As per reports, the missing youth is a student of Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology, Sarang. He has been identified as Sanat Kumar Mahalik from Balasore. He is pursuing B.Tech from the engineering college.
As per sources, the student had gone into the river to take a bath. It is suspected that for a lack of caution, his legs slipped and he was swept away by the water current.
On being informed, Fire Services personnel immediately rushed to the spot and launched a search operation.
The student was untradeable and the search operation was underway till the time of filing of this report.
However, no comments were received either from the college authorities or the kin of the student.
Flames and black smoke were seen billowing out of the engine. However, the cause of the fire has not been ascertained immediately. There are no reports about damage, loss and casualties from the railways authorities.
As per reports, the engine was coming from Raja Athagarh when the fire broke out and later spread to some bogies. It is suspected that the fire might be an outcome of an electric short circuit in its generator.
Sources said, as many as 12 officials were inside the engine, but they managed to escape before the fire broke out.
Black smoke coming out of the train spread about a five km radius.
A team of fire service personnel rushed to the spot and started a firefighting exercise. The power supply was shut down in the area while train services on the line were halted for several hours.
As per reports, the injured students were admitted to Parjang Community Health Centre. The van was carrying 12 students of Barihapur Model School when the accident took place. However, the reason behind the accident could not be ascertained immediately.
Police rushed to the hospital and started an investigation into the matter after seizing the van.
Some political leaders also visited the CHC to know the condition of the injured children, along with local residents, who also thronged the hospital in large numbers.
As per reports, the three students of Banadurga Anchalika Ucha Bidyalaya had gone to the local market to buy puja articles for Saraswati Puja celebrations at the school.
They were returning to the school on a bike carrying the puja articles when an unidentified vehicle hit them from behind. All three fell along with the bike. They were grievously wounded. The injured students were identified as Himansu Mohant, Laxman Mohant and Prakash Delei of Class-IX.
Local people rescued the injured students and rushed them to Kamakshyanagar hospital. As the condition worsened, they were shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
Headmaster of the school Narayan Mohant said that the three students fled the school by taking someone's bike a day before the puja. He denied the allegation that the students had been sent to buy puja articles.
However, some farmers in the Gondia area of Dhenkanal have adopted a different way to scare away wild animals like boars and save their crops. They say, their innovation has yielded good results.
As per reports, a farmer has suspended four glass bottles by tying them with a string on a piece of stick in his farmland, where he cultivated groundnuts, on the banks of the Brahmani River. Some iron nuts tied in a string were left hanging among the bottles. The bottom end of the string was tied with a piece of cardboard from a carton box. The cardboard keeps on twirling at the slightest wind, causing the iron nuts to clang with bottles. This creates a jingling sound that scares away the wild animals from coming to the farmland.
This system of scaring away the animals has been adopted by most farmers in the area, as the system has been effective against the wild animals.
Because of this innovation, they needn’t stay awake all through the night to keep a watch on acres of farmlands.
Farmer Biranchi Malick said, "A forest is there in our Karamul panchayat. Elephants, porcupines, boars, and jackals damage our crops. We farmers have adopted this mechanism to scare the animals away. Boars are a major menace. We fear to kill boars because of legal action. This system keeps these marauding animals away from our farmland.”
Another farmer Sudam Sahu said that this system has been effective against wild animals.
As per reports, the mother elephant and the calf were crossing the Dhenkanal-Kapilash road near Nagiapasi, but slid into the roadside trench. The animals were struggling to get out of the pit, but all in vain.
Coming to know about the distressed animals, local residents immediately informed the forest department.
A team of forest guards and officials along with some members of the elephant squad rushed to the spot. Later, the mother elephant managed to get out of the trench.
An excavator was deployed at the site and a slope pit was dug into the trench. Then the calf was rescued.
Dhenkanal DFO Sumit Kar said, “A seven-member herd was moving in the area. A female elephant and its calf got separated from the herd and fell into a trench. On being informed, a team of forest officials rushed to the site. They were in such a situation that they could not come out naturally. After being rescued, they were driven into the nearby forest. Still, we are tracking them.”
In the initial phase, five elephants from Kapilash will be brought to Chandaka Dampara Wildlife Sanctuary on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar to receive Kumki training.
PCCF(Wildlife) Susanta Nanda said, “Trained elephants are needed to mitigate man-animal conflict. The state government is planning to impart training to elephants initially at four places -- Chandaka, Satkosia, Kapilash and Similipal. Later, the training will be arranged at Debrigarh Sanctuary too. The elephants will be trained by expert mahouts. As Odisha lacks such mahouts, they will be brought from other states.”
He also added that the forest department has drawn up a special blueprint to mitigate the man-animal conflict.
The training programme for elephants is nothing new to Odisha. In the 90’s there was a training provision for elephants at Chandaka and Similipal. However, the initiative gradually petered out. Now, the forest department has decided to impart training to elephants for various reasons.
The trained elephants will help forest officials in forest protection, cleaning tracks in forests, rescuing wild animals in danger, helping forest officials to tranquilize wild animals, and transporting seized items from smugglers and poachers in forested areas.
Wildlife expert Lala AK Singh said that once trained, the elephants will take the commands from mahouts and come in handy in the rescue of wild animals from wells or ditches.
The forest department has decided to take five out of seven elephants from Kapilah for training. Environmentalist Sishir Satpathy observed that what the visitors will see if most elephants will be taken from here.”
As per legend, Lord Ram along with Devi Sita and Laxman had spent seven days at Saptasajya hill during his exile from Ayodhya.
Saptasajya is a famous tourist place which is located 12 km from Dhenkanal town and 62 km from the State capital. The scenic beauty with natural backdrop coupled with religious significance has gained popularity among people from the state and outside.
