Ortel Broadband - A curse for Internet Users in Bhubaneswar

When Ortel Communications began its operation in Orissa, it made high promises of bringing the broadband revolution to the state. It claimed that its fast Internet services would come as a boon for the net surfers and businesses across the state. However, that claim turned out to be hollow, as thousands of customers across the capital feel betrayed by the company and its management.

Ortel never lived up to the expectations of its customers. Ask any regular Ortel Internet user in Bhubaneswar and you will get the answer. Individuals, Business owners and corporate sectors are completely fed up with the services offered by Ortel Communications. During the past 30 days, Ortel customers are experiencing unprecedented Internet problems. Things have taken an ugly turn, as Ortel authorities have almost given up hope of restoring Internet connectivity in many areas including VSS Nagar.

When our correspondent talked to Mr. Siddharth Mishra, Customer Relationship Manager for Ortel Communications, he gave the real picture. Customer Care executives keep promising that problem would be rectified within a few hours. However, Mr. Mishra told in clear terms that Ortel is going through a tough phase and the problem may remain for another 2/3 days. He also could not assure that Ortel would be able to fix it permanently.

Since the Internet users in Bhubaneswar have few options, Ortel is playing the game of monopoly. It signs hundreds of customers every month, but fails to provide them the service for which they pay a good sum. If we believe Mr. Mishra, currently 1500 - 2000 customers in Bhubaneswar are badly affected by this Internet problem. Some users complain that Ortel stops its services exactly at 10 PM every night and then automatically restore it in the morning. This is really weird.

Ortel claims that they have the latest technology to fix any problem and provide the best possible service to their customers. However, this is far from truth. While Ortel managers make merry and cool their heels in Thailand, common people who indirectly pay for those trips, suffer badly.

The company is planning to launch its cable TV and Internet services in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Chattisgarh. If today it takes pride in becoming a leading profit making company in the state, the whole credit goes to its customers who now feel betrayed and cheated by Ortel. The government must step in to stop this exploitation. Otherwise, Ortel Broadband services will become a curse for the thousands of Internet users in the city.

Bhubaneswar gears up for New Year bash

It's time for party and celebrations! Bhubaneswar gears up for parties, DJs and much more on the new year eve. Hotels, Restaurants and other resorts in the city have a busy schedule on the last day of 2007 and the situation will remain so for a few more days. The youth and the old are all set to welcome the new year 2008.

Many hotels, pubs and restaurants have made special arrangements for the party-goers. They have roped in on DJs, item girls, celebrities, singers, rock bands, musicians, comedians and other celebrities to mark the occasion and make it special for their customers. Entry tickets range between Rs 1500 and Rs 4000 for a couple.

Tefia's will organize a grand New Year bash - Mumbai Masala at Prachi Resorts. Famous pop singer Leslie Lewis would lead the show. In addition, Black Spider, belly dancers, singers and other Oriya starlets will add more firework to the show.

Other hotels such as Swosti Plaza, Mayfair Lagoon and The Crown have come up with some surprise packages for their customers on new year eve. Swosti Plaza will present singer Jyotsna Navandar and comedian Sajid. Mayfair Lagoon will have Irfan from Voice of India, Laughter Master Sunil Savra and dancers Sunaina and Adda Charming.

Devil's Paradise, a leading discotheque in the city will present some surprise dancers and other celebrities before its guests. The mood and spirit in the city are high. As the city goes global, the young generation is planning to mark the year 2008 on a grand note. Let the Celebrations begin!

Kandhamal Violence: PM steps in, State govt announces Compensation

Even as normalcy is fast returning to Orissa's riot-hit Kandhamal district, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has stepped in, assuring security to the people living in the area. The PM has assured the Christian community that government will do everything possible to safeguard the rights and liberties of all sections of society irrespective of their caste or community.

The PM called up Orissa CM Naveen Patnaik to take stock of the situation. The CM has assured him that the state government will ensure safety and security of people belonging to all communities.

The Orissa government announced a compensation of Rs one lakh each to the next of kin of those killed in the communal violence. In addition, accommodation would be provided under Indira Aawas Yojana to those whose houses were destroyed in the violence. Rs 10,000 would be provided to people whose houses were partially damaged.

