IMD issues red alert as Odisha reels under severe heatwave, mercury to rise further

Bhubaneswar: Odisha reeled under severe heatwave conditions Thursday with Jharsuguda recording the maximum temperature of 43.8 degrees Celsius, officials said. Baripada sizzled at 43.6 degrees Celsius, followed by Nuapada (43.5), Talcher (43.4), and Boudh (43.2). Kendrapara, Cuttack and Bolangir town recorded a maximum of 43 degrees C, according to the Meteorological Centre at Bhubaneswar. A []

Odisha: No respite in sight from extreme heat

BHUBANESWAR: There is no respite in sight from the searing heat across Odisha anytime soon as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heatwave to severe heatwave conditions in parts of the state for the next four days. Heatwave to severe heatwave conditions are likely to prevail at one or two places in Gajapati and Ganjam districts on Thursday and Friday. Similar conditions are expected in Mayurbhanj , Bhadrak, Khurda, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Nuapada, Sonepur, Balangir and Kalahandi districts on Saturday and Sunday. The regional Met office said a heatwave will prevail in Odisha during the next four days. While maximum (day) temperature is expected to shoot up by 2 degree Celsius to 4 degree Celsius within next four to five days, the nights are likely to get hotter too as minimum temperature may rise by 2 degree Celsius to 4 degree Celsius during the period. Heatwave to torment Odisha till April 20, respite from Sunday Meanwhile, extreme heat continued to batter Odisha for the 10th consecutive day. Severe heatwave prevailed in pockets of Ganjam and Gajapati districts along with Bhubaneswar and Nuapada. Bhubaneswar and Nuapada were the hottest on the day at 43.2 degree Celsius. The mercury level in the capital city was above normal by 4.9 degree Celsius. Around 24 places recorded 40 degree Celsius or more on Wednesday. Neighbouring Cuttack recorded 41.8 degree Celsius and its maximum temperature was above normal by 3.9 degree Celsius. Day temperature is expected to hover around 43 degree Celsius in capital city on Thursday too. More districts are expected to come under the grip of severe heatwave on Saturday and Sunday due to the prevailing northwesterly and westerly dry wind and high solar insolation, said Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre director, Dr Manorama Mohanty.

Odisha: Rs 5L fine for plea against Ashwini Vaishnaws Rajya Sabha poll

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Wednesday imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on a petitioner for filing a frivolous plea against Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaws election to the Rajya Sabha in 2019. Bhagyadhar Behera, a 64-year-old Bhubaneswar-based company secretary had filed the petition through advocate Sidharth Prasad Das on March 19. As per the order, Behera in his petition had sought direction to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to complete the inquiry within a stipulated time on his complaint alleging Vaishnaw had made a false declaration while filing his nominations for elections to Rajya Sabha in 2019. While dismissing the petition, the division bench of Chief Justice Charadhari Sharan Singh and Justice MS Raman said, After having carefully perused the pleadings in the writ petition, we are of the definite view that that the filing of the writ petition is a total abuse of the process of the court. Further, filing of the present writ petition appears to be politically motivated. The bench said, The court exercising power of judicial review has a duty to discourage the filing of frivolous and vexatious writ applications as such unnecessary litigations makes it difficult for the court to adjudicate genuine litigations. While directing Behera to deposit the amount in the High Court Bar Association Advocates Welfare Fund within three weeks, the bench said, The exemplary cost is being imposed to discourage the filing of such kind of petitions. Vaishnaw was elected to the Rajya Sabha on a BJP ticket from Odisha in 2019. He was re-elected from the state in 2024.

Odisha: Congress may field retired hurt Mohammed Moquims daughter from Cuttack-Barabati

CUTTACK: With the Supreme Court not granting stay on conviction of senior Congress leader and Cuttack-Barabati MLA Mohammed Moquim in the housing loan irregularities case dashing his hope of contesting the polls, his daughter Sofia Firdous is in all possibility going to step into his shoes. With no possibility of Moquim entering the fray this time, an important meeting was held at his residence here on Wednesday for selecting a candidate for the Assembly segment. Several Congress leaders including sitting corporators and frontline party workers participated participated in the meeting and suggested fielding Sofia from the seat. After a threadbare discussion, we unanimously decided for the candidature of our leaders daughter from Barabati-Cuttack Assembly segment. Sofia (32), who is a trustee of Moqium Foundation, has been actively involved in her fathers political affairs since 2014. She had campaigned for her father in 2019 and for Congress in Cuttack Municipal Corporation elections in 2022. We hope, she will definitely win if given a party ticket, said corporator Santosh Bhola. A resolution was passed in this regard and sent to Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee. Voters of Barabati-Cuttack will no doubt accept Sofia as they are well aware of the conspiracy of BJD in not allowing Mohammad Moquim to contest the upcoming elections as he is popular and has strong organisational base. Sofia Firdous is an entrepreneur and a social activist. She has been actively working for the society through Moqium Foundation, said former city Congress president Giribala Behera. Meanwhile, Moqium said the government took interest in a 24-year-old case for barring him from contesting the elections. He further stated he is hurt as he is unable to fulfil the expectations of people who want him to contest again. I thank the Supreme Court for accepting my plea and granting me bail. As there is no stay in conviction, I cannot contest the election. It will not be appropriate on my part to comment on Sofias candidature. Party workers and my supporters have held a meeting and steps which will be beneficial for Congress will be taken, said Moquim.

Mahanadi river bed construction: NGT pulls up Odisha government over affidavit

CUTTACK: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday pulled up the state government for filing a counter affidavit irresponsibly. The counter affidavit was in reply to a fresh petition seeking intervention against illegal constructions in violation of specific directions the Tribunal had issued regarding 426 acre of Mahanadi river bed reclaimed by sand filling within the area upstream of the barrage at Jobra in Cuttack. The NGTs East Zone Bench in Kolkata was hearing the fresh petition filed by social activist Pradip Pattanaik on whose plea the NGT had issued the specific directions on September 21, 2022. The bench of Justice B Amit Sthalekar (judicial member) and Dr Arun Kumar Verma (expert member) also condemned the brazen way in which false claims had been made in the counter affidavit. In the counter affidavit, engineer-in-chief of Water Resources department Bhakta Ranjan Mohanty claimed, No illegal construction has been made on the Mahanadi river bed to cause any obstruction in the river. In contrast, the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Odisha, confirmed creation of an artificial concrete island with permanent structures within the reclaimed area of Mahanadi river bed. Accordingly, the bench rejected the counter affidavit, allowing the state government to file a better affidavit by May 29, the date fixed for next hearing on the matter. In the affidavit, member secretary of SEIAA, Odisha Dr Kailasam Murugesen said artificial concrete island has been created by establishing a cafeteria, food court, liquor bar-cum-restaurant, paid vehicle parking, paid picnic spot and large area surrounded by concrete wall. The SEIAA member secretary said, Many other constructions are going on at present by dumping and filling of sand soles of the river bed of river Mahanadi. Most of the points alleged by the petitioner are true. In this case the SEIAA, Odisha has not issued any environmental clearance (EC) for any types of construction and area development work. Senior advocate Sisir Das along with advocate Anand Jena made submissions virtually mode on behalf of the petitioner along with a rejoinder to the state governments affidavit. The rejoinder said Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) had in violation of the NGT order acquired around 5 acre and come up with concrete structures by increasing the height by around 15 ft from the original river bed and operating a commercial boat club providing paid boating rides, a liquor bar, cafe, amusement park and parking area with entry fees fixed at `50 per person. In the September 21, 2022 order, the NGT had prohibited concretisation of any sort on the entire 426 acre of reclaimed river bed land. The NGT had further ordered for developing 284 acres of the reclaimed river bed area as dense forest, while allowing the remaining 142 acre to be developed as parks/playgrounds without any permanent or temporary constructions and without any commercial activities.

Md Moquims Daughter Sofia Firdous May Contest from Barabati-Cuttack Assembly Seat

Cuttack: Sophia Firdous, daughter of Congress MLA Muhammad Moquim, is set to contest the upcoming elections from the Barabati constituency. This decision was taken following a marathon meeting at Moquims residence on Wednesday, attended by leaders from all walks of life and party workers. Moquims political future had been uncertain after he was found guilty [] The post Md Moquims Daughter Sofia Firdous May Contest from Barabati-Cuttack Assembly Seat appeared first on Pragativadi | Odisha News, Breaking News Odisha, Latest Odisha News .

SC suspends Moquims sentence, but he cant contest upcoming polls

BHUBANESWAR: The Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended the sentence of imprisonment of senior Congress leader and Cuttack-Barabati MLA Mohammed Moquim in the Odisha Rural Housing and Development Corporation Limited (ORHDC) loan irregularities case. However, Moquim cannot contest the upcoming elections as the apex court did not grant a stay on his conviction in the case. The Orissa High Court on April 10 had dismissed the appeal of Moquim challenging the order of a vigilance court which sentenced him to three years imprisonment and fine of `50,000 in the case. Special judge, Vigilance, Bhubaneswar, on September 29, 2022, had convicted him in the corruption case. Moquim had filed a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court. A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Dipankar Datta issued notice to the Odisha government on the SLP filed by the Cuttack-Barabati MLA challenging the Orissa High Courts decision. Issue notice. Post the matter for hearing. Having heard the senior counsel for the parties and taking into consideration all the attending circumstances, the sentence of the petitioner is ordered to be suspended subject to his bail bonds, the bench added. Meanwhile, the Vigilance department issued a statement saying Moquim, as the managing director of Metro Builders Pvt Ltd in collusion with an IAS officer and others obtained a pecuniary advantage in favour of the real estate firm in the guise of loans meant for rural poor from the state-run Odisha Rural Housing and Development Corporation Ltd (ORHDC). Pitambar Acharya, the counsel for Moquim, said that their line of argument was that none of the documents were forged. There is no culpability and involvement of the petitioner in commission of the offence, he said. Senior lawyers Mukul Rohatgi and S Murlidhar also appeared for Moquim. Moquim told this paper that the stay on the sentence was a big relief. The Congress leader said that he will decide on the future course of action relating to the ensuing election after consulting his supporters. In the 2019 Assembly election, Moquim had defeated BJD leader Debasish Samantray from the Cuttack-Barabati seat. The Congress is yet to announce its candidate for the seat. The party was hopeful of a favourable decision by the Supreme Court which would allow Moquim to contest, but now it will have to look for alternatives, sources said.

Orissa HC orders Rs 5L aid in Bheden custodial death case

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has directed the state government to pay Rs 5 lakh interim compensation to the legal heirs of Makhunu Bag of Dekulba village in Bargarh district who was allegedly killed in police custody nearly nine years back. According to case records, Makhunu had gone to the Bheden police station to enquire about his sons whereabouts on July 17, 2015. He then went missing and his skeleton was recovered from the Panichhapar jungle near the Metakani temple in Subarnapur district on September 24, 2015. Makhunus family members and a DNA test confirmed the identity of the skeletal remains. Police personnel including the officer-in-charge of Bheden police station were arrested and forwarded to court on murder charges after investigation. The case is pending before the trial court. Biju Bag, the younger son of Makhunu, filed a petition seeking compensation of Rs 20 lakh for his fathers death in police custody and CBI probe through advocate Prabir Kumar Das. While disposing of the petition, the single judge bench of Justice SK Panigrahi said, In my opinion, a full compensation cannot be granted without the completion of trial and complete examination of the circumstances of the death. Hence, it would be reasonable, at this stage, to award an interim compensation to take care of the necessary expenses of the petitioner and her family. Though the younger son of the deceased is the only claimant in this writ petition, in the interest of justice and to mitigate the hardship faced by the widow, two young sons of the deceased and his ageing mother, this court, deems it fit to award compensation of Rs 5,00,000 to be paid by the state government to the legal heirs of the victim, Justice Panigrahi said. Justice Panigrahi further directed for recovery of the compensation amount from the salary of the police personnel, who were prima facie found by the government to be responsible for the death and against whom the government ordered prosecution and departmental action. Justice Panigrahi expressed satisfaction over the investigation by police in the case and observed there was no necessity to involve CBI in the matter. However, I want to assure the aggrieved persons that this court would keep a close eye on the proceedings of this case in the trial court, he stated.

Odisha: Rs 30K compensation to woman who gave birth after tubectomy

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has directed the state government to pay Rs 30,000 compensation to Moti Prava Mohanty of Tangi area in Cuttack district who had given birth to a girl child after one year of family planning sterilisation at the local primary health centre in 2012. But the court apparently did not grant any compensation for the well-being of the girl born due to the failed tubectomy. Moti Prava had filed a petition seeking the courts direction to the state government to provide suitable compensation to her, not only for their negligence but also for the future well-being of the child on November 19, 2013. The single judge bench of Justice SK Panigrahi said, Considering the peculiar facts and circumstances of the instant case, this court is of the opinion that contention of the petitioner has no foundation in law. However, considering the poor economic status of the petitioner and the concession given by the state authorities, this court deems it appropriate to grant Rs 30,000 in favour of the petitioner as compensation, Justice Panigrahi said in the April 19 order. Justice Panigrahi cited portions of a Supreme Court order which said, Having gathered the knowledge of conception in spite of having undergone the sterilisation operation, if the couple opts for bearing the child, it ceases to be an unwanted child. Compensation for the maintenance and upbringing of such a child cannot be claimed. Justice Panigrahi further directed the state government to pay the said amount to the petitioner within a period of two months from the date of presentation of this order before the appropriate authority.

Odisha: Body of 28-year-old excavator operator found in ship

PARADIP: Contract worker of a stevedoring firm reportedly died of asphyxiation in an enclosed hold of a ship in Paradip port. The body of the deceased, identified as Bibhuti Barik of Biswambarpur in Cuttack district, was found on Tuesday. Barik was engaged as an excavator operator by the Orissa Stevedores Limited (OSL). While the incident is reported to have taken place three days back, the matter came to fore on Tuesday when other workers encountered foul smell emanating from the closed hold of the vessel MV Thrasyvoulos. The ship was docked at South Quay in Paradip for cargo operations. They immediately informed the police and on opening the hatch, Bariks body was found lying there. Police said, Barik was on board the ship to monitor loading of petroleum coke. It is believed that he may have entered the ships hold, where there was a lack of oxygen leading to his tragic death. IIC Babita Dehury said Barik had entered the covered hold without taking necessary precautions for oxygen supply, resulting in his death due to suffocation. Police have registered a case of unnatural death in this connection and sent the body for postmortem, she added. The circumstances surrounding Bariks entry into the enclosed hold without proper safety measures are under investigation. Police is examining potential negligence and safety protocol violations.