The word Saptasajya loosely translates to (Sapta) seven and (Sajya) bed. Apart from being an important place in the tourism map of Odisha, the place has spiritual significance as well. Legend has it that Lord Rama and His family had spent seven days and seven nights at this scenic place with full of spiritual ambiance during their exile of 14 years from Ayodhya. Moreover, Lord Ram had also performed a Yagna at Saptasajya hill before his venture into Ravan’s kingdom Lanka. As per popular belief, Saptasajya was part of ‘Dandakaranya’ at that time.
“Lord Rama was staying in Dandakaranya during his exile. He might have passed through Saptasajya and stayed at the place for some days. The possibility could not be discarded,” said historian Pradyumna Rath.
There are also many other folklores regarding Saptasajya. A floating stone is worshipped here for ages. As per popular belief, it is one of the stones that were used to build a floating bridge by Lord Ram at Rameswaram to venture into Lanka. However, nobody knows who brought that stone to the hill.
Interestingly, a temple in the area, built by the erstwhile queen of Dhenkanal Rani Ratnaprava Devi, has idols of Lord Ram, his brother Laxman, and wife Sita along with the Pandavas.
“Saptasajya is surrounded by deep forest and it has a scenic beauty. The place has special spiritual and religious significance. Thousand of devotees throng the place during Ram Navami to offer their prayer and worship Lord Ram, Goddess Sita and younger brother Laxman,” said Ratan Nair, a senior journalist.
The incident allegedly hurt the religious sentiments of the villagers who expressed their anger over it. The temple trust committee formed by the Endowment department condemned the incident defiling the sanctity of the temple.
The temple was recently renovated under the 5T initiative, sources said.
As per reports, the facade of the temple, the places around the statutes of the deities, side deities, and some parts of the temple walls have been pasted with cow dung and soil.
Temple priest Biswamohan Panda said that when he came in the morning to worship, he spotted cow dung and soil smeared all over the temple. “I told about it to the members of the temple trust committee and they have filed a complaint at the police station,” he lamented.
Niranjan Jena, the treasurer of the temple trust, said, "The temple was renovated at a cost of Rs 4 lakh which was given by the 5T chairperson. The work was completed four days ago.”
The Governor's district visits have now triggered sharp political reactions from the major political parties in the state.
As per reports, the Governor not only receives complaints galore from people but also takes stock of the execution of projects at the ground level. During his visits to Angul and Dhenkanal, he inspected school infrastructure, an old age home, hostels, the pollution caused by MCL, falling groundwater level and elephant mayhem, apart from directly interacting with people. Later, he wrote to the CM to redress the issues on December 8.
He also did the same and sought to know the issues of people in Malkangiri and Koraput. At Mathili, the Governor interacted with patients at the local hospital and later provided Rs 1 lakh as assistance to a poor girl Kabita Kahara at Pangam village who is aspiring to be an IAS officer. He expressed his displeasure over the absence of an Anganwadi centre there.
While the government has been boasting of the effective execution of projects, complaints from people to the Governor have put a question mark on the government. A question arises if the benefits of the schemes really reach people.
As for the issue, BJP leader Mohan Majhi targeted the government, accusing it of misleading people in the name of development to create a vote bank. "People will no longer be cheated and they will reply. The Governor has proved the hollowness of the so-called development," he added.
Congress veteran Jayadev Jena said, “After visiting Angul and Dhenkanal, the Governor has talked about the sorry state of affairs. What he has said about the development is reflected everywhere. Let him visit the entire state and see what kind of development has been done.”
However, BJD leader Padmanabh Behera countered it, saying, “People can feel the way development is being done in various sectors. If the government has pointed out something, the government will try to look into it.”
The I-T sleuths came out of the plant after a marathon raid that lasted for three days. And if reports are to be believed, they have found many important documents from the liquor maker.
The plant’s Managing Director, Bikram Sahu was also questioned many times during the raid. However, the Income Tax department has not made any statements regarding the findings from Shakti Maltare.
It was suspected that Shakti Maltare had connections with Boudh Distillery which was recently raided by the I-T department. However, the MD of Shakti Maltare, Bikram Sahu had denied the reports.
Speaking about the raid, Sahu had said, “As far as the I-T raids are concerned, I do not know why they raided my plant. Only the I-T personnel can answer that.”
“Though we procure spirit from Boudh distillery, I personally do not know them. I have four clients who bring us spirit and we create liquor from it before selling them to my clients who then sell it in the market with their labels,” Sahu had said.
It is pertinent to mention here that Shakti Maltare has been preparing alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks since 2012. It has licence for blending, bottling, distribution, and sales of alcohol.
It may be noted here that the I-T raids on multiple locations linked to country liquor factories of Baldeo Sahu and Sons and Boudh Distillery Pvt Ltd had yielded cash worth Rs 320 crore in Odisha recently.
As per reports, two teams of I-T officials came in cars this morning and carried out a raid on the beer-making factory of Shakti Maltare and Lemonade Pvt Ltd at Machhigan under Tumusinga police limits.
This raid is said to have links with the raids carried out by the I-T officials on the Boudh Distillery Private Limited recently.
As per reports, Shakti Maltare and Lemonade Pvt Ltd usually make beer under several brands after blending the spirit bought from outside.
The raid has been underway by two teams. Though it is not clear if the raid is linked to tax evasion, sources added that the raid earlier carried out on the Boudh Distillery has a link with the raid in Dhenkanal. It is also said that the spirit used by the factory is supplied by the Boudh Distillery Limited.
It may be noted here that the I-T raids on multiple locations linked to country liquor factories of Baldeo Sahu and Sons and Boudh Distillery Pvt Ltd had yielded cash worth Rs 320 crore in Odisha recently.
