Orissa News Online

Kishore Kumar Mohanty elected Orissa speaker

2008-08-19T14:54:00.005+05:30

Kishore Kumar Mohanty, a leader of Orissa's ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD), was on Tuesday elected as speaker of the state assembly. He was elected by voice vote after the Congress party boycotted the voting saying it had not been consulted by the BJD. Mohanty’s name was proposed by the ruling coalition on Monday, while the Congress did not field any candidate.

Born in 1958, Mohanty started his political career in 1984 as a councillor to the local urban body. He became the chairman of Jharsuguda municipality in 1992 and held the post till 1995. Mohanty is a third time MLA from Jharsuguda and worked more than 4 years as Government’s chief whip hoped to win the hearts of all members of the House barring their party affiliations. Mohanty has been elected to the assembly from Jharsuguda constituency in 1990, 2000, and 2004. He was working as chief whip of the ruling coalition in the assembly since May 2004. The speaker's post was lying vacant following the resignation of Maheswar Mohanty on March 31 after a women employee of the assembly accused him of sexual harassment.

Spanco bags Rs 70 cr contract from Orissa govt

2008-08-19T14:51:00.000+05:30

Spanco Telesystems, a system integrator in the telecom segment, today said it has bagged a contract from Orissa Government for rolling out a State Wide Area Network (SWAN) across the state worth Rs 70 crore. Under this contract Spanco, along with ITI will build own and operate a state wide network connecting 30 districts and 284 talukas in Orissa, before transferring it to the state government at the end of five years. At 10:30 am, the company's shares were up 10.9 per cent to Rs 105.80 after soaring to a high of Rs 114 with volume traded at 22,821 against two-week average of 38,167 shares.

Orissa CM announces Rs. 5 lakh Cash Reward for Abhinav Bindra

2008-08-12T00:49:00.002+05:30

Following the foot steps of other state Chief Ministers, Orissa CM Naveen Patnaik has announced a cash reward of Rs. 5 lakh for ace shooter Abhinav Bindra, who made the country proud by winning India's first-ever individual Olympic gold medal at Beijing. Mr. Patnaik congratulated Abhinav Bindra and said the country was proud of him.

Posco, Vedanta get Supreme Court nod for Mega Projects in Orissa

2008-08-08T20:50:00.004+05:30

The Suprme Court cleared all hurdles in the way of controversial Sterlite (Vedanta) and Posco projects in Orissa. However, it imposed certain conditions to ensure the environment safety and welfare of the tribals affected by the mining projects. Sterlite Industries, the Indian subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Plc. got the final nod to proceed with its controversial Rs. 4,000 crore aluminium project in the Niyamgiri hills.

Sterlite had sought clearance for diversion of 660.749 hectare of forest land for mining purposes to feed its alumina plant. The special forest bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, pronounced the verdict in Sterlite's favour. The court also ruled that 5 per cent of the profit of the company, or Rs 10 crore (whichever is higher), would be spent each year to maintain the ecological balance and for the welfare of the displaced tribal people. A Centrally Empowered Committee would supervise the functioning of the project.

The same bench of the Supreme Court, gave its nod to another controversial steel project from Posco India. Posco is going to invest Rs. 51,000 crore to set up a steel plant in Orissa, which includes a captive minor port in Paradeep. The project covers 1,650 hectares of land including 1,253 hectares of forest land. The same condition that applies to Sterlite, will apply to Posco too. While the Supreme Court cleared the hurdles that came in the way of industrialization, it also took utmost care of the concerns expressed by the environmentalists and displaced tribals.

Orissa Speaker Maheshwar Mohanty gets clean chit

2008-08-07T21:32:00.002+05:30

In a significant development, Orissa Human Rights Commission (OHRC) gave a clean chit to former Orissa Assembly Speaker Maheshwar Mohanty in the sexual abuse case involving former lady marshal Gayatri Panda. OHRC Chairman Justice R K Patra cited lack of "credible evidence" while giving a clean chit to Mr. Maheshwar Mohanty. The case has been closed. Justice Patra said that allegations made by Gayatri Panda could not be established.