Odisha stares at decades longest heatwave run

BHUBANESWAR: The blistering hot condition in Odisha, if it continues its staggering run for a few more days, could turn out to be one of the longest spells of heatwave in the last one-and-half decade. On Tuesday, the heatwave conditions entered its ninth day and the prediction that the spell will drag further makes a strong case for the longest running heatwave in the state. Weather officials said April has already witnessed in excess of the average heatwave days recorded for the month caused by two spells, including the one prevailing at present. Between April 5 and 23, the state has recorded a total 11 heatwave days though the normal run lasts in the range of four to eight days. There was a drop in temperature in some places of the state on the day but heatwave conditions prevailed in coastal parts for ninth day in a row. There is prediction of heatwave conditions in parts of the state for another four days till April 27. If that continues, it would be one of the longest spells of heatwave in the state in last 10 to 15 years, Umashankar Das, scientist with the India Meteorological department (IMD), Odisha informed. Though there was a mild drop in the temperature levels in parts of the state on Tuesday, severe heatwave prevailed in Jagatsinghpur districts, while heatwave was felt in Nayagarh, Gajapati and Ganjam disticts. Data for the period 1961-2020 reveals that on an average, more than two heatwave events occur over northern India and coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha during March-June. In some pockets, the frequency exceeds four in a season. Most of IMD stations have shown an increasing trend of heatwave events during the 60-year period, an IMD document revealed. Analysis of spatial distribution shows heatwaves last for four to eight days on an average. However, in some areas of central and north-western India and parts of Odisha and coastal Andhra Pradesh, the duration is more than eight days. The IMD earlier had warned of longer and harsher heatwave spells during summer this year, primarily due to prevailing El Nio conditions. Meanwhile, Paralakhemundi recorded the highest temperature of 42.8 degree Celsius, while Paradip at 38.8 degree C broke its 35-year-old record. The previous second-highest of the station was 38.2 degree Celsius recorded in 1989. Though the IMD had forecast thundershower activities in many parts between April 21 and 24, its impact was less in the coastal belt due to northwesterly and westerly dry air. Meanwhile, the weather office has now predicted heatwave conditions in parts of Balasore, Khurda, Ganjam, Gajapati, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Cuttack, Mayurbhanj, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Jajpur, Nuapada, Balangir, Sonepure, Boudh and Nuapada districts between April 24 and April 27. There will also be hot and humid weather condition in parts of these districts during this period, met officials said adding, that conditions are becoming favourable for moderate thunderstorm activity in parts of the many districts over next two days. Heat Data Heatwave enters 9th day April heatwave average exceeded in Odisha March-June averages more than two heatwave over northern India, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha Spatial distribution shows heatwaves last for 4 to 8 days on an average

Body found in ship at Paradip

Paradip: Mystery shrouds the death of a man whose body was recovered under mysterious circumstances from a foreign ship at a berth in Paradip port, Tuesday morning. The deceased was identified as Bibhuti Barik, a resident of Badamba area in Cuttack district. He worked as a heavy vehicle operator at OSL company. Though the exact []

SC suspends sentence of Congress MLA Mohammed Moquim in corruption case

New Delhi/Cuttack: The Supreme Court Tuesday suspended the sentence of Congress MLA Mohammed Moquim in a corruption case. A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Dipankar Datta issued notice to the Odisha government on the appeal filed by the Cuttack-Barabati MLA challenging the Orissa High Courts decision. Issue notice. Having heard the senior counsel []

Supreme Court grants bail to Congress leader Mohammed Moquim in loan irregularities case

The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to Senior Congress leader Mohammed Moquim in a loan irregularities case. After hearing arguments from both sides on an SLP filed by the Cuttack-Barabati MLA, the Apex Court suspended his sentence till the disposal of the SLP. However, the Bench refused to grant a stay on his conviction. []

Supreme Court Grants Bail To Congress MLA Mohammed Moquim

Cuttack: Senior Congress leader & Cuttack-Barabati MLA Mohammed Moquim has been granted bail from the Supreme Court. The SLP of Md Moquim was heard by the SC today. After hearing both sides, his appeal for a stay on conviction was not granted by the SC. The sentence has been suspended till the disposal of the [] The post Supreme Court Grants Bail To Congress MLA Mohammed Moquim appeared first on Pragativadi | Odisha News, Breaking News Odisha, Latest Odisha News .

Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka to visit Odisha on April 28 and May 3

BHUBANESWAR : Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi is likely to visit Odisha on April 28 and May 3 to campaign for party candidates at Salipur in Cuttack district, Rayagada and Berhampur. State in-charge Ajoy Kumar told mediapersons Rahul has been requested to campaign at Salipur, Berhampur and Rayagada. Confirmation from him in this regard is expected by Tuesday morning. Besides, president of All India Congress Committee (AICC) Mallikarjun Kharge has been requested to campaign for party candidate at Balangir. Similarly, AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi will also visit Nabarangpur, he added. Ajoy Kumar said while Priyanka is expected to visit Odisha on May 6, Kharge is likely to campaign for the party on May 7 at Balangir. We have requested Rahul to campaign in Salepur, Rayagada and Berhampur. There is a need for a huge rally in coastal Odisha to boost the partys prospects in the upcoming elections, he added. Besides, the party is also in touch with Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to campaign for the partys candidate at Rayagada on April 8 to woo Telugu voters. The party will make arrangements for Reddy to address a public meeting. Ajoy Kumar also reviewed results of the survey conducted by the party in Odisha to find out whether tickets have been given to the right persons. Sources said there will be further review before any decision is taken on changing candidates in some constituencies.

Chief electoral officer stresses need to mitigate heatwave impact on polling

BHUBANESWAR : With intense heatwave conditions impacting the poll process in the country as was evident in low turnout in the first phase across states, chief electoral officer (CEO), Odisha, Nikunja Dhal on Monday chaired a meeting to take stock of the preparedness to conduct elections in the state, where voting will be held in four-phases from May 13. Stressing the need to minimise the impact of heatwave on electoral participation as voting will be held in the peak of summer, Dhal asked officials to focus on effectively dealing with the challenges of weather to maintain high turnout and error-free elections in the state while ensuring zero loss of lives. The state is already reeling in sweltering conditions which is affecting campaigning by different political parties. Even as the CEO had urged the parties and candidates to observe restraint during peak heat hours, BJDs Puri Lok Sabha candidate and former IPS officer Arup Patnaik on Monday fell ill due to scorching heat while campaigning near Pipili. The former Mumbai police commissioner was rushed to a nearby hospital and then shifted to Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar after he felt uneasy due to the blistering heat at around 11 am. He, however, was discharged from the hospital immediately. His condition is stated to be stable now. The CEO, in the meeting, stressed coordination among various departments to ensure all tasks are completed smoothly on the days of polling and counting. He said special arrangements will be made in all polling booths. Each polling station will have provision of adequate drinking water, separate toilets for women and men, shade for queuing, stalls and waiting rooms. CEO stresses need to mitigate heatwave impact on polling The stations will also have fans with uninterrupted power supply. Each station will have an ASHA worker and a paramedic tagged to the sector officer. Moreover, provision of adequate number of ambulances will be made to ensure immediate shifting of voters to nearby hospitals in the event of heatstroke. Dhal also emphasised safety and well-being of polling and security personnel who will be responsible for smooth polling process on the voting days. The CEO reviewed election preparedness of Khurda, Puri, Cuttack, Nayagarh, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara districts during the meeting where collectors and SPs gave detailed presentation on all the Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies within their jurisdiction. Dhal asked the officials to focus on free, impartial and transparent elections.

Madhusudan Law University cancels Paper-I of 6th semester of LLB Examination

Cuttack: Madhusudan Law University cancelled Paper-I (Labour Law-II) of 6th semester of 3rd Year LLB Examination June-2024 reportedly due to some unavoidable circumstances. The Paper-I was held today but the questions were out of the syllabus which we informed the authority and subsequently, the exam was cancelled, said a 3rd year student. The rescheduled date [] The post Madhusudan Law University cancels Paper-I of 6th semester of LLB Examination appeared first on Pragativadi | Odisha News, Breaking News Odisha, Latest Odisha News .

Odisha: Rumours rife as parties yet to name candidates from few Assembly seats

BHUBANESWAR: Even as filing of nominations for the first phase election in the state has already started, major political parties BJD, BJP and Congress are yet to announce candidates for several important Assembly seats. Though Jajpur is considered a BJD stronghold, the party is yet to announce candidates for Bari and Korei Assembly seats of the district. As organisational secretary of the party Pranab Prakash Dash is pitted against BJP heavyweight and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan from Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat, there is intense speculation over the delay in announcement of candidates from the two seats. The delay in announcement of BJD nominee from Korei assumes significance as it is speculated Pranab may enter the fray from the seat himself or the party may field a candidate who could sacrifice the constituency if the need arises. But the partys strategy can only be analysed after announcement of candidate for Korei seat. Speculation is rife that Pranabs elder brother, Bhaba Prakash Das will be fielded by BJD, so that he can resign from the seat if needed. The resignation of Bhaba Prakash will be required if Das does not succeed in Sambalpur and requires an escape route. Sources pointed out Pranab may contest the elections from two seats. While polling for Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat is scheduled on May 25, voting in Korei will be held on June 1, in the last phase. There will be enough time for Pranab to campaign after elections are over at Sambalpur. Party leaders maintained Pranab would prefer Korei as it is like his family stronghold. While Pranabs father, Ashok Das was elected from Korei five times, he is a three-time MLA from Jajpur. But everything depends on which way the Sambalpur Lok Sabha result will go. BJD is also yet to announce candidates for Raghunathpalli, Hindol, Khandapada, Begunia, Khurda, Bangiriposi, Bhograi, Nilagiri, Balikuda-Erasama and Kakatpur Assembly segments. Senior leader Chiranjib Biswal, who had quit Congress to join BJD is a strong contender for ticket from Balikuda-Erasama seat. BJP also has not named its nominees for Telkoi, Ghasipura, Champua, Hindol, Barabati-Cuttack, Begunia, Khurda, Basta, Nilagiri, Bhandaripokhari, Basudevpur, Bari, Salepur and Kendrapara seats. Similarly, Congress is yet to announce candidates for two Lok Sabha constituencies, Cuttack and Mayurbhanj and nine Assembly seats.

Odisha: Amid searing heat, schools to close from Apr 25

BHUBANESWAR: With no respite from the sweeping heatwave in sight, the state government on Sunday announced summer vacation for all schools from April 25. Usually announced in the first week of May, the vacation for schools has been advanced for the second year in a row owing to the sudden rise in temperature in most parts of the state since the beginning of this month. The government, however, said morning classes will continue for another three days from April 22 to 24. The morning classes will be conducted in all government, private and aided schools between 6.30 am and 10.30 am. Earlier, the schools had been asked to follow the same time schedule for morning classes from April 18 to 20. Heatwave to torment Odisha till April 20, respite from Sunday Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued heatwave warning for isolated places in 14 districts on Monday. The maximum temperature in the capital city is expected to hover around 41 degree Celsius in the next 24 hours, it said. There is some consoling news though, as no heatwave warning has been issued for the state for Tuesday and Wednesday. The maximum temperature is expected to fall by 2 degree Celsius to 3 degree Celsius on the two days, the IMD said, while warning the searing conditions will return from Thursday onwards. Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre director Manorama Mohanty told The New Indian Express even though the maximum temperature is expected to fall, it will not bring much of a cooling effect as many places in the state are recording maximum temperatures in the range of 40 degree Celsius to 45 degree Celsius. While hot and humid weather is expected to prevail in parts of the state between Monday and Wednesday, a fresh heatwave spell may grip Odisha from Thursday onwards. A fresh heatwave spell is likely to start in the state from Thursday and occur at a few places in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Balasore, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts. The day temperature will again shoot up by 2 degree Celsius to 3 degree C from Thursday, Mohanty said. The Met office has forecast rainfall and thunderstorm with lightning in parts of Odisha for the next two days. On Sunday, Baripada was the hottest in the state for the second consecutive day at 44.6 degree Celsius followed by Nuapada at 44 degree Celsius. Similarly, around seven places recorded 43 degree Celsius or more on the day. Twin city Bhubaneswar and Cuttack recorded 41.6 degree Celsius each.

Its Jagannath vs Jagannath in Rayagadas Bissam Cuttack

Goutam Samantaray is BJPs Jeypore Assembly Seat in Odisha

Bhubaneswar : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday evening announced Goutam Samantaray as its candidate for Jeypore assembly seat in Odishas Koraput district. Now, he stands pitted against Congress candidate Tara Prasad Bahinipati and ruling Biju Janata Dal(BJD Indira Nanda. As per reports, Goutam had contested the election in the seat in 2019. Though he got third position, the vote share of the BJP had gone up as compared to 2014. He had polled over 33,000 votes in 2019. After the BJD snapped ties with the BJP in 2009, it is seen that the vote share of the saffron party has been steadily rising in the seat. In view of this, the seat is expected to see a triangular contest this time. Despite Goutam's debacle, the BJP has again banked on his candidature as it believes the rising popularity of Narendra Modi will help him win the seat. Goutam is a potential candidate. He had given a good fight in the 2019 polls. We are pretty confident that he would win victorious this time with thumping majority, said BJP state general secretary Biranchi Tripathy. Major political parties, including BJD, BJP and Congress, are yet to announce candidates for several assembly seats in the state. As per reports, the ruling BJD is yet to announce its candidates for the 12 seats out of the total 147 assembly constituencies. Similarly, the BJP has not opened its cards for 15 assembly seats and the Congress has not named candidates for nine assembly seats in the state. The ruling BJD is yet to name its candidates for the Raghunathpalli, Hindol, Khandapada, Begunia, Khordha, Bangiriposhi, Bhograi, Nilagiri, Bari, Korei, Balikuda-Ersama and Kakatpur assembly seats. The BJP's undeclared assembly seats include Jeypore, Telkoi, Ghasipura, Champua, Hindol, Barabati-Cuttack, Begunia, Khordha, Basta, Nilagiri, Bhandaripokhari, Basudevpur, Bari, Salepur and Kendrapara. The Congress is yet to name its candidates for the Chhatrapur, Palahara, Barabati-Cuttack, Jaleswar, Balasore Sadar, Nilagiri, Barchana, Jagatsinghpur and Kakatpur Assembly seats. Of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha, the BJP and BJD have announced candidates for all the seats. However, the Congress is yet to announce its candidates for two Lok Sabha seats, Cuttack and Mayurbhanj.

Odisha Government Declares Summer Vacations Due to Heatwave

Bhuvneshwar: The Odisha government announced summer vacations for all schools in the state starting from April 25 due to the prevailing heatwave conditions. Additionally, schools will operate from 6:30 am to 10:30 am for three days from April 22 to 24. The decision follows a severe heatwave that hit several parts of Odisha on Saturday, with temperatures exceeding 43 degrees Celsius in ten places, according to the India Meteorological Department. Boudh in western Odisha and Baripada in the northern region recorded the highest temperatures at 45.2 degrees Celsius. The weather department has issued an 'orange' warning for severe heatwave conditions in isolated pockets of Odisha on April 21 and 22. Heatwave to severe heatwave conditions are expected in one or two places in the districts of Mayurbhanj, Nayagarh, Angul, Boudh, Cuttack, and Keonjhar on Sunday. Earlier, Odisha reported the season's first sunstroke death. Laxmikanta Sahu (62), a resident of Maheshpur in Balasore district, died due to sunstroke on April 15, according to officials from the Special Relief Commissioner's office. This was reported as the first sunstroke death of the summer season. Two Arrested for Social Media Posts Justifying Neha's Murder in Karnataka Arvind Kejriwal's Health Assessed, No Serious Concerns Found: AIIMS Doctors Maldivians Cast Votes in Parliamentary Elections Amid Growing Influence Struggle

Mercury breaches 45 degrees Celsius in Boudh, Baripada

BHUBANESWAR : Odishas hot streak just got longer with the state recording this summer seasons maiden severe heatwave on Saturday. The day also marked the seasons highest day temperature of 45.2 degree Celsius, recorded at Boudh and Baripada. Both Baripada and Boudh emerged the as the hottest places across the country on the day, followed by Bankura (44.6 degree C) and Midnapore (44.5 degree C) in West Bengal. The two places were supposedly among the hottest across the world too. Baripadas maximum temperature was above normal by 7.1 degree C. Baripada and Boudh witnessed severe heatwave. Baripada has recorded such extreme weather in the past too and its all time highest maximum temperature in the month was 46.1 degree C on April 21, 2010, said Umasankar Das, scientist at Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre. As the heatwave continued its staggering run, as many as 30 places recorded 40 degree C or more in the state, throwing life out of gear. At least 13 stations recorded 43 degree C or more. Parts of Keonjhar, Boudh, Nuapada, Dhenkanal, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Nayagarh and Khurda districts experienced heatwave conditions on the day. Twin city Bhubaneswar and Cuttack sizzled as they recorded 40.5 degree C each and the humidity level was 70 per cent and 65 per cent respectively at 5.30 pm. The minimum temperature remained very high in many places. The minimum temperature in the state capital was 27.5 degree C which made life miserable as power cuts were experienced at many places. The weather office said the temperature will hover around 40 degree C in many places of the state on Sunday too. The mercury is expected to remain above normal by 3 degree C to 5 degree C in some districts. The regional met office has forecast that maximum temperature can hover around 42 degree C in Bhubaneswar. However, there will be no major change in the conditions in the next 24 hours and thereafter it may fall by 2 degree to 3 degree C at many places in the state. Meanwhile, thundershower activities were reported in southern and adjoining coastal districts, bringing relief to some places. The weather office has forecast rainfall and thundershower activity in parts of the state between Sunday and Thursday. Interaction of middle tropospheric westerly trough with lower level moist air from Bay of Bengal will trigger thunderstorm activity with lightning, gusty surface wind in parts of Odisha within next three to four days, the met office said. Alarming trend Baripada and Boudh were among the hottest across the world 30 places in the state recorded 40 degree C or more Bhubaneswar and Cuttack recorded 40.5 degree C each with humidity level of 70 pc and 65 pc respectively

