Museum to come up on lighthouse premises at Gopalpur-on-Sea

BERHAMPUR: A museum on heritage of lighthouses in India is proposed to come up on the premises of Gopalpur lighthouse on Orissa coast. It would be the first of its kind museum on the premises of any lighthouse on Indian coast. Directorate of Lighthouses and Lightships (DLL), the agency under the Ministry of Shipping of Union government has come out with this proposed project. It was stated by the Calcutta zone director of the DLL, N. Muruganandan, during his visit to Gopalpur on Sunday. According to Mr. Muruganandan, it will be an innovative project with an aim to develop the lighthouse at Gopalpur into a tourist destination. It is envisioned that the special museum will showcase the history and heritage of lighthouses on Indian coast. At present there are 185 lighthouses on Indian coast. Mr. Mruganandan also said that efforts were on to make most lighthouses run on green reusable energy like solar or wind power. Proper tapping of these two major reusable energy sources can provide ample power to run these lighthouses. Through this, these lighthouses would also become major destinations related to use of reusable energy in the country. Speaking on the progress of different lighthouse projects on Orissa coast, Mr. Muruganandan said construction work of the new lighthouse at Prayagi on Ganjam coast was scheduled to be completed by the end of next year. Construction work of the other two proposed lighthouses on Orissa coast would be started together soon. One of these lighthouses is to be located at Dhamra. Proposed site of the other lighthouse near the Devi river mouth had been objected by environmental activists as it is a nesting site of Olive ridley turtles.

Source: The Hindu

Lawyers protest demanding HC bench at Berhampur

BERHAMPUR: Lawyers of the District Bar Association blocked traffic for hours at Kamapalli square in support of their demand for a circuit bench of Orissa High Court in Berhampur. “The state must immediately submit a proposal to the high court assigning reasons for a permanent bench in Berhampur,” president of the association Bhagaban Sahu said. He pointed out that the Union law ministry stated that it had not received any concrete proposal from the state in this regard. “In the larger interest of the state and people, the government should prepare a detailed proposal and urge the Centre,” he said. The Ganjam Bar Association has 2,400 registered advocates. Set up in 1844, it is even older than the Cuttack Bar Association. The lawyers threatened to paralyse the government machinery in the southern part of the state if the government failed to respond to their demand. “In 2008, the state appointed a commission of enquiry headed by Justice Chitta Ranjan Pal, a retired judge of Orissa High Court, to look into the demands of different bar associations and make an in-depth study in respect of establishment of circuit bench. The tenure of the commission has been extended couple of times and will finally end on December 31 this year. The government has already spent over Rs 18,92 lakh towards the salary and allowances of Justice Pal,” he said. The state is extending tenure of the commission from time to time without any valid reason,” he said. Advocate Jyoti Prasad Chhotray, who has authored Bench of Orissa High Court at Berhampur: A Justification, said that as per the procedure, “a proposal given by the chief minister is considered by the high court at a full-court meeting. Then a recommendation is made to the Centre. Though the infrastructure is provided by the state, appointment of judges and its day-to-day function are looked after by the high court”.

Source: The Telegraph

City bus service mooted for Berhampur and 3 other cities of Odisha



Source: Dharitri

Ganjam Zilla Diary: Dharitri

Source: Dharitri

Berhampur University to open five new departments

Source: Orissa Sambad

Durga Puja in Berhampur (Orissa)

Gopalpur Industrial Park by Tata Group to be ready by 2013

BERHAMPUR: Tata Steel expects to commission its proposed ferroalloys plant and bar mill at its industrial park at Gopalpur by March 2013. "Our industrial park project at Gopalpur is scheduled for commissioning between October 2012 and March 2013", H M Nerurkar, managing director of Tata Steel told reporters after emerging out of a meeting with the state Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.B K Pattnaik, the state Chief Secretary, said, "Tata Steel has informed us that they are proceeding with the site levelling and boundary wall construction work for their industrial park project at Gopalpur. The company is also going to conduct roadshows to attract investors for the project. Tata Steel is coming up with a desalination plant at Gopalpur and we have asked the company to make arrangements for supplying water from this plant to the residents of Berhampur." Tata Steel, which is playing the role of an anchor tenant for an industrial park at Gopalpur, had lined up two projects- a 50,000 tonne per annum ferroalloys plant and 4,00,000 tonne per annum bar mill there. The company would invest Rs 1,000 crore on these two projects which would initially create employment for 1000 people. While the ferroalloys plant will cost about Rs 200 to 250 crore, the bar mill will be set up at an investment of Rs 750 to Rs 800 crore. This will be the third ferroalloys plant of Tata Steel in Orissa. For the bar mill, the company intends to get the ingots from Jamshedpur by rail and road. Similarly, the company will source raw material for the ferroalloys plant, which will be a backward integration project for the proposed six million tonne plant at Kalinganagar, from its chromite mines in Sukinda valley.



