Chikungunya spreads in Puri, 30 tested Positive

At least 300 people, showing symptoms of Chikungunya have visited the Balanga hospital in the past few days. Balanga is about 30 km from Puri. According to health authorities, the blood samples of more than 30 patients have tested positive for Chikungunya. This is for the first time the coastal district witnessed symptoms of Chikungunya of high magnitude.

The government has rushed medical teams to the disease-prone areas. Temporary treatment centres have been opened in the area and the health officials have kept a close watch on the situation. Chikungunya is caused by mosquito bite.

Rs 35 lakh looted from Uco Bank in Rourkela

Six armed robbers, posing as customers, looted Rs 35 lakh from the Main Road branch of Uco Bank in Rourkela. The robbery occurred in the broad day light at 10 AM. No one dared to resist and very few knew what happened until a police party arrived 30 minutes after the looters fled with the cash.

Before the leaving the branch, the robbers took all people present inside the bank to a toilet and locked them from outside. They also snatched two mobile phones from bank employees. The police has launched a massive manhunt to nab the robbers.

Significantly, there was a similar incident in the same branch in 2001, when the looters took Rs 12 lakh. However, later the police recovered Rs 9 lakh. It is surprising that the bank authorities did not take cue from that incident to appoint a security guard or install an alarm device.

Ortel to switch off its Network for One Hour

To protest the recent cable disconnection incidents by some hooligans, the Ortel Communications have decided to switch off their network from 8 PM to 9 PM on Wednesday. According to Ortel sources, some vested interests of VEPL (Variety Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.), which promotes ETV Oriya in the state, has been cutting their cables, thus giving great deal of inconvenience to the customers.

Even after repeated complaints, the police has not been able to stop such incidents. To mark their protest against police inaction and the government apathy, the Ortel Network has decided to take this drastic step. They asked all Ortel consumers to support the company in the protest.

Interestingly, VEPL alleges that the Ortel employees have been cuting the cable of its network for the past few months, in a bid to discourage it from spreading VEPL's network in Orissa. It is well known that Ortel has stopped airing ETV Oriya to its customers from January 2007. The ongoing war between these cable operators have badly affected the consumers in Bhubaneswar.

Reliance Fresh outlets attacked in Bhubaneswar

Hundreds of traders and vegetable vendors attacked two Reliance Fresh food outlets in the city with iron rods and sticks. The outlets were scheduled to open on Tuesday. The attackers belonged to the Street Vendor and Small Business Association (SVSBA). They first targeted the outlet at Gopabandhu Chhawk. Later the went and ransacked the outlet at Lewis Road.

SCB Medicos call off Strike

The agitating junior doctors at the SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, called off the strike after the government met their demands. They ended their week-long strike on some conditions. According to them, they would review the security at the hospital after a month and resume their agitation if it would not improve then.

BJD welcomes Congress Deserters

In the wake of the planned merger of the Orissa Gana Parishad (OGP) and the state unit of the JD(S) with the NCP, the Naveen Patnaik lashed out at the later, saying it has no future in Orissa. In a state like Orissa, such parties with lack of vision won't be able to reach the people, he said. In a bid to woo the rival camp, the Chief Minister welcomes several leaders and workers of OGP, JD(S) and Congress to his party.

According to BJD sources, a total of 374 leaders and workers from other political parties have joined BJD and many more would follow suit soon. The leaders who joined BJD included ex-MLA from Subratpur, Debraj Seth, ex-JD(S) general secretary Jugal Nayak and youth leader Amiya Pandab. The rival camp headed by Biay Mohapatra and Ashok Das rubbished the BJD claim and asserted that NCP would become a strong force to reckon with in Orissa.

Heavy Rain plays Havoc in Coastal Orissa

Heavy rain continues to play havoc in coastal Orissa including the cities like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Jajpur, Paradeep and others. At least 10 people have been died so far due to rain and house collapse. Rain went uabated in the twin city for almost 12 - 14 hours, brining the normal life into standstill. Waterlogging and overflowing of drains have been reported from several parts of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. People had to keep themselves indoor throughout the day because of the rain fury.

According to Meterological department, there will be no respite for people at least for the next 36 hours. The low pressure has been formed at a distance of 230 km from Puri and is likely to intensify further. Wind will be blowing at 45 - 55 km per hour. Alert has been issued around all sea shores and ports for the fishermen not to venture into the sea for the next 48 hours.