Oriya Film Awards: Siddhant and Anu Choudhury get the Honours

The latest sensation in Orissa, Anu Choudhury received the "Best Actress" award at the "Chalachhitra Jagat Pratibha Samman - 2007", held in Bhubaneswar. Anu won the award for her superlative performance in "Nali Tuku Tuku Sadhaba Bohu". Siddhant Mahapatra won the "Best Actor" award. Sabyasachi Mishra won the "Best Actor in Debut" award for "Pagal Premi", while Kajol Mishra got this award in female section for her performance in "Chaka Chaka Bhaunri".

Child artist Piyali Mishra won the "Best Child Artist" award for "To Pain Nebi Mu Shahe Janama". Aravind Ray won the "Best Supporting Actor" award. In the female section, this award has been shared by Debajani Banerjee and Ameli Panda. Ashok Pati won the "Best Producer" award. Noted playback singer Raghunath Panigrahi received the "Nitai Palit" award. Many people including Law Minister B B Harichandan, several other top personalities and film stars attended the award ceremony.

Kandhamal limps back to Normalcy

Normalcy is fast returning to Orissa's communal riot-hit Kandhamal district. Sunday prayers were held in churches across the district amid tight security arrangements. No violent incidents have been reported in the past couple of days and communication facilities have been restores. Day curfew has been lifted from all places, but night curfew remains in place to avert any untoward incident.

According to sources, people, who fled their villages, have returned to their homes. Security forces including the police and para-military forces are deployed in communal sensitive areas across the district.

Pinal Shah shines, Baroda draws with Orissa in Ranji Trophy

Orissa eyed a victory when Baroda was reduced to 187/7 in the second innings. However, a 215-run partnership for the eighth wicket helped Baroda salvage a draw in the Ranji Trophy Super League Group B match against Orissa. Pinal Shah made 148, while Rajesh Pawar scored 91. Baroda reached 424/9 when the umpires stopped the play after the 8th mandatory over.

Brief Score:

Baroda 255 and 424/9
Orissa 294

Padmanabh Behera resigned

Orissa Steel and Mines Minister and BJD leader from Kandhamal district, Padmanabh Behera resigned from his post in the wake of recent violence in the district that claimed at least 12 lives so far. Mr Behera resigned, owning moral responsibility for failing to stop the violence. His house and properites were also attacked by the angry mob many times after the violence broke out in Kandhamal district.

Police Firing kills 4 People in Kandhamal

Even as the State Government has ordered a judicial probe into the Kandhamal violence, situation deterioated further in the riot-torn area. At least 4 people have been killed when police opened fire to disperse the angry mob in Brahmanigaon.

According to police sources, a mob of 500 people opened fire at the police station. The gun fight continued for more than hour. At least four people were killed and three police officials injured. Media sources have put the death toll at 9.

Judicial probe ordered into Kandhamal Violence

The Orissa government has ordered a judicial probe into the communal violence in tribal-dominated Kandhamal district that claimed three lives and injured many. More than a dozen churches have been vandalized in the series of violent incidents that continued for the past few days.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik ordered the probe after visiting the riot-torn area on Thursday.

Advantage Orissa against Baroda in Ranji Trophy Tie

Orissa has an upperhand against Baroda in the Ranji Trophy Super League Group B encounter. Riding on a fine century scored by Shiv Sunder Das, Orissa took a 39-run first innings lead against the host team. Orissa scored 294 in reply to Baroda's first innings score of 255. Das scored 114. Baroda reached 120/3 on the penultimate day of the match. At one stage, they were 11/3. However, Azharuddin Bilakhia (46*) and Gaekwad (58*) built the Baroda innings.

BJD holds Massive Rally on Foundation Day

The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) organized a massive Kissan Rally in Bhubaneswar to mark its foundation day on December 26. Around 2 lakh people from across the state attended the rally. Chief Miniser Naveen Patnaik lashed out at the centre for ignoring Orissa and demanded special category status for the state. He also urged the centre to provide adequate assistance to Orissa with immediate effect.

Fresh Violence reported from Phulbani

Despite heavy security deployment, fresh violence reported from the riot-hit Kandhamal district. A police station was torched at Phiringia and 10 houses were attacked. At least 11 people have been injured in stone-pelting. Curfew still continues in Baliguda, Daringibadi, Brahmanigaon and Phulbani. Prohibitory orders have been clamped in the entire district.

