During Holi celebrations, a student from the Chandrasekharpur area in Bhubaneswar along with his friend was taking a bath in the Puri main canal near Panchpal village in the Barang area of Cuttack. The two drowned, but one was rescued. Later, the dead body of the missing student was retrieved.
In another incident, a youth drowned in the Chaunrpur power channel in Sambalpur. He was bathing when he was swept away in the channel.
Moreover, a minor boy drowned in a pond at Dahisada village under Soro police limits of Balasore while taking a bath after celebrating Holi. In another incident in Balasore district, another minor boy reportedly died after drowning in the pond.
Similarly, a youth drowned at Karamuan under Salipur Police limits of Cuttack while another youth drowned in Luna River in the Nischintakoili area of the same district.
A minor boy reportedly died after drowning at Katakula under Paradip Lock Police limits while another person drowned at Chamakhandi Basanaputi village in Ganjam. A minor boy also drowned at Seshapadar village in Kalahandi while another minor reportedly drowned in a stream in Koida area of Sundargarh district.
(By OdishaTV Bureau)
Another BJD leader and former Khallikote MLA Purna Chandra Sethy accused the BJD of sidelining him before crossing over to the saffron party on Monday. Sethy was reportedly aspiring for a BJD ticket this time. Earlier, another frontline leader of the ruling party Bipin Pradhan, touted as a rebel in Digapahandi, had joined the BJP.
To add to the BJD’s headache, many disgruntled leaders and ticket aspirants from various Assembly constituencies are said to be in contact with the BJP. They may plunge into the saffron pond anytime now, sources said.
Speculations are rife that the BJD is toying with the idea of fielding incumbent Berhampur MLA Bikram Panda in the Gopalpur seat, presently represented by Pradeep Panigrahi. Similarly, the party’s district unit president Ramesh Chandra Chyau Patnaik is being considered for the prestigious Berhampur Assembly segment.
In the case of Berhampur Lok Sabha seat, former BJD MP Siddhant Mohapatra, who was in the political wilderness for some time, is said to be eager for a party ticket this time amid speculation that the party may repeat the candidature of MP Chandra Sekhar Sahu.
The party’s MLA from Chhatrapur, Subash Behera is being opposed by frontline leader Laxmi Padhi. In Aska, MLA Manjula Swain is again hoping for the party ticket, but block chairperson Narayana Swain wants to obtain a party ticket this time. In Kabisuryanagar, another frontline leader Hara Sahu is in the race for a party ticket.
Moreover, Polasara MLA Srikant Sahu, who is caught in a huge controversy, is still a ticket hopeful while two other women leaders Arati Devi and Buguda block chairperson K Priyadarshini are said to be in the ticket race.
With the ruling party aiming to come to power for the sixth time, any of the ticket hopefuls, if denied, could become rebels and may jump into the saffron bandwagon, even though some BJD leaders are putting up a brave front, dismissing any impact.
The Berhampur Lok Sabha seat consists of seven Assembly segments of which four seats including Berhampur, Chhatrapur, Digapahandi and Chikiti are currently represented by the BJD. Mohana is with the Congress while Paralakhemundi is with the BJP.
It is said that Pradeep Panigrahi is wielding clout in most Assembly constituencies, for which the BJD is allegedly worried.
BJP leader Pradeep Panigrahi said, “Thousands of BJD frontline leaders, workers and functionaries are now joining the BJP. This is happening because of problems at different levels. People are longing for a change.”
However, BJD stalwart Ramesh Chandra Chyau Patnaik asserted, "Nothing will happen to our party in Ganjam because our organisation is strong. The Chief Minister can change candidates as per the efficiency of the leaders. It is his discretion. Those leaving the party are escapists and opportunists.”
Senor Journalist, Prasanna Mohanty said, "Leaders like Pradeep Panigrahi are leaving the BJD. Defending its fort has been a cause of headache for the BJD now. The Pradeep Panigrahi factor is a key one for the BJD. It is being seen that young voters are inclining towards the BJP in Ganjam. It can be said that it will not be a smooth sailing for the BJD.”
As per reports, Gula Swain and his son Rajendra Swain, residents of Jagannathpur under Patapur police limits, were murdered on December 28, 2013.
Police had arrested eight persons including five members of the family in connection with the murder case.
Hearing the case, additional district and sessions judge Indu Sharma pronounced the verdict on Thursday. The court had held a trial of the case on the basis of the statements from 19 witnesses and found five among eight accused guilty.
The convicts facing the life imprisonment are Bhagban Swain, Saroj Swain, Amin Swain, Kartik Swain and Dhanu Swain.
Speaking to the media, public prosecutor Soubhagya Mishra said, ”The court verdict in the double murder case has come 11 years after the incident. Deceased Gula Swain’s wife was also critically injured when the murder had taken place. She was among 19 witnesses who testified before the court.”
Rainwater entered the premises of the Community Health Centre at Polsara which was recently transformed and upgraded as part of the Ama Hospital initiative under the 5T programme of the Odisha government.
As per reports, several parts of the hospital including wards, dressing room, and waiting hall were flooded after the short spell of rain. It is pertinent to mention here that the newly updated hospital was inaugurated a few months back.
Though the concerned hospital authorities could not be contacted, the Medical in-charge Narayan Swain said," Rainwater entered some parts of the hospital including the ward which caused some problems. It was inaugurated recently and we will inform the CDMO for necessary action."
A similar situation was also witnessed at Aska Sub-divisional Hospital after the rain. From the hospital's entry to the dressing room and doctors' chambers, most parts of the hospital were flooded with rainwater.
The hospital was transformed under the 5T initiative of the state government at an estimated cost of Rs 2 crore one month back. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had inaugurated the hospital via video conferencing.
Works Department SDO Amiya Mishra said that a review will be conducted and works will be taken up accordingly.
After the deep-sea mating process of the endangered turtles last November, the mass egg-laying of thousands of turtles will begin in a few more days. For this, the forest department's preparations have reached the final stages and security arrangements have also been tightened.
As per reports, the forest department has tightened deep-sea patrolling with the help of three trawlers and two speed boats. No fishing zone has been enforced from the mouth of Rushikulya up to the north at Prayagi and to Aryapalli in the southern direction.
Speaking about the arrangements, Khallikote Ranger, Dibyashankar Behera said, “The 5km-area from New Podampeta to Prayagi has been barricaded with hexanet. 20km area has been announced as no-fishing zone which is being patrolled by the forest department's speed boats. We hope the numbers will increase this year.”
A clean beach is a key requirement for the safe mass nesting of rare Olive Ridley turtles. Extending their help, the Odisha Journalists' Association cleaned the Bateshwar beach for the purpose.
“Thousands of Olive Ridleys lay eggs here every year. The Forest Department has made all the arrangements with enforcement of no-fishing zone in the area,” said environmentalist, Dr Dwarikanath Maharana.
These endangered species flock to the place every year from the third week of February to the first week of March for nesting. Odisha is the largest mass nesting site for Oliver Ridleys in the world. While last year more than 3.8 lakh turtles had flocked the river mouth, the number is expected to rise this year.
