STPI- Berhampur progress updates

Excerpts from The Hindu on the progress of STPI-Berhampur

............Moreover, many young entrepreneurs are evincing interest to set up their own facilities in the State. “We are receiving encouraging response to STPI-Berhampur. One Auro Infotech which is working on search engine optimisation has employed 50 to 60 personnel. It is likely to double the headcount within a year. Two more companies are coming to Berhampur. Moreover five to six enquiries from Non-Resident Oriyas have been received,” Mr. Panda said.

Source: The Hindu

Energy and Oil City proposed at Sonepur in Ganjam

Excerpts from NewIndian Express, The Samaja, The Telegraph, Business Standard & Pragativadi on the proposed Energy and oil city in Ganjam

BERHAMPUR: A consortium headed by the Greenko group has submitted a proposal to the State Government to set up an ‘energy and oil city’ at Sonepur in Ganjam district. Director of Sonepur Energy and Oil City Private Limited, constituted by the consortium, SK Challamsetty today met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the Secretariat and submitted the proposal. The company has proposed to set up an ‘Energy Academy’ besides creating infrastructure for establishment of port, township and desalination plant. The investment for the project has been estimated at Rs 5,000 crore while other organisations will also invest around Rs 10,000 crore for other projects near the city. The project when completed will create a direct employment for 20,000 people and indirect employment opportunities for one lakh people. According to the proposal, engineers, geologists, geo-physicists, drilling engineers, fabricators and other technical professionals will be imparted training in the Energy Academy. The training will be organised in collaboration with international oil companies. Steps will be taken by the academy to encourage small entrepreneurs in the field of oil. Greenko will invest about Rs 100 crore for setting up the academy. Among others, Chief Secretary TK Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Bijay Kumar Patnaik, Energy Secretary PK Jena, Industries Secretary Sourabha Garg and senior officials attended the meeting.

Sources: New Indian Express, Pragativadi, The Samaja

Family court inaugurated in Berhampur by Chief Justice of Orissa High Court

Ganjam District Bar demands permanent bench of the High Court in the city

A family court was inaugurated on the premises of the Berhampur court on Saturday by the Chief Justice of the High Court, Justice V. Gopalagouda. During his visit to Ganjam district, Justice Gopalgouda also inaugurated the court of the civil judge (junior division) cum judicial magistrate 1st Class at Buguda. He also attended a legal literacy camp at R. Damodarpalli village, which was organised by the Orissa State Legal Services Authority. Justice Das was accompanied by Justice I. Mohanty of the High Court.

The Chief Justice also interacted with the members of the Ganjam Bar Association during his visit to the city. The lawyers of the association through a memorandum put forward their list of long-standing demands before Justice Das.

Their main demand was establishment of a permanent bench of the High Court in the city for the benefit of inhabitants of south Orissa.

The lawyers also wanted filling up of vacant post of second additional district judge in the Berhampur court, construction of a well equipped lawyers' auditorium, posting of magistrates to fill up vacancies of two posts of JMFC. They wanted the MACT court and the office of the Assistant Commissioner Endowment to be shifted to the vicinity of district court. There was demand for establishment of a special court in the city to deal with disproportaionate assets cases arising from south Orissa.

The Ganjam Bar Association demanded the infrastructure on the court premises to be improved. They wanted the existing library building to be demolished and a double storied structure to be built in its place.

Supply of adequate furniture, books and other amenities to the Bar Association also found place in the memorandum.

The lawyers were of the opinion that the entire land of the SDJM court in the city which is under the Revenue department should be transferred to Judicial department for construction of a multi-storeyed building at the spot to locate all the courts of the city at one place.

Source: The Hindu

Prof. Jayant Mohapatra appointed V-C of Berhampur University

Governor Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare on July 24 appointed new Vice-Chancellor for Berhampur University. Professor Jayant Mohapatra, who is registrar of Berhampur University, would replace outgoing Vice-Chancellor Prof. B. K. Sahu whose tenure is ending on July 26. “Prof Mohapatra has been appointed for a period of three years. He is heading Department of Political Science of the university. Besides, he has assumed responsibilities in different capacities,” said a release issued by Raj Bhawan. It said the 52-year-old political science professor was an assessor of NAAC, Bangalore. According to the release, he had guided 13 scholars on various research projects producing 12 Ph.Ds. Transparency in administration will be my top priority. Emphasis will be given on quality education, said Prof. Mohapatra while speaking to mediapersons.