Dara Singh and Three others get Life Term

Dara Singh, who is serving a life sentence for the murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his minor sons, has been handed over another life term for killing Arul Doss, a Roman Catholic priest in 1999. The Baripada District and Sessions Court sentenced Singh and three others to life for the murder of Doss. Just eight months earlier, Dara Singh led a mob, which burnt the jeep in which Staines and his sons Philip and Timothy, were sleeping.

However, Dara Singh and 12 others were acquitted in another case related to the burning of a truck and murder of its helper due to lack of evidence.

Capital Hospital Staff protest Assault on Nurse

Days after the SCB Medical College staff going on an indefinite strike to protest against the assault on the doctors and nurses by the attendants of the patients, the Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar too witnessed similar scene. The work at the Capital Hospital was paralysed for six hours, as the doctors and the staff sat on a dharna. They protested against the assault on a nurse by the relatives of dead patient.

After the death of a female patient, her relatives went on a rampage and ransacked the female medicine ward. They also attacked the nurse on duty, injuring her seriously. The employees demanded immediate arrest of the miscreants involved in the incident and full-proof security for the staff. The strike was called off after the government assured to post policemen at the hospital to prevent any such incident in future.

Strike at SCB Medical College continues

The junior doctors, house surgeons, nursing staff and MBBS students of SCB Medical College, Cuttack have gone on an indefinite strike to protest against the repeated attack on them by attendants of patients. The work at the SCB Medical College came to a complete halt, as the strike continues.

The Junior Doctors' Association (JDA) also demanded the immediate removal of hospital superintendent JK Balabantray, terming him unfit for administrative work. The strike started by the junior doctors got a boost on Thursday, when house surgeons and nursing staff joined it. The hospital staff are demanding fullprrof security during night hours. The Orissa Medical College Teachers; Association (OMTA) and Orissa Medical Service Association (OMSA) also supported the JDA-led strike.

Heavy rain Lashes Orissa again

There is no respite for people of Orissa from rain. The latest low pressure formation over the Bay of Bengal resulted in heavy rain in Orissa. The state has already seen ten low pressure areas off its coast since June 2007. Heavy rain claimed at least 22 lives in the neighboring Andhra Pradesh, while it brought the life in Orissa into a standstill. There have been reports of water logging in many areas of Cuttack City.

According to the Meteorological Department, the rain will continue for 2/3 days because of the cyclonic depression. Six matches of the Kalahandi Cup cricket, which was scheduled to begin today, have been cancelled due to heavy rain and bad weather.

MCA Students on Hunger Strike at CITE

--By Orissa Times Online Correspondent

The MCA students of the Centre for IT Education, Bhubaneswar went on a hunger strike on Monday to protest the administration apathy towards the students' demands on placement and other issues. According to the students, despite being one of the reputed MCA Colleges of the state, CITE hardly conducts any placement drive, whereas other colleges manage to invite many software giants like Wipro, Infosys, TCS, Mindtree and others for an on-campus recruitment drive.

A large number of students of the CITE were hired by various software companies last year, thanks to their skill set and determination. They achieved this distinction while attending the off-campus recruitment drive, conducted at other colleges. Based on their performance and track record on the off-campus recruitment drive, the students demand on-campus placement in the campus, which will give them more exposure and options.

Although CITE charges on an average more than Rs 40,000 per annum to each student, it's an irony that they cited lack of money as a reason for their inability to conduct an on-campus recruitment drive in the college. Despite their best efforts, the students failed to prevail upon the authorities on this issue. Finally, they had to resort to a hunger strike to press for their demands. According to latest reports, the Vice Chancellor and other officials are holding talks with the agitating students to resolve the crisis.

Article on 10 Most Beautiful Places in Orissa

A recent article published on Destination India lists the 10 most beautiful places in Orissa. The list includes Puri Jagannath Temple, Lingaraj Temple, Konark Sun Temple, Chilka Lake, Dauli Shanti Stupa, Similipal Forest Reserve, Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary, Duduma Waterfall, Nandankanan Zoological Park and Gupteswar Cave. Interestingly, the article made it to the Homepage at Netscape and received 2,500 visitors across the globe on a single day.

Fake Currency Racket in Orissa

While the state police is still having a tough time dealing with the influx of fake currency notes from Andhra Pradesh, it faces another onslaught from West Bengal. On Sunday, the Cuttack police seized counterfeit notes worth Rs 3 lakh from a five member group. The group had two couples from Jharkhand.

In recent months, fake currency notes have begun dominating the market in Orissa. ISI link has been suspected over the rise of fake currency trade in Orissa. The latest seizure has pointed towards counterfeit consignments pushed into the country from Bangladesh.

