News from Odisha

Amid Covid lockdown restrictions, alleged trafficking of labourers have once again exposed the plights of migrants in the State. This time, as many as 18 labourers were detained by B. Singpur police while they were boarding a bus from Nuaguda village in Katharagada panchayat of Koraput district to Tiruchur area in Tamil Nadu.

Odisha’s Covid caseload jumped to 67,9530 on Saturday with  11,108 new cases having been reported in the last 24 hours.

A cyclonic system over south-east and adjoining Bay of Bengal is likely to trigger a low pressure area over east-central and north Andman sea today, the regional weather department informed.

In an unfortunate incident, a forest guard on duty was shot dead by unidentified miscreants at Rengalibahal under Saintala police limits in the district late on Friday night.

In the wake of Cyclone Yaas, the East Coast Railway on Friday cancelled several trains originating or terminating from Bhubaneswar and Puri.

Out of the 88 servitors engaged in the chariot construction work, 18 have been tested positive for novel coronavirus so far

As many as 17 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 20 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams have been put on standby to deal with any eventuality arising out of Cyclone Yaas, informed Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradeep Jena on Friday.

The MLAs of the Opposition BJP in Odisha on Friday wrote a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik demanding immediate steps to arrest the rapid spread of COVID19 in rural areas and in the tribal belts of the State.

As per the modifications, the storage condition has been revised up to minus 20 degree Celsius subject to condition that the vaccines will remain stable and maintain its potency at 2 degree Celsius to 8 degree Celsius for at least 12 hours.

The matter came to light after Bolangir MP’s representative Dinesh Sharma visited the General ICU ward of the hospital to meet a critical patient. He found as many as 10 ventilators being left unused and covered with clothes.

Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Panigrahi and Retired IFS officer Abhay Kant Pathak, both lodged at Jharpada jail in Bhubaneswar, test positive for COVID19 on Friday. The duo has been isolated and initial treatment has begun, informed sources.

The Regional Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar has issued ‘Yellow Warning’ for several districts of Odisha for the next five days.

Standard Operating Procedures has been issued for ULBs in view of the forthcoming cyclonic storm 'Yaas'

The concerned officials have been directed to ensure proper evacuation of people living in low-lying areas and kutcha houses to avoid any kind of eventualities.

Odisha will see cyclone Yaas rain from the night of May 25. On landfall day, Balasore will record gusting wind at 100kmph. Bhubaneswar may record 60kmph gusting wind.