long as 27-km.

Farmers lose out in paddy procurement
Statesman News ServiceSAMBALPUR, June 4: As expected, the pani panchayats have been kept away from the process of paddy procurement once again. And though the price of paddy is much higher than the minimum support price (MSP) in the Hirakud command area, the benefit continues to elude the farmers with middlemen increasing their profit margin. Not only the farmers have nothing to do with the increasing rate, the market yards doing business have once again proved to be the centres of corruption.In a particular market yard at Gosala,a lot of irregularities have come to light including the purchase of more paddy than the target. “This is also the situation in all the market yards of the district,” according to Mr Prasna Pradhan, a conscious farmer of the area. “And people here don’t have confidence in any enquiry since old enquiries were nothing but good dramas,” he commented.When media persons brought to the notice of the collector, Mr LN Nayak about the issue of fake farmers’ identity card (FIC), he was not in a mood to buy the idea, maybe because he trusts his juniors. But with the seizure of 9 FICs from the various market yards, the fact has been again established. But all these could have been prevented, if the pani panchayats would have been given the entire responsibility in paddy procurement, since its members are well aware of the farmers, their land content and the production capacity. But a group under the banner of farmers’ organisation, who have been minting money in crores from paddy transactions protested against the involvement of the pani panchayats for the reason now well understood. They were even successful in passing a resolution to protest against the idea with the help of a handful of members. The collector who has got a soft corner for these people succumbed to the pressure, and did what they wanted in the name of farmers’ organisation, the result being the misuse of the FIC and the benefit of higher rates to the middlemen. There has been a lot of improvement in paddy transactions over the past few years. The role played by the ex revenue divisional commissioners (RDCs) Mr Gagan Kumar Dhal and Mr Ashok Dalwai, and former collectors Mr Santosh Kumar Sarangi, Mr Surendra Kumar and Mr Vishal Gagan to ensure MSP, and to prevent increase in rates is unforgettable. Still, there is lot of room for improvement. When the benefits of higher rates go to the middlemen, the auction of paddy to the village head like that of the Punjab is the only solution to safe guard farmers’ interest,” suggested Mr Ram Sagar Sahu, a leading farmer cum a pani panchayat activist of the district.

20 industries get nod for river water consumption
Statesman News Service BHUBANESWAR, June 4: The state government has allowed 20 industrial units to draw 187.65 million gallon water daily, of which 32 million gallon water is from Hirakud reservoir by 13 industries, said chief minister Mr Naveen Patnaik. Replying to a question raised by Mr Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra and Mr Sanatan Bisi, Mr Patnaik asserted that agriculture and flood control were priority water use areas and supply of water for industrial use would take place only after ensuring that it did not disrupt agricultural requirements. The Hirakud water reservoir was constructed for flood-control, irrigation and production of electricity. After fulfilling all those purposes, the surplus water is supplied to industries and for drinking water purposes keeping the state’s development in mind. Mr Patnaik also said that the electricity charge for supplying water to industries is to be collected. A section of people in Sambalpur region had voiced deep concern over the use of Hirakud waters by industrial houses. Apprehensions were that it will adversely affect supply of water for irrigation purposes.

OGP slams CM on fund use
Statesman News Service BHUBANESWAR, June 4: A government which shouts from rooftops about Central neglected and announces programmes to fill up the shortfall in Central allocation is unable to provide figures amount of Central funds and its expenditure in rural electrification sector, charged OGP MLA Mr Arun Dey. Moving a breach of privilege notice against energy minister Mr SN Patra in the Assembly today Mr Dey said Mr Patra had replied to two questions on rural electrification saying data are under collection. One of the questions was details of funds given by the Centre from 2000-07 towards rural electrification and expenditure of such funds, the answer given by Mr Patra is “ information is under collection.” The second relates to what steps have been taken by the government to cover hamlets which do not fall under the RGGVY scheme ~ again the answer was the same. This proves that either the CM who spoke of Central neglect and announced new schemes was fooling the people or the energy minister is totally ignorant, chided Mr Dey. If the government is unable to give figures of Central allocations for rural electrification, how can it raise the issue of Central neglect, he wondered. Even worse was the fact that the reply given by Mr Patra is a day after the finance minister, Mr PC Ghadei, placed the budget and said Rs 50 crore had been allotted for the new Biju Gramin Jyoti yojana for rural electrification. If Mr Patra is a member of the Cabinet and the Cabinet had approved the budget he ought to have replied to the question on what steps were being taken by the government by saying that a new programme had been launched, stated Mr Dey. Mr Dey went on the charge that of the 90 per cent of the questions asked the CM, the reply is “ information is under collection.” While the same information can be availed of by spending just Rs 20 under the RTI Act, why should MLAs be paid a hefty sum to come to the Assembly where they they get such a response, he quipped sarcastically.

Abducted driver found murdered in Ranchi
Statesman News Service BHUBANESWAR, June 4: Businessman Rashmi Ranjan Mohapatra and his driver Naba have reportedly been killed by their abductors and their bodies found in Ranchi. While police sources confirmed the murder of Naba, the other body found in Ranchi has not yet been identified, they said. It is believed that the kidnappers had eliminated both on 29 May , two days after conducting the abduction from Bhubaneswar. The vehicle was found abandoned in Dhanbad and today two bodies recovered from Ranchi. One of the bodies was burnt and hence, difficult to identify, said police sources. While business rivalry and contract work are said to be the cause of the kidnapping and subsequent murder, a fresh angle with regards to involvement of a pimp and a call girl racket is coming to the fore. It is suspected that a girl was used to lure the victim at a prominent hotel in the state capital here. Mohapatra, who has business interests in Keonjhar district, had come to Bhubaneswar on 27 May. He failed to return to Keonjhar and his family claimed to have received a ransom call seeking Rs 2 crore. Since then, the police have been on the hunt for Mohapatra and his driver Naba. Constant search for Mohapatra had led to tracing the vehicle at Dhanbad and today, the Ranchi police said about two unidentified bodies being found. They had sustained bullet wounds and one of them was burnt, said police sources. Reliable sources said the police had already identified a person who was key to the entire case but was absconding. “It is taking time only because everybody in the family seems to prefer remaining silent and the case is linked to Keonjhar and neighbouring state but we will crack it soon,” said highly placed police sources.