The raids on the liquor factory were underway till the filing of the last report.
The arrested accused has been identified as Sanjil Pradhan who hails from Jambujodi village under Kaniha police station. Pradhan has been produced before the court.
Another accused in connection with the case is reportedly absconding. A motorcycle used in the murder has been seized by the police.
As per police sources, the youth, identified as Bikash Behera, was murdered over a love-related matter.
Angul Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Ramakant Mahalik said that an effort is underway to nab the other accused involved in the murder case.
“The deceased had a relationship with the niece of one of the accused. They hatched a conspiracy against the deceased. Subsequently, they kidnapped him as per the plan and murdered him,” said Mahalik.
“We have apprehended one accused in connection with the murder case so far. We have also seized the rope, stones, and a motorcycle used for committing the murder,” he added.
As per the tradition, special rituals are performed at puja pandals of the Goddess. Dahi Pakhala (curd rice), a special recipe, is offered to the Goddess at all puja pandals only on Thursdays, during the 11-day spiritual extravaganza. Dahi Pakhala is a mixture of curd and Anna Prasad.
In fact, it was the Ganesh Bazar Puja Committee that had initiated the recipe as a divine offering. Later, this tradition was adopted by all other puja committees. On other days, Sankudi Bhoga, Anna, Khiri, and Puri are offered to the goddess.
Thousands of women devotees wearing new white sarees thronged pandals in the morning today. They decorated the front yards of the pandals with colourful and attractive Jhotis/Rangolis of different motifs. Apart from offering new sarees, women devotees also offered a variety of fruits and sweets to the Goddess.
Kumudini Rout, a woman devotee in Dhenkanal town, termed Thursday as the most favourite day for the Goddess. “As today is Thursday, we visit the puja pandals in the morning and evening. We offer fruits and sweets. As per beliefs, worshiping the Goddess on Thursday usually pleases Her. The Goddess gives blessings for the welfare of the family,” she observed.
Another woman devotee Snehalata Sukla, said that women made jhotis for Maa Laxmi, who always showers her blessings on them. “We offer 10 varieties of sweets and fruits, apart from cakes, Kheer, Suji Cakara, Dhala Manda to the Goddess.”
The deceased has been identified as Niranjan Sahu. Police recovered his body which was lying in a pool of blood near the Railway over bridge at Alatuma village under Kamakhyanagar police station in the district this morning. The deceased had multiple bullet injuries.
As per reports, Niranjan was released from jail on bail six months back in connection with the murder case of Baruan Samiti member in 2021.
Though the exact reason behind the death is not known yet, it is suspected that past enmity could have led to the murder.
Family members of the deceased have alleged that Niranjan was killed by some people who were harbouring a grudge against him. As per them, Niranjan was getting regular threat calls from unidentified miscreants for some days.
“As many as four miscreants with the help of others have killed my brother as they were nursing a grudge against him over past enmity,” said the deceased’s brother Sarbeswar Sahu.
Meanwhile, Kamakhyanagar police has registered a case and started an investigation into the incident.
Hrudananda secured the top position in the 73 kg Youth Category event with a total lift of 250 kg to win the yellow metal.
“The competition level at the mega championship was pretty tough. Weightlifters from as many as 15 countries had participated in the event. I am so happy that I was able to win the gold medal. It is a confidence booster for me,” said Hrudananda.
The promising weightlifter from Kutunia village in Dhenkanal district is the son of Harihar Das who ekes out a living by driving an auto-rickshaw. However, with his strong determination and dedication to the sports, Hrudananda overcame many obstacles to come up with flying colours.
He was accorded a grand welcome upon his arrival in Dhenkanal. After garlanding the statute of freedom fighter and martyr Baji Rout, Hrudananda was taken in a grand procession around the city by several sports enthusiasts and local residents. Many Puja committee members also felicitated the emerging weightlifter on the occasion.
Eventually, Hrudananda was taken to Dhenkanakl Collector’s office in a grand procession. Collector Saroj Kumar Sethi met Hrudananda at his office and congratulated him for his grand success.
“The young weightlifter has brought glory to the district, State and country. It is a matter of pride for Dhenkanal. Many Congratulations to Hrudananda and his coach. I am hopeful that the emerging weightlifter will bring many more glories for the district in the future,” said Sethi.
Hrudananda’s coach Gopalakrushna Das was on cloud nine over his ward’s success.
“I had started imparting training to Hrudananda from a very tender age. I am very much satisfied that he has won a gold medal in an international level tournament. I am hopeful that Hrudananda will win many more medals in the future. Many more talented weightlifters under my tutelage are in the offing. In coming days, they will bring more laurels for the State and the country,” said Gopalakrushna.
Fumed over the power outage, the BJP workers on Monday held a protest at the Tata Power Central Odisha Distribution Limited (TPCODL) office in Dhenkanal.
The saffron party workers led by former MLA Krushna Chandra Patra and former MP Rudra Pani staged a protest at the TPCODL office. Moreover, they also locked the main gate of the office protesting the power snaps in the area.
The agitating members also threatened to call Dhenkanal bandh if TPCODL fails to take necessary measure to address the power outage in the district.
“The Odisha government has completely failed in the power distribution. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik should applogise while the Energy Minister Pratap Deb should resign from his post. We will continue our protest until the District Collector comes here,” BJP leader Rudra Pani said.
“At a time when the entire Odisha is reeling under intense heatwave conditions, the frequent power cut by TPCODL is condemnable. If required, we will intensify our protest and even call for Dhenkanal bandh,” said an agitating BJP leader.
Meanwhile, the protest was called off after the TPCODL executive engineer assured of an uninterrupted power supply.