Orissa to observe 2008 as Year of Irrigation

Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced a Rs. 2,000 crore mega package for the farmers. He assured the farmers of the state sufficient water for agricultural purpose. The CM declared 2008 as the "Year of Irrigation". "Water to all agricultural field will be our top priority during 2008," Naveen Patnaik told the reporters.

Phulbani Tense, More forces Deployed

Tension escalated further in Orissa's Phulbani district, as local Hindus clashed with Christians over the attack on VHP leader Swami Laxamananda Saraswati near Daringibadi village. According to reports, a group of people belonging to Christian community attacked Swami Laxamananda Saraswati while he was on his way to perform a yagna in a village where majority Christians wanted to celebrate Christmas in a grand way.

The VHP called a four-hour shutdown in many parts of the state. Large-scale violence and arson were reported from Phulbani, Baliguda, Daringibai and other parts. The state government has deployed additional 600 policemen in the troubled areas to prevent any untoward incident. Indefinite curfew has been imposed in Brahmanigaon, Baliguda, Daringibadi and Phulbani.

4,000 Illegal Bangladeshis taken off voters' list in Kendrapada

The Kendrapada district administration have deleted the names of at least 4,000 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants from the voters' list. These suspected illegal immigrants are living in seaside villages in coastal Kendrapada. The matter came into light when the school teachers and other government officials of the district found these villagers were not Indian citizens.

Movies in Bhubaneswar Cinema Halls (21 Dec - 28 Dec)

Two Hindi movies have been released this week. Amir Khan's "Taare Zameen Par" and Akshay Kumar, Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor-starred "Welcome" are all set to make a big impact on Bhubaneswar movie fans.

Hindi Movies:

Stutee: Taare Zameen Par (4 Shows)
Swati: Welcome (4 Shows)
Keshari: Welcome (4 Shows)
Maharaja: Taare Zameen Par (4 Shows)

Oriya Movies:

Shriya: Tumaku Paruni ta Bhuli (4 Shows)
Rabi: Lal Tuk Tuk Sadhaba Bohu (3 Shows)

Punjab crushed Orissa in Ranji Trophy

Pace bowler V R V Singh steered Punjab to a seven wicket win over Orissa in the Ranji Trophy Super League Group B match in Mohali. V R V Singh took a hattrick in Orissa's second innings, as the entire team was bowled out for a paltry 76. Punjab needed only 175 to secure a victory and the team reached the target, losing just 3 wickets. Ravi Inder scored 74.

Orissa now faces the threat of relegation to Plate stage if does not secure a win against Baroda at Vadodara. However, it will still have an outside chance if Bengal loses to Andhra Pradesh. For the time beings, the odds are not favoring Orissa much.

Brief Score:

Orissa 323 and 76
Punjab 225 and 175/3

Dilip Tirkey figures in FIH's All-Star Hockey Team

Ace defender, former India captain and Orissa's pride Dilip Tirkey has been figured in the FIH's 18-member men's All-Star hockey team for 2007. Interestingly, he is the lone player to get a place in the elite list.

Jamie Dwyer of Australia has been named captain of the team. He also got the "Player of the Year" award. Dilawar Hussain is the lone representation for Pakistan. Germany, Australia and Holland have 4 players each in the team.

Opera Dancer gangraped in Bhubaneswar

A 17-year old opera dancer from a leading opera group, was picked up by some youth in broad day light and was gang raped. The victim was on her way to Kendrapara. She had hired an auto-rickshaw from Jayadev Vihar to go to Rasulgarh. However, the auto-driver allegedly took her to another house where three others joined him to rape the victim.

The police has arrested all the accused after the victim registered a case in the police station. She was sent for medical examination. The police is investing the matter.

Orissa eyes a 9 Percent Growth

While demanding increased Central assistance and a special status to the state, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has expressed confidence that Orissa would achieve a nine percent growth in the 11th five-year plan period. He also emphasized on the fact that Orissa had registered a higher annual growth rate than the national average during the 10th five-year plan period.

The 11th five year plan for Orissa has an outlay of Rs.32,225 crore and targeted 9 per cent growth. He not only more assistance for KBK region under a special category status, but also sought more funds under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP). He requested the Centre to set up Central Institutes like IIT, IIM & IIT in Orissa.