Forest force of ex-Army jawans contemplated
Statesman News ServiceBHUBANESWAR, June 4: The state government is contemplating on setting up an Orissa state forest protection force with the help of ex-Army personnel. Experts will be invited for the protection of wild animals. An ‘Elephant Management Plan’ is under active consideration and examination of the government. The chief minister, Mr Naveen Patnaik, today said that the government was also keen on making the criminal procedure under the Orissa forest law more stringent, and has advised the district authorities to book forest Mafia under the National Security Act (NSA), if the situation warrants such action. Replying to questions in the Assembly today, Mr Patnaik said that he had received five memoranda with suggestions over the past six years with regards to the prevention of deforestation and for the safety, food and shelter of wild animals. Providing figures, Mr Patnaik said that poachers had killed 20 elephants, 63 deer, 19 sambars and 92 other wild animals. A total of 394 persons have been arrested in connection with such cases, he said. The chief minister pointed out that the total forest area in the state is 58,136.87 square km, and it has increased due to afforestation and regeneration of degraded forest. Replying to a question by Mr Pratap Sarangi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA, the chief minister said that 19 APR. forces have been deployed in different forests divisions. A total of 739 very high frequency (VHF) sets have been set up for better communication, and 408 guns and 104 revolvers have been supplied to the range personnel.

Congmen ransack office
DHENKANAL, June 4: Protesting against town police inaction and demanding the arrest of BJP district unit’s senior member and state Krushak Morcha secretary Mr Rama Chandra Patra, Congress workers attacked and ransacked Sadar block office today. According to sources, Mr Patra had allegedly abused and assaulted Valiabolkateni grama panchayat sarpanch Mr Biswanath Pratihari on Saturday at the block office in the presence of officials. The assaulted sarpanch lodged an FIR with the police who are yet to take action. Meanwhile, Mr Patra has also lodged a complaint against Mr Pratihari. Block office has filed complaints against Congress men for attacking office. n SNS

Triple issues rock House
Statesman News Service BHUBANESWAR, June 4: The unprecedented act of slapping sedition charges against two journalists, the bizarre developments relating to two top notch IPS officers and collapse of the law-and-order machinery rocked the Assembly today. Opposition members trooped into the Well of the House demanding discussion on the law-and-order situation. They charged that the government was shying away from debate even as the parliamentary affairs minister Mr Raghunath Mohanty was trying to state that the government was prepared for a discussion provided it was brought in the right format and time. Raising the issue, former law minister and deputy leader of the Congress party Mr Narasingha Mishra ripped apart the claims of the government. What wonderful logic is this? The co-accused is behind bars, while the matter relating to the accused is referred to the Lok Pal, he chided. Taking pot shots at chief minister Mr Naveen Patnaik’s oft repeated lines “law will take its own course,” Mr Mishra said it was apparent that law was being interpreted in two different ways one relating to “own officers and colleagues” and the other for the rest. He wondered how the government could remain silent when two of its senior-most IPS officers were in media focus across the nation. The entire police administration is demoralised and it stands condemned in the eyes of the nation, he charged. Mr Mishra started off by referring to the appalling instance of two reporters being charged of sedition or waging a war against the state. “This reminds us of the dark past,” he said in an implicit reference to the days of Emergency. Turning on to the case relating to IG Mr Sanjiv Marik, he said Mr KC Behera (one who was sent by Mr Marik) was jailed and charged under Section-120 (B) whereas the IPS officer’s case was referred to the Lok Pal. The infamous tender fixing racket continues to claim lives and even as the Assembly is in session, a contractor was killed in the state capital he said, while driving home his point that the law-and-order machinery had crumbled. He also cited the instance of a signed editorial written by a BJD MP in a local Oriya daily. Mr Mishra urged upon the Chair to take up discussion on the law-and-order situation in the state. He said a motion had already been submitted by the Opposition and it needs to be taken up immediately. Treasury bench members started voicing protests and the Opposition marched into the Well forcing the House to be adjourned for lunch.

Tuesday, June 05, 2007 (Three dead as bus tips over)
OUR CORRESPONDENT
Jamshedpur, June 4: Three passengers were killed and eight others injured when a bus they were travelling in overturned at Manoharpur in West Singhbhum district at 4.30 am today.
The bus was on its way from Goelkera to Manoharpur when the mishap occurred.
The deceased include B. Mohan Kandulna (45), B. Bhengra (50) and Baisakhu Mahto (65). Kandulna, the owner of the bus, died on the spot.
The other two deceased were writhing in pain for a long time before succumbing to injuries.
Two of the injured, who sustained serious head injuries, have been rushed to Rourkela. The rest have been admitted to a local hospital at Manoharpur. These include a five-year-old girl child who sustained multiple injuries.
According to eyewitnesses, the mishap occurred when the brakes of the bus failed while negotiating a slope.
“The bus was travelling at moderate speed when the driver of the vehicle applied the brakes to drop off some passengers at a place seven km from Manoharpur. As the road was sloping, the bus overturned while trying to stop,” said a source.
The driver of the bus, however, fled the spot soon after the mishap occurred.
As the mishap occurred early in the morning, the injured had to languish at the spot for over an hour without aid. By the time a police patrol team arrived on the spot, three of the victims had died.
“Had two of them been provided medical treatment in time, they could have been saved,” said an eyewitness.
In this connection, the police have registered a case of rash driving against the driver and seized the vehicle.