Meanwhile, Congress activists hit the streets, and hurled eggs and tomatoes at GRIDCO office in Bhubaneswar in protest against power cuts.
Moreover, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) President Sarat Pattanayak also appealed people not to pay pending electricity bills.
Similarly, BJP activists and locals gheroed electricity office in Balasore’s Soro protesting the power outage in the area.
The victim has been identified as Kanhu Charan Sahu. In the process, Sahu sustained grievous injuries in his hand and thigh. He was immediately rushed to Kamakhyanagar hospital. Later, he was shifted to a hospital in Cuttack as his condition deteriorated.
As per reports, the three bike-borne miscreants intercepted Sahu’s car at around 10.45 pm on Wednesday. Subsequently, they broke open the windowpane of the vehicle and shot two rounds of bullets at Sahu leaving him critically injured. They fled the spot immediately.
However, the motive behind the attack on Sahu is yet to be ascertained.
After getting information, Kamakhyanagar police arrived at the spot and started an investigation into the incident on the basis of the CCTV footage. Empty cartridges of bullets and shards of glass were recovered from the spot.
“We were in the kitchen when somebody informed us that Kanhu has been shot. We rushed out of the house and saw him badly injured. He was immediately admitted to the nearby medical,” said Sahu’s aunt Kabita.
Notably, Sahu was attacked by miscreants and bombs were also hurled at his residence a few months back.
As per initial reports, the mishap occurred after a steam pipe burst following some gas leakage. Sources said some labourers and engineers, who were doing some inspection at the blast furnace, have been injured in the incident. It is said that the persons were injured after hot water fell on them.
All the 19 persons, who sustained injuries in the incident, have been shifted to a private hospital in Cuttack. The injured included some labourers and engineers as well.
Initially, all of them were given first aid at the medical unit inside the plant. The mishap occurred at around 2 pm today. The condition of two persons is said to be critical.
Dhenkanal SP, Gyanaranjan Mohapatra said, “The valve carrying hot water got opened and around 19 persons have been injured in the incident.”
According to Mohapatra, a team from the district administration will also visit the spot for an investigation.
Meanwhile, Tata Steel released a statement and confirmed that 19 persons were injured in the mishap of which the condition of one was stated to be critical.
“We are deeply saddened to report an accident at the BFPP2 power plant due to escape of steam at Tata Steel Meramandali Works in Dhenkanal, Odisha. The accident occurred at 1:00 pm (IST) (Tuesday) during the course of the inspection work. Immediately post the accident, all the emergency protocols services were activated and the area was cordoned off," the statement read.
"The accident has affected several people. All of them were immediately shifted to the Occupational Health Centre inside the plant premises and then to Cuttack for further treatment, as a precautionary measure, in the Company's ambulance, accompanied by doctor and paramedics," the statement added.
The deceased has been identified as Rangabati Das.
According to sources, Rangabati and her husband, identified as Niranjan Das, had an altercation over a matter last night.
The verbal spat took an ugly turn when Niranjan started thrashing Rangabati. Subsequently, he set her on fire after pouring kerosene on her, sources informed, adding that Rangabati succumbed to her injuries later.
“In an arbitrated condition, my father thrashed my mother and later set her on fire which resulted in her death. I have registered a complaint with Kankadahada police in this regard,” said Bikash Das, son of the deceased.
On being informed about the incident, Kankadahada police reached the spot and seized the body before sending it for autopsy.
The police have also detained Niranjan in connection with the case and further investigation into the matter is on.
Meet Jeeban Kumar Mallick from Mundidehuli Sahi of Kamakhyanagar in Dhenkanal district. Though the 24-year-old divyang youth is a meritorious student and a diploma holder, he has not received any help from the government. He is now forced to run a chicken center to earn his living.
Jeeban is deaf and dumb from his childhood. Moreover, he is suffering from sickle cell disease. He also lost his mother in his childhood. After completing his education, when he couldn’t manage a job, he became helpless. With no other alternative, he decided to start a chicken center in his area to earn his livelihood.
“The hapless fellow is deaf and dumb from childhood. He also lost his mother when he was 12 years old. After completing his Matriculation, he passed Diploma after a lot of hardship. Nobody is ready to give him a job as he is deaf and dumb. The doctor has reported that he is 90 percent hard of hearing. We are always worried about his future,” said Jeeban’s grandfather, Basant Mallick.
“Jeeban is a good student. He has passed Matric with good division and completed his Diploma. Though he failed to get a job, he was committed to do something in his life. With no help forthcoming from any sources, he is running a small chicken center now. But the earning is not enough to buy medicines for his sickle cell disease. We request the government to provide some help to the hapless boy to start a poultry farm and become self-reliant in the process,” said Jeeban’s father, Jayanta Mallick.
Local residents have also demanded that the government should extend its helping hand for Jeeban who is using sign language while dealing with the customers at his shop.
“Jeeban is a very nice guy. Though he has passed Diploma, he is forced to earn his living by running a chicken center. We request the district administration to provide some sort of help to him,” said Sanjay Mallick, a villager.
Meanwhile, the Dhenkanal district administration has assured all kinds of help to Jeeban.
“We are always making people aware to be self-reliant. The government has started many schemes in this regard. We are providing monetary assistance at low interest rates under various schemes. We urge people to start their own ventures by taking advantage of those schemes,” said Kamakhyanagar Sub-Collector, Jyoti Sankar Sahu.
“We will try to provide necessary assistance to the divyang youth as per government provisions,” he added.
As per reports, considering the bumper production of mangoes in the district, the State Horticulture and Agriculture Department had come up with a mango hub and integrated pack house along National Highway 55 near Gobindapur village with an estimated expenditure of Rs 11 crore. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone of the project.