According to police sources, the kingpin of the fake currency racket is based in Malda district in West Bengal. The police is confident of arresting all persons involved in the racket soon. The seized notes included 255 notes of Rs 1,000 denomination and 97 pieces of Rs 500 denomination.

CPI's Rail Roko in Orissa

The Communist Party of India had called for a "Rail Roko" in the state to protest the assault of its state secretary Dibakar Nayak and his party colleagues by RSPF personnel at Bhubaneswar Railway Station. The agitation affected the movement of trains in Orissa. The movement of trains was affected from 0630 hours to 1300 hours, as the CPI activists sat on the railway track on various cities including Bhubaneswar, Berhampur, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Rambha and Rengali.

Several trains were either cancelled or delayed and the passengers had a tough time to deal with the problems arisen out of the Rail Roko call. According to CPI sources, more than 100 party workers were arrested by police from different places of the state.

CAG to probe NREGS Scam

A recent survey conducted by a Delhi-based NGO, revealed that bulk of the NREGS (National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) money in Orissa had gone to the pockets of officials and politicians. The scheme is currently being implemented in 24 out of 30 districts of the state. The scheme guarantees minimum 100 days of work per annum to interested people. Ironically, only Rs. 87 crore has been spent against availability of Rs. 497 crore.

Union Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh has requested the CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) to probe into the scam. According to the Minister, the government cannot absolve itself of the scam, it failed both in implementation and monitoring the scheme. The allegations of irregularities in the implementation of NREGS had been reported from 69 districts across the country, however, Orissa is worst-affected.

Vishwakarma Puja celebrated in Orissa

Industries, Companies and Manufacturing firms across the state celebrated Vishwakarma Puja with full spirit and enthusiasm. Since there was hardly any rain on Monday, people come out of home in large numbers to visit the puja pandals. Mancheswar Industrial Estate in Bhubaneswar witnessed a huge crowd in several puja pandals yesterday.

Vishwakarma is known as the divine engineer. He is mostly worshipped by the engineering and mechanic community. Other industrial towns of state, Hirakud, Rourkela, Sunabeda, Damanjodi, Angul, Rayagada, Machhkund and Kolab also celebrated Vishwakarma Puja with pump and show.

BJP observes Raighar Bandh

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) observed bandh at Raighar (Nabarangpur District) in protest over the arrest of its party workers in connection with the bomb attack on tribal activist and Zilla Praishad member Jagabandhu Majhi on September 13, which he escaped unhurt. Three BJP workers were arrested and sent to the judicial custody. BJP claims that they are innocent and have been framed by some Congress politicians.

The party also sat on a Dharna in front of the Raighar Police Station. Nabarangpur BJP MP Parshuram Majhi and Umerkote MLA Dharmu Gond were also present at the Dharna. The BJP has threatened to intensify its agitation if its party workers are not released immediately.

BPUT Students go on Indefinite Strike

The agitating students of Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) have observed a statewide "Black Day" on Monday to force their demand of the withdrawl of the year back system. The students held a press conference to announce their decision. According to Abhijit Sahu, the President of BPUT Students' Association, the BPUT has ignored their demand on scrapping the year back system and focused on less important issues.

The students have decided to boycott classes in all engineering colleges of the state until their demands are met. According to latest reports, the state administration alerted all Engineering/MCA colleges and institutions to step necessary steps to prevent any untoward incidents. The agitation is exected to intesify over the next three days.

Orissa celebrated Nuakhai "Harvest" Festival

Millions of people in the state celebrated "Nuakhai" or the "Harvest Festival" with a lot of spirit and enthusiasm. People offered the first crop of the season to their deities and visited each other's place to spread the message of goodwill and brotherhood. Nuakhai is normally celebrated in Western Orissa. However, with the changing times, other parts of the state have also adopted this festival.

The aim of the festival is to express man's gratitude to nature and reverence to god for supply of food. The main districts that celebrate Nuakhai are Sambalpur, Bargarh, Sundergarh, Balangir, Kalahandi, Jharsuguda, Nuapara, Deogarh, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Phulbani, Rayagada, and Malkanagiri. The CM and the Governor were among many prominent persons who greeted people on this occasion.

Heavy Rain spoils Festive Mood in Bhubaneswar

The depression formed over Bay of Bengal resulted in heavy rain in the coast districts including Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. Today's Ganesh Festival has been badly affected by heavy rain and bad weather. People kept waiting for the rain god to show signs of relent so that they could roam around the city to have a glimpse of Ganesh Pandals. However, it did not happen.

Although normal life came to a halt in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, other parts of the state celebrated Ganesh Puja with much grandeur. Major cities like Rourkela, Balasore, Jeypore, Keonjhar, Sambalpur and others witnessed large gatherings on this auspicious occasion. Thousands of people thronged to the Puja Pandals to worship Lord Ganesha.