Orissa Government launches Rs. 2 per Kg Rice for Poor

2008-08-02T15:53:00.002+05:30

The wait is finally over. The Orissa government on Saturday, launched a food scheme, which will provide 25 kg rice in a month to all BPL (Below Poverty Line) families at a subsidised rate of Rs. 2 per kg. In addition, all APL families in the KBK (Koraput, Bolangir and Kalahandi) districts will be entitled to get the benefits of that scheme. The scheme was launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at a grand ceremony.

CM Naveen Patnaik said that state government decided to provide Rs. 2 per kg rice to poor families in order to save them from the impact of price rise. He also blamed the UPA government at the centre for the high inflation and price rise. While the Chief Minister launched the rice scheme in Bhubnaeswar, ruling BJD-BJP minister launched the scheme in other districts of the state.

The state government's newly-launched rice scheme will benefit at least 5.7 million people in the BPL category and 500,000 people in the APL category in KBK districts. The subsidised rice will be given on the 5th, 6th and 7th of every month and again on 20th, 21st and 22nd of the month.

Sayantani Das - Voice of Orissa

2008-08-02T00:21:00.003+05:30

Sayantani Das, has emerged as the latest heartthrob in Orissa. She is the idol for the new generation youth. For the first time of the history of Reality Musical Show on TV, a girl from Orissa manged to make the cut and has been doing exceptionally well. Sayantani Das is one of the 24 contestants that are participating in the Star Voice of India 2008. Each contestant represents his/her state and Sayantani produly represents her state Orissa or Odisha.

Sayantani is only 20-year old and is currently studying in the first year of graduation with English Honours. She comes from an educated family. Her father is a banker, while her mother is a homemaker. Her only sister is studying computer engineering. Sayantani was born in 29th February 1988, which means she can celebrate her birthday only once in every four years. Sayantani is born to Bengali parents, but she is well versed in Oriya language.

Sayantani Das loves her father more than anything else. "I am here at Voice of India platform to fulfil my father's dreams", says Sayantani. She has only one idol - his father. Sayantani loves to listen to songs of Asha Bhonsle, Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Sonu Nigam, Sunidhi Chauhan, Chitra and Shreya Ghoshal. Her favourite music directors include Shankar Ehsaan Loy, AR Rehman, Vishal Shekhar and Sandeep Shandilya.

Sayantani rates Bombay, Roja as her favourite films. She dreams to sing for Kajol, Vidya Balan, Amrita Rao and Konkona Sen Sharma. She loves food with chocolate flavour, Chicken Tandoori and Kababs. Her attitude says about her confidence level. "I don't have any fashion icon. Rather, I could be a fashion icon for someone else", says Sayantani.

So far, Sayantani has been doing very well on the Voice of India platform. It would be interesting to see how she is going to fare on the next episodes. The road is not easy. But she looks confident and energetic. She just wants concentrate in her songs and extent her dominance over others. Can Sayantani make it? Only the time will tell, but she needs the support of every single citizen from Orissa. Let's support our own Sayantani Das, who has made us and our state proud.

BPUT Students on Strike, demand reintroduction of Supplementary Tests

2008-07-31T10:43:00.002+05:30

The BPUT students have gone into warpath over the reintroduction of supplementary tests in Engineering colleges. They have been staging demonstrations for three days now. However, after the talks between the students' representatives and BPUT administration failed last evening, the students from 15 Engineering colleges from the state, have decided to intensify their agitation and close their respective colleges and other colleges in the state.

The BPUT had recently abolished the supplementary tests and introduced the year back system, saying these regular examinations are putting more pressure on the teachers throughout the year. However, students are not willing to buy this argument and they say that BPUT's decision will ruin their career. Currently, students from 15 Engineering colleges are on a sit-in protest at the PMG Square, Bhubaneswar.

BJD in Poll Mode: Holds Grand Rally in Bhubaneswar

2008-07-31T10:26:00.002+05:30

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD)'s Student and Youth Wing held a massive rally in Bhubaneswar to highlight the state government's success and UPA government's failure. The rally was held at the Unit 6 ground in the state capital. More than 25,000 BJD workers from various parts of the state gathered at the rally, indicating that party has gone into a poll mode. The rally was called "Vikash Samavesh ".