Chloroquine not working in Orissa

According to latest reports, the most successful drug "Chloroquine" that worked wonder for Malaria, is not working well in Orissa. Several districts in the state reported the failure of the drug. Situation in Phulbani, Kandhamal, Koraput, Malkangiri, Balasore and Kendrapada is very bad. The report was confirmed by Shantanu K. Kar, director of the Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC), Bhubaneswar.

The state and central governments are aware of the situation and they are planning to phase out chloroquine completely from the state and introduce a second line drug in the next three to four months.

Jail Security in the State tightened, Fleeing Naxals enter Orissa

The Dantewada jailbreak by the Maoists has put the State Government on high alert. Police officials in bordering areas of Malkangiri, Koraput and Nabarangpur areas have been informed to remain vigilant to face any untoward incidents. Security in all jails across the state has been tightened.

It could be recalled that in a daring jailbreak, at least 299 prisoners including 110 Maoists had escaped from Dantewada Jail on December 16. According to media and intelligence reports, the fleeing Naxals have entered the areas bordering Motu, Chitrakonda, Padia, Malkangiri and Koraput. The security personnel have launched a massive manhunt to nab the Maoists if they have entered into the state territories.

American Website uses images of Deities in Undergarment

The Orissa Government has taken a strong exception to the use of Lord Jagannath's image by an American website to market its products that include undergarments. Law Minister B B Harichandan said that Orissa Government would take up the matter with the US Embassy.

A group of Hindu devotees have already lodged an FIR against the online shopping website (http://www.cafepress.com) in Puri. The website has launched a range of apparel using the images of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra, Laxmi and Hanuman.

Ankeeta Pani - The latest Heartthrob of Orissa

Ankeeta Pani has become the latest heartthrob of Orissa and is all set to become a youth icon over the next few months. She made the news after getting selected for the next round of Pantaloon-Femina Miss India 2008. The audition was held in Bhubaneswar by Pantaloon on December 1, 2007.

Ankeeta was one of the three girls selected from Orissa audition for the next round. Others selected participants were Rupsa Rani Nayak from Balasore and Prabhjot Kaur from Jamshedpur. However, Ankeeta has impressed everyone with her beauty, height and brain. When this 5' 7" beauty walks on the road, people feel as if their heartbeat stops for a moment. Her smile resembles beautiful red rose petals.

Ankeea is the proud daughter of Dr Uttam Kumar Pani and Charusheela of Baraipali, Sambalpur. She has been a brilliant student throughout her career. If you think Ankeeta is a full-time model, then think again. She is pursuing computer science and engineering at KITS in Bhubaneswar. Astonished? Although she is not averse to try her luck in modelling, education remains her first priority.

The first-ever talent hunt in India gave Ankeeta the platform she wanted. Now what's next? She has been preparing hard for the next round. If selected, she will participate in the Pantaloon-Femina Miss India 2007 contest. If she becomes Miss India by god's grace, it will be a proud moment for the state. There is no dearth of talent in Orissa. Our Oriya girls have all qualities to beat the world, but they hardly get the exposure. Hopefully, Ankeeta's feat will set a good precedent for others.

Photo Source: OTV - Orissa TV

Phulbani shivers in Cold Wave

A shivering cold wave has swept the entire Phulbani district. Normal life has been paralyzed in the areas such as Daringibadi, Kotagarh, Tumudibandh and Baliguda. The mercury touched as low as 8 degree celsius in Daringibadi. It is expected to slide further over the next few days. Last year, the lowest temperature was recorded 3.2 degree Celsius in Daringibadi, which is called the "Kashmir of Orissa".

Gangrape Mystery resolved, Brother-in-law arrested

The capital police finally resolved the "gangrape" case that occurred in a slum near Raj Bhawan. The victim's brother-in-law Sanjay Hati was arrested as the mastermind of the crime.

According to police sources, Sanjay is not related to the victim and he has been into trafficking young girls to the capital city. Since the victim was unwilling to enter into flesh trade, Sanjay invited those six accused to his house who raped the girl inside. All accused have been arrested.

Bhubaneswar Cinema (14 Dec - 20 Dec)

The much-awaited award winning movie "Kathantar" was finally released in Orissa. It could be recalled that it fetched Anu Choudhury the "Best Actress" award in the 4th Cine India International Film Festival, Noida. Here's the lates update on movies in Bhubaneswar cinema halls.