Students’ body battles for HC bench in Berhampur

Permanent bench of High court in Berhampur demanded

BERHAMPUR: South Orissa Students' Association (SOSA) has expressed its solidarity with the agitating lawyers of South Orissa and has demanded early establishment of a permanent bench of Orissa High court at Berhampur- the nerve centre of activities in southern part of the State. SOSA president RP Tripathy said southern Odisha has remained the forgotten frontier of the State with alarming levels of poverty and underdevelopment. While majority people of South Odisha are living under abject poverty and backwardness their genuine demands have been repeatedly overlooked by the state government. The students' body pointed out that lawyers had been demanding establishment of a High Court bench in the city for the past six decades. Both the lawyers and general public of south Orissa have resorted to agitations for this demand in the past. The SOSA activists urged the lawyers in Cuttack, especially the ones of the Orissa High Court, to get out of their insensitiveness towards the problems of people from far off areas to approach the High Court located in Cuttack. It may be noted that the Bar Association of the Orissa High Court and the Cuttack Bar Association boycotted courts on Monday to protest against the statement of Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily in favour of the establishment of High Court benches in Orissa during his visit to Sambalpur. The SOSA activists through a press release expressed surprise that how delivering justice at the doorstep of the poor through benches of the High Court could be opposed by them. They pointed out that former President of India V.V. Giri and former Chief Minister of Orissa Biju Patnaik had openly supported the demand for establishment of High Court bench in Berhampur. They alleged that delay in establishment of permanent benches of the High Court in parts of the state was depriving people of south Orissa their right to get justice at their doorstep.

While recommending a High Court Bench at Berhampur in 2007, the State government opined that there was an urgent need for this in view of the backwardness of the region, popular mood and large number of cases originating from here. As per SOSA, cases from south Orissa constitute more than 30 per cent of the total cases in the Orissa High Court. The geographical spread of south Orissa makes the need of a High Court bench in Berhampur an inevitable one. They said that Berhampur had all necessary infrastructure for the establishment of a permanent bench of the High Court and it was well connected to all parts of south Orissa. The SOSA urged the lawyers of the Orissa High Court to give up stubbornness and support the demand for the interest of the general public. They urged the Union Law Ministry and the State government to expedite the process of establishment of High Court benches in the State.

Sources: The Pioneer, The Hindu, OrissaDiary, KalingaTimes, OrissaBarta

State’s second Coast Guard station in Gopalpur by 2012

The coastline in Odisha will have a second Coast Guard centre by 2012 as part of the Central Government's coastal security plan.

Commandant at Coast Guard Paradip District Headquarters Saroj Kumar Sahu said the State's new Coast Guard station would be set up along the Gopalpur coast near Berhampur city. The plan for the Gopalpur station was finalised during the biannual Coast Guard District Commanders' Conference earlier this month in Chennai, he informed.

Commandant Sahu said emphasis is laid on enhancing vigil and surveillance along the Odisha's 480-km coastline. The new station at Gopalpur would no doubt enhance coastal security in the State, he said, adding that it would ease the workload on the Paradip Coast Guard station, which continues to maintain a round-the-clock vigil.

The Coast Guard's agenda aims at thwarting anti-national subversive forces, sea route smuggling and infiltration, he said. In recent years, there have been frequent seizures of deep-sea trawlers, both indigenous and foreign, by the Coast Guard personnel along the coastline.

What has apparently pressed the panic button is the intrusion of foreign vessels at periodic intervals. Fishing vessels from Bangladesh, Thailand and Myanmar have trespassed into the Indian waters on over a dozen occasions during the last two years, said Coast Guard sources. The sources do not rule out the possibility of the terror link of crew members or their nexus with South-East Asian narcotics trade.

Source: The Pioneer

3 more Central schools to come up in Ganjam

Ganajm has now 5 KVs, the highest in any district in Orissa

BERHAMPUR: School education in Ganjam would get a boost with three more Central schools set to start functioning from August 6 in the district. The Kendriya Vidyalay Saganthan (KVS) has issued orders to set up 11 Kendriya Vidyalayas across the State including three in Ganjam district, official sources said. The schools would come up at Aska, Bhanjanagar and Digapahandi in the district taking the total number of such institutions to five, the highest in any district in the State. At present, two Central schools are functioning in the district at Berhampur (www.kvberhampur.org/) and Gopalpur military station (www.kvgopalpurms.org/). The district administration and the teams from KVS had inspected the rented houses to start the schools. "We have inspected the proposed buildings and the infrastructure facilities," District Collector VK Pandian said. The collector said the schools would have classes from I to V. Despite the academic session having already started this year, there would be no dearth of children to take admission in the schools, he said.
Source: New IndianExpress & DNA