Despite heavy rain, people were seen visiting the Ganesha Puja Pandals in the evening. Nayapalli, Shaid Nagar, Bapuji Nagar, Ashok Nagar, Janpath, Old Town and Rasulgarh areas got crowded after 6 PM as thousands of people come out of home braving the persistent rain. Although the enthusiasm was there, the mood was spoiled by the weather god.

Sukinda among 10 Worst Polluted areas in the World

Sukinda, the Mining city of Orissa and Gujarat's Vapi are among the top ten worst polluted areas in the world, says a survey conducted by an independent environment group. the pollution puts more than 2.5 million people at risk in Sukinda. In Vapi, 71,000 people are at risk because of pollution. Sukinda is famous for large chromite deposits.

The survey was conducted by the Blacksmith Institute, a prestigious US-based environment group. Other worst ten polluted areas are Sumgayit (Azerbaijan), Linfen and Tianjin in China , La Oroya (Peru), Dzerzhinsk and Norilsk (both in Russia ), Chernobyl (Ukraine ) and Kabwe (Zambia). Both Sukinda and Vapi are new entrants in the list.

JB Patnaik joins BJP - BJD in Center Bashing over Ram Setu

Former Orissa CM and Veteran Congress leader JB Patnaik joined rivals BJP and BJD to criticise the UPA Government over the Ram Setu affidavit. JB Patnaik is regarded as one of the contemporary politicians in the country. He had also written Ramayana in Oriya language. He described the Center's affidavit as unwarranted.

In his words, "The matter and content should have been confined to only the Ram Setu or Adam's Bridge. But they unnecessarily dragged the issue and stumbled upon the existence of Lord Rama and the Ramayana. This is uncalled for". He also urged the Center to withdraw the affidavit with immediate effect.

BPUT Students apologize for Vandalism, Admitted Congress Role

After being severely criticized for the recent vandalism in Bhubaneswar, the BPUT Engineering students apologized for the inconvenience and damage caused to public. However, they maintained that the existing "year back" system is badly affecting them in the examinations. They also urged the state government to repeal the system that is ruining their career.

In a press conference, the students said that it were the Congress workers who joined the students and started the rampage on the road that damaged public and private property including over 150 vehicles. According to the students, nobody is giving a patient hearing to them and the colleges are putting tremendous pressure on their mind and body through the rescheduling of examination.

The students also said that about 2,000 students selected through campus recruitment cannot join their jobs because of the year back system. The BPUT academic council will meet on Friday to decide upon the students' demand.

Orissa Bandh observed from Dawn to Dusk

A 12-hour Dawn to Dusk Bandh called by the opposition parties in Orissa, went successfully barring some stray incidents of violence and arson. The Orissa Bandh had a significant impact on the normal life in Bhubaneswar and other major towns of Orissa. Besides Bhubaneswar, Puri, Cuttack, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Balangir, Jajpur, Paradeep, Bhadrak, Jeypore, Nabarangpur, Bhadrak, Koraput, Malkanagiri, Rayagada, Phulbani and other towns of the state also witnesses a total Bandh.

Opposition leaders courted arrest elsewhere in the state. Around 300 leaders and activists have been arrested in Bhubaneswar. Train, bus and flight services were badly affected. Activists burnt tyres to block the roads. There was hardly any traffic on NH-5 because of the impact of Orissa Bandh. A large number of police personnel were deployed everywhere to prevent any untoward incident. According to sources, there was over 50% attendance in the State Secretariat and other government offices in Bhubaneswar.

Khurda witnessed violent incidents with mobs ransacking the Irrigation Office and setting important documents and files on fire. They also damaged and burnt many government vehicles. a Timber Factory in Jagatpur, Cuttack was vandalised during the Bandh call.

The Bandh supporters stopped private vehicles on the roads and forced shopkeepers to down their shutters. They also roughed up people driving cars and two-wheelers. In some places, they damaged the wind shields of some private vehicles.

The Bandh was called by the Congress and Left Parties called for the Bandh on the issues such as fake medicine racket, female foeticide, fake mark sheet scandal and cholera death. Ironically, the cholera patients were badly affected in Kashipur. As the Bandh supporters did not allow vehicles to operate, patients were brought to the hospitals in cots.