However, the ambitious project has been lying defunct for the last eight years. After functioning for only two years, the multipurpose project has been locked. As a result, machinery worth lakhs of rupees is picking up rust. Moreover, without proper maintenance, trees, and creepers have damaged the office and covered the premises.
Former Dhenkanal MLA, Naveen Nanda expressed his resentment over the indifferent attitude of the State government.
“It is quite unfortunate that the mango hub stopped functioning after 2015 due to lack of political will and indifferent attitude of the State government. The project has the required infrastructure. If it will be revived, distress sale of mangoes can be stopped in Dhenkanal,” said Nanda.
Farmers in the district are of the opinion that they are forced to resort to the distress sale of mangoes due to lack of marketing facilities.
“I have planted around 300 mango trees on three acres of land. Due to lack of proper marketing facilities, I am forced to sell mangoes at cheap prices thereby incurring huge losses. It is quite unfortunate that the mango hub stopped functioning just after two years. The revival of the mango hub will be of great help to the farmers in the district,” said Dasarathi Behera, a farmer.
Dhenkanal is a leading district in the State in mango production. Varieties of luscious mangoes are exported from Dhenkanal to different parts of the country and the State. Earlier, the mangoes were stored and packed in the mango hub and exported to Kolkata, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bangladesh, and other parts of the State. However, with the mango hub lying defunct for the last eight years, the marketing facility has been seriously hampered.
Responding to the resentment of farmers, Dhenkanal Collector Saroj Kumar Sethi said that steps will be taken soon for the revival of the project.
“Dhenkanal is famous for mango production. Varieties of mangoes are available here. Steps will be taken to extend cold storage and export facilities to the mango farmers in the district by reviving the mango hub,” said Sethi.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Arabinda K Padhee has also tweeted that the process has already started for the revival of the mango hub.
It remains to be seen when the mango hub in Dhenkanal will be revived.
As per reports, the DMF meeting was conducted after a gap of three years. Sahu asked about the expenditure of the fund. He also asked why the projects undertaken with the fund are not completed in time. The MP alleged that the government officials are flouting all the rules and regulations including those under 5T initiative.
In reply, Collector Sethi told himself as a ‘rubber stamp’. The development led to heated exchange between both of them.
The incident has become the talk of the town in the political sphere.
“Collector and Chairman should have presided over the DMF meeting. However, the meetings are not conducted in the constitutional manner. The meetings should have been conducted in every three-four months. But it was conducted after two years,” said Sahu.
“District Mineral funds should be approved before one year. As it has not been approved earlier, different projects could not be completed in time. The government officials are floating all the rules and regulations including the 5T. When I questioned about these things, Collector told him as a ‘rubber stamp’,” said Sahu.
However, Collector Sethi dismissed the reports of any face-off between him and the MP.
“The allegation about face-off is baseless. It was only a difference of opinion. Whenever there is a discussion about development, there is bound to have difference of opinions,” said Sethi.
The victim has been identified as Lakhmipriya Patnaik, a resident of Puruna Patanda village under Athagarh police station in Cuttack district.
The deceased’s husband Debi Prasad Mohanty and father-in-law were arrested and forwarded to court in connection with the case.
According to sources, Lakhmipriya had tied the nuptial knot with Debi Prasad as per the Hindu rituals on March 11, 2023. As per her in-laws, she was recently admitted to a medical due to illness. However, doctors declared her brought dead.
Following the incident, Lakhmipriya’s father Pradeep Patnaik and other family members lodged a complaint at Bhapur police station alleging that Lakhmipriya has been murdered for dowry.
As per the complaint, the in-laws of the deceased were demanding more dowry of Rs 2 lakh. They have beaten her to death when their demands were not fulfilled.
“Even one month has not been completed following my daughter’s marriage. The in-laws have beaten her to death demanding more dowries,” said the deceased’s father Pradeep Patnaik.
“I had given them Rs 1 lakh as dowry. They were demanding Rs 2 lakh more. I had promised them to give the amount by selling my land. However, they didn’t have the patience. They thrashed my daughter mercilessly to death,” he added.
Based on the complaint, the deceased’s husband and father-in-law were arrested.
“A dowry-related murder case has been registered at Bhapur police station. The deceased’s husband and father-in-law have been arrested and forwarded to court. The dowry property will be seized tomorrow. Further investigation into the incident is currently underway,” said Dhenkanal SDPO Suryamani Pradhan.
According to sources, Mallik was apprehended by the officials of the anti-corruption agency while accepting an undue advantage from an assistant teacher for releasing of pay allowance and DA arrears, which were held up due to suspension.
The entire bribe money has been recovered and seized from his possession, sources in the Vigilance informed.
Following the trap, the Vigilance launched simultaneous raids at three places including the residential house of Mallik at Kuansa in Bhadrak.
Till the last report came in, the search is on at Mallik’s rented house at Khajuriakata Bajar and his office.
The sleuths so far has recovered Rs 11.10 lakh has been his Bhadrak residence while Rs 82000 recovered from the Hindol residence.
Further investigation into the matter is on.
While the conch party won 11 out of 16 wards including the chairperson's post in Hindol NAC election, the BJP registered victory in five wards. However, the Congress party has failed to open its account in the urban poll.
BJD candidate Kesab Pradhan won the chairperson post by defeating his nearest rival from BJP.
Similarly, in Bargarh’s Attabira, the BJD registered victory in 11 out of 12 wards while Congress managed to secure only one seat.
According to sources, BJD’s candidate for chairperson post Banamali Bariha defeated his nearest opponent Sabita Bhue of Congress by over 4000 votes.