Puri: Temple admin has approached TN govt for quality sandalwood, says RDC

PURI: The first high-level coordination meeting for Rath Yatra was conducted on Saturday. The chariot festival is scheduled to be observed on July 7 this year. Revenue divisional commissioner Ranjan Kumar Das, who presided over the meeting, stressed on making necessary arrangements for smooth observation of the festival. The temple administration informed that timber required for construction of the Trinitys chariots were being sawed at a government saw mill in Khapuria, Cuttack. Das said around 43 devotees of Nayagarh and Ranpur will be donating Phasi wood for construction of the chariots, which will commence on Akshay Tritiya. He further informed that the temple administration has approached the Tamil Nadu government for procurement of quality sandalwood for the deities. While the cloth for covering the chariots have been procured, the State Coir Corporation has provided ropes which will be used for pulling the chariots. The meeting further informed that all devotees and servitors will be provided with life insurance. Families of devotees and servitors who lose their life in mishaps during the festival will be given Rs 5 lakh each. The Health department has been instructed to set up sunstroke treatment units in all primary health centres and additional six beds in the district headquarters hospital for patients who suffer from heat-related ailments. Besides, the department was asked to make adequate number of ambulances, doctors and support staff available in the healthcare centres. The meeting further directed to fill up vacant posts of doctors and other health staff before the festival begins. While Tata Power was directed to ensure continuous power supply, Puri municipality was asked to carry out drain cleaning and sanitation work across the town. Besides, supply of essential commodities, pipe water supply and lighting arrangements in the town were also discussed. The Railways was directed to run special trains during the festival. To cater to the drinking water needs of the public, over 40 lakh drinking water bottles will be provided by corporate houses for distribution among devotees during the festival. Puri SP Pinak Mishra informed last year over 1,000 officers besides 180 platoons of police force were deployed during the fete for maintenance of law and order. Special focus will be laid on effective crowd management, regulation of vehicular traffic and parking, and security of devotees, VIPs and the deities, he said. District magistrate Siddharth Shankar Swain conducted the proceedings of the meeting. Among others, IGP Central Range Sanjay Kaushal and senior servitors were present. FOR THE CHARIOT FESTIVAL Devotees of Nayagarh, Ranpur to provide Phasi wood for chariot construction Railways directed to run special trains during the festival Kin of servitors, devotees who lose life during the festival to be provided Rs 5 lakh each Health dept to set up sunstroke treatment units in all PHCs, additional six beds in the DHH Over 40 lakh drinking water bottles to be provided for devotees Tata Power to ensure continuous power supply

NGT seeks affidavit on non-compliance of order in mining project in Keonjhar

CUTTACK: Non-compliance of directions issued two years back on violation of environmental clearance (EC) conditions during expansion of Balda block iron ore mining project in Keonjhar district by a private leaseholder has come under the scanner of National Green Tribunal (NGT)s East Zone bench. Acting on a fresh application alleging non-compliance of the order, the bench of B Amit Sthalekar (judicial member) and Arun Kumar Verma (expert member) on Friday said, Issue notice to the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB), for filing affidavit in terms of the order of the tribunal dated May 21, 2022. Let the affidavit be filed within four weeks. Advocates Sankar Prasad Pani and Ashutosh Padhy made submissions on behalf of the petitioner virtually. The bench directed to list the case on May 28. Rama Chandra Mahanta, a resident of Keonjhar region, had filed the fresh application and had first sought intervention of NGT alleging violation of EC conditions during expansion of the mining project in 2017. The NGT had then directed the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to inquire into the allegations and submit a report. Subsequently, MoEF&CC submitted the report indicating violation of EC conditions. Taking note of it, NGTs special bench in its order on May 21, 2022 had stated, In view of report of the MoEF&CC finding violations as above, the statutory regulators have to take further remedial action for compliance of the EC conditions as well as assessment and recovery of compensation for the past violations, following due process of law. Compensation should be assessed by a joint committee of Central Pollution Control Board, state PCB and district magistrate, with state PCB as nodal agency on polluter pays principle, considering the extent of violations, period of violations, cost of remediation and deterrent element, with reference to financial capacity of the violator, it had directed.

AC helmets for traffic cops in Bhubaneswar

BHUBANESWAR: The Commissionerate Police on Saturday introduced an air-conditioned (AC) helmet on a trial basis for traffic personnel in the city who work long hours in gruelling heat. Featuring a built-in-fan, the helmet is powered by a battery, which can be worn by the traffic personnel on their waist. The helmets work for around eight hours on a single full charge. The helmet weighing about 800 gm also has a visor to shield the eyes from dust. Traffic police personnel, given the helmets on trial basis, said it did the job and provided them much-needed relief from for a few hours on the day. The trial of the AC helmet is being carried out and if it is found satisfactory, more such helmets will be procured and mostly be given to traffic personnel as they have to stand for long hours in hot weather while performing their duties, said Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police commissioner, Sanjeeb Panda. The company manufacturing the helmet has fixed its price at `28,500 but the police may get them at a discounted price if purchased in bulk.

Naveen to spearhead BJD campaign, Pandian number two in star campaigner list

BHUBANESWAR : The BJD on Saturday released a list of 40 star campaigners for the first two phases of elections in the state. Party supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will spearhead the campaign like every election he does. Chairman of 5T initiatives and Nabin Odisha VK Pandian, who has been slotted at no.2 after Naveen, will campaign for the party candidates for the first time. Trusted lieutenant of the CM, the bureaucrat-turned-politician had taken VRS last year to join BJD. The third in the list is organisational secretary Pranab Prakash Das. While Das is contesting from Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency, Pandian is not contesting this time. The list of campaigners included seven ministers and 10 former ministers. The ministers, who have made it to the list of 40 for the first two phases, are Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment minister Ranendra Pratap Swain, Science and Technology minister Ashok Chandra Panda, Health and Family Welfare minister Niranjan Pujari, Industries, MSME and Energy minister Pratap Keshari Deb, Higher Education Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, Panchayatiraj and Drinking Water minister Pradip Kumar Amat and Skill Development and Technical Education minister Pritiranjan Gharai. The party has attempted to showcase its commitment to field a diverse and experienced team of campaigners for the elections by including several sitting and former MLAs, Lok Sabha MPs, Rajya Sabha members and former MPs in the list of campaigners, who are expected to play significant roles in the campaign strategy. Prominent among them are former Union Minister and Berhampur MP Chandra Sekhar Sahu, Nabarangpur MP Ramesh Chandra Majhi, Rajya Sabha members Sasmit Patra, Manas Ranjan Mangaraj, Niranjan Bishi, Mamata Mahanta, Muzibulla Khan and Sulata Deo. Similarly, former ministers Debi Prasad Mishra, Pratap Jena, Arun Sahoo, Sanjay Das Burma, Sushant Singh, Padmanav Behera, Sarojini Hembram and Snehangini Chhuria also feature in the list. Cuttack mayor Subash Singh, former MP Rabindra Kumar Jena and former Rajya Sabha member N Bhaskar Rao will also campaign. Among the sitting MLAs, Sudhir Kumar Samal, Pranab Balabantaray, Byomakesh Ray and Devi Ranjan Tripathy are also in the list. The party has also declared several ticket aspirants including Shreemayee Sweta Snigdha Mishra, Bijay Nayak, Iswar Panigrahi, Amaresh Jena and five-time corporator Sk Nizamuddin and former MLA Chiranjibi Biswal as star campaigners. Actor and BJD spokesperson Elina Dash is the only member from the film fraternity who figured in the list.

Death toll in Mahanadi boat capsize mishap rises to 7; one more missing

Bhubaneswar: The death toll in the Mahanadi boat capsize incident in Odishas Jharsuguda district rose to seven with recovery of six more bodies on Saturday. According to reports, the fire services personnel on Saturday morning fished out bodies of six persons three women and as many children during the rescue operation. One person is still missing, reports added. On Friday evening, bodies of one person were recovered from the mishap site. The mishap occurred when 51 persons, all hailing from Kharsia and its adjoining villages in Chhattisgarh, were sailing in a country-boat to an islet in the Mahanadi river to offer prayers in a temple located there. As many as 51 residents of Kharsia and its adjoining villages of Chhattisgarh had sailed from Saradha Ghat under Lakhanpur block of Jharsuguda district to reach the temple located on an island in Mahanadi. On the way to the temple, the boat capsized at a place called Banjipali in Bargarh district, a resident of Bargarh said. As the boat began to sink, some fishermen who were fishing in the nearby waters rushed to the rescue of passengers. They lifted 43 passengers to their boats while seven persons went missing, As per latest reports, rescuers were still pursuing the mission to trace out the missing person. As many as five scuba divers, flown from Cuttack to the mishap site, are assisting the fire services persons, the reports said. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh for next of kin of each deceased.

Bhawanipatna Touches 35C By 8.30 AM

Bhubaneswar: The mercury breached 32C in many places across Odisha by 8.30 am on Saturday. According to the regional centre of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Bhawanipatna recorded 35 degrees C by 8.30 AM becoming the hottest place in Odisha. At 34.2 degrees C, Bolangir came second in the row. Rourkela, Cuttack, Baripada, Keonjhar [] The post Bhawanipatna Touches 35C By 8.30 AM appeared first on Pragativadi | Odisha News, Breaking News Odisha, Latest Odisha News .

Of stiff upper lips and panic buttons

In many ways, Indian history writing is yet to come out of the Forties. Seen as the decade that delivered Independence, documentation of that time is usually in the nationalist mode. But there have been exceptions. Janam Mukherjees Hungry Bengal on the Bengal famine of 1942-1943 is a searing account of the tragedy that looks beyond shortage of food by linking Britains imperialist strategies with the ravaging of the Bengal countryside its pursuit of a scorched-earth policy in anticipation of a Japanese invasion and its indifference to human lives evident in the way it dealt with the dead bodies that piled up on Calcuttas streets. Mukund Padmanabhans The Great Flap of 1942 (Penguin India), which celebrated its publication recently in the city, is an interesting and briskly paced account with the same players. A veteran journalist and now a professor at KREA University, north of Chennai, Padmanabhan brings a keen eye to the tragic-comedy of a non-event a Japanese non-invasion that nevertheless made the British Raj panic. Writer and former ambassador Navtej Sarna, who was in conversation with Padmanabhan at the event, pointed out how you say 1942 and everyone says Quit India. The reason why the story of the flap that is how British bureaucrats described the panic and the mass exodus that followed all across India fell through the cracks is because it does not fit in the grand narrative of Indias independence or decolonisation, explained Padmanabhan. The book is rich in little-known details, especially how the Japanese threat played out in the minds of British India governors, Indians, and local administrators, and how that prompted the fright and flight with almost entire cities emptying out, disrupting lives and livelihoods. Pandmanabhans interest in the subject was piqued by the stories of his mother, who, like many others, fled Madras with her family in the last wave of the exodus to Coimbatore, returning to find their home ransacked, and her Intermediate degree unfit for a college she had applied to, which asked her to do the first year all over again. Arthur Hope, Governor of the Madras Presidency Coastal areas such as Madras were also spooked by what they saw as British incompetence in matters of defence in the light of the bombing of Vizag and Colombo, and bizarre experiments being carried out in Delhi. John Bicknell Auden, brother of the famous poet WH Auden, and an official with the Geological Survey of India, set up braziers around South Block and filled them with tarry substances to drive up clouds of smoke, said Padmanabhan, in order to obscure important buildings from Japanese air attacks. The Madras Governors Pongal day (January 14, 1942) message linking the fate of Singapore which was to fall to Japan a month laterto that of Madras, was also an example of confused messaging and, in fact, triggered panic, said the writer. The Madras Corporation even donated `10,000 for Singapore, so crucial its security was seen to be for the security of Madras. Though Japanese air raids would come a whole year later, the government of Madras, in a communiqu dated April 11, 1942, sounded the doomsday siren and advised residents other than those engaged in essential services to leave the city. Panic buttons were similarly pressed in Jamshedpur, Cuttack, Cochin with the colonial administration actively encouraging, or not discouraging, non-essentials, non-effectives or useless mouths from leaving. These included the dangerous animals in the Madras Zoo; a paramilitary force, which had crushed the Moplah rebellion of 1921, was drafted in to shoot them down. To these lost stories, Padmanabhans book also sheds light on divisions in the Congress about various attitudes to WWII in how to support the war (or not) in exchange for freedom from British rule. Padmanabhans book also asks the question whether the great flap, considering that it was brief, was painless. What was the extent of the impact of the Japanese threat on Indias freedom struggle in the year 1942? Were the shouts of Quit India stronger because of Japans entry into South Asia? Would Japan have aided Indian independence? While Padmanabhan says he does not have a firm position on the last, the book will satisfy every anti-colonial heart that will know about a time when the famous Brit stiff upper lip visibly quivered, and, instead of taking charge, the Raj did the easy thing: hit the panic button. An unexploded shell on display at Visakha Museum, Vizag

NGT seeks affidavit on plan to tackle waste crisis in Bhubaneswar

CUTTACK: The inspection report submitted by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) constituted committee has indicated that currently the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) is managing to collect 510 tonne of the 800 tonne of municipal solid waste being generated every day in the 67 wards in the capital city. Besides, legacy waste of 3,405 tonne remains accumulated without being processed with the daily collected waste, the report submitted along with the affidavit filed by State Pollution Control Board on Friday stated. The NGTs East Zone bench in Kolkata was hearing the case suo motu registered by it after Harapriya Patel, a resident of Chandrasekharpur area, submitted a complaint on the basis of a news report. The tribunal had constituted a committee for inquiry into the complaint on the stink being raised by a garbage dump managed by BMC at the temporary transit station (TTS) near Sainik School in the state capital. Taking on record the inspection report, the bench of B Amit Sthalekar (judicial member) and Arun Kumar Verma (expert member) said, If the daily waste collected is 510 tonne, there would be still shortfall of 290 tonne per day as per the daily generation of 800 tonne of municipal waste which is not accounted for by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation. Question is as to how does the Corporation plan to treat this waste which in future will get accumulated and become legacy waste. The report does not contain any explanation with regard to the remaining 290 metric tonne of untreated municipal solid waste. The daily waste generated is also not expected to remain static at 800 tonne in future and is bound to increase. What is the plan for disposal of anticipated increased municipal waste? the bench asked. Accordingly, the bench directed BMC to file an affidavit explaining how it intends to treat not only legacy waste but also fresh waste being generated to ensure that there is no accumulation of legacy waste in future. Let the affidavit be filed within four weeks, the bench said, while directing for listing of the case on May 28.

Odisha: Court starts trial in cop assault case against Bhartruhari Mahtab

CUTTACK: A Special Court here dealing with cases against MPs and MLAs on Friday started trial in the 13-year-old police officer assault case against Lok Sabha MP from Cuttack Bhartruhari Mahtab. The trial started in the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Deepankar Bal with the deposition of the first prosecution witness - sub-inspector Amitabh Mohapatra (now assistant commissioner of police) who is both informant and victim in the case. Mahtab is seeking re-election from the Cuttack parliamentary constituency on a BJP ticket. He was first elected in 1998 and has since retained the seat as the BJD candidate, the last being in 2019. Mahtab joined the saffron party after resigning from BJD a day after the charges were framed against him in the police officer assault case on March 21. While Mohapatra was examined in court by the prosecution, defence counsel Saura Chandra Mohapatra also cross-examined him on Friday. Assistant public prosecutor Afroz Ahmed said, The trial proceedings were adjourned to April 30 after cross-examination by the defence remained incomplete. Earlier, the trial court had framed charges against Mahtab under sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 506 (criminal intimidation). The charges were framed based on a charge sheet submitted after an investigation on a complaint lodged by Mohapatra that Mahtab had assaulted him during a function on January 23, 2011. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had attended the function to celebrate Netaji Subhas Chandra Boses birthday at his birthplace at Cuttack. The incident took place just after Patnaik entered the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Birthplace Museum Complex to inaugurate a special programme commemorating Netajis 114th birth anniversary. Mahtab followed the chief minister into the complex, but when police did not allow his supporters to enter inside, he returned to the gate and allegedly assaulted sub-inspector Mohapatra, who was on duty. Mohapatra had lodged a complaint at the Dargha Bazar police station on the same day.