Speaking to the media after coming out from the police station, Sanjukta appealed to women voters not to support the BJD legislator Srikant Sahu in the upcoming elections.
“It is the struggle of a weak, tortured and humiliated woman. A powerful former minister brought me to the street. I appeal to women and girls of Buguda, Polasara and Kabisuryanagar areas not to vote for a ‘depraved, immoral and tyrant’ leader in the upcoming elections,” she lamented.
She also stated with a note of caution, “If women vote for such a leader, you will have to suffer like me thereafter.”
Notably, Sanjukta had allegedly forced her entry into the house of the legislator and attacked the latter’s father. Following a complaint from the legislator’s father, Sanjukta was arrested and later released on conditional bail. As per the condition, the woman had been asked to depose before the police every week.
Sanjukta Mahala had earlier filed a police complaint at Mahila police station in Bhubaneswar, accusing the Polasara legislator of torturing her physically and mentally while staying in a relationship with him for nine years.
However, she was unhappy with the police investigation and later moved the Orissa High Court which admitted her case. The High Court had directed the IIC concerned and the Commissioner of Police, seeking to know as to why the case was not taken as a cognizable offense.
Take the case of Salimagochha gram panchayat under Soroda block in the district. The gram panchayat is located 45 km away from the block. There are 18 villages like Sanagochha, Piridibandha, Salimabochha, Rajipada and Minangi under the gram panchayat with a population of more than 8,000. However, the villagers are reportedly deprived of basic amenities.
The villages do not have mobile network coverage, depriving the residents of essential banking and digital services.
“In this digital era, we are deprived of digital and banking services as we don’t have a mobile tower in our area. We have to travel 40-50 km away to avail the services. We have to climb atop the mountain to communicate through mobile phones in case of medical and other emergencies,” said Balakrushna Mallick, a local resident.
The residents of the gram panchayat also have to suffer a lot as they don’t have proper road communication and medical facilities. The area doesn’t have a primary health centre for the residents of 18 villages. Under such circumstances, the serious patients in the area are left to God’s mercy.
“The villagers have to depend upon the medical which is located 30 km away from the area. Sans a motorable road, the serious patients have to go through ordeal as they can’t be carried to the medical by an ambulance,” rued Rajeeb Mallick, another local resident.
Though the villagers have been demanding proper road facilities, construction of a mobile tower and a primary health centre in the area for a long time, their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
Responding to the demands of the villagers, Bhanjanagar Sub-Collector Anil Kumar Sethy said, “We are aware of the problems and demands of the villagers. Efforts will be made to build a mobile tower and primary health centre in the area soon.”
As per sources, the youth who hurled tomato at Pandian is a Congress worker and belongs to Bellaguntha block. He has been reportedly opposing various programmes of the BJD and 5T Chairman VK Pandian for the last few months.
Following the incident, police reportedly overpowered and nabbed the youth. However, some BJD workers allegedly thrashed him in the presence of police.
As per reports, Pandian was attending the Ama Odisha Nabin Odisha programme at Bellagunta as a guest. The youth allegedly hurled the tomato when Pandian reached the stage at around 11.30 am. The youth was immediately arrested by police, informed sources.
The programme went on as per the schedule even after the unsavoury incident. Mentioning the incident in his speech Pandian said, “I will serve the people of Odisha despite egg, tomato and ink attacks on me.”
However, no reaction pertaining to the incident was received from the Congress.
Though the incident had taken place last evening, she could not be taken to hospital immediately due to the unavailability of ambulance service.
The injured woman identified as Swapna Sahu(34) was admitted to the Bhanjanagar sub-divisional hospital on Sunday.
As per reports, Swapna and her mother were collecting leaves in the forest last evening. All of a sudden, a bullet got stuck into her stomach. However, the mother-daughter duo could not see anyone around in the forest.
Though the reason behind the shooting incident is yet to be ascertained, it was suspected that poachers targeting wild animals might have triggered the gun and the bullet missed the target.
Her mother somehow managed to bring injured Swapna home. Her mother had contacted for ambulance service, but it was not available last night. In the morning, Swapna was admitted to the Bhanjanagar hospital.
Swapna’s mother Bhanumati Nayak said, ”The incident happened in the forest, but we are clueless about who shot at Swapna. We have not seen anyone at the place."
Report by Rakesh Kumar Panda
The injured man has been admitted to Berhampur-based MKCG Medical College and Hospital where his condition remained stable after treatment.
According to sources, Rohit Patra (45), the eldest son of Bariguda’s Madan Patra is married to Kasturi Patra. It is alleged that Rohit often returns home in a drunken state and causes a nuisance in the family. The tipsy man often beats up his wife for various reasons daily.
As usual, the couple entered into an altercation over some issue on Saturday night. Infuriated, the woman took a sharp-edged weapon and allegedly slit Rohit’s throat and even stabbed him on his back, reports said.
Locals and other family members rushed him to the local hospital with injuries on his throat, neck, and chin. After preliminary treatment, he was shifted to Berhampur MKCG Medical College and Hospital.
According to sources, Khallikote Police had conducted a raid on a country liquor brewery at Badapalli village on Friday. The raiding party had destroyed a huge amount of liquor and arrested two persons for their links with the brewery.
Also Read: Odisha women gherao Excise office opposing liquor bar
The villagers alleged that the two arrested persons were innocent. The agitating villagers demanded their immediate release and compensation.
Keeping the seriousness of the situation in view, Ganjam’s additional SP, Chhatrapur SDPO, IICs of three police stations, and one platoon of police force were deployed at the spot.
The funeral took place at the cremation ground of the royal family following guard of honour in the presence of a large number of people. Many well-wishers, fans, eminent personalities of the locality and politicians were present during her last rites.
As per the ritual of the royal family, a Bramhin youth gave Mukhagni to Deo.
“It’s a great honour for me that the royal family chose me to give ‘mukhagni to ‘Rani Maa’,” he said.
“The queen had worked tirelessly for the development of education and women’s emancipation in Ganjam district. We all are shocked by her sad demise,” said a resident of Khallikote.
Earlier, her mortal remains reached Bhubaneswar from Chennai in a special flight on Saturday evening.
After arrival, her mortal remains were taken to the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) party office (Sankha Bhawan). Several party leaders along with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik paid tributes to Deo.
Later, Deo’s body was taken to the Odisha Assembly where the Speaker and MLAs paid their last respects. Subsequently, the mortal remains were taken to Khallikote.
Thousands of people thronged her residence to have the last darshan of the 10-time MLA. Subsequently, she was taken to the cremation ground in Khallikote in a grand procession.
Deo passed away while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Chennai on Saturday at the age of 87.
Deo was first elected to the Odisha Assembly in 1963 and has won a total of 10 times in her political career from Khallikote and Kabisuryanagar constituencies. She belongs to the royal family of Khallikote. She has a special identity and honour as the queen of Khallikote. She was an eight-time MLA from Khallikote and a two-time MLA from Kabisuryanagar.
Apart from being a politician, Deo has also a special identity as a social worker. She was born in Chennai on August 5, 1937. Her father’s name was King R V M Miladri Deo and her husband was Purnachandra Mardaraj Deo. She was elected as MLA in 1963, 1974, 1977, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2004, 2009 and 2014.
