News from Bhubaneswar

Chief Minister Mohan Majhi announced the construction of new Odisha Bhawans in Ayodhya, Hyderabad, and Surat to support the Odia diaspora, featuring cultural elements and modern facilities. This initiative marks a cultural and administrative milestone for the State, strengthening Odisha’s presence and services outside its geographical borders.

Veteran BJD leaders, including Pravat Tripathy and Amar Satpathy, held a secretive meeting in Jajpur's Olasuni Gumpha, sparking speculation about a new political front to challenge BJD and BJP dominance in Odisha. The gathering was hosted by Pravat Tripathy and saw the presence of heavyweights like Amar Satpathy, Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, Prasanna Patasani, Rabi Pani, and Ramachandra Hansda.

Eleven days after a Mahindra Thar hit-and-run killed Rebati Raul and her daughter Reshma in Bhubaneswar, accused driver Somnath Behera remains at large despite police seizing the vehicle and arresting accomplices. Meanwhile, widespread public outrage and the victim's family’s frustration have centred on a key question: Why has Somnath not been arrested?

Six BJD MPs skipped a key ECI meeting in New Delhi, sparking backlash and internal discord allegations, with party leaders citing prior commitments and denying factionalism. The absentee BJD MPs — Sasmit Patra, Manas Mangaraj, Munna Khan, Subhasish Khuntia, Debashish Samantaray, and Niranjan Bishi — did not attend the meeting or the subsequent press conference.

Revenue employees in Odisha continue their 10-day strike for pay revision and benefits, defying government warnings and halting public services statewide.

Odisha Housing Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra announced the state submitted a Bhubaneswar Metro proposal to the Centre, with a technical committee formed for feasibility surveys and funding discussions.

BJD MP Sasmit Patra raised concerns in Parliament about the Bhubaneswar Metro Rail project's status, with Union Minister Kaushal Kishore explaining delays due to policy adherence and state revisions.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi flagged off the first Bhubaneswar-Jharsuguda direct flight under Odisha's B-MAAN scheme, enhancing regional connectivity and economic opportunities with Star Air operating five weekly services.

The Regional Meteorological Centre predicts rainfall in southern and interior Odisha until August 24 due to a low-pressure system, with yellow warnings for heavy rain, thunderstorms, and lightning issued for multiple districts.

IndiGo may withdraw the only direct Bhubaneswar-Dubai flight from October 24, per AeroRoutes schedule, forcing passengers to use connecting flights like Bhubaneswar-Abu Dhabi, impacting Odia diaspora and trade.

Ayushman Pati, a first-year commerce student at BJB Autonomous College, accuses Rajan Panda of ragging on August 1, with no action from college authorities or police despite complaints.

Odisha begins Special Intensive Revision of voter lists after 24 years, sparking Congress protests over alleged bias, while BJP supports and BJD remains non-committal on the Election Commission's initiative. The initiative, set to begin coming month (September), follows similar efforts in Bihar and aims to clean up and update the electoral rolls through door-to-door verification.

The Election Commission of India implemented 28 reforms over six months, focusing on stakeholder engagement, technology adoption, electoral roll purification, ease of voting, and capacity building to enhance transparency and efficiency. These reforms, structured around six strategic pillars, aim to enhance transparency, voter confidence, and institutional efficiency across the electoral process in the country.

Vigilance raids expose Superintending Engineer Surendra Behera's disproportionate assets, including houses, flats, plots, and cash in multiple locations, raising corruption concerns. As of now, Behera has not commented publicly on the DA accusations. The raids, carried out in Bhubaneswar, Sundargarh, Rourkela, and Ganjam, revealed that he owns two houses, two flats, four plots of land and many more.

A portion of the ceiling at Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation's BMC office collapsed, raising safety concerns. The incident occurred on the underground floor, with no casualties reported. Mayor Sulochana Das cited possible AC seepage as the cause.