Hindi Movies:

Stutee: Ghutan (4 Shows)
Swati: Das Kahaniyan (4 Shows)
Keshari: Yudh (4 Shows)
Sriya: Kathantar (4 Shows)

Maharaja: Jinda Hoon Mein (4 Shows)
Rabi: Jungle Ki Sherni (3 Shows)

Tribal Girl "gangraped" in the Capital City

A tribal girl was said to be gangraped in Narayani Basti slum near Raj Bhavan in Bhubaneswar. Two persons, including a home-guard have been detained in connection with the incident. The girl was basically from Phulbani district and had come to visit her sister and brother-in-law.

According to her, five people barged into her house at 11 PM. Two of them first raped her inside the room and then too her to a deserted place in a car. She was again raped by two other people. Later, she was dropped outside her sister's house.

The police has refused to immediately believe what the girl said. They are still investigating the matter. According the sources, they are also inquiring the antecedents of the victim's sister and brother-in-law, as her statements were found to be vague. Meanwhile, women activists in the state have demanded immediate action on this matter.

Adulteration of Oil, Ghee and Rice reported in Sambalpur

According to reports, adulterated mustard oil, ghee, rice and pulses worth Rs 50 lakh have been seized from a godown in Khetrajpur, Sambalpur. The godown belongs to a businessman Sitaram Agrawal. However, the police is tightlipped about the seizure.

The businessman is said to have mixed synthetic white substance to Banaspati and some other substances to mustard oil. Sitaram Agrawal and his sons Subhash, Sunil and Sanjay and the godown owner Bijay Trivedi have been arrested by the police. The latest development has raised public outcry in Sambalpur and other adjacent areas.

No takers for Medha in Orissa

Social activist Medha Patkar did not find favor with the residents of villages near the POSCO site. They just turned her away. According to sources, Medha got the same treatment at least in 4 villages in Jagatsinghpur district.

People of Govindapur, Patana and Noliasahi refused to meet herand shut their doors, as she was against the POSCO project. They even showed placards in favor of the project. The public apathy forced Medha to urge everyone to resolve the crisis amicably. Her tone body language was completely different from what we saw in Nandigram.

Orissa beat Bengal in Ranji Trophy

A rejuvenated Orissa team registered their second successive win in Ranji Trophy and retained their place in the Ranji Trophy Elite league. Orissa beat Bengal by 6 wickets in Siliguri. Chasing a victory target of 133, Orissa scored 137 losing just 4 wickets. P Jayachandra remained unbeaten on 29. Debutant pace bowler Basant Mohanty was declared 'Man of the Match".

Scores:

Bengal 107 & 124

Orissa 99 & 137/4

Anu Choudhury - The Star of Orissa

Anu Choudhury is no longer alien to Oriya cine lovers. From "Maa Gojabayani" to "Kathantara", Anu has taken a big leap forward to make his presence felt in Oriya household. She is considered as a dependable actress on the lines of veteran actresses Mahasweta and Aparajita.

Anu was born and brought up in Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Orissa. She was inspired by father, who was a television producer by profession. Anu began her career as a child artist and later was spotted by the leading directors of Oriya Film Industry. She made her debut in "Maa Gojabayani" and impressed everyone with her spectacular performance.

There was no looking back after that and Anu acted in movies like "Maa O Mamata", "Mana Rahigala Tumari Thare" and "Gare Sindura Dhare Luha" soon after the success of "Maa Gojabayani". She also had an impressive performance in Sushant Mishra’s award winning movie "Biswaprakash", which was a part of Indian Panorama and was adjudged as the best regional film in Oriya.

Anu's moment of glory came when she was adjudged Best Actress in the Annual Oriya Film Awards for her role in Rajshri Production's maiden Oriya venture "Sasughara Chalijibi". She also acted in V.B. Ramana’s Telugu film "Subha Bela". Later, she went on to win the Best Actress award in the 4th Cine India International Film Festival, Noida for her role in "Kathantar".

Very few people know that Anu Choudhury is a IT Graduate. The beauty with a brain, has successfully established herself not only in Oriya Fim Industry, but also in the heart of Oriya people.