Deo was also a member of various committees of Odisha Legislative Assembly. Though she was a 10-time MLA, she never expressed her desire to be a minister.
BJD’s Ganjam district president, Ramesh Chandra Chyau Patnaik informed about the possibility on Friday.
“Panda has been assigned the party’s organizational responsibilities in Gopalpur. He has also been assigned to solve problematic issues and undertake developmental activities in the constituency. Hopefully, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will field Panda as the party’s MLA candidate from the Gopalpur constituency,” said Chyau Patnaik.
However, Chyau Patnaik refrained from making any comments on who will be the candidate from the ruling party from Berhampur.
“If Panda is fielded from Gopalpur, who else will fight from Berhampur will be decided by the Chief Minister,” he added.
With the Assembly election approaching fast, the spotlight is on the contentious Gopalpur Assembly constituency. The constituency has been witnessing a power struggle after the expulsion of the sitting MLA Pradeep Panigrahi from the BJD.
The OSSTA had earlier put forth a charter of 21 demands and submitted copies of it to the Chief Minister, the School and Mass Education Minister, and the Chief Secretary on August 9, 2023.
The agitating members of the OSSTA alleged that as the government failed to meet their demands, they started protests.
They warned of intensifying the agitation if their demands are not fulfilled. Their demands include extension of retirement age of teachers to 62 and the release of grants to eligible high schools.
Bijay Kumar Behera, secretary of OSSTA (Ganjam), alleged that the government did not fulfil our demands despite assurance. “The government kept on promising for four months, but no step was taken. As per the decision of the OSSTA (State), protests were launched from of the DEO offices in 30 districts,” he said.
He also warned that the teachers will start day and night sit-in protests in the days to come if their demands are not fulfilled soon.
No comments were received from the concerned authorities.
The deceased has been identified as Rajesh Das, a first-year student of a Degree college. He was on his way to buy medicines for his ailing mother when the juvenile killed him. This was stated to be an act of vengeance. The murder was linked to a fight among five minor boys over a cricket match organised in the village six months ago.
Rachana Das, sister of the deceased lamented, "They had a fight five months ago and one of them killed my bother.”
Police said that after returning from the correctional facility, the juvenile stabbed the youth to death to take revenge.
Chhatrapur SDPO, Gourahari Sahu said, “The main accused was lodged in the Bal Sudhar Gruha after committing a crime in 2023. The murder was the fallout of past enmity among them. Both the victim and accused were in Sudhar Gruha.”
Psychiatrist Sudipta Panigrahi, said "The number of juvenile delinquents is increasing in Odisha. There is a law to prevent juvenile crimes. Juveniles need to get proper counselling at the family level and society level. Teenagers showing an inclination towards violence need psychological counselling.”
According to the NCRB report, juveniles were involved in 31,170 criminal cases in the country in 2021. However, the rate of juveniles’ involvement in crimes came down slightly in 2022. Maharashtra had the highest number of juveniles in the country in 2022 while Odisha was placed at 10th in the juvenile violence.
As per reports, a scooter collided head-on with a bike coming from the opposite direction near Kesari Patna village late Thursday night. While three persons died on the spot, three others were admitted to the nearby hospital in critical condition.
However, two of them died while undergoing treatment. Another person was shifted to Berhampur Hospital as his condition deteriorated.
It is learnt that two of the deceased were employees of the Electricity Department.
Upon being informed by local people, Bhanjanagar police reached the spot and started an investigation into the incident.
2 killed in Balasore mishap
In another tragic accident, two bikers were killed near Uluda Square under Kamarda police station in Balasore on Thursday.
As per reports, the bikers lost their balance and collided with a truck stationed on the roadside near Uluda late at night. The deceased bikers were reportedly local residents.
It was alleged that her younger son Pramod Rout used to ask for her old-age pension money and he attacked her when she refused the money on Sunday.
Following the attack on her, Debaki cursed her fate and lamented that the son whom she gave birth after carrying him in her womb for 10 months and 10 days attacked her and broke her hand for mere pension money.
“My younger son beat me mercilessly with a stick. I brought him up and he grew up, but when I was supposed to be taken care of at twilight, my son beat me,” Debanki bemoaned at Aska hospital.
However, Pramod explained that he had not beaten his mother. “When my mother was beating my father, I dragged her away. I do not know how much pension money she gets. This is a conspiracy against him by his sisters,” he added.
This is not the lone case. The list of such cases is long. In December 2023, a youth had beaten his mother on the village street after accusing of her stealing cabbage from the farmland. The accused son identified as Satrughna Mohanta also tied her to a utility pole. The incident was reported from Champua.
Social activist Namrata Chaddha said, “Such incidents show that sense of humanity and social values are declining. The age-old values of taking care of our elderly parents and elderly persons in the families have gone. Moreover, nobody fears for police action. I wonder how the people’s representatives, local people are keeping a mum on such incidents.”
In a statement, the department stated that the allegations are baseless and intended to malign the reputation of the institution.
The allegations of a sex racket running in the college surfaced on December 26 following which the department initiated an enquiry.
“After receipt of complaint, Regional Director of Education, Berhampur along with some lady officers enquired the same on December 27, 2023. The inquiry report affirms that there is not an iota of evidence on the allegations of the petition,” the department said in the press release.
“The complain petition is also an anonymous one, and no such complainant was found. The staff council, alumni association, teachers, students, and ladies hostel inmates denied all allegations. Apparently, the allegation is found to be baseless and intended to malign the reputation of the institution,” the department concluded.
Sukanta was working as a GRS in A. Karadabadi and Sankuru Panchayat.
According to the sources, Panigrahi was travelling on the road when a stranger asked him for a lift.
After Panigrahi allowed the stranger to get on his motorcycle, the stranger allegedly attacked him with a sharp weapon and fled from the spot. The incident took place on Antarpada road under Balipadar police station limits of Ganjam district today.
As a result of the attack, Panigrahi sustained critical injuries. Soon, the onlookers rushed him to the Community Health Centre (CHH). As his condition deteriorated, he was shifted to Berhampur’s Polosara Hospital for further treatment. However, he was declared brought dead by the doctors.
On being informed, the police reached the spot and initiated a probe into the matter.
“A stranger asked my son for a lift and later stabbed him. He was working as a GRS and was good to the people. We suspect the murder is politically motivated. We want justice for our son and the accused should be punished,” said Panigrahi’s mother.
Below Rs 1500 per quintal!
As per reports, with procurement centres yet to open, farmers have been resorting to distress sale of paddy anticipating the worst. The crisis has augured well for traders from Andhra Pradesh, who are camping in villages in the State to buy paddy at throwaway prices. The farmers are forced to sell paddy to the traders of the neighbouring state at less than Rs 1,500 per quintal.
Responding to the development, many farmers in Ganjam district have demanded that the procurement centres should be made functional soon to stop the distress sale.