BJD Supremo and Orissa CM Naveen Patnaik addressed the rally. He and other BJD leaders blasted the UPA government for its failure to contain the inflation and price rise. He also accused the UPA government of showing apathy towards the state in the implementation of various central-aided schemes.

BPUT to defer Campus Recruitment for Enginnering Students

2008-07-31T09:25:00.002+05:30

In a significant development, the Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) has decided to ask all industries, corporate houses and small companies not to hold campus recruitment during the 5th semester of Engineering. The decision was taken as BPUT felt that students hardly concentrate on their studied after getting selected by a company.

The BPUT authorities will ask the companies to hold campus recruitment only after seventh semester. Several technical universities in the country have always taken this step.

Three Nepali Men detained for sending "bomb threat" SMS

2008-07-29T13:37:00.002+05:30

A Nepali man Gokan Bahadur and his two sons were arrested by Orissa police for sending an SMS to a local TV Channel warning them about two blasts in Kolkata. The accused were arrested from Bahalda town in Mayurbhanj district. The message said that Indian Mujahideen would trigger explosions in two places in Kolkata. It is believed that the Nepalis sent the SMS, playing a prank. But the police is investigating the matter without taking any chances.

Greater Jharkhand demand: Orissa JMM backtracks, but exposed in Public

2008-07-27T11:46:00.003+05:30

After JMM's demand for a Greater Jharkhand with the inclusion of 3 districts each from Orissa and West Bengal met with widespread protests across the state, the state unit of JMM backtracked on its demand and claimed that it was a false propaganda to malign the party.

The claim was made by Sudam Marandi, MP from Mayurbhanj. However, local newspapers exposed him and his party before the public today. The local newspapers including "The Samaja" published a copy of the 13-point memorandum submitted by JMM to UPA government. The first point demands a Greater Jharkhand with the inclusion of 3 districts each from Orissa and West Bengal. The JMM has demanded Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Sundargarh from Orissa. The latest development exposed the true face of Orissa JMM leaders before public eye.

Harihar Swain betrayed people of Ganjam and Orissa

2008-07-23T19:20:00.003+05:30

Orissa is in the news for wrong reasons yet again. BJD MP Harihar Swain, who was elected from Aska constituency with the support of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, not only betrayed the party, but also betrayed the people of Orissa and Ganjam district, in particular. Swain, after reaching Bhubaneswar, said that he voted for the government to settle scores with CM Naveen Patnaik. What an irony!

Harihar Swain said that he wanted to give Naveen Patnaik 'the shock of his life' and termed his vote for the UPA government as a 'shock treatment' for Naveen Patnaik. But is he prepared to get the biggest shock of his life, which will come during the next parliamentary elections? With a "betrayer" tag, it won't be a surprise if loses the next elections by a huge margin. He is all set to join the Congress Party and contest on their ticket. Meanwhile, the BJD has written to the LS Speaker to disqualify Harihar Swain from the membership of Lok Sabha for his anti-party activity and cross-voting defying the party whip.

BJD MP Harihar Swain expelled from the Party for voting in favour of UPA

2008-07-22T22:49:00.003+05:30

The BJD-BJP combine has a strong alliance in Orissa. But it's an irony that BJD MP Harihar Swain defied the party whip, secretly colluded with the Congress and voted in favour of the UPA government during the trust vote in Lok Sabha. Mr. Swain has been expelled from the party with immediate effect.

The BJD supremo and Orissa CM Naveen Patnaik once again proved that he would never tolerate indiscipline within the party. Although at least 12 - 15 MPs switched sides during the trust vote, Naveen Patnaik was the first to act against an indisciplined party MP.

Shibu Soren demands Greater Jharkhand with 3 districts each from Orissa and West Bengal

2008-07-21T09:10:00.002+05:30

JMM supremo Shibu Soren emerged as the top bargainer ahead of UPA government's trust vote. Soren has five MPs in Lok Sabha. In return of his support to the government, he has already received assurance of a cabinet berth and one MoS berth. He will be given the charge of his favourite Coal Ministry. If that was not enough, Soren demanded the creation of a Greater Jharkhand with three districts each from Orissa and West Bengal.

