Remembering the Super Cyclone of 1999

It's another October 29. The people of Orissa remembered the Super Cyclone of 1999 that claimed thousands of lived and rendered lakhs of people homeless. To mark the occasion, the Orissa government observed Disaster Preparedness Day. A two-minute silence was observed by in memory of the people who lost their lives in the super cyclone 8 years ago.

The function was organized by the Orissa State Disaster Mitigation Authority at Jayadev Bhavan. The Disaster Preparedness Day also coincided with the National Day for Disaster Reduction. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik addressed the function and stressed the need for making the community aware to reduce the impact of different natural disasters.

The Chief Minister added that since 1999, a total of 97 cyclone shelters have been set up in the coastal districts. As many as 8890 primary school buildings have been built that will serve as shelters during natural disasters. Satellite phone facility has been provided to all district headquarters. According to the CM, the number of Rapid Action Force units will be increased soon.

Besides the Chief Minister, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Manmohan Samal, Women and Child Development Minister Pramila Mallik and Special Relief Commissioner Nikunja Kishore attended the function. The Orissa State Disaster Mitigation Authority has launched a website http://www.osdma.org/ to provide information about natural disasters and the State government's preparedness to cope with different natural calamities.

BPUT scraps the Year Back System

The continued resistance from the students forced the BPUT authorities to scrap the controversial "year back system". A decision in this regard was taken at the academic council meeting of the BPUT in Bhubaneswar. The decision to scrap the system was based on the report prepared by a seven-member committee.

According to BPUT, there will be no further detention and students will be promoted on the basis of cumulative grade point average. The committee had representatives from All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and others. Although the students will have to secure minimum 4.5 out of 10 points for class promotion, they will still need to secure an average of six points out of 10, to get the final B Tech degree.

BJP meet to be held in Bhawanipatna

With the mid-term polls looming large, the state BJP has started its preparations on a right note. BJP General Secretary Vinay Katiyar is currently on a five-day tour of Western Orissa districts to consolidate party's base. He visited Nabarangpur to boost the morale of party cadres who were shocked with party leader Jayadev Parida's switch over to BJD. Katiyar also visited Bhawanipatna, Balangir, Jharsuguda and Deogarh.

The BJP State executive will be held at Bhawanipatna on October 28. Katiyar will attend the meet and address the party cadres. BJP considers the tribal areas of the state as its major vote bank. Five MPs and 13 legislators of the party are from the tribal areas of the KBK (Koraput, Balangir and Kalahandi) districts. The BJP has already launched a membership drive in the state.

Naveen firm on POSCO Project

Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik firmly said that Korean Steelmaker POSCO won't shift the project from Orissa. According to the CM, the planned project will go unchanged. Mr. Naveen Patnaik was replying to the queries of the journalists at the State Secretariat. "We had a successful meeting with POSCO in New Delhi. They are very positive about the plant coming up. This is a big plant and it will certainly come up," Patnaik observed.

Despite the protests and resistance from certain sections, the Chief Minister assured to provide all support to POSCO in implementing the project in Jagatsinghpur district. The CM also added that the upcoming project will create employment opportunities for the youths in the state. The CM did not rule out providing security support to POSCO if necessary. According to the current plans, POSCO will start its operations on April 1, 2008.

Dassehra ends with the immersion of Durga Idols

The festival of Dassehra came to an end with the immersion of Durga idols across the state. Cuttack and Bhubaneswar hogged the limelight with a large number of well-decorated Durga idols being taken to rivers with much pump and show. Around 154 Durga idols in Cuttack were immersed in the river Kathjodi. The processions were taken out with priests chanting the hymns and people thronging in thousands to bid a tearful adieu to Goddess Durga.

In Bhubaneswar, 40 out of the 92 idols had been immersed in river Daya, Bhargavi and Kuakhai. Special steps were taken to avoid any untoward incident at the immersion points. The traffic in the city was regulated for the smooth passage of the idols. Similar processions were taken out elsewhere in the state.

RSS celebrates its Foundation Day

The Bhubaneswar branch of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha (RSS) celebrated its 83rd Foundation Day on the auspicious day of Vijaya Dashami or Dassehra. A large number RSS activists and other top leaders including Mr. Kamala Kant Das attended the meet at the UG ME School Ground, VSS Nagar.

RSS was founded on Vijaya Dashami day of 1925. Since then, it has witnesseds a remarkable growth. Some of the top RSS pupils include A B Vajpayee, L K Advani, Uma Bharati, Madan Lal Khurana, Narendra Modi, Kalyan Singh and Murali Manohar Joshi. RSS has a strong presence in Orissa too.

The day began with RSS members and other local people gathering at the venue where RSS drummers beat the drum to enthuse spirit among the masses. After traditional prayer, a group of RSS activists showed their martial arts and physical fitness skills. Then the top leaders addressed the huge gathering. They regretfully admitted that RSS is losing the momentum and its vision and stressed on the need for new strategies and plans to make the organization stronger and more powerful.

POSCO to start work in Orissa by April 2008

Despite the controversy and the resistance from villagers and other organizations, South Korean steelmaker POSCO announced that it would begin the 12 million-tonnes-capacity steel plant project in Orissa by April 2008. Interestingly, April 1, 2008 is the 40th anniversary of the company. At the same time, April 1 is the Orissa Day. On April 1, 1936, Orissa got the statehood status.

POSCO CEO Lee Ku-taek met Orissa CM Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar to discuss the formalities. POSCO is the world's third largest steel maker. The company plans to start the construction without displacing people from its 12 mtpa greenfield steel unit site near Paradip. POSCO has also assured proper rehabilitation for the people who will lose their lands because of the upcoming project.