Monday, June 4, 2007 : 2200 Hrs
Heat wave death toll rises to 16 in Orissa
Bhubaneswar, June 4 (PTI): As many as 16 people have lost their lives in the heat wave currently sweeping through different parts of Orissa.
However, unconfirmed reports have put the death toll at 78.
Official sources said while five people had died in Ganjam district, two persons each died in Nuapada, Sundargarh and Kendrapara districts. One person each died in Balasore, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Dhenkanal and Kandhamal districts. At least four deaths had been reported in the last four days in the state.
The sources said while the coastal districts were suffering from a humidity level touching 90 per cent, normal life had been severely affected in the western parts of the state with mercury rising above 44 degrees Celsius there.
The maximum temperature was recorded at 45.1 degrees c at Jharsuguda in western Orissa, a MET office spokesman said.
The director of the IMD office here, S C Sahu, predicted that the monsoon would arrive by June 10 in the state.

328 people killed by elephants in Orissa in 7 years
Bhubaneswar, Jun 04: In all 328 people were trampled to death by elephants in Orissa while 90 elephants were killed by human beings during the last seven years in Orissa.Replying to a question of Ulaka Ram Chandra (Congress) and Atanu Sabyasachi (BJD) in the State Assembly, Mr Patnaik said a maximum 64 people were killed by elephants in 2004-05 followed by 59 in 2001-2002.The year wise break up was 2000-01 (39), 2001-02 (59), 2002-03 (43), 2003-04 (37), 2004-05 (64), 2005-06 (42) and 2006-07 (44).The Chief Minister said during the period also as many as 90 elephants were killed and offence cases had been booked under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 against 171 people.However, none of these cases has been finalised.Mr Patnaik said a maximum 19 elephants were killed during 2002-03 followed by 16 in 2006-07.While 11 pachyderms were shot dead during 2000-01, ten each elephants were eliminated in 2001-02 and 2003-04.During 2004-05 as many as 15 elephants were killed.The casualty, however, reduced to nine in the subsequent year but again increased to 16 during the year.Mr Patnaik said the government had so far paid Rs 1,75,44,500 as compensation grant to the local heirs of the persons killed by the elephants during the last seven years.In 2006-07, the government, he said had paid Rs 69.37 lakh as compensation.

Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Orissa: 328 persons, 90 elephants have died
Bhubaneswar, June 4: The man-animal conflict in Orissa has claimed 328 human and 90 elephant lives since 2000-01.
Chief minister Navin Patnaik, while replying to a query in the state Assembly on Monday, said 39 persons were killed by elephants across the state during 2000-01, 59 in 2001-02, 43 in 2002-03, 37 in 2003-04, 64 in 2004-05, 42 in 2005-06 and 44 in 2006-07. Similarly, 11 elephants were killed in 2000-01, 10 in 2001-02, 19 in 2002-03, 10 in 2003-04, 15 in 2004-05, 9 in 2005-06 and 16 in 2006-07 in human attack. During the past seven years, a total of 90 elephant poaching cases have been registered under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.


Orissa to levy entertainment tax on DTH operators
STATE BUREAU (Posted online: Tuesday, June 05, 2007)
BHUBANESWAR, JUNE 4: The Orissa government is proposing to impose entertainment tax on DTH (direct to home) operators in the state.
State finance minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadei said the government was taking steps to amend the entertainment tax laws to bring DTH operators under its fold. At present, Tata Sky, Zee TV and Dish TV have started their operations in Orissa. The minister said the government was conducting a survey to ascertain customer base of these operators.
The state government has brought cable television operators within the ambit of the entertainment tax from October 1, 2006. Cable operators pay 5% of their gross receipt as entertainment tax.

Heat wave death toll rises to 16 in Orissa PTI[ MONDAY, JUNE 04, 2007 BHUBANESWAR: As many as 16 people have lost their lives in the heat wave currently sweeping through different parts of Orissa. However, unconfirmed reports have put the death toll at 78. Official sources said while five people had died in Ganjam district, two persons each died in Nuapada, Sundargarh and Kendrapara districts. One person each died in Balasore, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Dhenkanal and Kandhamal districts. At least four deaths had been reported in the last four days in the state. The sources said while the coastal districts were suffering from a humidity level touching 90 per cent, normal life had been severely affected in the western parts of the state with mercury rising above 44 degrees Celsius there. The maximum temperature was recorded at 45.1 degrees c at Jharsuguda in western Orissa, a MET office spokesman said. The director of the IMD office here, S C Sahu, predicted that the monsoon would arrive by June 10 in the state.

Sunday, June 03, 2007
Ortel plans Rs 30cr investment to ramp up its cable, broadband & tele capacity
STATE BUREAU
Posted online: Sunday, June 03, 2007 at 0148 hours IST
BHUBANESWAR, JUNE 2 : Ortel Communications Ltd, the only triple player in Orissa (cable, broadband and telephone), will invest Rs 30 crore during the current fiscal.
"We are committed to investing heavily in our core business of broadband networking with a view to optimising our top line," said Ortel vice-president BP Rath. According to him, the total cumulative investment will touch Rs 100 crore by the end of the fiscal.
Rath said the Rs 30 crore will be a mix of equity and debt components and that the promoter company will chip in Rs 10 crore as equity. He said the investment would be for expansion and upgrading of the cable and broadband network.
Ortel, which is currently providing triple services in nine cities and towns of Orissa, is planning to enter Berhampur, the biggest city in southern Orissa.
The company has a virtual monopoly in cable operations in cities like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Paradip, Rourkela, Puri, Khurda, Sambalpur, Balasore, and Angul with a subscriber base of 1.55 lakh. Its broadband customer base is 15,000.