Odisha: BJD banks on young fighters to take on rivals

BHUBANESWAR: As it seeks a record sixth-term in the state, the BJD seems to be betting big on young faces to see it through the upcoming polls. The party has put up at least 21 candidates for Lok Sabha and Assembly seats, who are below the age of 40. While the focus on youth may indicate an intent of the ruling party to nurture a new generation of leaders it is also a bid to thwart anti-incumbency against the present crop of legislators and MPs. However, a major chunk of the chosen ones are dynasts - sons, daughters of the present MLAs, MPs or leaders. So far, the party has nominated candidates for 126 Assembly and 21 parliamentary constituencies. At least 18 of the Assembly candidates are under the age of 40 while three of the partys MP candidates in Aska, Dhenkanal and Koraput are in their 30s. Among those chosen by the party to fight for the Assembly segments, the youngest is Deepali Das, daughter of slain minister Naba Kishore Das, who is 27 years old. She was elected in the bypoll after her fathers death last year and has received the party ticket from Jharsuguda this time too. Former minister Pratap Jenas engineer son Ankit, who will contest from Mahanga, is 28 years old. Dharakote royal Sulakhyana Gitanjali Devi, the daughter of former Sanakhemundi MLA Nandini Devi is another youngster to be fielded by the party. Gitanjali is the chairperson of Dharakote block in Ganjam district. In their early 30s are the partys Padampur candidate Barsha Singh Bariha and Sauvik Biswal who will fight for Choudwar-Cuttack seat. BJDs Birmitrapur candidate Rohit Joseph Tirkey and his Badasahi counterpart Anusaya Patra are both 34 years old. MLAs of Khallikote and Pipili - Suryamani Baidya and Rudra Pratap Maharathy - who will fight for the seats are both aged 35. A year older than Suryamani and Rudra are Devi Tripathy and Laxmipriya Naik who will fight from Banki and Chitrakonda seats respectively. Puri candidate Sunil Mohanty, son of BJD heavyweight late Maheswar Mohanty, is 38. Basudevpur candidate Bishnubrata Routray and Laxmipur face of the regional party Prabhu Jani are both 39. The eldest among all are Navina Naik (Umerkote), Rupesh Panigrahi (Paralakhemundi), Nihar Ranjan Behera (Loisingha) and Sanghamitra Swain (Sorada), who are all in their 40s. As far as MP seats are concerned, Aska Lok Sabha candidate Ranjita Sahu is only 32 years old, while Abinash Samal who is the candidate from Dhenkanal constituency is 36. Koraputs MP candidate Kaushalya Hikka is 37 years old. In the 2019 polls, BJDs youngest Lok Sabha MP was Chandrani Murmi, an engineer who won the Keonjhar Parliamentary constituency after defeating two-time MP Ananta Nayak. Party sources said youth has been a priority in the partys nomination for MP and MLA seats this time as Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik believes investment in youth is an investment in future.

Odisha's first cadaveric liver transplant performed at Utkal Hospital

BHUBANESWAR: In a first in Odisha, Utkal Hospital in the city conducted a cadaveric liver transplant on a 41-year-old patient, who was suffering from liver cirrhosis. The organ recipient, a native of Subarnapur district, received the liver from a 50-year-old woman, who was declared brain dead by doctors after she suffered a brain stroke. The liver transplantation procedure conducted at Utkal Hospital has been successful as the condition of the recipient is improving as per expectations. This is the first deceased donor liver transplantation in the state while living donor liver transplant surgeries have been successfully completed in both private and government set ups. The surgery, which lasted for around 10 hours, was conducted with the support of renowned transplant surgeon and director of liver transplant and hepatobiliary surgery at Hyderabad-based AIG Hospital Dr P Balachandran Menon. The team from Utkal Hospital comprised senior gastrointestinal surgeon Dr Satya Prakash Ray Choudhury, senior consultant (GI surgery and liver transplant) Dr Salil Kumar Parida and other medical experts. This cadaveric liver transplant marked a historic milestone in the field of organ transplantation in Odisha. The achievement signifies a monumental step forward in our commitment to providing cutting-edge medical care to patients, said Dr Ray Choudhury. The recipient of the cadaveric liver was suffering from liver cirrhosis and was under treatment at the hospital for last six months. He agreed to receive the cadaveric organ as no live donor could be arranged and transplantation was the only option to save him. The condition of the recipient is stable after the transplant, and he will be under close observation for the next one month. This successful transplant will pave the way for more such transplants in the state from where patients are forced to move to metros and other cities for liver transplant. The donor Sanjukta Patra from Keonjhar district was declared brain dead by doctors at Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital after she suffered a brain stroke. She, however, gave a new lease of life to three people. Admitted on April 12, she underwent emergency surgery but did not recover. She was subsequently declared brain dead. While one of her kidneys was taken to the SUM Ultimate Medicare for transplantation on a patient, the other kidney was taken to the SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack for another patient. Her relative Rashmita Jena said organ donation is one of the best noble works that a human can do. The doctors tried their best to save her life, but failed. Now we can console ourselves that she saved the lives of three persons, she added.

13 years after cop assault, trial starts against BJD MP

Trial of BJD MP Bhartruhari Mahtab for assaulting a cop began in Cuttack court with charges under various IPC sections. Witness summons issued for recording evidence.

Man Attacks Wife, Mother-In-Law with Acid in Puri

Puri: A person attacked his wife and mother-in-law with acid in Badtota village under Balanga police station of Puri district on Friday. Both mother and daughters condition are said to be critical in the hospital. According to the reports, the accused came from Cuttack to his in-laws house at Badtota village in Sakshigopal on Friday. [] The post Man Attacks Wife, Mother-In-Law with Acid in Puri appeared first on Pragativadi | Odisha News, Breaking News Odisha, Latest Odisha News .

2 Dead, 6 go Missing as Boat Capsizes in Mahanadi River in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Two persons died and seven others went missing as the boat in which they were sailing capsized in the Mahanadi river in Odisha's Jharsuguda district on Friday afternoon. While the identities of the deceased and the missing persons were not ascertained till this report was filed, it is learned that the deceased were women and hailed from Chhattisgarh. The missing persons include four women and three children. As per reports, there is a temple on an islet in the middle of the Mahanadi river. About 50 people, including children and women, from Kharsia area in neighbouring Chhattisgarh state on Friday afternoon sailed their boat from Saradha Ghat under Lakhanpur block of Jharsuguda district to reach the temple. On the way to the temple, the boat capsized at a place called Banjipali in Bargarh district. Local fishermen came to the rescue of the people trying to keep themselves afloat. They rescued over 40 people. As per latest reports, rescuers were pressed into service to trace out the missing persons. As many as five scuba divers were flown from Cuttack to the mishap site to assist the rescuers. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh for next of kin of each deceased.

Pranab Prakash Das attacks Dharmendra Pradhan over poor condition of NH-55

BHUBANESWAR/ANGUL: The BJDs Sambalpur Lok Sabha candidate Pranab Prakash Das on Thursday stepped up attack against his BJP counterpart Dharmendra Pradhan and said he has failed to implement any development project despite being a union minister for years. . @dpradhanbjp , : , : -, , - pic.twitter.com/TGwjoaw7h5 Pranab Prakash Das (@pranabpdas) April 18, 2024 Posting two photographs on X, one which is stated to be of the Biju Expressway and the other of NH-55, he drew a comparison between the two roads. Das, also the BJD organisational secretary, said the Biju Expressway built by the state government is maintained well while the work on NH-55 is not over even after 10 years though Pradhan is a union minister. The NH-55 is in a precarious condition and more than 200 people have lost their lives in over 400 accidents in the last five years, he claimed. On the day, Das intensified his poll campaign in Athamallik and Chhendipada Assembly seats in Angul by addressing two public meetings. Addressing the BJD workers at Turanga in Chhendipada, Das said Odisha has made tremendous progress under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who believes in work not in words. Our chief minister talks less and works more. This is the inspiration that the BJD rank and file gets from the chief minister, he said. Criticising the BJP, he said the saffron party believes in number games but not in work. Referring to BJPs LS candidate from Sambalpur Pradhan, Das said in his 10-year tenure as a union minister, he has done nothing for the state and the region. He also cited the bad condition of NH-55 linking Cuttack to Sambalpur and said it was an example of the failure of the union minister. Das then headed to Antulia in Athamallik. where he met local BJD workers and addressed another public meet. He exhorted party workers to emulate the ideas and good work of CM Naveen. Hundreds of BJD workers attended the two meetings. BJDs Chhendipada candidate Susanta Behera and Athamallik nominee Nalinikanta Mohanty accompanied Das during his tour of the two Assembly constituencies. Athamallik and Chhendipada are among the seven Assembly seats which come under the Sambalpur LS constituency. Earlier this month, Das had kick-started his campaign by offering prayers at various temples in the two constituencies. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has also visited Chhendipada and Athamallik thrice as part of his poll campaign.

One-stop service for haemophilia patients at SCB Medical College Hospital

BHUBANESWAR: People suffering from haemophilia and other blood disorders can now get all facilities - from health check up to diagnosis and drugs to factor therapy under one roof at the Hematology department of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. Screening, blood testing and treatment facilities will be available at the daycare centre of the Hematology department soon. The medical college authorities have agreed to the proposal and assured to ensure holistic day care services to the hemophilia and blood related patients at one place, said secretary of Odisha Hematology Prof Rabindra Kumar Jena. Speaking at an event organised to mark World Hemophilia Day, Prof Jena said factor therapy plays a vital role in the treatment of haemophilia. A new injection - Emicizumab has been introduced and is now available for haemophilia patients free of cost, he said. Haemophilia is a rare bleeding disorder in which the blood does not clot properly. It occurs in one out of 5000 men, who account for 80 per cent of haemophilia cases. As per the estimated incidence of hemophilia, Odisha may have more than 4,000 cases, but so far only 600 cases have been diagnosed in the state of which 280 cases alone have been detected at SCB MCH. Screening and testing must be intensified to ensure that no case is undetected, said Prof Jena. People with haemophilia have low levels of either factor-8 or factor-9. The severity of haemophilia is determined by the amount of factors in the blood. The lower the amount of the factor, the more likely it is that bleeding will occur which can lead to serious health problems, said the president of Odisha Hematology Prof Niranjan Tripathy. There are three types of haemophila and haemophila A and B are most common. It is caused by alterations or mutations in the F8 or F9 gene respectively on X- chromosomes. The severity of haemophilia in affected individuals can vary, depending on the specific mutation and the level of clotting factor present in their blood. Associate professor and head of Hematology department of SB MCH Dr Sudha Sethy highlighted incidence, importance and different measures concerning various blood diseases like sickle cell and thalassemia. Now medicines, diagnostic and other facilities are provided free by the state government. The facilities need to be utilised optimally for the benefit of the patients, she said. SCB Medical superintendent Dr Sudhnashu Sekhar Mishra also spoke in the event.

Orissa HC sets aside CBI court order on passport of chit fund scam accused

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has set aside an order of Special CBI Court in Bhubaneswar that refused to release the passport of Indrajit De, owner of M/S Eden Infra Projects Pvt Ltd, an accused in a chit fund case against whom charge sheet has been submitted, for two months. The apprehension of flight risk of the petitioner, that is he might escape from the clutches of law, has to be objectively assessed and for objective assessment, the court has to be alive to the facts and circumstances of the case. Merely because a person is accused of misappropriating or siphoning off public money, it does not make him a pre-trial convict, the single judge bench of Justice SK Sahoo said while directing the Special CBI Court on April 15 to release Des passport for two months to facilitate his travel to the USA. The CBI had charge-sheeted De under different sections of the Indian Penal Code and Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes(Banning) Act, 1978 on the accusation that in 2009-2010, Rs 2.05 crore was transferred to the bank account of M/S Eden Infra Projects Pvt Ltd from the bank account of M/S Tower Infotech Ltd, a non-banking financial company that collected public deposits throughout Odisha by allegedly alluring depositors with promise of high rate of interest. The passport was deposited in the trial court when De was released on bail on October 9, 2023. He had requested the Special CBI Court in Bhubaneswar for temporary release of his passport for two months to visit the USA to take care of his old ailing mother-in-law, who was almost in death bed. His wife and minor daughter were residing in the USA and he was a regular visitor to the country and green card holder. But the trial court had rejected his plea on grounds of flight risk. However, Justice Sahoo said, Notwithstanding the allegation levelled against the petitioner, if it is found that he has been thoroughly cooperative in the proceedings before the trial court, there is hardly any reason for denying him his fundamental rights on the mechanical premise that the release of his passport involves flight risk. It has to be remembered that flight risk is not determined by the offences alleged against an accused, rather it is assessed by the conduct of the concerned accused. The judge further observed, The trial in the case has not commenced and nobody knows how many years it would take for conclusion of the trial and therefore, during this period, it is not expected of the accused to keep himself away from professional assignments and his obligations to his family.

Severe heatwave likely in 6 districts today, Bhubaneswar to get hotter

BHUBANESWAR: Even as Odisha reeled under excruciating conditions, the India Meteorological department (IMD) on Thursday warned of a severe heatwave in six districts of the state on Friday. It also cautioned people to take safety measures to ward off any threat to health and life. The national weather agency said heatwave to severe heatwave condition may prevail in Khurda, Cuttack, Nayagarh, Mayurbhanj, Angul and Boudh districts on Friday when maximum temperature is likely to hover around 44 degree Celsius in the capital city. Severe heatwave is declared when a place records temperature which is 6.4 degree Celsius above normal. There is a possibility that some places in six districts may record severe heatwave conditions on Friday, said Umasankar Das, a scientist at Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre. Another 17 districts will experience heatwave conditions during the same period, he added. This means, at least 23 out of 30 districts of the state will be in the grip of extreme hot and sweltering conditions in the next 24 hours. On Thursday, at least 17 places recorded 42 degree Celsius or more with capital city Bhubaneswar emerging as the hottest place, with mercury reading 43.6 degree Celsius. This is the highest maximum temperature the state capital has recorded so far in this month. It had earlier logged 43.5 degree Celsius on April 5. The day had begun on a very warm and uncomfortable note as mercury reached 33.4 degree Celsius at 8.30 am. By 11.30 am, temperature had climbed to 40.6 degree Celsius. In next three hours, the city was sizzling at 43.6 degree Celsius. So unbearable was the condition on the day that roads wore a deserted look during the peak afternoon hours. While normal life was affected, vehicular traffic remained thin on the national highway no 16. Disturbingly, labourers were found working the NH during the peak hours of the day though the state government has barred such activity in the 11am to 3 pm window. Besides Bhubaneswar, towns like Balasore, Baripada and four other places also experienced heatwaves. The twin city of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack recorded 5.7 degree Celsius and 4.1 degree Celsius above normal maximum temperature on the day. The only piece of good news amidst the heatwave is the harsh condition is expected to subside from Saturday onwards due to rainfall and thunderstorm activity. Maximum temperature is likely to fall by 2 degree Celsius to 4 degree Celsius at many places in the state after three days, the weather office said. Heat torment Heatwave to severe heatwave condition may prevail in Khurda, Cuttack, Nayagarh, Mayurbhanj, Angul and Boudh districts. On Thursday, at least 17 places recorded 42 degree Celsius or more with capital city Bhubaneswar emerging as the hottest place, with mercury reading 43.6 degree Celsius. The only piece of good news amidst the heatwave is the harsh condition is expected to subside from Saturday onwards due to rainfall and thunderstorm activity.

Orissa HC sets Rs 1 lakh bond and Rs 10L cash security for editors bail

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Thursday granted bail to editor-in-chief of Odia daily Mahabharat and online news portal Reporter Today Surjit Kumar Dhal who was in custody for allegedly duping a real estate businessman of Rs 1 crore. Dhal was in custody since January 6 this year. The designated court under the Odisha Protection of Interests of Depositors (OPID) Act, Cuttack rejected his bail application on January 12. However, the single judge bench of Justice Aditya Kumar Mohapatra directed the release of Dhal on bail on furnishing a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh with two local solvent sureties each for the like amount to the satisfaction of the trial court. Justice Mohapatra further directed, The petitioner (Surjit Kumar Dhal) shall also furnish a cash security of Rs 10 lakh before the trial court over the matter, which shall be kept in any nationalised bank in interest-bearing account initially for a period of one year which will be renewable from time to time till conclusion of trial and the same shall be abiding by the final outcome of the trial of the case. While granting bail Justice Mohapatra in the order also said, The broad allegation as has been understood by this court from a careful reading of the record is that the informant had paid a sum of Rs 1 crore to the petitioner, out of which, a sum of Rs 10 lakhs was transferred to the account of the petitioner and the balance Rs 90 lakhs was paid in cash. The purpose of such payment of the amount is to get certain works like getting approval in clearances from the government agencies/authorities by the petitioner by using his proximity and contact with some highly placed government officials. This court at this juncture restrains itself making any observation on the factual aspect of the case as the same would likely cause prejudice in the mind of the trial court while conducting the trial, Justice Mohapatra said. However, taking into consideration the surrounding facts and circumstances, the gravity of the allegation made in the FIR, the period of custodial detention as well as the fact that the petitioner does not have any criminal antecedent, this court is inclined to release the petitioner on bail subject to certain stringent conditions, he added.