“Had the government procured paddy from the farmers, we would not have been forced to sell our produce to Andhra traders at throwaway prices. We demand that the mandis should open at the earliest so that the farmers will not incur so much of a loss and get some profit,” said Dandapani Gouda, a farmer from Ganjam.
“We have no option but to resort to distress sale as the mandis are yet to open,” rued Bhramara Gouda, another farmer in the district.
No messages on mandi opening
“We are not sure when the mandis will open. Our produce may be damaged if we wait for the mandis to open. Moreover, we have to repay the loans of the money lenders and societies. So, we are forced to sell our product to the traders of the neighbouring states at a throwaway price,” said Manas Das, a farmer from Balasore.
“We are yet to get any message on our mobile phones about the opening of mandis. Under the circumstances, we are forced to resort to distress sale as things may get worse in future and we need urgent money,” said Manas Das, another farmer.
Traders are killing it!
The situation is more or less the same in other parts of the State as well. Taking advantage of the situation, the traders of the neighbouring states and the brokers are making huge profits and the farmers in Odisha are incurring huge losses.
Meanwhile, the Secretary of Ada Cooperative Society, Rajendra Mohanty assured that mandis will be functional in the district on either December 26 or 27.
“We don’t have anything in our hand. Following a land survey by the government, the decision has been taken to open mandis in Balasore district on December 25. However, as it is a holiday, the mandis may open either on December 26 or 27. As per the government rate, the price of paddy per quintal has been fixed at Rs 2,183,” said Mohanty.
People have started to raise questions if the Income Tax department will only confine its raids to western Odisha and not to other parts where the illegal liquor trade has assumed the proportions of a cottage industry.
As per reports, illegal country liquor making and trading has been rampant in the villages of Khallikote in Ganjam. Scores of country liquor-making units are being run illegally over the years while licensed liquor units are also being run by the same people year after year.
The situation is no different in Kabisuryanagar too. For the last 30 years, a country liquor-making unit has been in the name of a single person. Locals alleged that they are unaware of when its tender is being floated and the license issued.
It is alleged that the proceeds from the liquor business are diverted to elections. Shiba Prasad Pani, who earlier contested as a councillor in Kabisurynagar NAC, claimed that he was once offered Rs 7 lakh by a liquor trader to fight the election. He added that one liquor trader has been in this business for the last 30 years and such traders are funding political leaders.
Chintamani Khuntia, a resident of Khallikote alleged that liquor units are being operated in most of the villages. “Same persons will be growing rich while others will be dying. The government should issue licenses to others or else it should close the country liquor units,” he observed.
Rajib Chandra Khadenga, a conscious citizen of Khallikote said that all know illegal liquor trade is rampant. "Excise and police personnel should raid the liquor units. If raids are carried out, huge amounts of cash and black money would be unearthed,” Khadenga said.
Abani Gaya, an activist, said that political leaders and liquor mafia have an unholy nexus. The liquor mafia is controlling the entire politics in Ganjam and the money of the mafia ensures who wins or loses, he asserted, saying that if raids are carried out, cash worth crores will be unearthed in Ganjam.
Ganajm district has two excise districts – Chhatrapur and Berhampur. There are 47 country liquor units in Chhatrapur while their number is 25 in Berhampur. As per reports, the distillation centres at Sana Ramachandrapur and Kabisuryanagar pay a monthly license fee of Rs 16 lakh.
Debi Prasad Das, the Excise superintendent of Chhatrapur said that in the last 10 to 12 years, no auction was held for liquor units. Later the excise policy was changed and a lottery system was introduced, he added.
After the death of the Sahara group founder Subrata Roy, the victims expressed apprehension over getting their money back. They urged the state government to take necessary measures to return their money.
“In spite of the announcement by the Centre to facilitate the return of money to the investors of Sahara Chit fund, there are a lot of loopholes in the online and offline process. The portal launched for the smooth transaction of the funds is not working properly, which is making it difficult for us to get our money back," said a victim during the protest.
Another victim who worked as a Sahara investment agent said, “Apart from collecting investments from depositors, I had also invested Rs 10 lakh in the company. But after the scam, the victims are knocking on my door and I am even unable to give my children quality education. We direly need our invested money back.”
However, who exactly has put up the banner has not been confirmed. It is said that Bhanjanagar had not seen such posters reportedly by Maoists in the last five years. As per sources, the Left-wing ultras are trying to make their presence felt in Bhanjanagar area ahead of the 2012 election, which has raised the concerns of the local administration, local residents, and police.
As per reports, locals were shocked to see the Maoist banner in the morning on the outskirts of the Durgaprasad area that shares borders with Kandhamal district. The Red rebels in the banner have strongly opposed the construction of Ullingia-Durgaprasad road whose work has been stopped midway. The Maoists alleged that the quality of road work has been sub-standard. “Before resuming the work, the parties concerned should hold talks with us,” the banner read.
On being informed, the Bhanjanagar Police rushed to the spot and started an investigation. As the investigation is underway, police are yet to confirm the source of the banner.
ALSO READ: Hill cave used by Maoists as weapon arsenal busted in Odisha
Sources informed that circumstantial evidence and certain words written in the banner point to the involvement of the Maoists. The Red Rebels are believed to have put up the banners to threaten some contractors engaged in the border areas and intend to extort money from them.
As the Maoists have been pushed to the wall and eliminated in most pockets, some ultras are allegedly cash-strapped and trying to regroup and spring back with a fresh supply of funds.
The owner of the unit, identified as Ipari Rajeswar Patra, was arrested. Earlier in 2020, Patra had been arrested for illegal guthka trading. He came out on bail six months later and started duplicate ghee manufacturing, informed sources.
As per reports, duplicate ghee manufacturing has been going on for the last two years. The duplicate ghee packed in the packaging of a reputed brand 'Maa Durga Ghee' was being supplied to various parts of the state.
ALSO READ: Fake Ghee Manufacturing Factory Busted In Bhubaneswar
Apart from the ghee, he was also making rice bran oil and other edible oil without a license.
Acting on a tip-off, police raided Badabazar area and seized huge quantities of ghee-making items, packaging materials, used oil, sub-standard palm oil, and cartons of oil. Patra was manufacturing this ghee without a trade license.
Police also found that the duplicate packets of ghee had no dates of manufacturing and expiry.
Even though the incident occurred on October 26, it has recently come to the fore after the video went viral.
According to sources, Sukumari Sabar, wife of Jagili Sabar, a resident of Chanchara village of Gochhabadi panchayat under Polasara block in Ganjam district, fell ill days ago. She was first admitted at Polasara government hospital and as her condition deteriorated, she was later shifted to the MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur.
While undergoing treatment, she breathed her last on October 26. After the post-mortem, the relatives of the deceased brought the body back to their village. But the hearse had to stop four kilometres away from their village due to a lack of a pucca road.
With no option left, they carried the bier on their shoulders and covered the distance on foot.
In the purported video that is going viral, the family members can be seen carrying the dead body on the bier to their village.
No comments have been received from the family members or the concerned officials.
As per reports, the deceased has been identified as Jitu Pradhan, son of Raju Pradhan of Jagatisahi under Beguniapada police limits. The people in Jagatsahi and the peripheral villagers were shocked after hearing a massive explosion in the evening.