Sunday, June 03, 2007
Next weekend you can be at ... Darjing
Blue hills and green forests surround Darjing, 47 km north-west of Rourkela. But the tribal settlement itself is rocky and barren. Mostly Santhals and Mundas live here.
National Highway (NH) 23 touches Darjing. The river Brahmni also flows past the settlement to disappear into the forest of sal, segun, mahua, kendu, palash and akashmoni.
On the bank, there’s a wonderful bungalow of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). From its balcony, you can hear the wind rustling the leaves in the forest. Spring is pleasant with palash and simul in bloom.
Nor’westers are common during spring. The rain and storm reduce the temperature to around 15 degree Celsius in the evening.
There are wild animals in the forest. Elephants are common. There are also bears, wolves, jackals, wild cats and boars. There are several types of birds, including the migratory ones that fly over in winter.
The lovely sunset ushers in the tranquil night. During festivals, the tribal villages reverberate with the sound of the madal in the evening.

Indian pride may kill rare lions
Wed, May 30 2007
Indian pride may kill rare lions
An Indian state housing the world’s only natural habitat for the rare Asiatic lion is refusing to relocate the big cats despite calls from conservationists who say it is the only way to save the species. More than a dozen lions have died - mainly due to increased poaching - in the last two months in Gir National Park. Yet authorities in Gujarat in western India are resisting calls to shift some of the population to a neighbouring state.
“The lions are a symbol of Gujarat’s uniqueness in the world,” Chief Minister Narendra Modi said. “Why should we share it when we are capable enough?”
Environmentalists say pride is coming before the interests of the lions. A second home is needed, they say, because it is too risky to keep all the world’s Asiatic lions in one place.
Since March, 14 lions have died - seven were killed by poachers, four drowned in wells dug by villagers living inside the park, two died due to infighting and one died of natural causes.The carcasses of those killed by poachers had claws, skulls and bones missing. The bones are used for traditional Chinese medicine and the claws are worn by some men as pendants in the hope of increasing their virility.The Federal Government says it wants the lions moved fast, for the sake of the animals and the entire country. “It is a matter of the pride of India,” central Environment Minister A. Raja said.
Bride and prejudice
Turned down for marriage due to his dark complexion, an Indian man staged a hunger strike outside his would-be bride’s house for two days before she finally relented. Saral Prasad, the 23-year-old groom in eastern Bihar state, said he would not budge from the girl’s village home after she refused to marry him in an arranged marriage because he was too dark. Rajani, 19, changed her mind after two days and the couple got married. Most Indian women, especially those in rural areas, often have no choice in matters of marriage, and are coerced into it by relatives and parents.
Marathon boy banned
Budhia Singh, India’s famous child marathon runner, was told that he will not be allowed to participate in a 500-kilometre walk taking place on June 6. “Use of a child, be it for a marathon run or a walk, amounts to torture and we are here to stop that,” a welfare official said. Budhia, age five, became a celebrity last year after a 60-km run. between Puri and Bhubaneswar. Budhia runs 45 km twice a week and 20 km on other days. Biranchi Das, Budhia’s coach and adoptive father adopted Budhia after paying Rs.800 to his impoverished mother, who lives in a slum.
Wife killer gets death
A court in Orissa yesterday awarded death sentence to a man for killing his wife and their one-year-old son in the steel city of Rourkela last year over a family quarrel.
The judge of a Rourkela fast track court, Sobhan Kumar Das, handed down the sentence to Mohan Mohant, a tribal, for killing his wife and their son at their residence in Rourkela, 470km from here, on January 12 last year. Mohant was arrested on July 23 and charge-sheeted after he confessed to have committed the crime. At least 21 witnesses were tried in the court.
No ‘new’ Al Qaeda
Bangladesh’s police chief says his force has so far found no trace of a group calling itself Zadid (new) Al Qaeda, which is suspected of carrying out bomb blasts at three railway stations across the country in early May. Metal plates found at the railway stations following the simultaneous blasts on May 1 bored scribbled Islamist slogans signed ‘Zadid Al Qaeda’, police said. One man was injured in the explosion in the southern port city of Chittagong. No one was hurt in the other two explosions, in Dhaka and the northeastern city of Sylhet, which were apparently intended to announce the group’s existence. Bangladesh has about half a dozen known Islamic militant outfits including the outlawed Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen and Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh.

Govt okays Tata's Orissa SEZ
Press Trust of IndiaThursday, May 31, 2007 (New Delhi):Awaiting reports from the Maharashtra Government and developers, the Board of Approval (BoA) deferred decision on Mukesh Ambani-promoted Navi Mumbai SEZ but approved the Tata's Gopalpur SEZ in Orissa.Commerce Secretary and BoA Chairman G K Pillai stated that the government had received a report from the Revenue Department on the Navi Mumbai project, but was awaiting views from the State Government and the developers."We wanted to get comments from the developers and the state government on the report of the Revenue Department," Pillai said.The Revenue Department wanted to know whether arrangements had been made for plugging possible revenue leakages because of a road passing through the zone being promoted by Ambani and his close aide Anand Jain.The 1,173 hectare Gopalpur SEZ, promoted by Tatas in Ganjam district of Orissa, was deferred in September last year as the BoA wanted to ensure that it posed no problem to a security facility nearby.

Maoists sneak into South OrissaThursday May 31 2007 12:58 IST
JEYPORE: The reported sneaking in of over 100 hardcore Maoists from neighbouring Chhattisgarh to Malkangiri and Koraput districts has put the cops on their toes.A red alert has been sounded in the tribal pockets of these districts. Four days back, police received an intelligence input from Bastar district of Chhattisgarh that armed Maoists are moving towards Malkangiri and Jeypore subdivision in Koraput.The subdivision had been considered a non-Naxal bastion till now. Sources said the Naxalites had entered Jeypore sub-division through the river route near Ghadaghat, bordering Orissa and Chhattisgarh.Although the motive of the Naxalites is yet to be known, police are apprehending attacks in major establishments. The region has seen several major attacks over the past few years and cops are not taking any chances.Armed police have been deployed at check points and patrolling increased Boipariguda and Kundra areas where the ultras are reportedly camping now.The Maoists are likely to hold a meeting to spread their tentacles in the State to create an ‘administration-free zone.’