While Soren demanded the inclusion of Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar to Greater Jharkhand, his party MP from Orissa, Sudam Marandi went a step further by demanding the inclusion of Sambalpur district too. The JMM want Midnapore, Purulia and Bankuda districts from West Bengal. It would be interesting to see if the Congress-led UPA government would sacrifice the interest of Orissa and Oriya people to stay in power.

24 Orissa Policemen killed in Malkanagiri, as Maoists blow up Van

2008-07-16T19:03:00.005+05:30

Less than a month after the daring ambush made by the Maoists in Balimela Reservoir, that killed 38 Greyhound and Orissa security personnel, the Maoists blew up the anti-landmine van carrying the police personnel. At least 24 cops including two Inspectors are feared dead in the gruesome incident. The cops were engaged in landmine cleaning operation when the blast took place near MV-126 in Malkangiri.

The incident sent shock wave across the Malkangiri district and Orissa. The CM has condemned the incident and announced a compensation of Rs. 4 lakh each for each bereaved family. In addition, at least one member from each family will get a government job.

A high level delegation is leaving for Malkangiri to take stock of the situation. The Orissa government has called in an emergency meeting of high profile officials to discuss the situation in Malkangiri and how the deal with the Naxal menace. According to the latest reports, fierce encounter is still going on between the security personnel and naxalites.

Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan sworn in as new Chief Justice of Orissa High Court

2008-07-16T14:59:00.002+05:30

Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan has been sworn in as the new Chief Justice of Orissa High Court. He is the 22nd Chief Justice of Orissa High Court. The post was lying vacant since May 2008. Justice Chauhan was a judge of Allahabad High Court. He was administered the oath of office by acting governor Sayeed Sibte Razi. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and other dignitaries were present at the swearing-in-ceremony.

Naveen talks tough, asks District Collectors to ensure proper implementation of Rice Scheme

2008-07-15T13:48:00.002+05:30

Orissa CM Naveen Patnaik decided to talk tough and asked all district collectors in the state to ensure proper implementation of the newly introduced Rice Scheme for the BPL (Below Poverty Line) families. The scheme will be introduced from August 1, 2008. Under the new scheme, all BPL families and the APL families in KBK will receive 25 kg of rice per month at Rs 2 per kg. The SC and ST students staying in hostels will also be covered under the scheme.

The CM's decisions to talk tough came in the wake of reports that benefits of the newly introduced scheme may not even reach the poor. The CM warned the fraud dealers and storage agents with strong action, if they are found manipulating the civil supplies systems. According to the CM, strong action will also be taken against erring government employees. Mr. Naveen Patnaik stressed on the need of a tough complaint redressal mechanism at all district, subdivision and block levels.

Puri Rath Yatra concludes, Deities return Home

2008-07-12T21:31:00.003+05:30

The world famous Rath Yatra in Puri concluded with the deities Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra returning to their abode during the Bahuda Yatra. Hundreds of thousands of people descended on Puri to attend the Bahuda Yatra.

The devotees pulled the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra amid tight security arrangements. Unlike the Rath Yatra, the Bahuda Yatra went off peacefully.

Operation Alampakka: All 38 bodies recovered from Balimela Reservoir

2008-07-12T20:03:00.002+05:30

The Operation Alampakka launched 14 days ago, came to an end with the recovery of the last dead body from Balimela Reservoir at Chitrakonda. With this, all 38 dead bodies of security personnel killed in Maoist ambush, have been retrieved from the water.

Although the boat was taken out of the water after using imported balloons a few days ago, the rescue team kept searching for the three remaining dead bodies. They finally used explosives inside the water, which caused vibration and the dead bodies started floating above the water. Out of the 66 Greyhound and Orissa police personnel, who were travelling in that ill-fated boat, 28 swam ashore, while 38 were killed.