Ganjam Bar Association decries call for cease work agitation by Highcourt Bar

Berhampur: Ganjam Bar Association on Saturday criticised the High Court Bar Association and the Cuttack Bar Association for their alleged attempt to oppose establishment of permanent High Court Benches in Southern and Western parts of the State. At an emergency meeting of the action council of the Ganjam Bar Association, a resolution was passed to condemn the cease work call given by the High Court Bar Association and Cuttack Bar Association on July 19 to protest against the statement of Union Law Minister Veerapa Moily in support of establishment of permanent High Court Benches in different parts of the State.
President of the Ganjam Bar Association Bhagaban Sahu said such protest was only speaking of the mean minded attitude of these bar associations as establishment of the High Court benches is nothing but taking justice to the door steps of the common mass.
The Ganjam Bar Association felt that the High Court should declare such cease work agitation by the lawyers in Cuttack to be illegal and unconstitutional as per the decision of the Supreme Court in relation to the ‘Harish Uppal case'.
It may be noted that the State government has established one man judicial commission comprising Justice C.R. Pal to suggest places for the establishment of proposed permanent benches of the High Court.
The Ganjam Bar Association also demanded that the commission should file its report as soon as possible. In its resolution the Ganjam Bar Association also criticised Mr. Moily for not mentioning the name of Berhampur as a suitable place for establishment of a permanent Bench of the High Court in Orissa. During his visit to Sambalpur in western Orissa recently he had advocated the establishment of the High Court benches in different parts of the State.
The Bar Association members however thanked the law minister for his support towards establishment of High Court Benches.
Source: The Hindu

Degree Engineering Colleges in Berhampur

1. National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST), Berhampur (http://www.nist.edu/)
2. Parala Maharaja Engineering College (PMEC), Berhampur
3. Rahul Institute of Engineering and Technology (RIET), Berhampur (http://www.rahultech.com/)
4. Roland Institute of Technology (RIT), Berhampur (http://www.roland.ac.in/)
5. Sanjaya Memorial Institute of Technology (SMIT), Berhampur (http://www.smitorissa.org/)
6. Vignan Institute of Technology and Management (VITAM), Berhampur (http://www.vitam.edu.in/)
7. Gandhi Academy of Technology and Engineering (GATE),Berhampur (http://www.gatebam.org/)
8. Gandhi Institute of Industrial Technology (GIIT), Berhampur (http://www.gitbam.org/)
9. Kalam Institute of Technology (KIT), Berhampur (http://www.kit.edu.in/)
10. Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Berhampur (Proposed)

Diploma Engineering Colleges in Berhampur

1. Uma Charan Pattnaik (UCP) Engineering School, Berhampur (http://www.ucpes.org/)
2. Govt. Women’s Polytechnic, Berhampur (http://www.wpberhampur.org.in/)
3. Sanjay Memorial Institute of Technology (SMIT), Berhampur (http://smitdiploma.org/)
4. Berhampur School of Engineering & Technology (BSET), Berhampur (http://www.bsetberhampur.ac.in/)
5. Bharat Institute of Engineering & Technology, Berhampur
6. Kalam Institute of Technology, Berhampur (http://www.kitpberhampur.in/)
7. Gandhi School of Engineering, Berhampur
8. Gandhi Polytechnic, Berhampur (http://www.gandhipolytechnic.org/)
9. Aum Sai Institute of Technical Education, Berhampur (http://www.asite.edu.in/)
10. Holy Institute of Technology, Berhampur (http://www.hitengg.org.in/)
11. Orissa School of Engineering Polytechnic, Berhampur (http://www.ose.org.in/)
Source: DETORISSA

Pharmacy Colleges in Berhampur

1. Roland Institute of Pharm. Sciences, Ambapua, Berhampur (http://www.rips.ac.in/)
2. College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mohuda, Berhampur (http://www.cpsmohuda.org/)
3. Om Sai College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, Gopalpur-on-Sea, Berhampur
4. Royal College of Pharmacy and Helath Sciences, Berhampur (http://www.royalcollegeofpharmacy.com/)
5. Sivananda College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Berhampur

BDA unveils mega projects for Greater Berhampur

For more on this story from Dharitri

BERHAMPUR: In a recently held meeting of the Berhampur Development Authority (BDA) in the State capital under the chairmanship of the Urban Development Minister, plans have been put forward to construct a new sports stadium, amusement park and a mega residential complex on the outskirts of Berhampur city near Gopalpur-on-Sea. These projects are likely to come up in an area of 50 acres with an investment of over Rs. 100 crores. The construction of the sports stadium alone is likely to cost more than 30 crores. The proposed stadium will be the second sports stadium in Berhampur city after the historic Barracks Stadium. Besides the State Urban Development Minister who is presently functioning as the Chairman of Berhampur Development Authority (BDA), the review meeting was attended by the Collector of Ganjam who also happens to be the Vice-Chairman of BDA, the three MLAs of Greater Berhampur region from Berhampur, Gopalpur and Chatrapur, Principal Secretary Department of Urban Development, Director Town Planning and the Secretary of BDA. The progress of 23 infrastructure projects which are currently being undertaken by the BDA and are at various stages of implementation came for review. The meeting also stressed the quick approval and provision of funds from the state government for the construction of the proposed ring-road for Berhampur city which is estimated to cost over 150 crores.