Orissa family hoping for miracle to retrieve dead sonBy Sarada Lahangir
Bhejapadar (Orissa), May 31: An Orissa family that lost its son to a snake bite a few days ago is trying hard to revive his dead body with the help of sorcery. The incident happened last week in the Bhejapadar Village of Orissa's Kalahandi district, when Arun, a young child, went into the jungle to collect firewood. He was bitten by some poisonous snake and died on the spot. His family took his body to the doctor who declared him dead on arrival. The relatives buried the body in the jungle and left for home. But three days later Arun's mother claimed to have seen an image of her son with a snake standing near his grave, as if protecting the child. She interpreted the dream as something that indicated the child cannot die and was prematurely accepted as dead. She started believing that her deceased son could be retrieved. But led by illiteracy and superstition, the mother along with her husband approached a local witchcraft hunter for help. "We believe in the Ojha (or, the witchcraft practitioner) and have taken the body out of the grave for him. We want him to exorcise it and bring it back to life," said Bibhisan Majhi, the dead boy's father. "He has been exorcising for the last two days and I am sitting beside my son waiting for him to come back to life," said According to the witchcraft practitioner, the revival of the dead is possible by treating the snake bite. "Somebody in Arun's family had a dream after his death. That time his body had already been buried for three days. The family came to me and I told them I would try and treat him. They took out the body from the grave and I have been trying to treat it since then," said Natabara Sahu, the witchcraft practitioner. Sahu has been trying to treat the snake bite for over two days. He is still optimistic about the dead child's recovery.

Bangladeshi Nationals Arrested For Orissa Robberies
Thursday 31st of May 2007 :- Six Bangladeshi nationals were arrested here Thursday on charges of accosting and looting people on highways.The group had reached Basta, about 200 km from the state capital Bhubaneswar, from neighbouring West Bengal on May 13 and had been living with a relative. According to police, they had planned to commit at least 15 robberies in the district before going home.'However, they were caught by city police after committing seven robberies,' Deputy Inspector General (DIG) B.P. Mohapatra told IANS.Police has recovered goods worth Rs.700,000, including Rs.70,000 in cash, 40 mobile phones, and about 300 grams of gold ornaments from the group, all of whom are from Hamid village in Bangladesh's Haridpur district.Investigations are also underway to see if they have violated the immigration law, Mohapatra said.

HSC results: One excels, another commits suicide
(Thursday May 31 2007 12:35 IST )
BHADRAK: The High School Certificate (HSC) examination results as usual brought happiness and sorrow for both students and their parents here.Hurdananda Pati and his family were on cloud nine when he came to know that his daughter Elisha Padhi, had secured fifth position in the State by scoring 715 out of 800 marks in the examination.Elisha, a student of Bhadrak Zilla School, attributed her success to the blessings of her parents and guidance by her teachers and brother.‘‘My brother who unfortunately could not be the topper for two marks, was my source of inspiration,’’ she said, adding, she wants to be a software engineer.On the other extreme is Dinabandhu Nayak of Talagopabindha village who fell unconscious when he learnt that his daughter Rashmilata committed suicide after failing in the examination.Rashmilata, a student of Chandi High School, hanged herself on Tuesday. Another girl of Barikpur High School under Thidi police limits attempted to end her life by consuming poison after she failed.Jajpur: Of the 22,185 regular students who appeared for the HSC examination across 115 centres in Jajpur, 11,300 students cleared it. Out of 2,318 ex-regular students who took the exam, 832 passed.In the regular stream, 2,018 students secured first class, 3,907 got second class and 5,374 students passed in third division.Rourkela: In the tribal-dominated Sundargarh district, of the total 14,855 regular examinees, as many as 8,268 cleared the HSC examination.In the regular category, the pass percentage was 55.96 against the previous year’s 46.79. Of the 14,855 regular students of Sundargarh, Rourkela and Bonai, 1,564 notched first division.Similarly, 2,887 and 3,806 students bagged second and third divisions respectively. Of the 5,479 students in ex-regular category, 2,403 cleared the examination.CHSE toppersRayagada: ‘‘With strong will, anything can be achieved,’’ says K Sunita, the 18th rank holder in Plus Two Commerce of Council of Higher Secondary Board Examination.A student of Rayagada College, Sunita has secured 827 out of 900 marks.The only daughter of Venket Rao, who is working as a diesel driver in Indian Railways, Rayagada, Sunita is keen to pursue MBA in future.Sambalpur: ‘‘My sincerity and the support that I received from my parents and teachers helped me achieve this feat,’’ said an overjoyed Priyanka Dalwani of Gangadhar Meher Junior College, Sambalpur who has secured 15th position in the Higher Secondary (Science) Examination. Priyanka aims to become a mechanical Engineer.

Family in Orissa exhumes son's corpse to revive him
Thu May 31, 2007 8:56 PM IST
BHEJAPADAR, India (Reuters) - The corpse of a man was exhumed by his family in a remote village in Orissa in the belief that a witch doctor could bring him back to life, three days after he died.
Arun Majhi, 21, died after he was bitten by a snake while scouring the jungle near his home for firewood last Thursday and his grieving family buried him the same day.
But two days later, Majhi's mother dreamt that her son could come back to life. On Sunday, they dug his grave, exhumed the corpse and hired Natabara Sahu, a local witch doctor, who promised to do his best.
"I am sitting beside my son waiting for him to come back to life," Bibhisan Majhi, Arun's father, told Reuters Television as he fanned Arun's corpse, which was covered with a mosquito net.
But with Arun still dead two days after the witch doctor was hired, the family gave up and reburied him in Bhejapadar village.
Superstitions are widespread in India, especially in rural areas where an ineffectual schooling system has left millions illiterate and uneducated.