They came to know that the explosion took place on the second floor of Raju Pradhan’s house.
They rushed to the spot and saw columns of black smoke billowing out from the top floor of the building. Remnants of burst crackers were strewn all over the place.
They found Jitu and two others critically injured. The injured were immediately rushed to Kodala community health centre where Jitu was pronounced dead on arrival. The two others are yet to be identified.
Given the circumstances at the explosion site, people suspected that Jitu and two of his friends were making firecrackers, possibly for Diwali.
Sources said, on being informed, a team of police officials from Benguniapada Police Station visited the site and started an investigation.
Further updates on the matter are awaited.
While political observers are keeping a close watch on what kind of role the ex-bureaucrat is going to play in the BJD politics, rumour mills have gone into overdrive that he could be contesting elections in 2024 from any of 13 Assembly segments in Ganjam. At this time, a senior BJD leader has dropped an interesting hint about Pandian's political fortune in Ganjam, where the ex-bureaucrat was once posted as the collector.
Speaking exclusively to OTV, senior BJD leader & BJD’s Ganjam district president, Ramesh Chandra Chyau Patnaik said, “VK Pandian will win if he contests from any of the 13 seats in Ganjam. But Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will decide who will get the tickets.”
ALSO READ: BJD leaders may, but Odisha people won't accept VK Pandian: Congress
He further stated that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will decide if VK Pandian will join the party or not. "Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik believes in work. In a few months, Pandian took a historical initiative of touring all 147 assembly constituencies. The opposition parties, who had been opposing the state-wide tours of Pandian fell silent after the Chief Minister made his statement about the then 5T Secretary (Pandian) in the Assembly.” Chyau Patnaik said.
He also added that Pandian has not yet joined the BJD and the Chief Minister will take a call about it.
Asked if they would welcome Pandian if he opts to contest in any of the Assembly seats in Ganjam district; Chyau Patnaik took an evasive stand saying, “The BJD organization is strong in all the 13 Assembly segments as people want to see Naveen Patnaik and the conch symbol.”
Patnaik, however, denied reports of factionalism in the ruling party in 13 constituencies but said that there may be differences of opinion among the cadres.
As for the Gopalpur segment, now represented by the expelled-BJD leader, Pradeep Panigrahy, Chyau Patnaik said that after Gopabandhu Das looked after the organisation, the party performed well in the elections to posts of sarpanch, samiti member, Zilla parishad and in the NAC.
Blessed by nature with abundant resources, these people were neglected by government officials as they had to rely on nullahs or pits for drinking water, bathing, and washing clothes or domestic animals.
Finally, they decided not to wait for any help of provisioning of amenities for safe drinking water by the administration. They resolved to find their own way out of the crisis and constructed around three kilometers of pipelines using bamboo to fetch water from the springs originating from surrounding hills to their doorstep.
Initially, it was the villagers of Pedipadar village who adopted the innovative way to bring the spring water to their village through bamboo pipelines to meet different purposes. They even used the water to irrigate their farmlands to some extent.
Later when the ingenious pipeline often got damaged, they gradually replaced it with iron pipes with little amount of help from the administration.
“The innovative way to bring water from the springs atop the hills to our village is of great help. Apart from using the water in our daily household chores, we are also using it to irrigate our farmlands to some extent,” said Kemika Sabar, a resident of Pedipadar village.
“In rainy days, we often get muddy and contaminated water through the pipelines. Moreover, the system becomes defunct during summer. We request the administration to make some alternative arrangement to provide us drinking water during these times of the year,” said Josua Sabar, another villager.
Following the development, neighbouring villagers of Sagadabasa and Akashnagar also got inspired and they too brought water from the springs of the nearby hills through a similar method.
Using bamboo pipes, they store the water inside tanks in the middle of their villages and subsequently use it for various purposes. Recently, they have replaced the bamboo pipes with PVC pipes by spending money from their own pockets.
“Initially, we decided to use bamboo to ensure there was minimum expense. However, the pipeline required maintenance and replacement at regular intervals and it was not feasible in the long run. Hence, we converted those to PVC pipes,” said Bishna Gamango, a villager of Sagadabasa.
The deceased have been identified as Sabitri Dakua, a teacher at Sheragada Mahatma Gandhi High School and her two sons. On the other hand, the lady teacher’s mother-in-law is battling for her life.
According to sources, the family members went to bed after having their dinner late Sunday night. However, they complained of vomiting and diarrhoea soon after. Other family members took them to Sheragada Community Health Centre (CHC).
However, the woman and her two sons died while undergoing treatment, hospital sources said.
“Her condition was very critical. She was in immense stomach pain and experienced vomiting. She was not able to stand properly and was also affected by diarrhoea. Accordingly, I provided her treatment,” informed Kanha Das, Medical Officer, CHC, Sheragada.
When contacted, Sabitri’s husband Prashant Dakua said, “My two sons had consumed bread and milk. My mother, me and my wife had eaten Paneer, curry made of ‘pointed gourd’, roti and drunk milk before going to bed.”
“All of a sudden at around 11:30 PM, our younger son started vomiting. Soon my entire family was affected by diarrhoea and experienced vomiting. I suspected food poisoning. Maybe some insect or reptile had fallen into the milk while boiling it. I’m still clueless about what happened. I’m completely devastated now,” he added.
In view of the deficit rainfall, the Odisha government has prepared a contingency plan to save the crops from the wrath of nature.
As per Special Relief Commissioner Satyabrata Sahu, the Agriculture Department has taken necessary measures to deal with any kind of situation arising out of the deficit rainfall.
“Some places in Odisha have experienced deficit rainfall this year so far. However, the Agriculture Department has prepared a contingency plan for it. Ganjam has witnessed highest deficit rainfall of 40 per cent. The Agriculture Department will take several measures in the district as per the contingency plan. Hopefully, there will be good rain in September and things will improve soon,” said Sahu.
As per reports published in various national media, the country has witnessed 33 per cent deficit rainfall in August this year which is a matter of concern. While India experiences a natural rainfall of 241 mm in August, the country has so far recorded only 160.3 mm rainfall during the month.
As per reports, more than 50 BJP workers were staging a protest at Punjikaya square against Pandian’s visit by showing black flags and raising slogans.
During the peaceful demonstration, some BJD workers reached the spot and tried to prevent the saffron party workers from staging the protest.
Subsequently, a scuffle broke out between the workers of both parties for nearly 30 minutes in the presence of police. Some protestors have been injured in the clash.
Police had to resort to mild lathi-charge to control the situation. As many as 15 BJP workers have been detained.
“We were staging a protest against Pandian’s visit to Digapahandi in a democratic way. However, some hooligans of BJD attacked us. However, police are supporting BJD workers,” alleged BJP activist.
Moreover, BJP workers also staged a protest ahead of Pandian’s Sanakhemundi visit in the district.
Several saffron party workers wore black dresses and shouted slogans against the Odisha government and Pandian in protest against his visit to the area.
The deceased have been identified as Rinku Nayak and Rahul Nayak from Nuagad in Sorada.