Source: Dharitri

Ganjam shows the way in tribal education

Following is an Indian Express story by Debabrata Mohanty on the successful hostel scheme for tribals in Ganjam

Source: Indian Express

GPL aims to double cargo handling at Gopalpur port

BERHAMPUR: Gopalpur Ports Limited (GPL) has set target to double the cargo handling in the next shipment season of the port starting October next. The seasonal port, located about 30-km from here, handled around 4.99 lakh metric tonne of cargo in 2009-10. It included 2.60 lakh tonne of exports and 2.39 lakh tonnes of imported cargo. During the last shipment season, 21 ships from different countries had anchored in the port. The cargo traffic in 2009-10 had gone up by 90 percent over the previous year. In 2008-09, the port had handled 2.52 lakh tonnes of material. The commodities transacted through the port included coal, iron ore, fertiliser and ilemnite, a mineral product of the Orissa Sands Complex (OSCOM), a unit of the public sector Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL). “In the coming shipment season, we have set a target to handle about 10 lakh tonnes of the cargo”, MM Moharana, director, GPL. GPL, jointly promoted by the Orissa Stevedores Limited (OSL) and New Delhi based Sara International Limited (SIL), is currently operating the Gopalpur port under a concession agreement with the Orissa government. The port has an anchorage facility and operates for about seven to eight moths in a year. GPL, which is engaged in developing the port to an all-weather and major port, has recently tied up the finances for its first phase expansion estimated at around Rs 848.78 crore. In the first phase, GPL plans to set up the breakwaters, berths along with associated material handling facilities like stockyards, warehouses and railway infrastructure. The company has already started process of awarding construction contracts and expects to commission the new facility within the next two years.

Source: Business Standard

JNTTEC-Gopalpur: Institution that holds hope

Following is an excerpt from a News Article in  Tathya.in
Citizens demand its upgradation into a full-fledged degree engineering college

BERHAMAPUR: Ten tribal students belonging to three districts of Odisha have been given the opportunity to study 3 years diploma course free of cost at J N Tata Technical Education Centre (JNTTEC) at Gopalpur during last fiscal. The students who have been enrolled at J N Tata Technical Education Centre are Surendra Bansingh, Monalisa Laguri, Madhabika Munda, Bhanja Kishore Purti from Jajpur; Manoj Kumar Tudu, Mandu Singh Khuntia, Jaysingh Melsandi from Mayurbhanj, Pramod Kumar Singh, Uttam Kumar Nayak from Keonjhar and Katia Kisko from Balasore. This has been made possible due to joint efforts of the Odisha Government and Tata Steel. The Centre has been set up by Tata Steel to spur technical education among the tribal people of the state and forms a part of its commitment of the steel company to provide world class education to the tribal community in Odisha. Since education encompasses both teaching and learning of knowledge, proper conduct and technical competency, Tata Steel is facilitating the growth of community through promotion of basic education, technical competency, and skill development apart from other initiatives.

It has been playing a lead role in the eastern part of the country with specific focus in Odisha for sustainable growth of tribal communities to integrate them in mainstream economy through education. Significantly, this initiative for facilitating free technical education for tribal students has not only provided them the access to quality education, but it has also secured their future. Since last year, Tata Steel in collaboration with Odisha Schedule Caste & Schedule Tribe Development Finance Cooperative Corporation and the Employment Mission of the Government of Odisha is sponsoring two-years Certificate Program in multi-skill (Technical) for Schedule Tribe candidates from the state for training at JNTTEC, Gopalpur.

Tata Steel has invested more than Rs 28 crores for setting up the infrastructure of JNTTEC. It has come up over an area of 20 acres having a built up space of more than 50,000 square feet. The day to day management of the institute has been entrusted to Nettur Technical Training Foundation (NTTF), a reputed name in the field of technical education. The institute imparts 3 years diploma course in Mechatronics, Electronics and Manufacturing Technology for boys and girls from Orissa with a guarantee for employment. Boys and girls, those who have successfully completed the course have achieved 100 per cent placement with the best of the Corporate in the country such as Siemens, L&T, Robert Bosch, Maruti Suzuki, Punj Lyod, Al-Shirwai (Dubai) among others. Given its success stories, there is a popular demand among the people to upgrade the institution to an engineering college, which will fulfill the requirement of the students of weaker section in general and particularly the tribal

Source (News & Photo): http://www.tathya.in/