Government defers decision on Navi Mumbai SEZ, clears Tata project in Orissa
(31 May 2007) Mumbai:
The board of approval (BoA) has deferred a decision on Mukesh Ambani-promoted Navi Mumbai SEZ following objections from the revenue department, but cleared Tata's Gopalpur SEZ project in Orissa.
The revenue department had serious reservations about the fencing of five villages and water bodies in the zone. Moreover, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust has raised objections on the ground that the national highway passing through Navi Mumbai SEZ was proposed to be upgraded to four-lane, the BoA pointed out.
Commerce secretary and BoA chairman G K Pillai said the government had received a report from the revenue department on the Navi Mumbai project, but was awaiting views from the state government and the developers.
"We wanted to get comments from the developers and the state government on the report of the revenue department," Pillai said.
The revenue department wanted to know whether arrangements had been made for plugging possible revenue leakages because of a road passing through the zone being promoted by Ambani and his close aide Anand Jain.
A decision on the 1,173 hectare Gopalpur SEZ, promoted by Tatas in Ganjam district of Orissa, was deferred in September last year as the BoA wanted to ensure that it posed no problem to a security facility nearby.
Decision on five zones in Uttar Pradesh, where the new BSP government has assumed office was deferred while two SEZ proposals in Kanpur promoted by state government agencies were cleared. Two SEZ proposals from Madhya Pradesh were also deferred but one in Chhindwara was cleared.
In all, 24 SEZs were given formal approval and six were given in-principle clearance.

Orissa CM finally breaks silence, raps Mohanty Sr1 Jun, 2007 l 0250 hrs IST
BHUBANESWAR:
Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik finally broke his silence on the B B Mohanty issue. With the Orissa DG — wanted for helping his rapist son Biti escape from judicial custody — managing to evade arrest by the visiting Rajasthan cops, Patnaik, for the first time after Biti jumped parole in December last year, on Thursday criticised Mohanty. In an interview to TOI, Patnaik said, "It is unbecoming on the part of B B Mohanty to act in this manner." "The issue is now before Rajasthan High Court. We are awaiting the outcome. If necessary, we will initiate appropriate action against him (Mohanty)," the CM said. The CM, however, denied allegations that the Orissa cops were shielding their senior-most IPS officer. "We have given all support to Rajasthan police to trace B B Mohanty. Our response has been very prompt." Patnaik also refused to admit that the DGP-rank officer had gone into hiding to evade arrest and said, "Mohanty has proceeded on leave on medical grounds (from May 27 to 31)." Meanwhile, two police associations in Orissa came out in support of the IPS officer. "We will not endure this farce any longer. Nor will we allow them (Rajasthan cops) to arrest him (Mohanty). We will launch an agitation if a senior IPS officer like him continues to be harassed," Orissa Police Association president Sagarmal Sharma said. DGP Amarananda Pattanayak, however, said the associations would not be allowed to interfere. "It is a legal issue and Orissa police will abide by law."

Bangladeshi nationals arrested for Orissa robberies
Posted May 31st, 2007 by Tarique
Balasore (Orissa) : Six Bangladeshi nationals were arrested here Thursday on charges of accosting and looting people on highways.
The group had reached Basta, about 200 km from the state capital Bhubaneswar, from neighbouring West Bengal on May 13 and had been living with a relative.
According to police, they had planned to commit at least 15 robberies in the district before going home.
"However, they were caught by city police after committing seven robberies," Deputy Inspector General (DIG) B.P. Mohapatra told IANS.
Police has recovered goods worth Rs.700,000, including Rs.70,000 in cash, 40 mobile phones, and about 300 grams of gold ornaments from the group, all of whom are from Hamid village in Bangladesh's Haridpur district.

Friday, June 01, 2007
Best Western chain touches Orissa shores
Bhubaneswar, May 31: Cabana Group, the master licensee of the world-renowned chain of hotels — Best Western International — today announced its plans to set up a premier hotel and a management institute here.
The group has lined up investments worth US $1.2 billion in India over the next 10 years.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who presided over the ground-breaking ceremony of the hotel and the institute, hoped that the move would “set new standards of service and related training”.
Co-chairman of Cabana Hotel Management Private Limited and venture capitalist, Prabhu Goel, said the institute will be the group’s first training venture anywhere in the world. “Since the industry demand is huge, we hope that all students will be absorbed after training,” Goel added.
The institute, for which the government has allotted a seven-acre plot near Dumduma, will have hostels for 1,500 students, classrooms, labs, kitchens, along with a an attached 200-bed hotel. The group will represent Best Western brand in India, provide hotel management services and consultancy, he said.
Over the next 10 years, the group intends to add more than 100 hotels and 10,000 rooms to the growing Indian hospitality market. “We have visited places like Chilika, Puri, Konark and Paradip. We are interested to set up hotels there. We have plans to invest around Rs 350 crores in developing properties in the state,” said Goel.
The co-chairman of the group also gave a presentation of upcoming Best Western properties in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Ooty, Rameswaram, Kaniyakumari and Jaisalmer.
“We are planning premier hotels in tier-I and tier-II cities. Later, we would set up 3-5 star hotels depending on the traffic,” Goel said, adding that he is now pulling out of the technology sector. “I have been in technology for 25 years, now I want to get into something more exciting,” he said.
David Kong, president and CEO of Best Western International, said everyday Best Western hotels host nearly 4,00,000 guests. “Some of them would definitely like to come to India. And we hope, by expanding our chain here, international travellers would be interested to visit the country.”
Established in 1946, Best Western International claims to be world’s largest hotel chain operating under a single brand name.Having 4,164 properties in 80 countries worldwide, the group’s global gross revenue for 2006 touched $ 8.15 billion. Cabana Hotel Management Private Ltd was incorporated in India in November 2006.