Actress Varsha Priyadarshini joins BJD

BHUBANESWAR: Odia cine actor Varsha Priyadarshini joined BJD on Thursday, almost three weeks after her former husband and Kendrapara MP quit the regional party and joined BJP. It is speculated that Varsha will be fielded from the Assembly seat from where BJP will nominate Anubhav. Sources said Anubhav is likely to be fielded by the BJP from a segment in Cuttack Lok Sabha constituency. Welcoming her to BJD, Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra said Varsha had expressed her love and admiration for Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Biju Patnaik with her movie Nimki Nimpur Ru Naveen Niwas. Patra said she has been working for the empowerment of women, especially by creating awareness on menstrual hygiene. She had also helped women rebuild their lives during the Covid pandemic, he added. Stating Varsha also spearheaded a library movement, Patra said though she joined the party formally on the day, she has been associated with it for a long. Varsha said she joined BJD inspired by the people-centric work of the state government and the simple personality of the chief minister. Stating there is no competitor of the chief minister, Varsha said she will carry out whatever work is given to her to achieve the empowered Odisha target of the party supremo.

Will BJPs Bhartruhari Mahtab break the record he set for BJD in Cuttack?

BHUBANESWAR: The Cuttack Parliamentary constituency, considered the nerve centre of Odisha politics, is all set to witness a tough battle between the BJP and BJD in the ensuing elections. However, veteran leader Bhartruhari Mahtab who had given a decisive edge to the BJD in all the six Lok Sabha elections since the formation of the regional political party in 1998 is in the rival camp. This time, Mahtab is the BJPs candidate from this prestigious constituency. Mahtab is pitted against Santrupt Misra of the BJD, a new face. A top shot from the corporate world, Misra took early retirement as director of the Group HR of the Aditya Birla Group in December, 2023 and joined BJD in February 2024. BJP sources maintain the tide may turn this time with Mahtab wresting the seat from the BJD for the first time because of his acceptability among the voters across the seven Assembly segments. He is also considered a pride of the state at the national level because of his erudite debates in Parliament in every important subject. Mahtabs electoral record from the seat has been impeccable. In the last three LS elections, Mahtab had polled around 50 per cent or more votes irrespective of his opponent, either the BJP or Congress. Interestingly, BJP was not an easy pushover in the constituency in the last election when the saffron partys nominee Prakash Mishra polled over four lakh votes. The charisma coupled with the reach of Mahtab and the improved situation of BJP gives hope to the saffron party about a turnaround in the partys fortunes this election. However, the constituency remains a BJD bastion as it had won from six out of the seven Assembly segments in the last poll. Heavyweights of the BJD like Ranendra Pratap Swain, Debi Prasad Mishra represent Athagarh and Baramba segments in the LS seat. Besides, the Banki and Choudwar-Cuttack seats are represented by Devi Ranjan Tripathy and Souvic Biswal, sons of senior BJD leaders Pravat Tripathy and Prabhat Biswal. It remains to be seen how far their presence can translate for votes for the LS candidates. Misra who is new to electoral politics has intensified campaigning in all segments of the LS seat. Cuttack used to be a Congress stronghold but the party is yet to announce its candidate for the seat. Veterans like JB Patnaik and Jayanti Patnaik had represented the seat in the past. However, the grand old party has been weakened in the seat as Panchanan Kanungo, the party candidate in the 2019 election polled less than one lakh votes, around 9.42 pc votes. But election from the Cuttack LS seat will centre around the success or failure of Mahtab. Will he succeed to defeat the BJDs hold on the seat to emerge victorious can only be known on the counting day.

Illicit liquor seizure doubles in Odisha ahead of elections

BHUBANESWAR: Amidst massive crackdown against contraband ahead of the polls, volume of illicit liquor seizure by security and other agencies has shown a big jump. Chief electoral officer (CEO) Nikunja Dhal informed mediapersons on Thursday that state and central agencies have seized illegal cash and other articles worth over Rs 118 crore between March 1 and April 18. This included brown sugar and ganja amounting to Rs 43.69 crore. Excise department said the seizure of illicit liquor so far this month is at least twice the normal volume. The seizure of illicit liquor from March to April so far is much higher than normal times. Illicit liquor manufacturing has witnessed a rise and accordingly action is being initiated, said, Excise Commissioner, Narasingha Bhol. Sources said Excise department has seized large quantity of illicit liquor from Koraput, Rayagada, Cuttack, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Sambalpur and Bargarh districts. Amid concerns from several other states that the contraband may be used as freebies during elections, Odisha Police launched a massive drive against ganja transportation. Cultivation of ganja takes place from September onwards for three months. Police forces of other states raised their concern about transportation of ganja from Odisha during the meetings held by Election Commission of India (ECI) and a massive drive was launched by Odisha Police to check the menace much before the elections were announced, said sources. Around 484 check-posts have been set-up in Odisha along with 120 check-posts in bordering areas. There are 485 mobile check-posts in the state to check any unlawful activity like transportation of illegal cash, contraband, illicit liquor, arms and other articles said ADG Law and Order, Sanjay Kumar. Dhal said state and central agencies have seized Rs 2.07 crore unaccounted cash, illicit liquor worth Rs 18.19 crore, gold of Rs 7.17 crore and other articles amounting to Rs 47.44 crore. Odisha Police have made the maximum seizure of Rs 61.6 crore, Excise department Rs 30 crore, state GST Rs 17 crore, Department of Revenue Intelligence Rs 6.44 crore, Transport dept Rs 1.19 crore, Income Tax Rs 73 lakh and Forest dept Rs 95 lakh, he said. Dhal.

Odisha continues to grapple with intense heatwave, 18 cities record above 41 degrees Celsius

Odisha continues to grapple with intense heatwave, 18 cities record above 41 degrees Celsius As Odisha continues to grapple with an intense heatwave, on Wednesday, 18 cities of the state recorded above 41 degrees Celsius with the coal mining region of Talcher recording the highest at 43.2 degrees Celsius, said an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official. 43.2 degrees Celsius has been recorded in Talcher. In 18 cities, more than 41 degrees Celsius has been recorded, IMD Director Manorama Mohanty told ANI. In Bhubaneswar, the record stands at 41.7 degrees Celsius; in Cuttack, 41.5 degrees Celsius is recorded. In the coastal station, humidity varies from 40% to 80%. For the coming five days, we have issued a heat wave condition warning, she added. On Wednesday, after the IMD issued a heat wave forecast, the Odisha government announced that all schools in the state will be closed from April 18 to 20. The IMD said that in many places in the state, the temperatures are expected to rise by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius. And in some places temperatures are expected to rise above 45 degrees Celsius. According to IMD's Bhubaneswar Centre, heatwave conditions prevailed at some places in the districts of Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, Balasore, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Khurda, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Nayagarh, Kandhamal, Koraput, Malkangiri, Angul, and Boudh on Wednesday. Hot and humid weather conditions prevailed at one or two places over the districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, and Gajapati. (ANI)

Odisha State Pollution Control Board closure order for Jindals Angul power plant stayed

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has called for balancing environmental considerations with the practical realities faced by industries. The observation was made while issuing a stay order on State Pollution Control Board (SPCB)s order for closure of the thermal power plant of Jindal India Thermal Power (JITP) at Angul on March 23. Indeed, an overly rigid adherence to paper rules and procedures can be harmful, if it overlooks the underlying purpose or substance of the rules in the first place. The balance between structure and flexibility can lead to more effective and meaningful outcomes, the single judge bench of Justice SK Panigrahi remarked in the April 15 interim order on JITPs petition, while posting the matter to July 25 for further consideration along with a response from SPCB. The SPCB had ordered for an immediate halt of all operations at the entire thermal power plant on the ground that it was discharging wastewater directly into the Kaudia Nallah, which in turn feeds into Tikira River. However, Justice Panigrahi felt the closure order was a disproportionate response, given the company has already achieved a high level of compliance and is making efforts to reach full compliance. Moreover, it is assured by the company and an independent agency that the discharge of treated waste water is not hazardous to the health of the people or the environment. Consequentially, the closure of the company may indeed seem unjustifiable for it is important to balance environmental considerations with the practical realities faced by businesses, Justice Panigrahi observed. In the interim order, Justice Panigrahi went on state that thermal power plants are integral to the states energy infrastructure, especially during the peak demand periods of the summer months. These facilities not only contribute substantially to the states electricity supply but also underpin the livelihood of thousands of workers and their dependents. The abrupt closure of these facilities could consequently have profound social and economic repercussions, including potential job losses and discernible disruptions to the power supply, Justice Panigrahi also observed. Appearing on behalf of JITP, senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi submitted that the OSPCB issued the closure notice in a hush-hush manner without having a glance at the reality. It was claimed on behalf of JITP that Kakudia Nallah originates outside the plant premises, passes through the petitioners plant, and eventually merges with the Tikira River. Consequently, runoff water from the storm drains may mingle with water in the Nallah. Currently, to prevent untreated water from entering the Kakudia Nallah, the petitioners treat both runoff water from the plant and water from the Kakudia Nallah in the surface runoff treatment system (SRTS), ensuring compliance with prescribed standards before release. Moreover, the petitioners are in the process of constructing a dedicated stormwater drainage system directly connected to the SRTS for the treatment of runoff water, it was claimed.

Orissa HC reserves order on validity of schools merger decision

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has reserved its judgment on the dispute over the legal validity of the state governments decision for the merger of schools having very low enrolment. The School and Mass Education department had issued a notification for the merger of nearly 16,000 schools on March 11, 2020 and by then around 4,500 had already been merged. While a single-judge bench had quashed the notification on May 4, 2021, the state government had filed an appeal against it. A division bench had then issued an interim stay order on the singe judges order on July 20, 2021. The division bench of Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh and Justice MS Raman reserved judgment after closing hearing on the state governments appeal on Tuesday. While making submissions, advocate general Ashok Kumar Parija wanted to drive home the point that the notification was issued after a policy decision for integration of primary, upper primary and high schools with the nearby bigger schools for ensuring fully functional schools with increase in number of teachers per class and concentrated investment of resources. As per the notification schools with students less than 20 to 40 were to be merged with bigger nearby schools. The consolidation would make schools inspirational for students and result in an improvement of pupil-teacher ratio. There would be better infrastructure facilities, better academic environment with additional facilities, e-learning and co-curricular facilities. This will also improve learning and teaching time available to teachers and students through reduction in administrative burden on teachers, it was claimed on behalf of the state government. Justice BR Sarangi had quashed the notification while allowing a batch of 168 petitions which had challenged it on the ground that it violated the Odisha Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2010. Instead of finding the reasons for decreasing roll strength, the merger of schools will not serve the purpose. It is just like without finding the cause of the disease, treatment has been started. There are innumerable reasons for the decreasing roll strength. Instead of eradicating the ground difficulties, a merger is taking place due to decisions taken at a higher level without realising the ground level reality, the single judge observed in the May 4, 2021 order.

Heatwave to torment Odisha till April 20, respite from Sunday

BHUBANESWAR: There will be no let-up in the brutal weather as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heatwave conditions in parts of Odisha till Saturday. The mercury level is expected to fall from Sunday onwards under the influence of rainfall and thundershower activity. On Wednesday, 30 places in the state recorded 40 degree C or more. While Talcher was the hottest at 43.2 degree C, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack recorded 41.7 degrees C and 41.5 degrees C, respectively. Two places - Koraput (37.4 degree Celsius) and Daringbadi (34 degrees C) witnessed heatwave conditions. The twin city residents woke up to uncomfortable weather as the humidity level was 73 per cent in Bhubaneswar and 67 per cent in Cuttack at 8.30 am on the day. IMD has issued a heatwave warning for Cuttack, Khurda and 19 other districts on Thursday. Weather is expected to turn harsher as maximum temperature is likely to rise by 2 degrees C to 3 degree C in many places in the state within two days. The capital city may experience heatwave condition on Thursday as the mercury level is expected to be around 42 degrees C. Even as the state continues to remain under the grip of scorching weather, it has already recorded more than normal heatwave days in April. Usually, Odisha experiences one to three heatwave days in April but this time the state has already recorded five heatwave days in the last 17 days. In the first spell, heatwave occurred in parts of the state on April 5 and 6. The fresh bout of heatwave started on Monday (April 15) and is expected to continue till Saturday. Weather experts said Odisha normally experiences about 11 heatwave days between April and June. However, this year the state may record 17 to 25 heatwave days in these three months. Just like last year, the heatwave condition is expected to subside after April 20 under influence of rainfall and thundershower activity, said Umasankar Das, scientist at Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre. Schools closed for three days The state government on Wednesday announced closure of all schools in the state from April 18 to 20 due to heatwave forecast by the IMD. In a release, the School and Mass Education Department said the government has decided to shut all schools including those run by the government, government-aided and private for three days in view of prevailing heatwave conditions and rise in day temperature. As per IMDs forecast, the temperature is expected to cross the 45 degrees Celsius mark in a few places in Odisha from April 18 to 20. Meanwhile, some private schools have decided to resort to online classes if the heatwave continues after April 20.

Dilip Ray returns to electoral politics, to contest from Rourkela assembly seat

BHUBANESWAR, APRIL 16: After a hiatus of five years, former Union minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Dilip Ray has returned to electoral politics as he made a cut into the second list candidates that was released by the party for assembly elections in Odisha. The BJP, which had on April 2 cleared 112 names for assembly polls, released 21 names in the second list. Dillip, who was elected to Odisha Legislative Assembly in 2014 by defeating Sarada Nayak of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Rourkela seat, had refrained from contesting from election in 2019. Rays return to electoral politics assumes significance as the BJP hopes his participation in the polls will have positive repercussions in Sundargarh parliamentary constituency and the seven assembly segments under it. BJP stalwart and former Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram is seeking his reelection from Sundergarh Lok Sabha seat. He is now pitted against former Hockey India captain Dilip Tirkey. The seven assembly segments that come under Sundargarh parliamentary constituency include Talsara, Sundargarh, Biramitrapur, Raghunathpali, Rourkela, Rajgangpur and Bonai. Dilip is a great asset for us. His presence in the electoral battlefield will make a huge difference. He carries the power to inspire the partys cadres and workers, said senior BJP leader Biranchi Tripathy. As many as four BJD turncoats who recently joined the BJP have found place in the second phase list. They include Jagannath Nundruka, Kailash Kulesika, Amarendra Dash and Dambaru Sisa. Kailash Kulesika, a firebrand tribal leader hailing from Rayagada district, said the BJP would do well this time in South Odisha and the BJD would be completely decimated. I was in the BJD. They had assured me that they would give me a ticket. Though I gave my blood and sweat for the party for years, they ignored my case and gave a ticket to Prabhu Jani as he protects and promotes their mining business interests in our area. They even tried to bribe me which I rejected, said Kulesika, The full list of BJP candidates for Assembly seats in Odisha Rourkela: Dilip Ray Patna (ST): Akhil Chandra Naik Saraskana (ST): Bhadav Hansdah Rairangpur (ST): Jolen Barda Bangiriposi (ST): Sanjali Murmu Karanjia (ST): Padmacharan Haibru Jharigam (ST): Narsingh Bhatra Bissam Cuttack (ST): Jagannath Nundruka Rayagada (ST): Basanta Kumar Ullaka Laximpur (ST): Kailash Kulesika Kotpad (ST): Rupa Bhatra Pottangi (ST): Chaitanya Nandibali Chitrokonda (ST): Dambaru Sisa Dabugam (ST): Somnath Pujari Rajanagar: Lalit Behera Balikuda-Ersama: Satya Sarathi Mohanty Jagatsinghpur: Amarendra Dash Kakatpur (SC): Baidhar Mallick Ranpur: Surama Padhy Sanakhemundi (ST): Uttam Kumar Panigrahi Mohana (ST): Prasanta Mallik

BJP alleges MCC violation by officials for accompanying Pandian to SCB Medical College hospital

BHUBANESWAR: The BJP on Tuesday knocked the doors of the Election Commission alleging violation of model code of conduct (MCC) by Twin City police commissioner, transport commissioner and another IPS officer. In a memorandum to the chief electoral officer (CEO), Odisha, the BJP delegation led by partys former state head Samir Mohanty and others alleged, 5T chairman VK Pandian, during his visit to SCB Medical College and Hospital to meet the victims of Jajpur bus accident, was accompanied by transport commissioner Amitabh Thakur and IPS officer Vineet Agarwal. We have nothing against his (Pandians) visit to hospital to meet the victims. Rather we welcome it. However, it is not known as to why the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack police commissionerate provided security and police escort to him. The police commissioner owes an explanation for illegal deployment of police and security vehicles as Pandian is an ordinary party worker of BJD and he is not even an office-bearer, the saffron party stated. The party also questioned as to why the transport commissioner and another IPS officer accompanied Pandian who had visited the hospital with Choudwar-Cuttack MLA Souvik Biswal. The BJP delegation also submitted a memorandum to CEO Odisha alleging violation of MCC by BDA authorities. It alleged that the agency appointed three DEOs on a temporary basis in clear violation of MCC prescribed for party in power.