Kandhamal Tense, Orissa on High Alert

2008-07-10T11:44:00.003+05:30

Tension remained tense for the second consecutive day, after Bula Baba of Jalespatta Vanavasi Kalyam Ashrama, who is a disciple of VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, was attacked by some converted Christian youth while he was protesting against the cow-slaughter in public. The Christian youth not only beat him up mercilessly, but also put the cow-blood on his body. They also broke his cell phone from which he was taking snaps of cow-slaughter. Bula Baba has been admitted to the hospital in a critical condition.

The incident occurred at Malipada near Tumudibandh. The incident triggered anger and tension in that area. Hindu activists belonging to VHP, RSS and Bajarang Dal damaged the Churches, houses of Christians in that area. They also beat up a Father of the Church and seized beef from his fridge. The security personnel were rushed in to maintain law and order. Section 144 was imposed in many areas of Kandhamal district. The situation is tense, but under control.

The VHP had called a 12-hour bandh in Kandhamal against the cow-slaughter and attack on Hindus. The bandh evoked huge response from the public. Shops, schools and banks were closed during the bandh and vehicles were off the road. The bandh affected Tumudibandha, Baliguda, Kotagarh, Raikia, G. Udaygiri and Phulbani. The VHP and other Hindu groups have threatened to intensify their agitation if the culprits are not brought into book immediately.

Times of India: Japanese Tourists molested in Puri during Rath Yatra

2008-07-08T21:47:00.002+05:30

The Times Of India has come up with a shocking report of molestation of a group of Japanese tourists in Puri during Rath Yatra. According to the report, the tourists were molested by a group of 30 people. The women were assaulted, the men were beaten and they were robbed of their valuables including digital camera, mobile phone and money.

According to the Japanese tourists, some policemen were around, but did not come to their rescue. The visitors have decided not to lodge police complaints, as they have no faith on the local police. They have also decided not to attend any Indian festival in future. Read the full story here.

Operation Alampakka ends, More bodies recovered

2008-07-08T21:37:00.002+05:30

The 10-day old Operation Alampakka in the Balimela Reservoir finally came to an end, as the sunken boat was brought to the coast. The security personnel recovered a few more bodies from the boat. With this, 30 dead bodies have been recovered so far. 5 jawans are still missing. The authorities have decided to launch fresh search operations to locate them dead or alive.

Naveen Patnaik in Poll Mode, to supply 25 kg Rice at Rs 2 per kg to BPL Families

2008-07-08T09:08:00.002+05:30

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is a poll mode. It became evident, when he announced that Orissa government would supply 25 kg rice per month at Rs. 2 per kg to all BPL (Below Poverty Line) families in the state. The new announcement will help around 55,55,000 families in Orissa. The families covered under the Antodaya scheme, tribal hostels and the APL families in the Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput (KBK) districts will get rice at the same rate. With elections due in early 2009, this sudden development has put the opposition in a tight spot.

According to sources, after announcing a few more populist measures, the CM may recommend the dissolution of the assembly and may go for early elections. With the Congress yet to project a leader as its Chief Ministerial candidate, Naveen is hopeful of winning another term in office. The new announcement has come as a major relief for the poor, who are finding it tough to combat the rising food prices. The government has to bear an additional cost of Rs. 800 crore per year, as a fallout of this announcement.

Operation Alampakka: Sunken Boat recovered in Balimela Reservoir

2008-07-07T09:13:00.002+05:30

After eight days rigorous search and combing operations, the Air Force and Navy personnel finally succeeded in recovering the ill-fated the boat that had sunk near Alampakka village in Balimela Reservoir. While the rescue team found one more dead body of a Greyhound jawan near the Ghat, some dead bodies are believed to be inside the boat.

The combing operation launched by IAF, Navy, Orissa Police, SOG and Andhra Police was completely hi-tech. Special baloon lifters were brought from Singapore. The sunken boat was lifted from 143 feet inside the waters. The rescue jawans have been doing a commendable job despite difficult terrain, hostile weather and fear of crocodiles. 24 dead bodies have been recovered so far from Balimela Reservoir. However, 13 more jawans are still missing.