Rajasthan police leave OrissaFriday, June 01, 2007 07:57:57 am
The Rajasthan police's search operation for Orissa top cop B B Mohanti seems to have suffered a setback. The police team has reportedly left for Rajasthan without arresting the DG. B B Mohanti is accused of helping his son, convicted rapist Bitti Mohanti jump parole and has been evading arrest. He has been on casual leave ever since the four-member Rajasthan police team landed in Orissa. B B Mohanti's leave had expired yesterday (May 31) and he was expected to re-join office from today. The police team would now be filing a report to a local Rajasthan court on Monday, and perhaps increase efforts to obtain a non-bailable warrant for arresting the DG. Sources: Orissa police know Mohanti’s whereabouts Rajasthan police sources said that the team failed to find the DG mainly because of continued lack of cooperation by the Orissa police department. Without sufficient cues and clues as to his whereabouts, sources said, it became virtually impossible catch him. Mohanti This is ironic, since sources within the Orissa police have told TIMES NOW that everyone there knows where their much-loved officer’s whereabouts.

Monsoon hopes elude Orissa farmers
Friday, June 1, 2007 (Khurda District)
The monsoon is likely to hit Orissa in the next seven to 10 days but for farmers there's hardly anything to look forward to. Met predictions suggest it will be less than an average monsoon and that can spell doom for most farmers in the state who depend almost entirely on rains for their staple crop paddy. Nabkishore Bhutia, a farmer of Shampur village in Orissa's Khurda district is ready for a brand new paddy season. The first monsoon showers are expected sooner than later. The 38-year-old owns less than an acre of land, which is entirely rain-fed but he's worried.''If you have 100 days of rain it's a good monsoon. But if it's a 50-day affair you will have uneven rains resulting in drought and crop loss,'' says Nabakishore.Blame policiesNabkishore feels the state government's policies have never favoured farmers.Farmers say the daily wage for labourers has been hiked to Rs 70-80 but there is no relief for them. ''The government offers subsidies worth thousands of crores to big industries but not a pie to farmers. So we have to sell paddy and rice to be able to invest money in farming. And in bad times we are forced to sell it at throw away prices.'' ''Many farmers are selling off their plots because agriculture has become a loss-making and debt ridden business. I think in the next few years, agriculture will perish completely,'' he further says. Faced with uncertain monsoon and lack of incentives. Nabkishore can only see a future clouded by uncertainty.

Friday, June 01, 2007
Anthrax infection spreads in Orissa
Two people in Orissa's Koraput district have died of anthrax, a fairly uncommon disease while many people have been infected by the virus, health officials said Friday.
Bisu Sisa, 45 and Nanda Jani, 35, of Koraput district, nearly 500 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, reportedly showed signs of infection after consuming cattle meat and died last week, Chief District Medical Officer K. Haribandhu Reddy told IANS.
Reddy said five other people from the same village contracted the infection last week and four more have been hospitalised Friday.
'We are providing treatment at the government hospital at Laxmipur while a team of doctors is camping in the affected villages to monitor the situation,' he added.
Anthrax usually affects cattle but some time passes to humans if they eat contaminated meat. Antibiotics often cure the disease if it is diagnosed early.
However, many people do not know they have anthrax until it is too late to cure it. A vaccine to prevent anthrax is available for military personnel and those at high risk.

Anthrax infection spreads in Orissa
Bhubaneswar, June 1: Two people in Orissa's Koraput district have died of anthrax, a fairly uncommon disease while many people have been infected by the virus, health officials said Friday.Bisu Sisa, 45 and Nanda Jani, 35, of Koraput district, nearly 500 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, reportedly showed signs of infection after consuming cattle meat and died last week, Chief District Medical Officer K. Haribandhu Reddy told IANS.Reddy said five other people from the same village contracted the infection last week and four more have been hospitalised Friday."We are providing treatment at the government hospital at Laxmipur while a team of doctors is camping in the affected villages to monitor the situation," he added.Anthrax usually affects cattle but some time passes to humans if they eat contaminated meat. Antibiotics often cure the disease if it is diagnosed early. However, many people do not know they have anthrax until it is too late to cure it. A vaccine to prevent anthrax is available for military personnel and those at high risk.

Orissa DGP Mohanty resumes duty after exit of Rajasthan Police officials
Bhubaneswar, June 1: Orissa Director General of Police (Home Guards) B B Mohanty resumed his duties today after the exit of Rajasthan Police which had been camping in the State for his arrest.
Mohanty joined his office after being on medical leave for five days. He came to office in an ambulanceMeanwhile, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has said that he would look into the situation arising out of the Mohanty episode. Meanwhile, Mohanty had told a TV channel that offences against him were not sustainable."I also respect the executing agency, whether they belong to any other state," he said, adding, "Offences against me are not sustainable in the present case." "When a person is cooperating with law whey do you arrest an individual," he said. On May 23, Patnaik had asked the State Home Department to take an unbiased stand on a case involving Mohanty, who has reportedly helped his son jump parole in the case of a rape of a German national in Alwar, Rajasthan.The Rajasthan Police went to Cuttack to bring Mohanty to Rajasthan in connection with a case registered at Lal Kothi police station on January 10.Mohanty's son Biti was convicted for raping a German researcher on March 20, 2006. He has been missing since getting parole on November 20, 2006.