As per reports, the duo attempted to overtake a truck on their bike on Thursday morning. However, they somehow lost balance and fell under the wheels of the truck which ran them over killing them on the spot.
Dharakote Police reached the spot after getting information about the mishap and sent the bodies for post-mortem.
The truck fled the spot following the mishap.
While many animals are getting extinct in various parts of the globe due to various reasons, thanks to the awareness about the conservation of nature and massive protection drive by local people and Forest Department officials, the blackbuck population has increased threefold in Odisha’s Ganjam district over the last 12 years.
As per the latest biannual census conducted by the State’s Forest Department on January 29 this year, a total of 7,743 blackbucks were counted in the district. According to official sources, the population of the most elegant member of the antelope family was 2,194 in 2011. Their numbers were 7,352 in 2021 and 6,885 in 2020.
According to the latest estimation, as many as 4,753 females, 1,472 males and 1,518 young blackbucks were sighted in the Ghumusar South division.
The blackbuck is a Schedule 1 animal as per the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The attractive species are listed as ‘near threatened’ in the global organisation International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.
As per State Forest Department sources, improvement of habitats and protection by the local people and forest staff are some of the reasons behind the increase in the blackbuck population in the district.
Residents in Ganjam district protect the blackbuck, as its sightings are considered an indicator of good luck. The practice has continued for the past several years.
“It’s a common belief that the more the animals eat, the higher the agricultural yields. The people of the region believe the sighting of the blackbuck in the paddy field is a harbinger of good luck,” said a forest official.
“People also believe that the creatures break long drought spells and bless the area with plenty of food and wealth. The animals roam freely due to the shelter by the villagers,” he added.
Besides, several programmes have also been undertaken under the Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats scheme for increasing food, water and safety of the animals.
Water holes have been created for the improvement of their habitat. A watch tower and a rescue-cum-treatment centre have been established in the area to treat the injured blackbucks as well. Speed breakers and road humps have been installed in vulnerable areas to prevent accidents at road crossings which are the major cause of the death of the blackbucks.
The deceased has been identified as Jitendra Kumar Padhi (25) of Kusharaba village.
According to sources, Jitendra was posted in Punjab for the last two years. He had come to his village on leave on July 6.
The mishap took place when he was coming to his village from Sorada on his bike. The bike collided head-on with a private bus named Sai Krishna which was coming from Aska, sources informed.
Jitendra sustained grievous injuries in the collision and died on the spot, sources informed.
On being informed about the incident, the police rushed to the spot and seized the bus. The driver of the bus has also been detained.
Meanwhile, a reel of the deceased, shot moments before his death, has surfaced on the internet.
In the reel, the jawan can be seen making videos while riding the bike.
On the other hand, a pall of gloom has descended on the deceased jawan’s village over his tragic death. It is learnt that the last rites of the BSF jawan will be conducted with full state honour.
The students accorded a grand, unique and emotional send-off to Pradhan after his retirement from Erandra Shri Radhakrushna Vidyapitha under Sanakhemundi block in the district. Pradhan served the school as an ideal teacher for long 34 years.
Hundreds of former students congregated at the school on his retirement day and took him for a ride around Erandra village with band party music. They also presented him with many costly gifts like motorcycle, gold ring and pata clothes.
As per reports, Pradhan has a rich contribution to Shri Radhakrushna Vidyapitha. He was a teacher in the school since its inception in 1989. He even worked there without salary for 20-long years.
Many of Pradhan’s students are well-established now. To show their gratitude towards Pradhan, they turned up in huge numbers on his retirement day and accorded a grand farewell to him.
On the special occasion, Pradhan also made a special announcement. He declared that as a token of his love for the school, he would present Rs 5,000 each to the toppers of Class IX and X every year till his last breath.
“I am deeply moved by the love and honour showered by my students on me. My love for the school will be intact even after my retirement,” said Pradhan.
“Pradhan’s retirement was an emotional moment for us. But the way the former students congregated in large numbers by coming from far-off places and arranged the farewell in a grand manner was really heart-touching,” said Prasanna Kumar Tripathi, Headmaster of the school.
As per Road and Transport Officer Manas Sahu, the private bus returning from Berhampur carrying a marriage party from Khandadeuli village in the district, doesn’t have the requisite permit and insurance to ply during the night. However, the bus had fitness certificate.
“The owner of the bus is fully responsible for the accident as he was plying the bus during the night without the requisite permit and insurance. Stern action will be taken against him,” said Sahu.
Meanwhile, Ganjam Collector Dibyajyoti Parida said that an investigation into the incident is currently underway and stern action will be taken against the culprits responsible for it.
“So far 12 persons have died in the tragic accident. The injured are currently undergoing treatment at the hospital and their conditions are stable. All kinds of medical facilities have been provided to them. The administration is ready to provide all kinds of assistance to the victims,” said Parida.
“An investigation into the incident is currently underway. Based on the report of the investigation, stern action will be taken against the persons who are responsible for the accident,” he added.
However, questions have been raised over the issuance of a fitness certificate to the 25-year-old bus.
Apart from killing 12 people, the head-on collision of an OSRTC bus and a private bus left eight others injured. All the injured have been admitted to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the mishap and announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
“Pained by the bus accident in Ganjam district, Odisha. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000,” the PMO tweeted.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has also announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 3 lakh for the kin of the deceased and free treatment for the injured.
As per reports, while the OSRTC bus was en-route Bhubaneswar from Gudari, Rayagada, the private bus was returning from Berhampur, carrying a marriage party from Khandadeuli village in the district.
As per a passenger, the OSRTC collided head-on with the private bus which was carrying as many as 25 passengers.
“12 passengers lost their lives as they were pressed in the bus due to the severe accident. Eight of the passengers have been severely injured. It was a heart-wrenching incident. I escaped miraculously,” said a passenger.
“I have lost my two younger brothers in the tragic accident. What will happen to our family now? I am feeling completely helpless,” said the elder brother of two deceased.
As per reports, the private bus has sustained maximum damage in the accident. As many as six passengers including four women and two children in the private bus have lost their lives.
Ganjam Collector Dibyajyoti Parida, Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek, Local MLA and MP rushed to MKCG Medical College and Hospital to oversee the medical facilities extended to the injured.
“We have information of death of 12 people in the accident while eight persons are undergoing treatment at MKCG hospital. A critically injured person has been shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. All arrangements have been made here for the treatment of the injured persons,” informed Ganjam Collector Dibyajyoti Parida.
“I extend my sympathy to the family members who have lost their near and dear ones. All kinds of medical facilities will be provided to the injured. The cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained. It could be revealed following thorough investigation,” said Berhampur MP Chandra Sekhar Sahu.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and BJP National Vice-President Baijayant Panda have expressed their deepest condolences to the bereaved family members.
“Ganjam Digapahandi accident has deeply saddened me. I extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved family members of all the deceased. I pray for all the departed souls to rest in peace and wish speedy recovery of the injured,” tweeted CM Patnaik.
“I am deeply saddened to know about the tragic accident in Ganjam. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured persons and my thoughts are with the bereaved family who suffered loss,” tweeted Pradhan.