Criminal complaint against IAS officer quashed by Orissa HC

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has quashed the criminal proceedings pending against T Wapang Ao, an IAS officer of Odisha cadre, for allegedly passing defamatory remarks on a lawyer when he was sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) at Malkangiri 20 years back. Acting on a complaint by the lawyer, the court of Sub-divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM), Malkangiri, had taken cognizance of the allegation under section 500/506 of IPC against Wapang. Later, the SDJM rejected Wapangs petition to be discharged of the offences on August 16, 2023. He had then challenged it in high court. In my opinion, the complaint filed under Sections 500 and 506 of the IPC lacks basic ingredients and no useful purpose would be served in permitting the trial court to proceed with the complaint, the single judge bench of Justice SK Panigrahi observed in order, a copy of which was released by the high court on Monday. I also wish to express my deep concern regarding the protracted litigation surrounding what can only be described as a trivial case. It is disheartening to witness legal proceedings stretch over two decades, consuming valuable time, resources, and judicial bandwidth, Justice Panigrahi also observed. The alleged incident occurred on August 5, 2003, when Gobinda Patra, an advocate of the local bar, appeared before the SDM, Malkangiri, to argue his case. During the proceedings, the SDM requested the presentation of evidence from the second party. But Patra raised objections on the ground that such a request contradicted procedural norms. In response to this objection, the SDM allegedly raised his voice, stating, Shut up, Tu Jaa re, Tu Kia Mote Procedure Sikhayibu!? (shut up, you go from here, you cannot teach me procedure). Patra had then filed the complaint. Justice Panigrahi held that the aforementioned remark by itself doesnt have the propensity to harm the reputation of the lawyer/complainant.

Role of lawyers vital in society, says Dharmendra Pradhan

SAMBALPUR: Union Minister and BJPs Sambalpur Lok Sabha candidate Dharmendra Pradhan met the members of the district bar association during his poll campaign on Tuesday. Pradhan interacted with many senior lawyers of the Sambalpur Bar Association. I have taken everyones advice for the collective development of the district and improvement of the judicial system. The role of lawyers in the society is important. A collective responsibility should be taken with the bar association to strengthen the local economy, he said. The BJP candidate further said Sambalpur is the unique centre of culture and civilisation. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a lot of development work is going on. To develop Sambalpur as a leading region of the country, youths should be linked with employment. On the day, Pradhan also met the staff of Odisha Home Maintenance Service Homevery. He said the work of all the technical staff engaged in providing timely home maintenance services to customers is commendable. It is a matter of happiness that Homevery, which started from Sambalpur, is now providing services in cities like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Bargarh. Prahlad Mittal and Rajat Kar, who founded Homevery, were inspired by the Prime Ministers start-up tradition. They have set an example for the youths by creating a tradition of earning money. Such imagination and skill will drive the society towards creating competent human resources. I hope this organisation will be a part of 100 Cube start-ups in the coming days, he added. The union minister also attended a special programme organised by The Art of Living in Sambalpur. Later, he attended a meeting of local BJP workers and participated in a programme organised on the eighth day of Chaitra Navratri of the Gujarati Society.

Rahul Gandhi to visit Odisha on Madhu Babu Jayanti

BHUBANESWAR: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi will campaign in a coastal Odisha constituency in the last week of April, most likely on April 28, the birth anniversary of Madhu Babu at his birthplace near Satyabhamapur in Cuttack district. This was announced by former Union minister Bhakta Charan Das, the campaign committee chairman of the party after the first meeting of the campaign committee here. He said details of Gandhis visit to the state will be finalised soon. Das said other Congress heavyweights including former president Sonia Gandhi, general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, Chief Minister of Telangana Revanth Reddy and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will also campaign for the party candidates in Odisha. The meeting decided that the party will mostly depend on door-to-door campaign with five guarantees of the AICC and 10 guarantees for the people announced by the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) in the ensuing elections. Das said if the guarantees announced by the party reaches the people correctly, it will help the Congress come back to power in the state. Das said Congress will formally launch its campaign in Srikshetra Dham Puri. The date of launching of the campaign and leaders who will attend the event will be announced by the party soon, he added.

Jajpur bus mishap: Driver booked for negligent driving

BHUBANESWAR/JAJPUR: Day after a Kolkata-bound bus fell off a flyover, resulting in five deaths and injury to 40 passengers, driver of the vehicle was booked on charges of rash driving and negligence on Tuesday. The Kolkata-bound bus skidded off a flyover on NH-16 in Jajpur district leading to the mishap on Monday evening. Transport department sources said bus driver Harekrushna Das (40) with critical injuries has been admitted to the ICU of SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack along with four others. Das will be arrested after he is discharged from the hospital. Dharmasala police registered a case under several sections of IPC, including 279 (driving a vehicle in a negligent manner, endangering human life) and 337 (causing hurt to any person by doing any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life) against the bus driver. Additional transport commissioner (road safety) Lal Mohan Sethi said the bus was in good condition and a fresh fitness certificate was issued last month. It is suspected that the accident might have taken place due to negligence of the bus driver, he said. He might have tried to overtake a vehicle from the left side or was talking over cell phone while driving. Further investigation is on to ascertain the cause of the accident, he said. BJD leader and 5T chairman VK Pandian visited the hospital early on Tuesday and enquired about the well-being of the injured passengers. He assured all help to them. Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has expressed grief over the accident. In a social media post, she said, WB administration had been on rescue and assistance mode from the beginning. Since some of the dead and many of the injured are from WB, we have sent officials, materials and ambulances to the spot for rescue assistance. Vehicles have been sent to bring back the rescued passengers. Beds have been reserved in Medinipur medical college. Compensation will be paid to the next of kin of the dead and the injured as per rules, she posted on X. On the tragic bus accident matter at Jajpur, Odisha, where some of our brothers and sisters from West Bengal have been affected, sending our Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose for coordination of assistance from our side. He is rushing for coordination of help to our Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) April 16, 2024 Banerjee deputed WB Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose to coordinate with Odisha officials for assistance. On Monday, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik announced an ex gratia of Rs 3 lakh to the kin of each deceased from the state. Meanwhile, on the day, three persons died and 20 others sustained injuries in two separate mishaps in the Keonjhar and Angul districts. While two died in a series of accidents on NH-20 near Durapada Chhak in Keonjhar, 20 passengers were injured and the driver of an ill-fated bus, which hit another vehicle on NH-55 near Jarapada in Angul, succumbed to his injuries.

Odisha: Mercury to touch 45 degrees in some places soon says IMD

BHUBANESWAR: After a brief lull, heatwave made a comeback to the state on Tuesday with mercury-level soaring up to 40 degree Celsius and above in at least 29 places. Baripada remained the hottest at 43.6 degree Celsius, which, according to the IMD, is also the highest for the season so far. IMD officials cautioned there would not be any immediate relief from the situation as the heatwave will persist for four more days with the daytime temperature reaching 45 degree C in some places between April 18 and 20. However, sporadic thundershower activities will continue in some places during this period. Apart from Baripada, four more places - Nuapada, Paralakhemundi, Talcher and Boudh - recorded a temperature of 42 degree Celsius and above on the day. Similarly, 13 more places sizzled at 41 degree Celsius and above while 11 others recorded 40 degree C and above. Capital city Bhubaneswar recorded 41.9 degree C on the day, which officials said, was a 4 degree departure from normal. Met officials said the return of heatwave primarily due to prevailing north-westerly and westerly dry air and high solar insolation will cause daytime temperature to rise by 2 to 4 degree in most parts of the state during the next three days. However, the temperature will rise by 3 to 5 degree above normal in some districts during next four to five days. Accordingly, they advised people to take precautionary measure while going outside in the day, especially between 11 am and 3 pm. As per the IMD alert, heatwave is likely to prevail till April 20 in parts of Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, Balasore, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Khurda, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Nayagarh, Kandhamal, Koraput and Malkangiri. Similarly, hot and humid weather condition is likely to prevail during this period in parts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam and Gajapati.

No heat respite for food delivery boys this sweltering summer

BHUBANESWAR: For 27-year-old Dinesh Barik of Bhubaneswar, a wet towel beneath his helmet and a water bottle are the only respite from the scorching sun as he rides through the city carrying a bag on his back to deliver food orders. He begins his day at 10 am and continues working throughout the noon - the hottest part of the day - to ensure that he has at least 15 deliveries by evening. Even as the special relief commissioner (SRC) on Monday restricted engagement of labourers in outdoor activities in wake of the intense heatwave in the state, there is little respite for gig workers - food delivery agents in particular - like Dinesh in the state. Being paid on commission basis, they have no fixed working hours and are outside the ambit of any benefits for organised workforce. Food delivery platforms pay between Rs 30 and Rs 90 per order (no fixed delivery pattern) while for those working in logistics delivery, companies pay a salary ranging from Rs 8,000 to Rs 20,000 with a fixed delivery schedule. Compared to the pre-Covid period, there are many local delivery apps operational now in the food delivery business both in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. This has led to intense competition in the sector which is why we have to accept as many orders as we can for making a decent amount at the end of the day. The heatwave, notwithstanding, Dinesh said. Another delivery boy Bisu Mohanty who works in Cuttack, said as there is no particular timing for placement of food orders, they have to deliver as and when an order is received. Even if that means delivering a food parcel at 2 pm. Since the money is less, I take as many orders as I can even during the afternoon, he said. Worse, the restaurants dont allow the delivery workers to rest inside while the orders are prepared and in apartments, they are many times forced to take the stairs. There are a few people who help us with drinking water, he added. While there is no registration of such workers, Union Minister Rameswar Teli had informed the Lok Sabha in 2021 that there were 52,123 gig workers in Odisha - 27,335 male, 24,781 female and seven transgenders. Trade union leader Mahendra Parida said even as there is no employee-employer relationship when it comes to gig workers, they should be brought under the purview of labour laws and their work hours regulated from 11 am to 3 pm to save them from the heatwave.

ORHDC Case: Congress MLA Mohammed Moquim gets interim relief from Supreme Court

Cuttack: Senior Congress leader & Cuttack-Barabati MLA Mohammed Moquim has been granted interim relief from the Supreme Court. The apex court has reprived Moquim from surrendering until the next hearing on April 22 in connection with the Odisha Rural Housing and Development Corporation Ltd (ORHDC) case. The Orissa High Court had previously upheld the decision [] The post ORHDC Case: Congress MLA Mohammed Moquim gets interim relief from Supreme Court appeared first on Pragativadi | Odisha News, Breaking News Odisha, Latest Odisha News .

BJP Releases 2nd List Of Candidates For Odisha Assembly Polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday released 21 names in its second list of candidates for the forthcoming Assembly elections in Odisha. Out of the total 147 Assembly constituencies, the saffron party had on April 2 announced the names of 112 candidates. The full list of BJP candidates for Assembly seats in Odisha Rourkela: Dilip Ray Patna (ST): Akhil Chandra Naik Saraskana (ST): Bhadav Hansdah Rairangpur (ST): Jolen Barda Bangiriposi (ST): Sanjali Murmu Karanjia (ST): Padmacharan Haibru Jharigam (ST): Narsingh Bhatra Bissam Cuttack (ST): Jagannath Nundruka Rayagada (ST): Basanta Kumar Ullaka Laximpur (ST): Kailash Kulesika Kotpad (ST): Rupa Bhatra Pottangi (ST): Chaitanya Nandibali Chitrokonda (ST): Dambaru Sisa Dabugam (ST): Somnath Pujari Rajanagar: Lalit Behera Balikuda-Ersama: Satya Sarathi Mohanty Jagatsinghpur: Amarendra Dash Kakatpur (SC): Baidhar Mallick Ranpur: Surama Padhy Sanakhemundi (ST): Uttam Kumar Panigrahi Mohana (ST): Prasanta Mallik

Absconding Prisoner Found Hanging In Jajpur Forest

Bhubaneswar: The body of Sukra Munda, a prisoner who had escaped from SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack while receiving treatment, was discovered hanging in Giringamali forest under Kaliapani police jurisdiction in Jajpur district on Tuesday. Sukra Munda, who had been serving a life sentence at Athagarh Radharamanpur Model Jail for a murder [] The post Absconding Prisoner Found Hanging In Jajpur Forest appeared first on Pragativadi | Odisha News, Breaking News Odisha, Latest Odisha News .

5T Chairman VK Pandian meets Jajpur bus mishap victims at Cuttacks SCB Hospital

Cuttack: 5T and Nabin Odisha Chairman VK Pandian today visited the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack and met the Jajpur bus mishap victims who are currently undergoing treatment at the states premier hospital. Pandian arrived at the hospital early this morning to meet the injured persons and take stock of the situation. [] The post 5T Chairman VK Pandian meets Jajpur bus mishap victims at Cuttacks SCB Hospital appeared first on Pragativadi | Odisha News, Breaking News Odisha, Latest Odisha News .

Five dead after bus falls off NH flyover in Jajpur

BHUBANESWAR : At least five passengers travelling from Puri to Kolkata were killed after their bus fell off a flyover on National Highway-16 in Jajpur districts Barabati area on Monday evening. Twenty five others suffered injuries and have been shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. The Odisha Fire and Emergency Service personnel, police and Transport department officials rushed to the spot to rescue the injured. The accident occurred at about 9 pm when the driver of the bus possibly lost control and the vehicle swerved off the flyover, plunging onto the service road. Passengers who sustained serious injuries were shifted to SCB MCH, while those with minor injuries have been sent to Badachana community health centre. The district administration immediately engaged 16 ambulances and two advanced life saving ambulances to shift the injured passengers from the site. Bus falls off flyover in Jajpur, five dead Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over the incident and announced Rs 3 lakh ex-gratia for the kin of each deceased and free treatment to the injured. Five persons have perished so far. Jajpur Collector and SP are on the spot to supervise the rescue operation, said a senior police officer. Police said identity of the victims is being verified. Most of the passengers, believed to be tourists, could be natives of neighbouring West Bengal. Over-speeding may have been the reason behind the incident, said the sources. Five cranes were pressed to remove the damaged bus from the road, police said.

Monsoon to be below par in parts of Odisha

BHUBANESWAR : As Odisha reels under one heatwave after another, the monsoon forecast has not brought any cheer with the India Meteorological department (IMD) predicting below-normal rains in parts of the state during the June-September season. In its long range forecast for the south-west monsoon season issued on Monday, the IMD said some parts of Odisha are expected to receive below normal showers. The national forecaster on Monday predicted the monsoon rainfall to be above normal, 106 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA) across the country. The LPA for the entire country is 87 cm. The IMDs probabilistic rainfall forecast for the monsoon season suggested that parts of the states coastal, northern and central pockets may receive rainfall which will be 30-35 pc below normal. The spatial distribution of probabilistic forecasts suggests that above normal seasonal rainfall is very likely over most parts of the country except some areas over northwest, east and northeast India where below normal rainfall is very likely, the IMD said. IMD DG, Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra told The New Indian Express that some parts may receive below normal rainfall. On being asked whether overall rainfall will be normal, he said the national agency has not issued state-specific monsoon forecast yet. Below normal monsoon in some parts of Odisha Odisha normally receives 1,152 mm rains during the monsoon season. Last year, the state received normal rainfall but three districts had recorded deficit showers. The state had recorded nine low pressure weather systems last year which had positively impacted the rainfall. Meanwhile, heatwave was observed in Jagatsinghpur (41 degree Celsius) and Chatrapur (39 degree C) on the day. Twin city Bhubaneswar and Cuttack witnessed hot and uncomfortable weather and recorded 41.2 degree C and 39.8 degree C respectively. The weather is expected to get hotter in the capital city with day temperature likely to hover around 43 degree C on Tuesday. Due to prevailing north-westerly and westerly dry air along with high solar insolation, maximum temperature is likely to rise by 4 degree C to 6 degree C at many places of Odisha within four to five days, said Umasankar Das, Scientist at Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre. Subsequently, maximum temperature is expected to remain over 40 degree C at many places. The met office has issued heatwave warning for parts of the state for four more days.