The Congress and Left Parties termed today's Orissa Bandh a huge success and stated that people have responded positively to the Bandh call, as they were fed up with this government. However, the ruling BJD and BJP accused the opposition parties of resorting to violent tactics in order to make the Bandh successful.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik criticized the Congress and Left Parties of forcing people to participate in the Bandh. He claimed that a large number of anti-social elements have been arrested during the bandh, which clearly suggests the use of muscle power during the Bandh.

BPUT Students went on Rampage in Bhubanseswar

--By BNO Correspondent

People, who advocate student power, this is the least they may have expected. About 200 Engineering students from the Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) went bersek in Bhubaneswar on Saturday, attacking common people and damaging properties worth millions of rupees.

The immediate provocation for such an action was attributed to the failure of talks between BPUT Administration and the students over the latter's demand for withdrawal of the "year back system". This system already criticism and protests from all quarters, as it allows detention of a student for an academic year if he or she fails in more than four out of 12 subjects.

When the students went on rampage, police remained mute spectators. The students took control of the long road between Master Canteen Square and Ram Mandir Square. To the utter surprise of the public and media persons present on the spot, they used stones, iron rods and sticks to damage vehicles and attack the common people. According to sources, at least 100 two-wheelers and over 50 four-wheelers have been damaged in the mayhem. At least 20 civilians were injured.

Police personnel reached the spot only when the violence was over. They then picked whoever present on the spot. Ironically, the Kharavela Nagar Police Station is not too far from the road where the violence took place. The police had arrested about 80 students, including girls, but all of them were released on bond. According to the police officials, the rampaging students will not be sent to court and no further action will be initiated against them.

The student violence came just in the eve of the Orissa Bandh planned by the opposition parties on September 10. That's why people smell foul play in this unprecedented incident. According to confidential sources and eye-witnesses, some students were seen discussing with Congress workers inside the premises of Congress Bhavan hours before the students resorted to violence. It has also been reported that local goons and Congress workers joined the students to damage the public and private property and attack the passers-by. The police and administration are investing the matter. Truth is expected to come out within a few days.

The latest episode put a question mark on our education system and law and order. Can we trust and rely on such students who are said to be the future of our country. Can we trust such a callous police administration that remain mute spectator to such a condemnable incident. And finally, who will compensate those car and motorcycle owners who have been punished for no fault of theirs? They might have invested their hard-earned money to buy a vehicle for their family. But everything is lost in a moment of madness. Will the CM address the concerns of people, who have been suffered on this unfortunate incident? He must, as he claims to be the people's CM. Let's hope that the better sense prevails at last.

Double Murder inside OUAT Campus in Bhubaneswar

A 78-year old woman and her grandson were murdered by a youth who used to be a close friend of the deceased Debabrata Pani. The murder took place in a government quarter inside the OUAT campus in Bhubaneswar. The killer, Arun Kumar Dora later surrendered before the police. According to him, he was forced to take such a drastic step, as he was fed up with deceased Debabrata's constant pressure to have 'unnatural sex' with him.

When the police reached the spot, the deceased were lying in a pool of blood with their heads crushed by a stone. The dead bodies have been sent for postmortem. According to the police and local residents, Debabrata was working as an executive with the ICICI Bank also acted in several Oriya Albums. Arun planned the murder in advance, as he knew that family members of Debabrata had gone out on a pilgrimage to Vaishno Devi.

Family members of the deceased have been informed. The police is not convinced with the statement made by the accused. They suspect the involvement of other people in this murder. Investigation is still going on and truth may come out soon.

Orissa Government launches New Portal

The Orissa Government has launched its new portal called http://www.orissa.gov.in/. Chief Secretary Ajit Tripathy inaugurated the portal. The dynamic-content driven portal aims at providing all administrative departments an opportunity to manage their own information an display those to the public. According to government sources, each department will be able to update news on a regular basis.

Opposition calls for Orissa Bandh on Sept 10

--By Sagar Satapathy

The opposition parties are in no mood to let go the opportunity to embarrass the state government over the issues of female foeticide, fake medicine racket, mark sheet scandal and the recent death due to cholera outbreak. They have given a Orissa Bandh call on September 10 to protest against the failure of the BJD-BJP coalition government to address the issues related to public interest.

While the Congress is leading the protest against the Naveen Patnaik government, other parties such as CPI, CPM, OGP (Orissa Gana Parishad) and JMM are supporting the bandh call. although a large scale protest against the government was being planned for the last few weeks, the immediate provocation was attributed to the cholera outbreak in the tribal-dominated districts of Koraput, Rayagada and Kalahandi that claimed about 200 lives so far.

Other issues that are being raked up by the opposition are the shoddy implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), marksheet scandal involving former Education Minister Bishnu Charan Das and the female foeticide that shook the entire nation and the world.