Expressing deep grief to the family of the victims Panda wrote, “I am deeply saddened after hearing about the deceased and the injured in the tragic accident near Khemundi college in Digapahandi of Ganjam district. I extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I pray before Lord Jagannath for the speedy recovery of the injured.”
As per the allegations, the ink attack on BJP District President Bibhuti Jena during State President Manmohan Samal’s visit to Ganjam was done at the behest of BJD.
As per reports, party worker Kishan Kumar Panda launched the ink attack on Jena. However, Jena’s supporters attacked BJP Corporator Nilakantha Sahu alleging that he is behind the ink attack.
Politics intensified over the incident and both sides filed complaints against each other at Gosaninuagaon police station.
However, things took a new turn when Nilakantha arrived at the SP office along with some BJD Corporators. Subsequently, the development substantiated the suspicion that BJD is playing an important role in creating fissures within the district BJP unit.
Reacting over the incident, Kishan Kumar Panda, who launched the ink attack on Jena, said, “We were opposing the district President as he has been manipulating his power. We were not opposing the State President.”
However, BJP Corporator Nilakantha Sahu said that when he tried to stop Panda from the attack, some party workers attacked him alleging that he is the main conspirator behind the attack.
Meanwhile, BJP condemned the attack on the Corporator.
“Irrespective of any party, he is a Corporator first. We strongly condemn the attack on him. All the Corporators met Ganjam SP to demand justice for Sahu,” said Berhampur BJD Corporator Malaya Bisoyi.
On the other hand, BJP State President Manmohan Samal brushed aside the incident by saying that there is no conflict within the party in Ganjam.
“I was in the circuit house till 10.30 PM. Then I returned after joining a meeting. There has been no conflict among the party workers in Ganjam,” said Samal.
However, a question mark has been raised why BJD is creating fissures within BJP in Ganjam. As per the allegations by some saffron party workers, to checkmate party’s progress in the district, the ruling party is creating disturbances by luring some workers of BJP.
“BJD is in a state of panic due to BJP’s growth in Ganjam. They are luring some BJP party workers and creating disturbances in a planned manner,” said former Ganjam BJP President Kanhu Charan Pati.
On the other hand, countering the allegations by BJP, Ganjam BJD President Ramesh Chau Patnaik said, “It’s a baseless allegation by BJP. BJD Corporators have only done their duty.”
Amid the political slugfest, it remains to be seen how BJP will reunite in Ganjam in the face of some stiff challenges by the ruling party.
As lemon is a favourite of poor and rich alike, Kali Charan Panigrahi, a resident of Kotibadi village, once decided to try his luck in lemon cultivation. He started with only ten plants and now there are over 2000 trees in his orchard. What started as just a humble beginning is now paying dividends to Kali Charan and his siblings.
“Lemon is a cash crop. We three brothers are earning Rs 2 lakh each a year. We have not received any government help as yet,” said Kali Charan.
Besides being able to be self-reliant, he has also provided employment to some village women. These women are happy that they are no longer going out in search of work.
“We are working in the lemon orchard. We come at 7am and continue to work till 11 am, as per requirement. We are happy because our search for work has ended now,” said Bilas Sethi, a woman farm labourer.
The lemons grown in Kali Charan’s orchard are transported to nearby markets where they are sold like hot cakes.
“The government, after careful consideration is pleased to extend the area of operation of Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) to the urban cluster areas covering Sambalpur-Jharsuguda-Brajarajnagar-Belpahar cluster and Berhampur-Gopalpur-Chhatrapur-Hinjilicut-Digapahandi cluster under the operational jurisdiction of CRUT for running Mo Bus services in the district of Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, and Ganjam,” a notification issued by the Housing and Urban Development department read.
The Western Odisha Urban Transport Service Limited (WOUTSL) and Ganjam Urban Transport Service Limited (GUTSL) in Sambalpur-Bargarh-Jharsuguda, and Berhampur-Chhatrapur-Gopalpur-Hinjilicut urban clusters shall be closed/dissolved by the process of voluntary winding up under Section 59 of the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code 2016 and in compliance with the provisions of The Companies Act, 2013 including applicable Rules & Regulations under the said Act (s), on commencement of "Mo Bus" service by CRUT in the above mentioned extended service areas, the notification stated.
According to the notification, the ownership of all the buses of WOUTSL and GUTSL shall be transferred in the name of CRUT.
Currently, Mo Bus service is available in several urban clusters in Khurda, Cuttack, Puri, and Sundargarh.
The raids were conducted on the properties linked to Sanjay Kumar Sahu, currently posted as the Additional Civil Supply Officer, Bhanjanagar, Ganjam. Earlier, he served as the Assistant Civil Supply Officer of Kamakhyanagar in Dhenkanal district.
Acting on the allegations of amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, the Odisha vigilance officials comprising five DSPs, 12 Inspectors and other staff carried out the raids at seven places in Khordha, Ganjam and Mayurbhanj districts.
1. Residential House/ Flat vide flat no 304, Block-G, Type 3BR on third floor De-Habitat-2, At Shree Vihar, Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar.
2. Flat No 601, 6th floor, Khetrabasi Residency and K-Plaza, Patia-22, Bhubaneswar.
3. House at Housing board Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar.
4. Rented house of Sri Sanjay Kumar Sahu, Addl., C.S.O located at Bhanjanagar town, Dist- Ganjam.
5. Office room of Sri Sanjay Kumar Sahu, Addl., C.S.O located at Bhanjanagar, Dist-Ganjam.
6. House of Sri Sanjay Kumar Sahu located at native village- Pandarsila, PS; Raruan, Dist; Mayurbhanj.
7. Search for structure if any on plot No 1782, Khata No 26, 1781, Khata No-26 located at Naharakanta, Bhubaneswar.
The searches were in progress till the filing of the last report.
As per reports, Sandhyarani Pradhan and Naba Pradhan were in a love relationship. Subsequently, Naba married Sandhyarani in a court and they lived together. However, the accused allegedly ditched Sandhyarani and he is currently on the run.
Sandhyarani lodged a complaint at Hinjilicut police station following the development. However, Naba’s whereabouts is yet to be ascertained.
Now, Sandhyarani has staged a dharna in front of Naba’s house seeking justice.
“Naba proposed to me when I was in college. We married in a court in Mumbai in 2021. However, he has ditched me. I am staging the dharna seeking justice. I will not leave the place till he arrives,” said Sandhyarani.
However, no reaction from Naba’s family could be obtained in this regard.
This apart, she has also created job opportunities for other women in her locality. From being unemployed and not able to pay the house rent during the pandemic to earning lakhs, the life journey of Meetanjali is an inspiration for many.
Hailing from Bori of Bhanjanagar in Ganjam district, Meetanjali’s family income was severely hit after her husband’s health condition deteriorated due to Covid-19. Seeing her husband’s ill condition, Meetanjali decided to take over the family’s responsibility on her own shoulders.
So, she started stitching masks during the pandemic. Soon, her masks were in high demand and started selling like hotcakes. So, she decided to expand her mask business and started keeping more machines and also engaged other women in the locality.