Orissa HC posts 130% CCR in first quarter, district courts lag behind

CUTTACK : While the Orissa High Court has posted a remarkable 129.98 per cent case clearance rate (CCR) in the first three months of this year, the district courts in the state have lagged behind managing a CCR of 87.30 per cent. The high court has disposed of 25,784 cases from January to March and as many as 618 judgements were delivered. The district courts disposed of 1,12,684 cases during the period, according to the first quarterly statement released by the high court. The high court disposed of 16,319 civil and 9,465 criminal cases. While 19,837 cases were instituted, 11,511 were civil and 8,326 criminal cases. Taking disposal and institution of new cases into account, the number of pending cases came down from 1,47,028 on January 1 to 1,41,314 on March 31. While the clearance rate in January was 163.55 per cent, it was 136.33 per cent in February and 99.62 per cent in March. On the other hand, the subordinate courts have seen a rise in pendency rate by 16,397 cases since January this year. With it a whopping 18,89,709 cases are pending in the lower courts, official records stated. While 1,29,081 cases were instituted in the district courts, 1,12,684 cases were disposed of and the number of pending cases went up from 18,73,312 on January 1 to 18,89,709 by March 31. Of the cases disposed of during the three months, 85,976 were criminal and 26,708 civil cases. During this period 20,680 civil and 1,08,401 criminal cases were instituted. Institution of criminal cases increased due to filing of 10,371 cases under Motor Vehicle Act as a result of automatic challan based on CCTV image capture. The CCR was 74.72 per cent in January which increased to 82.72 per cent in February and further went up to 104.97 per cent in March.

Five killed, several injured as bus falls from flyover in Odisha's Jajpur

Five killed, several injured as bus falls from flyover in Odisha's Jajpur Five people were killed and many injured when a passenger bus they were travelling in fell from a flyover in Odisha's Jajpur late on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, police said. According to officials, the ill-fated bus was traveling from Puri towards West Bengal when the incident took place. This unfortunate incident happened with a bus which was going from Puri towards West Bengal, there were around 42 to 43 passengers on the bus, Jajpur SP Vinit Agarwal said. He said that around the injured people have been referred to SCB Medical College in Cuttack. As per the latest information received, 5 people have died, he said. Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) Shibasish Moharana said that out of 38 injured, one was seriously injured. In the unfortunate accident, 5 people succumbed. 38 injured were transferred SCB Medical College, Cuttack. Out of 38, one is seriously injured, he said. More details are awaited. (ANI)

5 dead, 40 injured after Kolkata-bound bus falls from bridge in Odisha's Jajpur

JAJPUR: At least five persons, including a woman, died and around 40 others were injured after a Kolkata-bound bus fell from a bridge in Odisha's Jajpur district on Monday evening, police said. The incident took place around 9 pm on Barabati bridge on National Highway-16, when the bus with 50 passengers was en route to Kolkata from Puri, they said. Four men and a woman have died in the accident. Around 40 people are injured, and 30 of them are being taken to Cuttack SCB Medical College, said Tapan Kumar Naik, Inspector in-Charge of Dharamshala Police Station. Rescue operation is underway at the accident spot, he said. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over the deaths and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 3 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased. VIDEO | Several injured as bus falls off flyover in Odisha's Jajpur. More details awaited. pic.twitter.com/gmg0EPXRs3 Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 15, 2024

5 dead, 40 injured after Kolkata-bound bus falls from bridge in Odishas Jajpur

5 dead, 40 injured after Kolkata-bound bus falls from bridge in Odishas Jajpur At least five persons, including a woman, died and around 40 others were injured after a Kolkata-bound bus fell from a bridge in Odisha's Jajpur district on Monday evening, police said. The incident took place around 9 pm on Barabati bridge on National Highway-16, when the bus with 50 passengers was en route to Kolkata from Puri, they said. Four men and a woman have died in the accident. Around 40 people are injured, and 30 of them are being taken to Cuttack SCB Medical College, said Tapan Kumar Naik, Inspector in-Charge of Dharamshala Police Station. Rescue operation is underway at the accident spot, he said. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over the deaths and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 3 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased.

Odisha imposes 2-month fishing ban with immediate effect from today

Bhubaneswar: State government on Monday clamped a two-month uniform ban on fishing within territorial waters along the entire Coastline of Odisha with immediate effect. The fishing ban came into force from today i.e. April 15 and will remain effective till June 14 (61 days). Directorate of Fisheries, Odisha, Cuttack in a letter to the Additional [] The post Odisha imposes 2-month fishing ban with immediate effect from today appeared first on Pragativadi | Odisha News, Breaking News Odisha, Latest Odisha News .

Protest erupts in Bissamcuttack over drinking water crisis

BERHAMPUR: Tension erupted in Bissamcuttack Assembly segment of Rayagada district as Minister and incumbent MLA faced protests on his way to Palkapada by women demanding solution to water crisis. During the melee, the supporters allegedly of a rival party also attacked the public. The incident unfolded as Saraka, seeking re-election on a BJD ticket, made his way to Palkapada village for an inclusion ceremony. However, his journey was disrupted by several women from Raghubari village, who blocked the road over an ongoing drinking water crisis in their area. Residents, frustrated by the lack of action on their long-standing demand for clean water, expressed their grievances by obstructing Sarakas path with empty water vessels. Amidst discussions between Saraka and the women, a youth, believed to be a Congress supporter, began recording the scene on his mobile phone. The situation turned violent as supporters of the BJD allegedly attacked the youth, necessitating intervention from village elders to defuse the situation. While the incident sparked tension, villagers continued their demand for a resolution to the water crisis, promising their support for any party or individual willing to address their concerns. BJD officials refuted claims of their involvement in the altercation, attributing the disturbance to Congress activists. However, with Saraka unavailable for comment and BJD leaders maintaining silence, the incident threatens to escalate into a political issue, with the Congress party condemning the alleged highhandedness of the BJD.

Congress releases list of 75 candidates for Odisha Assembly elections

The grand old party has fielded Sem Hambram from Deogarh, Susmita Singh Deo from Dhenkanal, and Narottam Nayak from Chhendipada. Rama Chandra Gochhayat will contest from Cuttack, Mitrabhanu Mohapatra from Brahmagiri and Deepak Patnaik from Berrhampur. Yesterday, Congress released another list of 16 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections.

SCB liver transplant plan a sham sans team of experts

BHUBANESWAR: Odishas premier health institution SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack may have successfully conducted the first liver transplantation with the support of experts from Hyderabad-based Asian Institute of Gastroenterology (AIG) last week but opinions are divided over continuity of the service in the absence of required trained staff at the new liver unit. The transplant services, initially envisaged to start as early as 2013, was delayed by over a decade despite availability of equipment and infrastructure developed at a cost of over Rs 22 crore. The procedure could not be started then allegedly owing to administrative callousness. Sources said an 18-member team of medical professionals including gastrointestinal surgeons, general surgeons, hepatologists, anaesthesiologists, radiologists and staff nurses were imparted training at New Delhi-based Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in 2014 on conducting the highly complex procedure. While two of them have retired from service, one has quit to join the private sector. Similarly two GI surgeons have shifted to MKCG Medical College and Hospital at Berhampur. A senior GI surgeon was among the two who have superannuated. GI surgeons are the most essential part of a liver transplant procedure. On April 3, a nine-member team from AIG led by Dr P Balachandran conducted the liver transplant on a 45-year-old patient for whom his wife was the donor. The entire procedure that lasted nearly 10 hours was conducted by the AIG team. Questions are being raised over sustainability of the transplant service as the MCH does not have senior GI surgeons in the rank of professor, who can take the lead. The liver transplant team of SCB comprising an associate professor of GI Surgery department have undergone only one-month training and that too 10 years back. Since they are not capable of handling the transplant on their own, the AIG team conducted the whole procedure. The SCB team is not fully capable and two of the trained professionals are now out of the medical college. Can the authorities continue the transplant service in such a scenario? wondered a health official. Sources said AIG has been roped in by the state government for around 20 transplants and the SCB team will get hands-on training during the process. The AIG team will be paid Rs 10 lakh per transplant for both transplant and post operative care. Stating the condition of the transplant patient is improving, SCB medical superintendent Dr Sudhanshu Sekhar Mishra said the AIG team will continue to support the liver transplant service until the hospitals team is fully trained and capable of conducting the transplant on its own. We are not going to hush up things. No decision has been taken or the patient selected for next transplant. It is a very complex procedure and we do not want to take any chance which will affect our years-long struggle to start the service, he added.

Sabyasachi Panda in custody for nine years as UTP not violation of right to life: HC

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has rejected the criminal appeal of Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda against his conviction and life imprisonment sentence for waging war against the nation by a court on grounds that it has been pending for nearly five years now. Panda had filed the writ petition (criminal) in 2019 seeking direction for his production for purpose of release on grounds of violation of his fundamental right to life and liberty as he has been in custody for nine years as an under-trial prisoner. The pending appeal formed the basis of a division benchs ruling that continuation of the Maoist leader in custody as an under-trial prisoner for past nine years cannot be held as a case of infringement of fundamental right to life and liberty. Where petitioner is in custody as an under-trial and a convict, it cannot be said that thereby his fundamental right to life and liberty has been infringed, to persuade us to exercise discretion in directing his production for purpose of release, the division bench of Justice Arindam Sinha and Justice M S Sahoo ruled on April 3. The bench gave the ruling after ascertaining that Panda had filed the criminal appeal in high court after a court in Ganjam had in that case sentenced him to life imprisonment for waging a war against the nation in 2019. The Maoist leader has been in custody for nine years as an under-trial in 131 cases, while he has been acquitted in 89 cases. This was cited by Pandas counsel BS Rayaguru as the circumstances of violation of his fundamental right to life and liberty. However, the bench disposed of the habeas corpus petition with a direction to the Registry to forthwith change its nomenclature from the writ petition (criminal) to criminal miscellaneous petition (CRLMP) and place it before the bench assigned for petitions of such category.

BJPs Nayan Mohanty faces stiff opposition over his candidacy in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: Supporters and opponents of BJPs Choudwar Assembly constituency candidate Nayan Kishore Mohanty clashed during the partys Mishrana Parba at College Square in Cuttack on Saturday evening. Senior BJP leaders Dharmendra Pradhan and Bhartruhari Mahtab were present when the incident took place. As per police, as Mohanty went to the stage to give his speech, some youth opposing his candidature raised slogans against him. Mohantys supporters had a heated exchange with the youth and later clashed with them. Police said at least two persons sustained injuries in the clash during the event. BJP has filed a complaint in this regard at Malgodown police station. After the incident, efforts were made to avoid any further untoward incident. The law and order situation there is under control, said a police officer. Several local leaders and workers were scheduled to join BJP in the presence of Pradhan. There was a good turnout at the event but after the incident, many left the spot. However, the meeting continued under the close vigil of the police.

Odisha: Politics, tea on everyones cup

BHUBANESWAR: Tea Sellers in the Twin City are busier than the usual now. As political talks heat up ahead of the elections, people are seeking endless cups of hot tea and coffee at the tea joints to keep the spirited debates going. At the same time, candidates of different parties are frequenting these joints every morning to host Cha Khatti and connect with people to discuss the local issues and their concerns. Amidst the talks, it is the tea sellers who are cashing in on the crowds. Outside the Jay Prakash Narayan park in CDA sector-6 at Cuttack, tea seller Dayanidhi Swain is happy with the sales that have increased ever since BJD leaders started frequenting the park to meet the voters. Here, the BJD MP face Santrupt Misra, Barabati-Cuttack MLA candidate Prakash Behera and Rajya Sabha member Debashish Samantaray have been meeting people at the park and tea stalls outside almost every day. They recently hosted a Cha Khatti in the area where issues faced by the local residents and youths were discussed. Swain brewed close to 70 cups of tea worth Rs 10 each within an hour on the day, both for the politicians, their followers and the commoners. Every time there is a meeting, there is a boom in my business. As it is, more cha and biscuits are selling ever since the elections were announced. Because except at noon hours, people frequent the tea stalls throughout the day and sit back for the long election charchas and debates, he said. Misra, who has been meeting morning walkers at the park every day, said the parks and the tea stalls are informal platforms where one meets people from different walks of life without any barriers for a free-flowing conversation on their issues and suggestions. The discussions that take place here are at a personal level, stimulating, refreshing and informative, he said. BJD MP candidate for Cuttack constituency Santrupt Misra hosts a Cha Khatti session at a tea shop in CDA, Cuttack At Bhubaneswar too, many BJP leaders can be seen visiting parks during mornings and some have extended their campaigns to the tea stalls in their constituencies. The partys Ekamra constituencys candidate Babu Singh said he is regularly engaging in Cha Khati to know the issues of the people, highlight the Centres various welfare schemes implemented in the past and his vision for overall development if he wins the high voltage elections. He will face BJDs Ashok Chandra Panda in the constituency. There are 12 major parks in the Ekamra assembly constituency. And Singh has been meeting people at the tea stalls located close to the parks every day. BJPs Central and North assembly candidates Jagannath Pradhan and Priyadarshi Mishra respectively are also interacting with the people at tea stalls in their areas. They said that Cha Khati sessions are giving them an opportunity to interact with citizens irrespective of age, gender and social status. For Brajabandhu Barik who owns a small tea stall near the Rameswar temple under the constituency, the election season is a source of additional income. Owing to the political discussions at his stall over a cup of the common mans favourite beverage, he has earned Rs 9,000 since the elections were declared against his normal income of Rs 5,000. Every cup sells at Rs 10. And when a person engages in debates on whats going to affect the votes and whos going to win which seat, he consumes a minimum of four cups of tea or coffee instead of the regular one. Cakes and biscuits are add-ons, he said. Political discussions over tea - Chai Pe Charcha - was started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 2014 elections. Local leaders here have rechristened it as Cha Khatti.

Bhubaneswar-Central Assembly seat set for a civic war this Lok Sabha election

BHUBANESWAR: The battle lines are drawn in the Bhubaneswar-Central Assembly constituency which seems poised for an all-stakes fight between sitting MLA and BJD candidate Ananta Narayan Jena and BJPs Jagannath Pradhan. The constituency, which encompasses the prime residential areas as well as the central business district of the capital city, though poses big questions for the candidates as persistent civic problems have taken centre stage over state and national issues during this election. Cashing in on the early bird advantage with his candidature finalised much before his rivals from the BJD and Congress, BJPs Pradhan has already raised the pitch by starting to visit people at their doorsteps and highlighting issues specific to the area. While Jena, the former mayor of Bhubaneswar who has finally been repeated by the BJD after a long period of uncertainty and speculations of change in party candidate, enjoys a long-time connect with the people, the Congress is yet to announce its candidate. But, the voters of the constituency are not in a mood to make things easy for the candidates. They need proper solutions to the problems that span from urban flooding to sanitation, drainage, roads and public amenities in the region that is considered the heart of Smart City Bhubaneswar. All the Smart City glitz is on the surface and covers only the main thoroughfares while major part of the constituency still languishes in neglect. Take the instance of Cuttack Road. It does not look like a part of the Smart City. It is plagued with serious waterlogging issues, poor roads, no parking facility or even a bus stop, said a local Ajay Kumar Nayak. Another local said, Poor roads and lack of basic facilities like public toilets cause a lot of problems during our day-to-day lives. The areas under the constituency also need proper beautification. Pradhan said he is aware of the civic issues and is assuring the voters of long-term solutions to all their problems. I have always remained in touch with residents of Bhubaneswar Central Assembly constituency. After my candidature was announced, I started door-to-door campaigning promising to end the civic issues of the capital city, said Pradhan. The BJP leader, who came second from the seat in 2019 and 2014 elections, said the citys drainage system is in shambles despite the state government announcing a special package of `1,000 crore to check urban flooding and waterlogging issues in 2019. During the door-to-door campaigning, I am discussing various issues of the citizens. They are facing problems like frequent digging of roads for different projects, intermittent piped drinking water supply, depriving the slum-dwellers of housing under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and not rehabilitating youths whose makeshift shops are being demolished. There are no recreation centres for retired persons and senior citizens and e-toilets worth crores are rotting in open in the city, he said. Pradhans rival, Jena said he has always been with the people of the constituency. He refuted the claims of the BJP leader that there has been no improvement in the citys drainage system. Around 80 per cent issues pertaining to the citys drainage system have been resolved. The tender process to renovate a syphon in Laxmisagar at a cost of `60 crore is already over, he said. The sitting MLA said he is hopeful to get re-elected and if people repose their faith in him, he will work to strengthen various amenities like roads, drainage, sewerage, water supply, electricity, beautification, parks, gyms, among others. He said his other priority would be to provide houses to all slum dwellers.