Notably, the polling for councillors and chairpersons for Hindol and Attabira NACs was held on April 3.
In Atabira NAC, a total of 38 candidates contested the electoral battle for the councillors posts while four contested for the chairperson post. Similarly, 53 candidates were in the fray for the councillors posts for 16 wards in Hindol NAC.
(Reported by Deepak Sharma, Rajashree Satpathy, OTV)
A team of forest officials reached the spot and seized the carcass of the jumbo. An investigation into the death of the wild animal has started.
Though the exact cause of the death of the elephant is yet to be ascertained, it is suspected that the wild animal might have died due to suspected food poisoning.
As there is no electric wire in the nearby area and the tusks of the elephant are intact, some local people are of the opinion that the elephant might have died due to food poisoning. Forest officials did not rule out the role of the locals to keep the elephants away from damaging their crops.
However, as per the ranger exact reason behind the death of the elephant will be ascertained only after post-mortem.
(Reported by Rajashree Satapathy)
Meet Shubhankar Rout from Manipr village in Dhenkanal district. Professionally, Shubhankar was working as a paramedic in a private hospital and getting a good salary. However, the comfort of a safe job and the lure of money could not prevent him from pursuing his passion for bodybuilding. Eventually, he left his job to give his full time to pursue bodybuilding.
Shubhankar had a passion for bodybuilding from his very childhood. However, his family members wanted him to study well and get a secure job. Succumbing to the pressure from his family members, he got admission to a paramedical course in a private institution. After the completion of the course, he got a job in a private hospital.
However, his true calling was something different and at the core of his heart, he wanted to be a bodybuilder. That burning desire always propelled him to prepare as a bodybuilder along with his job. Regular exercises, proper dieting and other subtle nuances of bodybuilding were always part of his daily routine along with his job as a paramedic.
Finally, his dream was fulfilled and persistency was rewarded when he recently grabbed a gold and silver medal each in the Men’s Physique and Junior categories of a National Level Bodybuilding competition in Hyderabad. More than 400 bodybuilders took part in the competition.
“I was preparing for the competition for the last three years. I am so happy to win two medals,” said Subhankar.
With his rare feat in a national-level competition, the emerging bodybuilder has brought laurels for his district and the State.
“Initially, I didn’t get support from my family members to pursue bodybuilding as it was a new-generation sport and they had no knowledge about it. My father gathered information about the sport from different sources gradually and now my family members are supporting me a little bit for the last one year,” said Shubhankar.
Parents of Shubhankar, who were once opposing him to pursue bodybuilding, are now on the blue moon following their son’s success.
“We are so proud of Shubhankar’s feat. He has brought laurels for the village and the entire State by winning two medals in a national-level bodybuilding competition. May God bless him always so that he will reach the pinnacle of success,” said Shubhankar’s father Bijay Rout.
Bolstered by his success in a national-level competition, Shubhankar has now set an aim to script success in various international-level bodybuilding competitions.
(Reported by Rajashree Satapathy)
Though the exact reason behind the death of the leopard is yet to be ascertained, it is suspected that the big cat might have died a couple of days back.
With the recent death, the forest range has recorded two leopard deaths within a year. Earlier on 20 May 2022, a leopard had died in the forest range, sources informed.
Meanwhile, a team of forest department officials has reached the spot and launched an investigation to ascertain the circumstances leading to the death of the leopard.
“We got information that the carcass of a leopard was lying. The leopard is believed to have died one or two days ago. The exact reason behind the death is still unknown and no traps were also found at the spot. An investigation into the matter is on,” said Prakash Chand Gogineni, Dhenkanal Divisional Forest Officer (DFO).
Recently, a leopard cat and an elephant were found dead at Similipal National Park in Mayurbhanj district. While the leopard cat’s carcass was found on Monday, a decomposed carcass of an elephant with its tusks missing was found in the national park on Sunday.
It is suspected that the elephant was killed by poachers and its tusks were removed.
(Reported by Rajashree Satpathy, OTV)
As per initial reports, the bus named Nilamadhab lost control and fell into a canal after breaking the bridge railing.
The two persons who were killed in the mishap were women. The deceased have been identified as Renubala Jena and Bijayalakshmi Swain of Ichhapur village in Kendrapara district.
All the injured were first admitted to Dhenkanal district headquarters hospital. Later, 15 of them were shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack as their condition deteriorated.
Sources said there were 43 passengers in the bus who had gone for a tour to Bolangir and Sambalpur from Ichhapur village in Kendrapara district.
The police have launched an investigation into the matter.
Reported by Rajashree Satapathy, OTV
Expressing discontent over the district administration’s delay in recruiting teachers, students and their parents staged a dharna and locked the school on Saturday seeking immediate recruitment of teachers, said sources.
As many as 98 students from Class I to Class VIII study in the school. However, there are only four teachers to teach students. Earlier, five teachers were there. Recently, one teacher has got transferred to a nearby school. As a result, existing teachers are finding it hard to provide quality education to students, alleged villagers.
Upset students and their parents meanwhile have drawn the attention of District Education Officer in this regard.
Brajabandhu Jena, a parent, said, “We will continue our stir till the district administration does not come up with a solution. Besides, we want reappointment of that particular teacher who has been transferred.”
Swadhin, a student, said, “Earlier, we had five teachers. Now, four teachers are there to teach us. One has been transferred to Durgaprasad School. We are demanding to appoint one more teacher for smooth conduct of classes.”
Another student, Prachi, said, “Due to shortage of teachers our study has been hampered badly. That’s why we have launched agitation. Earlier, we agitated by sitting on school veranda. But the district administration did not pay heed to the issue. That’s why we took to street to draw the attention of administration.”