Hunger death issue rocks Orissa Assembly
Bhubaneswar, June 1: Opposition demand for discussion on poverty and hunger death in Sinapali block in Nuapada district raised furore on the opening day of Orissa Assembly forcing the Chair to adjourn the House thrice without transacting the Question Hour business.The trouble started when Leader of Opposition in the house J B Pattnaik, raised the issue through a point of order soon after the House passed obituary references on five former members.Mr Pattnaik amid opposition from the treasury bench members, said despite all tall claims of the state government, the tribals in the Sinapali Block in Nuapada district were dying of hunger and were forced to consume stone powders in the absence of any rice.He demanded that the issue being very serious should be debated first suspending the business of the House. Speaker Maheswar Mohanty, however, asked the Leader of Opposition to raise the issue after the question hour.Mr Pattnaik insisted that the matter be discussed first in view of the seriousness of the issue, the Speaker questioned him as to why he did not bring the issue through an adjournment motion. This irked the Congress members who shouted slogan against the Chief Minister by holding him responsible for the hunger deaths and acute poverty in the state.The House again witnessed furore as the treasury bench members started shouting at the Opposition for disrupting the business of the House during the question hour.State Panchyat Raj and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Raghunath Mohanty, rising on a point of order, said the state government was ready to discuss any issue raised by the Opposition members and advised the Opposition to bring the matter in proper forum.But the agitated Opposition continued to occupy the well and raised anti-government slogans demanding discussion on the hunger deaths in Sinapali block.Sensing the Opposition mood, the Speaker adjourned the House for 30 minutes. The House reassembled after the adjournment but no business was taken up as Deputy Speaker Prahallad Dora again adjourned the House for 30 minutes.The House was finally adjourned for the third time by Mr Dora till 1700 hrs to take up the annual budget.

Rajasthan cops leave, Mahanti surfaces
Posted Friday , June 01, 2007 at 15:47
Updated Friday , June 01, 2007 at 21:51 Bhubaneshwar: Orissa Director General of Police (Fire Service) and Director General (Home Guards) BB Mahanti has rejoined work just hours after a Rajasthan Police team returned from Cuttack after having failed to trace him.
The senior Indian Police Service Officer has been accused of helping his convict son Bittihotra Mahanti alias Bitti Mahanti jump parole in December last year.
The four-member Rajasthan Police team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Mukund Bihari had reached Orissa on May 28 to arrest BB Mahanti. However, he went on a sudden medical leave as soon as the Rajasthan Police team arrived.
After remaining untraceable for the last four days, he came to office in an ambulance on Friday.
His son was convicted by a Rajasthan court for raping a German tourist and there has been no trace of him since he jumped parole.
The Rajasthan Police team had returned home on Thursday night after failing to find the officer in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.
They returned due to the prevailing tension in Rajasthan where the Gurjars are demanding inclusion in the list of Schedule Tribe.
After resuming his duties Mahanti also attended a meeting at his office where other senior police officers were also present.

Saturday, June 02, 2007
Orissa Budget Rs 40,744 cr
By Our Correspondent, Bhubaneswar, June 1: Orissa finance minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadei on Friday presented a Rs 40,744-crore Budget in the state Assembly here for the year 2007-08, underscoring the need for further fiscal consolidation and efficient fiscal management by reducing non-plan revenue expenditure and enhancing own revenue, besides prioritising budgetary allocation to social sector and infrastructure development.
Earlier on March 29, Mr Ghadei had presented a vote-on-account budget for four months and on Friday, he presented a full-fledged budget. "The thrust of our budget for 2006-07 is on growth, development, efficiency and social equity," Mr Ghadei said. Presenting a balanced budget, Mr Ghadei said, the government has taken many reform measures like expenditure rationalisation measures, revenue step-up measures, improvement in delivery system and proper utilisation of limited resources.

Tribals eating stone in Orissa2 Jun, 2007
BHUBANESWAR: Despite a denial by the Orissa government, Speaker Maheswar Mohanty on Friday ordered a House committee probe into media reports that a group of tribals at Sinapalli in Nuapada district were forced to survive on limestone to fight starvation. The panel, comprising members from the ruling BJD-BJP alliance and opposition Congress, was asked to submit its report a week before the present budget session comes to an end. The Speaker asked revenue minister Manmohan Samal to head the committee though the latter dismissed the reports as "baseless". A few private TV channels had aired reports that some impoverished tribals were compelled to dig out a particular kind of limestone to survive. Later Congress stalled House proceedings and demanded a discussion on the "grave issue". After the House was adjourned thrice, the revenue minister came up with the government’s reply, rubbishing the media reports. He said rice under the public distribution system was being made available in the area at regular intervals and those who appeared on the TV channel reports had been getting their quota of subsidised rice and other foodgrains. Samal claimed that the tribals had been "instigated" to claim that they were eating stones. He said a criminal case had been filed against the journalists who compiled the reports. The minister based his reply on a field inquiry report submitted by a team of district officials.

No fresh taxes in Orissa budget
STATE BUREAU (Saturday, June 02, 2007 at 0049 hours IST)
BHUBANESWAR, JUNE 1 : Orissa finance minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadei on Friday presented a revenue surplus balanced full-fledged state budget of Rs 24133.69 crore for the financial year 2007-08. He has not proposed any fresh taxes.
Ghadei said while the state's total revenue receipt during 2007-08 has been estimated at Rs 19467.20 crore, the revenue expenditure has been pegged at Rs 18421.44 crore, making a revenue surplus of Rs 1045.76 crore. However, he added, that the expenditure in capital account would be Rs 1220.43 crore more than the receipt.
The finance minister told reporters that the government has laid more stress on agriculture, water resources, health, infrastructure development, rural development, poverty eradication, education of the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students besides welfare of the aged and invalid people.
He said the budget has made provisions for special programmes like the Biju Grama Jyoti Yojna, the Biju KBK Yonjna, and the Gopabandhu Gramin Yojna announced by the Naveen Patnaik government.
Funds have been provided for implementation of new schemes such as the 'Intensive Mineral Exploration and Assessment of Mineral Resources', and the 'On line file movement & tracking system'.