Odisha: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and BJPs Cuttack candidate Bhartruhari Mahtab hold roadshow

The News Mill

Outage problem of Social media X in India: - Social media platform X is facing outage across India, Users are facing problem in accessing the platform

New Delhi:- There has been a technical glitch in the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) owned by Elon Musk. In such a situation, some users are having trouble accessing the site. According to DownDetector, a platform that tracks and monitors online outages and problems, users have reported that they are facing problems accessing the platform. Users are facing problems especially in accessing the media. According to some reports, the downing of X started at 10:41 am on Thursday. During the downtime, X stopped working completely for some users. During this time, users are not able to share posts and many people are facing difficulty in opening the page. According to the live outage map of outage trackers, users were found reporting issues with the X from across India with hotspots in cities like Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow, Cuttack, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and many more. However, according to the global page of Downdetector, X is working fine in countries like US, UK and Australia. No call forward after 15th April, know the reason, see further... Earlier, X had to face a major hurdle in December 2023. During that time the platform was closed for users around the world. X did not give any explanation as to why this had happened. Later the services were resumed within a few hours. It can be expected that the current outage will also end soon.

Former Health Minister Kamala Das passes away at 79

BHUBANESWAR/BALASORE: Former Health and Family Welfare Minister and three-time MLA Dr Kamala Das passed away while undergoing treatment for lung infection at a private hospital in Cuttack on Friday. She was 79. Das was initially admitted to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar after she was diagnosed with lung-related ailments a fortnight back. She was later shifted to a hospital in Cuttack and had been on ventilator for the last couple of days. Her family sources said she breathed her last at around 12.30 am. A medical graduate, Das had quit government job to join Janata Dal and was elected to the state Assembly twice on Janata Dal ticket in 1990 and 1995 and once on BJD ticket in 2000 from Bhograi constituency in Balasore district. She was a minister of state for Education and Youth Services in 1991 and minister of state for Health and Family Welfare (independent charge) in 1993 in the Biju Patnaik government. Das had also served as Woman and Child Development (WCD) minister in the Naveen Patnaik cabinet in 2000 and was sacked for alleged corruption on July 9, 2001. She then quit BJD and joined Congress but again returned to BJD in 2014. Condolences poured in from different quarters following the demise of the former minister. President Droupadi Murmu condoled the passing away of Das. Saddened by the demise of senior political leader Dr Kamala Das, who served as minister in Odisha government. In her long public career, she continuously worked for the progress of Odisha and its people. I extend my heartfelt condolences to her family members and followers, Murmu posted on X. Saddened by the demise of senior political leader Dr. Kamala Das, who served as minister in Odisha Government. In her long public career, she continuously worked for the progress of Odisha and its people. I extend my heartfelt condolences to her family members and followers. President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) April 12, 2024 Governor Raghubar Das, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan expressed their condolences to the bereaved family. I am saddened to know about the death of senior leader and former minister Dr Kamala Das. Her works for the betterment of people of the state will be remembered. May her immortal soul rest in peace and my deepest condolences to the bereaved family members, Naveen said in a social media post. Das last rites were performed at her native village Sankhari on Friday evening.

Inter-State Co-Ordination Meeting Between Odisha Police and West Bengal Police Held for Safe Elections

Cuttack: An inter-state coordination meeting was arranged with senior police officers from the neighbouring state of West Bengal on Friday. The event took place at the state police headquarters in Cuttack to conduct an impartial and crime-free General Election 2024, to be held in four phases in May and June. The meeting was attended by [] The post Inter-State Co-Ordination Meeting Between Odisha Police and West Bengal Police Held for Safe Elections appeared first on Pragativadi | Odisha News, Breaking News Odisha, Latest Odisha News .

TVS ILP invests 125 crore in a new warehousing facility in Cuttack

This marks TVS expansion efforts in eastern markets

Saddened by demise of ex-Odisha minister Kamala Das: President Murmu

New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu Friday condoled the passing away of ex-Odisha minister Kamala Das and extended condolences to her family members. Das died at a hospital in Cuttack in the early hours of Friday, her family said. He was 79. Saddened by the demise of senior political leader Dr. Kamala Das, who served as []

Ex-Odisha minister Kamala Das dies at 79

Cuttack: Former Odisha minister Kamala Das died at a hospital in Cuttack in the early hours of Friday, her family said. Das, 79, was admitted to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar two weeks ago after she complained of chest pain. During the course of the treatment she was diagnosed with a lung infection, they said. []

Former Odisha Minister Kamala Das Passes Away At 79

Cuttack: Former Odisha Minister and three-time Bhograi MLA Kamala Das passed away at a private hospital here, late last night. She was 79. As per family sources, she complained of illness at her residence in Saheed Nagar, Bhubaneswar two weeks ago, following which she was admitted to Apollo Hospital in the capital city. The post Former Odisha Minister Kamala Das Passes Away At 79 appeared first on Pragativadi | Odisha News, Breaking News Odisha, Latest Odisha News .

Noreaster Ravages Acres Of Standing Crops In Odisha, Farmers Seek Govt Support

Heavy rains coupled with high-velocity wind and hailstorm induced by the recent Noreaster has wreaked havoc in many parts of Odisha, inflicting misery to farmers who lost acres of standing crops. Reports said huge patches of vegetable crops were ravaged in western Odisha districts of Kalahandi, Nuapara, Rayagada and Gajapati. Coastal Odisha districts such as Cuttack and Kendrapara and Jagatisinghpur also reported crop damage. Katapada area under Komna block in Nuapada district is reportedly to have been worst affected in the storm. The farmers in the area cultivated vegetables like cabbage, tomato, onion and brinjal on several acres of land. The crops were almost ready to be harvested. However, dealing a huge blow to the farmers, the recent Noreaster rain damaged the crops. Mainly, the hailstorm caused extensive damage to the crops in the area. The farmers are now under severe mental stress following the development. They have now become helpless and worried about the repayment of loans taken from banks, friends and relatives to grow crops. With no alternative in sight, the farmers have sought help from the Odisha government. Farmers of our area had undertaken vegetable cultivation in hundreds of acres of land. The recent Noreaster has completely destroyed the crops. Some of the farmers had borrowed money to buy seeds, fertilizers and meet the cost of other inputs. Now after the crop loss, they stand devastated, said Pramod Sahukar, a farmer of Rayagada district. He added that the farmers were expecting a very good harvest and handsome profit this time. We had cultivated vegetables in around 50-60 acres of land. However, everything has been damaged in the hailstorm. We have no alternative left to make ends meet. We request the government to come forward and help us, said Paramananda Kata, a farmer of Katapada in Nuapada district. There was no response from the state government on the farmers demand for crop damage assistance.

Dissent over candidates likely to spoil Odisha BJPs broth in many seats

BHUBANESWAR: The BJP seems to be grappling with serious dissent and disaffection of cadre and workers over selection of candidates for several Assembly seats in the state. Nomination of Saroj Kumar Padhi from Aska, Nayan Kishore Mohanty from Cuttack, Sitansu Sekhar Mohapatra from Bhadrak, Rajendra Das from Soro and Raghav Mallick from Daspalla constituencies have raised hackles within the party organisation. Padhi has been trying his luck from Aska Assembly constituency since 1995 and was elected from the seat in 2004 as an Independent. He lost badly in the 2009 elections as an Independent and 2014 poll as a Congress nominee. Padhi was in the race for a BJP ticket in 2019 but the party dumped him at the last moment to nominate Debraj Mohanty. The BJP has little chance of winning Aska seat which is a BJD fortress. With BJD renominating its sitting MLA Manjula Swain, it will be a cakewalk for the regional party as Padhi will be no match for her, sources in BJP said. Nomination of Sitansu Mohapatra from Bhadrak was another surprise as he does not belong to the party. The party was also in negotiations with five-time MLA and former minister Jugal Kishore Pattanaik to draft in his son Asit Pattanaik for the seat. Sitansus candidature was announced when the cadre were confident of the nomination of Hemant Padhi, the former district president of the party. A businessman, Hemant has spent his prime in the party and is most acceptable to the workers, said a BJP leader in charge of the district. Similarly, party sources said the nomination of Rajendra Das from Soro has also hassled the local BJP organisation as he has nothing to do with the constituency. A resident of Dhamnagar, Das was elected from the constituency on a BJD ticket in 2009. He was denied ticket by the regional party in 2014 and had rebelled when the party denied him a ticket for the by-election to Dhamnagar in 2022 necessitated by the death of sitting BJP MLA Bishnu Charan Sethi. Though the BJP has never won Daspalla seat even during its alliance with BJD, the candidate nominated from the constituency Raghav Mallick this time is considered too weak against sitting BJD MLA Ramesh Chandra Behera. Party insiders feel Achyuta Samanta, BJDs nominee for Kandhamal parliamentary constituency, will take maximum lead from Daspalla Assembly segment.

Heatwave all set for a return in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: If you enjoyed the cooler climes for the last five days after a blistering heatwave, brace for the return of the sweltering conditions. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued warning for a second spell of heatwave from Sunday onwards. The national weather office on Thursday said temperature is expected to rise by 6 degree to 8 degree Celsius within next four days. After Sundays thunderstorm activities, maximum temperature had dipped by 7 degrees to 8 degrees C at many places in the state. Now, it is slated to rise again. Director of IMD, Bhubaneswar Manorama Mohanty said, there will be a gradual rise in temperature within four days. Subsequently, the maximum temperature is expected to remain 4 degree to 5 degrees C above normal. The flow of dry, hot westerly-northwesterly winds towards Odisha is expected to gather strength from Sunday onwards and push mercury further up. The regional met office has issued warning for hot and humid weather in Cuttack, Nayagarh, Boudh, Sonepur, Balangir, Kalahandi, Malkangiri, Sundargarh, Sambalpur and Angul districts on Sunday. On Monday, some of these districts may face heatwave conditions. Though the met office will update if heatwave continues further, weather experts said no major change in maximum temperature is expected next week. Meanwhile, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack recorded 30.2 degrees and 28 degrees C respectively on Thursday. As many as 23 places recorded 30 degrees C or less, while Sonepur and Titilagarh recorded 24 degrees C each, the lowest maximum day temperature.

Orissa HC refuses verdict on chargesheet filed sans chemical report

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has declined to give any verdict on the legality of a trial courts order of cognisance and framing of charges on the basis of chargesheet filed without chemical examination report against two persons accused in an NDPS case involving seizure of brown sugar from them. The single judge bench of Justice Sibo Sankar Mishra said, Whether a chargesheet without the chemical examination report is a complete chargesheet as contemplated under section-173 CrPC or not is yet to be decided by the Supreme Court. But as it prevails today, there are conflicting views. The issue is sub judice before the Supreme Court in Mohd Arbaz and others vs State of NCT of Delhi case. Therefore, it would not be appropriate to take any view in this regard at this stage except to await the outcome of the pending matters before the Supreme Court, Justice Mishra opined while disposing of a petition on April 8. The case was registered against the two accused persons at the Baselisahi police station in Puri in connection with the alleged seizure of 357.62 gram of brown sugar from their possession on February 3, 2023. The Special Judge, Puri had issued cognisance and framed charges against them on July 31, 2023. Both the accused had filed a petition in the high court seeking quashing of the entire criminal prosecution against them as the chargesheet in their case was incomplete as per the settled principle of law, which holds the field as of today, as it was filed without the chemical examination report. While refusing to keep in abeyance the proceedings before the trial court and enlarge the petitioners on bail, Justice Mishra said, I am of the view that on the basis of the materials available on record as of today, the petitioners should move appropriate application before the court below seeking regular bail under section 439 CrPC and if such application is moved, the same shall be decided on its own merit.

Actor Buddhaditya Mohanty Files Complaint Against Producer Pritam Sahu Over Social Media Posts

Cuttack: Ollywood actor Buddhaditya Mohanty filed a complaint against film producer Pritam Sahu at the Bidanasi Police Station here on Wednesday. Mohanty alleged that Sahu was making objectionable comments on him and his aunt and veteran actress Maheswata Mohanty on social media during the last seven months. Sahu also questioned Buddhaditya Mohantys acting capabilities [] The post Actor Buddhaditya Mohanty Files Complaint Against Producer Pritam Sahu Over Social Media Posts appeared first on Pragativadi | Odisha News, Breaking News Odisha, Latest Odisha News .

Orissa HC confirms Vigilance court conviction, poll setback for Congress MLA Mohammed Moquim

CUTTACK: In a significant judgment, the Orissa High Court on Wednesday confirmed the conviction of Congress MLA Mohammed Moquim in a loan scam involving the Orissa Rural Housing Development Corporation (ORHDC). This could mean Moquim, his partys automatic choice to seek re-election from the Barabati-Cuttack Assembly constituency, will now not be able to contest in the ensuing polls. The Representation of Peoples Act (RPA) provides for disqualification of membership of MLAs who have been fined or convicted with punishment of more than 2 years and renders them ineligible to contest for the next six years. On September 29, 2022, Moquim, as managing director of Metro Builders Private Limited, was convicted by the Special Vigilance Court, Bhubaneswar along with former IAS officer and MD, ORHDC Vinod Kumar and two others, in connection with a scam pertaining to housing loan for the poor. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 50,000. Moquim had filed the criminal appeal challenging the propriety of the trial courts order on the ground that it was incurably defective and suffered from gross infirmities. However, Justice BP Routray dismissed Moquims appeal saying the prosecution has successfully proved the charges against the appellant. The findings of the learned trial court and the conviction are thus confirmed, the order stated. Keeping in view the extent of sentence and the nature of offences as well as the role played by the appellant in committing the offences, no reason is found to interfere with the sentencing, Justice Routray observed. The confirmation comes nearly one and a half year after the HC issued a stay on the conviction of Moquim on October 19, 2022. Subsequently, the State Vigilance filed a special leave petition before the Supreme Court against the HC order. The apex court, on September 22 last year, ordered the HC to dispose of the appeal within a period of six months. According to case records, the conviction involved offence regarding availing loan of Rs 1.5 crore illegally. The offence relates to the year 2000 and at the time of commission of offence, Moquim was not in the political field but was a businessman. Justice Routray had earlier stayed the conviction of Moquim on October 19, 2022, observing: Admittedly, the appellant is presently continuing as a Member of the Odisha Legislative Assembly, duly elected from Barbati-Cuttack Legislative Assembly Constituency. He was elected for a term of five years and took oath on May 23, 2019. Still there is around one and half years to complete the term in normal circumstances. So, keeping in view his position as sitting MLA of Odisha Legislative Assembly, the loss to befall on him due to the conviction would be irreparable unless the same is stayed. Justice Routray had also allowed Moquim to continue on bail on furnishing bail bond of Rs 1 lakh with two sureties. Timeline Sept 29, 2022: Special Judge, Vigilance, Bhubaneswar convicts Mohammed Moquim and others Moquim challenges his conviction, seeking a stay on conviction till conclusion of the appeal Oct 19, 2022: HC stays the conviction pending appeal, finding this to be an exception case to stay the order of conviction Vigilance files SLP before the SC Sept 22, 2023: SC orders the HC to dispose of the appeal within a period of six months from the date of order April 10, 2024: HC dismissing the appeal filed by Moquim, confirms the conviction order passed by the Vigilance court