Fake Currency racket busted in Orissa

In a major breakthrough, the Orissa police seized fake currency notes worth Rs 2,85,000 from Bhawanipatna and Junagarh in Kalahandi district. At least five people have been arrested in connection with the fake currency racket. Three of the arrested are said to be from West Bengal. All the accused belong to minority Muslim community. The seized notes were in denomination of Rs 1000, Rs 500 and Rs 100.

IBM launches SMB Operations in Orissa

The Software giant IBM has launched its Small and Medium Business (SMB) operations in Bhubaneswar. The project is a part of IBM's expansion plans in Tier 2 cities. The new project will help IBM to provide excellent support to SME clients in and around Bhubaneswar.

Currently, most of the IT companies registered with the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) are from SME sector. They include IT majors like Infosys and Satyam. Wipro, MindTree and Genpacts are expected to join the fray, as they have already begun settip up their units in Bhubaneswar.

Moon Das - The Girl who rocked Orissa

The beauty with a brain rocked the entire state, but for wrong reasons. Avinash, the passionate lover, fell in love with this 23-year old goddess of beauty, spent lakhs on her blindly, later got spurned and finally killed her mother and uncle. In the end, he shot himself dead.

The tragedy brought Moon into lime light overnight. While newspapers continued to splash her pictures every day, young hearts felt the tremor of heart beat. Yes, she is irresistible!

Moon Das has been considered as an emerging model. She left Kolkata to land in Mumbai in quest of a career and fame. Until now, she was just confined to Ads and stage shows. However, the latest development pushed her to the zenith of her career. Recently, she was conferred with the 14th Lion's Club bravery award for her "presence of mind" and "courage" while dealing with her ex-boyfriend after the killing of her mother and uncle.

Moon used to give solo performances at events and charged up to Rs 45,000 per night. She is known for her bold and lively performance. According to Newspaper reports, Moon is now being offered around Rs 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh for a proposed event at Rajasthan on Dec 30 and 31. Like Rakhi Sawant, Moon Das has no problem wearing any type of outfits or body suits.

Now Moon Das has become a household name in Orissa, may be for wrong reasons. Next time she visits Orissa (she may not dare), don't be surprised to see thousands of people standing on the road side to get a glimpse of her.

Source: The Times of India, The Statesman and Mid Day

Why did Elite US Tourists skip Puri?

The 74-member group of elite tourists from the United States, dealt a blow to Orissa Tourism department, by skipping Puri, the most sacred place of the state. While lakhs of visitors throng to Puri every year, what could be the reason behind their decision not to visit Puri? They instead, visited the Konark Temple.

The simple logic that worked here was the stubborn attitude and mismanagement of the temple authorities. Not long ago, even the Hindu tourists from Bali, Indonesia were denied worshipping Lord Jagannath, because they could not reveal their "Gotras". What a shame!

Currently, non-Hindus are not allowed to enter the shrine. However, thousands of people belonging to other religions enter the Jagannath Temple and the temple authorities don't have means to check that. But they interrupt people on the basis of their skin color. Isn't it ridiculous?

According to Benjamin Simon, who organized the tour for those tourists, they preferred not to visit Puri because of poor infrastructure and a dirty beach. According to the tourists, if they can't visit Jagannath Temple (the most famous place in the state), then there is no use visiting Puri.

While the state government makes tall claims about the development of Puri as a most sought-after tourist destination, the ground reality remains completely different. If the government does not take immediate action to address the areas of grave concern, tourism in Orissa will see a downward trend.

Another Robbery in the Capital, Rs 1 Lakh Looted

In yet another incident of failed law and order in the state capital, robbers looted Rs 1 lakh from a motorcycle dickey in front of the Axis Bank ATM near Forest Park. The victim Prabir Patri has lodged a formal police complaint at the Airfield Police Station, Bhubaneswar in this regard. The police is investigating the matter. No arrests have been made so far.

Orissa Girls win National Junior Football Tournament

Orissa Girls' team won the U-19 National Football Tournament, beating much stronger Manipur 1-0 in the final at Dindigula, Tamil Nadu. Orissa skipper Sasmita Mallik scored the solitary goal for Orissa. Although Manipuri players continued to attack the Orissa goal post throughout the match, they failed to score due to the brilliant goalkeeping by Ahalya Munda.