Now, the tiny tailor shop has turned into a huge business establishment with over a dozen sewing machines and several women getting employment opportunities. Apart from masks, Meetanjali has also now started taking contracts for stitching school uniforms, jackets, ties and other articles for students in the area.
She gets a bulk of stitching orders every day and also runs a cloth store and serves her customers with various types of new clothes. Moreover, to help other underprivileged women and young girls, Meetanjali has also started a free stitching course for women in the area.
“My husband’s health deteriorated during the coronavirus. So, he could not go to work and all our income source was hit. The situation was terrible as he could not even speak and walk. I could pay my house rent and did not have money to buy food and other daily essentials. So, I decided to start tailoring with whatever my husband had taught me.”
“I started stitching masks and there has been no turning back since then. My business is now going great. I save enough after giving salary to my staff,” Meetanjali added.
The case in hand is the recent felling of trees for the expansion of a 5 km road stretch from Sanakhemundi to Digapahandi in Odisha's Ganjam district. It is alleged that 1300 trees were erased for this development purpose.
The issue was highlighted by a Twitter user, Dilip Sabat, who could not resist but tweet a video watching the felling of a huge banyan tree beside the same stretch of road for its expansion. He penned down an emotional note on his social media page, Facebook, narrating the incident.
Govt.s Upcoming PROJECT 'Har Ghar AC?'
— Dilip Sabat (@dilip_sabat) April 10, 2023
Thousands of trees cut down for road expansion in Ganjam district, Odisha? A forest department official said that more than 1300 trees are being felled on both sides of the road from Sanakhemundi to Digapahandi (5km) alone. pic.twitter.com/mQ6IicCRyI
“When the sharp edges of the chainsaw were cutting the tree, nobody offered a word of sympathy for the great banyan which has been standing at the same spot for generations. From the contractor to the tree cutter, everybody was getting restless and waiting eagerly for the tree to fall so that they can leave the place with their remuneration. The tree which provided cool shed for passersby to sit for a moment and reflect on their journey, has turned a green graveyard now,” Sabat wrote.
Emotional notes apart, it is pertinent to mention here that modernization and globalization paved the way to infrastructural development in cities. This causes an increase in the urban population due to the creation of job opportunities forcing people to migrate from rural to urban areas.
Being said that, one of the major reasons for climate change is the destruction of trees because of infrastructural developments like roads and bridges. Development or conversion of single-lane road into four and six-lane roads, and more are increasing due to the increased population. Trees are cut down to promote these activities which are inevitable. The trees are sources of oxygen and they help carbon capture and sequestration.
We drive on the highway to see how fast our cars can go, whine about the expensive tolls, and boast about how quickly we got there. But we don't think for a second about how the roadway may have been constructed. In India, cutting down trees is a necessary part of road construction and subsequent expansion.
Hundreds of previously nearby trees were planted because our predecessors felt it would be pleasant to have trees that provide shade alongside the roads. And these silent trees were an easy target when the time came to expand the roads.
Cutting down trees has a negative impact on the ecosystem in many ways, especially as natural disasters are linked to climate change. The situation becomes even direr in Odisha which loses a lot of green cover to natural disasters like cyclones every year.
To put the magnitude of tree cutting into perspective, a whopping 18.5 million trees were felled for the widening of roads in Odisha in the past decade. The then Odisha Forest and Environment Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha furnished this startling data in March 2021 in the State Assembly.
According to a circular issued by the Union Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF), if a road project has a length of less than 100km, there is no need to get Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) from any government agency. The Supreme Court in 2022 observed that such an argument in the present case scenario seems like an attempt to circumvent the law of the land.
So, taking all the arguments into consideration, it would be safe to conclude while tree felling is obviously hazardous for both humanity and the environment, infrastructure development is vital for economic development too. And unless the researchers and government come out with a feasible alternative to tree felling, the cutting of trees will sadly go on for construction and expansion of roads on the earth.
As per reports, jatra artiste Rani Panda had come to perform on a stage during the grand celebration of ‘Panchudanda Jatra’. While Rani was performing during an opera show, there was a huge rush near the stage.
While some youth tried to capture the video of Rani’s dance with their mobile phones, others standing behind them told them to refrain from their acts as they were getting blocked and not able to watch the performance on the stage. However, the youths, who were recording videos, did not pay heed to their requests. Subsequently, they had a heated exchange and it triggered a clash between the two groups.
Bhanjanagar police managed to pacify both groups and brought the situation under control. No police complaint has been filed in this connection with the group clash.
Notably, ‘Danda Nacha’ is being celebrated in several parts of Ganjam these days. Huge crowd is being witnessed during different shows performed during the jatra. Though police have conducted several awareness campaigns to maintain law and order during the celebration, several incidents of violence have surfaced in the last couple of days.
(Reported by Rajesh Panda)
The injured, Prafula Sabat, has sustained around 40 per cent burn injuries. He was first admitted to Bhanjanagar hospital and later shifted to Berhampur MKCG Medical College and Hospital.
Sources said Prafula had picked up some quarrel with his second wife. It is alleged that Prafula's wife then poured kerosene and set him on fire when he was sitting at the backyard of his house on Tuesday.
Locals said that there was a dispute between the sons of Prafula's first wife and his second wife over property.
(Reported by Rajesh Panda)
Yes, there is. Meet Chandrasekhar Sarab from Hinjilicut in Ganjam district who has inscribed his name in the OMG book of records for collecting rare coins and currency notes from different nations.
Chandrasekhar is a senior clerk in the Judicial Department by profession. However, his passion is collecting coins and currency notes from different countries. He had a passion for collecting these rare items from his very childhood. Wherever he goes, he has only one attention and motive and that is to collect these items by any means. In the process, he has collected rare coins and currency notes from more than 310 countries across the globe including the ruble from Estonia and rare coins from Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. Apart from that, he has also collected postal stamps, postcards and matchboxes from different countries.
With his massive collection, Chandrasekhar has managed to earn immense popularity in the area. People used to visit his house to gain knowledge about the history, culture, political situations and economic conditions of foreign countries by watching those rare collections.
“I picked up the habit of collecting rare items from Class V. When I use to get pocket money from my parents, I would watch the design of those coins with great interest. A desire to collect a variety of coins across the globe struck my mind. My research and collections gradually grew with time. Now, I have rare currencies and coins from 310 countries. I am so happy to enter OMG book of records,” said Chandrasekhar.
Chandrasekhar’s parents are also ecstatic over their son’s rare passion which has helped him find success.
“We used to give him pocket money during his childhood. He developed his passion by watching those coins and started collecting rare coins. After getting a job, he went on adding rare coins, currency notes and postal stamps. Now, he has a huge collection,” said Chandrasekhar’s father A Judhistira Sarab.
“He developed the passion for collecting these rare items from the very childhood. After his matriculation, he did a lot of research by reading books about currency notes and coins from different countries. With help from friends and relatives, his collection gradually became bigger and bigger. We have never forbidden him from following his passion. Rather we are very happy that by pursuing his rare passion, he has got huge success,” said Chandrasekhar’s mother A Sumitra Sarab.
(Reported by Jagannath Sahu)