Lakhs of Devotees throng to Durga Puja Mandaps in Twin City

Lakhs of devotees throng to various Puja Pandals in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar on Ashtami and Navami celebrations. Cuttack leads the way in decorating the most beautiful Puja Mandaps in the state and situation is no different this year.

Mahastami and Navami were celebrated with gaiety and aplomb, besides traditional religious fervour. Dazzling lighting, breathtakingly-decorated mandaps and idols and chanting of hymns created the perfect Durga Puja atmosphere, as people visited 70-odd mandaps in Cuttack and 30-odd mandaps in Bhubaneswar.

With Dussehra falls on Sunday, more and more people are likely to take part in the celebrations and in "Ravan Podi" rituals slated to be held later Sunday night. Shahid Nagar and Nayapalli puja mandaps attact the largest number of crowds in Bhubaneswar. Another Puja Mandap at VSS Nagar also provided a fine view of Goddess Durga.

41 Oriya Pilgrims killed in Uttarakhand Bus mishap

At least 41 Badrinath-bound pilgrims from Orissa were killed and two critically injured when a bus carrying then fell into the Alaknanda river in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. 39 victims were from Ganjam district, while 2 belonged to Puri district. The mishap occurred when the driver of the bus lost control after being hit by a boulder.

Most of the dead bodies have been retrieved so far. Two injured have been admitted to a nearby hospital. Their condition is said to be critical. The pilgrims were returning to Rishikesh after visiting the Badrinath shrine. Most victims were from Purushottampur, Polsara and Buguda areas of Ganjam district and a few were from Puri.

No decision has been taken whether the cremation would take place in Uttarakhand or the bodies would be brought to Orissa. A special plane carrying all the relatives of the passengers will reach Uttarakhand today. The state government had already dispatched two officials to Uttarakhand. Two ministers of the state government will attend the funeral, which is most likely to be held there only. The Orissa government has also announced Rs 1 lakh each to the kins of the dead.

SC rejects Dara Singh's Bail Plea

The Supreme Court dismissed the bail plea of Dara Singh, convicted in the murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons. Justice Arijit Pasayat dismissed Singh's bail plea saying that he was serving a life setence in another murder case. Hence, granting bail in one case would not serve his purpose.

Railway Athletics Meet concluded

The 73rd All India Railway Athletic Championship concluded at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar. The meet was organized by the East Coast Railway Sports Association. Orissa Governor Muralidhar Chandrakant Bhandare took the center stage as Chief Guest and distributed the trophies and medals to the sportspersons.

Rs 35 Lakhs looted from UCO Branch, Baripada

A group of armed robbers looted Rs 35 lakh from UCO Branch, Baripada on Tuesday. According to the police, at least six people were involved in the incident. The miscreants entered the bank, as soon as the bank opened at 10 AM. Only three employees and six customers were present inside the bank when the incident took place.

The robbers snatched mobile phones from the customers and staff and waited until the arrival of the manager who carried the keys of the strong room. the managed to snatch the keys at gunpoint. According to the customers, the robbers were talking both in Hindi and Bengali. They fled in two motorbikes. The police has launched a manhunt and sealed all the entry points to the district headquarters.

State to implement National Food Security Mission

The Orissa Government has decided to implement the National Food Security Mission and National Agriculture Development Plan in the state. The decision was taken at a high level meeting held at the Secretariat on Saturday, which was attended by the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Agriculture Minister Surendranath Nayak, Chief Secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy and Development Commissioner R. N. Bohidar.

The Food Security Mission has the following missions:

1) To augment production of paddy, wheat and cererals
2) To generate employment opportunities in rural areas
3) To raise the income of the farming community

The Orissa government would request for a grant of Rs 850 crore for the implementation of the food security mission. Special emphasis would be given to selection of proper seed variety, fertilizer and irrigation facility, according to the government press release. The state government has identified 15 districts for production of paddy, while 10 districts have been identified for cultivation of cereals.

Pink Eye Menace: Conjunctivitis causes Panic in the State

--By Sonam Sutar

The monsoon created a havoc in the state, not in terms of rain and flood, but in the form of "Conjunctivitis" or "Pink Eye". The disease has gripped Bhubaneswar and other parts of the state for the past one month. However, the situation has raised an alarm in Bhubaneswar in the past 3/4 days, with an unprecedented number of people have been affected with Conjunctivitis.

Since the Conjunctivitis virus thrives in a humid atmosphere, people mostly get affected in the monsoon season. Although the disease has not reached the epidemic stage yet, it created a panic in the city. The infected person first complains of swollen eyes. Then the eyes start itching and they hurt like hell. The pain and itching are almost unbearable.

Conjunctivitis is a highly communicated disease. There is a hundred per cent possibility of the disease affecting the friends and family members of the infected person, if there is a direct or indirect contact. Although the infection subsides itself, it takes from 3 - 15 days, depending on the physical condition and immune power of the concerned people.

Here's a list of Dos and Don'ts for all:

To Do:

1) Regularly clean your eyes with water.

2) Wash your hands whenever you touch the affected eyes.

3) Use disposable tissues or sterilized cottons. Never use regular handkerchiefs.

4) Wear sunglasses.

5) Don't take non-veg foods. Eat vegetables and fruits instead.

Not To Do:

1) Never shake hands with infected people. Make sure not to touch any parts of their body.

2) Don't share towels used by them.

3) Don't rub your eyes. It may damage your cornea.

4) Don't expose your eyes to sunlight.

5) Spend less hours in front of the PCs.