Jitendra Prusty, one of the teachers of the school, said “The school has 98 students. Earlier, there were no issues in the school pertaining to teaching. After transfer of a lady teacher, education has been badly affected. Villagers and School Management Committee members have locked the school gate and staged protest.”
Reported by Rajashree Satpathy, OTV
As per reports, a tusker reportedly trampled Alekh Nayak while he had gone to attend nature’s call at an open field near his house in the wee hours today. Later, the jumbo attacked Bari Nayak.
“My father had stepped out of house to attend nature’s call early in the morning. Later, we learnt that he was trampled to death by an elephant,” said deceased Alekh Nayak’s son Amar.
Kartik Nayak, a local resident said, “The incident has sparked fear in the minds of the residents as there is frequent movement of elephants in the area. We had earlier requested the forest department officials to keep the jumbos away from near human settlements.”
Meanwhile, the forest department officials have reached the spot and rescued the bodies. Efforts are also on to monitor the movement of the elephant.
It is pertinent to mention here that an elephant had trampled four persons to death in Angul Forest Division in the first week of January this month.
(Reported by Bidyadhar Baral)
Of late, Dhenkanal boy Pratik Sethy has earned kudos for inventing a brain controller device for paralysis patients.
Talking about his invention, Pratik, a Class VI student, said, “Those who are wheelchair-bound and suffering from paralysis find it difficult to walk. They just cannot make the wheelchair run on their own and someone needs to be there with them always to push the wheelchair. My device will help wheelchair-bound paralysis patients to make the wheelchair run without anyone’s help.”
Pratik has used a sensor system in his device which helps control paralysis patients’ brain. Also, his device can measure stress level of paralysis patients. He took two-three months’ time to make this device. He spent Rs 25,000 to come up with this project, sources said.
Besides, he has developed a pocket CPU which will help manage daily work.
Srinivas Sethy, Pratik’s father, said, “Pratik is also a software developer. He has acquired knowledge on computer courses like Java, Python, Javasript. Seeing his enthusiasm for computer languages, I made him learn different computer languages. He is also presently designing different apps.”
Ramesh Kumar Sahu, his guide, said, “In short, he is a genius. He has developed such a device which will help wheelchair-bound paralysis patients make the wheelchair run without anyone’s help.”
Sub-collector Jyoti Shankar Sahu, said, “I would like to convey my hearty wishes to Pratik for coming up with such an amazing project for the benefit of paralysis patients. It’s a matter of pride for us that students like Pratik belong to this locality. He will no doubt inspire many students to explore their skills.”
Pratik’s mother said, “Pratik does everything with enthusiasm. He always shows great interest to know new things. His quest for acquiring knowledge is endless. He is a great follower of APJ Abdul Kalam.”
Reported by Bidyadhar Baral, OTV
As per reports, a coordination meeting for this year’s Magha Mela was held at the Collectorate in Dehenkanal where representatives of both the sects were present along with the Collector and the SP.
Following the meeting, while the chief of Bakkaladhari samaj, Nityananda Baba said the mela will be held without any issues, the Kaupindhari samaj raised objections.
Speaking to reporters, Baba Nityanand said, “The meeting was joined by the SP, Collector, representatives of both the mutts and it was decided that the Magha Purnima Yatra will be held peacefully. The Kaupindharis are granted a place beside the main temple of Mahima Gosain to worship and perform their rituals. The Bakkaladhari samaj will construct a mandap for them to use.”
“Both the sects are getting along quite well. All the court disputes have been resolved and put to rest,” he said.
However, Baba Raghunath Das, the chief of Kaupindhari Mahima Samaj did not concur with the view after the meeting. In fact, he said they are not satisfied at the decisions taken in the meeting.
“The Sunya Mandir belongs to everybody. Why we are not allowed to perform puja inside it?” Das asked.
“We are not satisfied with the meeting. We do not have a place to worship. Neither do we have a place to receive the devotees and bless them,” he rued.
Bati Mandir and Dhuni Mandir- located on the premises of famous Mahima shrine at Joranda were pulled down by the district administration on November 22 after the High Court order.
Bakkaladhari Mahima Samaj and Kaupindhari Mahima Samaj had been locking horns over the possession of Bati Mandir and Dhuni Mandir. The matter had been subjudice in the High Court since 1945. Acting upon the court order in this regard, the local administration demolished the temples.
The dispute between the two sects has pushed the observance of Magha mela this year into uncertainty as the Kaupindharis are still considering their participation in the event.
(Reported By Rajashree Satapathy, OTV)
As per Dehuri’s allegations, his house has not been completed yet under the government scheme. However, he was left shellshocked when he received money for its repair work.
Reports suggest that Dehuri had got work order to build the house under PMAY in 2007. But he could not build his house as he had not received the money. To his utter dismay, he received Rs 3,000 towards repair of his house in his account during the time when Covid was spreading its tentacles fast.
Subsequently, Dehuri filed an RTI plea and was shocked to know that his work has been completed in 2018. Allegedly, he also didn’t get any bank transaction about the work.
With work order in hand, Dehuri is now running from pillar to post seeking justice.
“I had got the work order in 2007. The officials asked me to begin the construction work and assured me to give the money after completion. But I was poor and I didn’t have enough money to start the work. I visited many offices, but the officials did not pay any attention,” said Dehuri.
“However, I was surprised to get Rs 3,000 for repair work of my house in 2018. Through RTI query I came to know that construction of my house has been completed. As per the RTI reply, it was evident that I am a victim of a scam. I demand stern action against the corrupt officials,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dhenkanal district administration has taken the matter seriously and assured to initiate a probe into the matter.
“Advance money is given for construction of houses under PMAY. We will have a thorough investigation into the matter and stern action will be taken against the culprits,” said Dhenkanal Collector Saroj Kumar Sethi.
The deceased identified as Jagannath Mohapatra was a resident of Basudeipur.
According to sources, Jagannath used to eke out a living through sharecropping. He had spent lakhs of rupees due to health issues three years back. He had taken loan from a bank and some friends for his treatment.
After his recovery, Jagannath was in stress as he found it hard to repay the loan. That’s why he chose to end his life to get rid of the loan burden, sources added.
Bhuban police seized the body and sent it for post-mortem after a complaint was lodged in this regard.
Last month, a sexagenarian farmer allegedly committed suicide by consuming pesticide at Nakulguda under Bisingpur police station in Koraput district. The deceased identified as Dambru Harijan became critical after consuming pesticide and was rushed to Boriguma hospital where he succumbed.
It is learnt that flood has ruined crops raised on hectares of land across the state. Vegetables grown in the farmland in Cuttack, Khurda and Puri districts have also been severely damaged due to the flood. Many farmers who have grown seasonal vegetables and paddy after taking loans have incurred huge losses due to the flood.
They had availed loans for cultivation from cooperative societies and banks. After incurring losses, they are staring at uncertainty.
Watch: Giant Python Struggles After Getting Stuck In Net In Dhenkanal Village, Odisha
At least 53 students of Sogar Government Upper Primary School on Friday were hospitalised after consuming their Mid-Day Meal (MDM) at Kamakhyanagar block in Dhenkanal district.
All the students are currently undergoing treatment at Anlabereni community health centre (CHC). Nine of the students are stated to be critical.
According to sources, the students were served soya beans with rice for the MDM today. Soon, they started vomiting and experienced severe stomach ache. The school principal has accused the local Self-Help Group (SHG) of providing low quality food to the students.
“The soya bean that the SHG served to the students was infested with worms. First 8-10 students experienced vomiting. Soon, other students also experienced the same. Soon, I called a vehicle and admitted the students to the local CHC. Now, the condition of other students is also critical,” informed Headmistress Gitanjali Behera.
“Till now at least 36 students, both boys and girls, have been admitted to the hospital. One of them was critical. However, he is stable after we administered injection. Similarly five to six students were also critical after taking the worm-infested food. However, other 20 students are ill after being terrified due to the incident. They are panicked. But, they will be fine soon,” Chinmaya Samal, doctor at Anlabereni community health centre (CHC).
According to sources, the youth identified as a resident of Parjang was admitted to Dhenkanal Headquarters Hospital in the morning after trying to end his life by slitting his throat with the help of sharp weapon. The youth who was bleeding profusely was rushed to hospital in a critical condition. Despite undergoing treatment, he again tried to end his life by jumping off the fifth floor of the hospital. His condition is stated to be critical.
When asked the reason behind the repeated suicide attempts by the youth, his family members were not able to clarify the reasons. They said they even did not know what prompted him to take such extreme step repeatedly.
His mother said, “Today morning he tried to kill self by slitting his throat and hands. He was brought to hospital and was undergoing treatment. To utter surprise, he again did the same by jumping off the hospital building. He had never told me things that bothered him.”
Informing media, hospital authorities said, “The youth has suicidal tendency. He must be suffering from psychological disorder for which he has been repeatedly trying to end life.”
The incident took place at Chandrasekharpur village under Gaandia police limits in Dhenkanal district on Friday.
According to sources the accused identified as Nakafodi Majhi reportedly hacked his wife Suchala Majhi with a sharp weapon suspecting her involvement in extramarital affair.
Later, locals stopped him near Janghira under Sadar police limits while he was carrying her wife's head in his hands.
Acting on information, Gaandia police reached the spot and seized the severed head before detaining the accused for interrogation.
The accused, however, admitted to have committed the crime.
Addressing a gathering during Baisakhi Mahotsav in Dhenkanal on Saturday, Satpathy said he is no longer associated with BJD. "My association with the ruling party ended on May 30, 2019," the former parliamentarian said on the sidelines of the event.
“My tenure as a member of Biju Janata Dal got expired on May 30, 2019. Now I am a free citizen of India. Thus, I am free to make any statement as well as free to write whatever I want," Satpathy said in his statement.
The leader further added that he is under no sort of pressure or whatsoever from anyone. "As I don’t belong to any political party, I don’t need anyone’s favour," he said.
In 2019, Satpathy openly announced that he was bidding goodbye to electoral politics to actively concentrate on journalism following the wish of his son.
Tathagata, a four-time MP from Dhenkanal Lok Sabha constituency has always often stirred hornet's nest making comments on several issues even against his own party.
Crime Branch ADG Sanjeeb Panda informed this at a press conference today.
“The cyber cell of Odisha Crime Branch had seized over 19,000 pre-activated SIM cards in Dhenkanal district few days ago. In this connection, the CB has taken mastermind Dushmant Sahu and his two aides on a five-day remand and launched an investigation,” said Panda.
“Since most of the seized pre-activated SIM cards are of BSNL, JIO and Vodafone, the heads of BSNL and JIO in Dhenkanal and the commercial manager of Vodafone in Bhubaneswar have been served notices for interrogation. This apart, the SPs of all districts have been directed to collect intelligence on SIM card sellers in their respective districts and conduct raids on those who deal in fraud SIM cards,” added Panda.
With the progress of investigation, more startling facts are coming to the fore.
“Dushmant had received Rs30 lakh through three Paytm accounts in two years. He had opened as many as seven accounts in his and his family members’ names,” informed Panda.
While the involvement of more persons in the racket can’t be ruled out, the investigating agency is on the job to find out the persons involved in Dushmant’s ‘Buyer Seller’ group.