Automated traffic signal to be launched in Berhampur soon

BERHAMPUR: The city would have automated electronic traffic control system soon. Under the first phase of this project some major squares in the city would have automated traffic signals. It may be noted that in the past electronic traffic signals had been introduced in some squares in the city. But lack of maintenance corroded the system and traffic had to be managed by traffic constables at these spots. As per city police use of automated traffic signals would ease the pressure on the personnel managing the ever increasing traffic on Berhampur roads. According to sources the first automated traffic signal would be introduced at Tata Benz square. Initially it was scheduled to start operation of this traffic signal from Dusshera. But due to technical stumbling blocks its inauguration was delayed. The other busy squares in the city where automated traffic signals would be established are Bijipur square, Diamond jubilee town hall square, Gate Bazar square etc. Keltron Company is entrusted to establish these traffic signals. It has been decided to have each light in the traffic signals to be kept on for 45 seconds. Plans are on to coordinate the green signals of different traffic signals on a single road so that traffic can flow with ease. It is an irony that despite being the third municipal corporation in the State after Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, this city did not have proper electronic traffic signals. Few years back electronic traffic signals had been established at four major squares in the city. But now only the defunct traffic signals remain at the spot. When they were functional, a policeman was monitoring the traffic lights from a distance. But this time the traffic signals would blink on their own as per the commands provided electronically.

Source: The Hindu

Dusshera Greetings

Pride of Orissa Ravi Kumar is now the 'Kohinoor' of Berhampur

Ravi Kumar proposes weightlifting academy in Berhampur

Weightlifter K Ravi Kumar, who struck gold in the Commonwealth Games, has sought setting up of a modern weightlifting academy in Berhampur. Ravi, who set a record by lifting 321kg in the men's 69kg category on October 6 gave the proposal when he met chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday after returning from New Delhi. Although some facilities for weightlifting existed in the Kalinga Stadium at Bhubaneswar, there was none in Berhampur, which was his hometown and had produced several weightlifters of international repute, the 22-year-old said. After winning the gold medal in Commonwealth Games, he has set a target for the Asian Games to be held from November 12 to 25 at Guangzhou in China. Narayan Sahu, secretary of the Veer Hanuman Club where almost all reputed weightlifters of the state including Ravi Kumar were trained, said it was time the government considered a proposal to set up a weightlifting academy in Berhampur.

Rousing welcome to CWG hero Ravi Kumar at Berhampur

BERHAMPUR: Orissa weightlifter K Ravi Kumar returned home on Wednesday after winning a gold medal at the XIX Commonwealth Games last week in New Delhi. The 22-year-old lifter was accorded a warm reception by his family members, well-wishers and officials on his arrival here at the Biju Patnaik Airport. After landing at the airport around 9.20 am, Ravi Kumar spent 45 minutes inside the lounge, waiting for his family members to arrive. A large team from Berhampur, including Ravi’s mother and sister, the city mayor, Orissa Weightlifting Association secretary Narayan Sahu and members of Veer Hanuman Club, his first training centre, greeted him with garlands and bouquets. State Sports Director Siba Prasad Mishra also greeted him at the airport. Ravi Kumar, who bagged the gold medal with new Games record in the 69 kg class, later called on Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Revenue Minister Surya Narayan Patra before leaving for his home town Berhampur. Talking to mediapersons, the 22-year-old lifter said he would continue to train diligently in Pune with an aim to win medal in the Asian Games and the Olympics. Later in the evening Ravi Kumar reached his home town Berhampur where he received a rousing welcome from the waiting crowd and the state administration.

Sources: New Indian Express, Dharitri, Orissa Sambad

Navratri festivities at TaraTarini Hill Shrine

Source: Orissa Sambad

Flying training institute at Berhampur ready for take-off

Following story is from Oriya daily The Samaja

Click here to read more on this from The Telegraph

Orissa's local club in Berhampur producing international weightlifters

BERHAMPUR: Commonwealth Games gold medal winner K Ravi Kumar is another product of the Veer Hanuman Club in this southern Orissa town to figure in the list of successful weightlifters.Veer Hanuman Club, a private gymnasium organisation, has produced international lifters like Bijay Kumar Satapathy, Chandra Sekhar Sahu and Tikina Gopal from the town.Satapathy, also an Arjuna Award winner, had grabbed silver in the 1982 CWG held in Australia, and gold medal in the 1981 Mini-Commonwealth Games.Railway employee Sahu had clinched gold in the SAARC sports meet in 1990.Similarly, Tikina Gopal had also won silver and bronze in the Junior and Senior Asian Championship, while Ranu Mohanty, a girl from the town won medals in international events in power lifting.Now Ravi Kumar has broken all records and grabbed gold in the ongoing Commonwealth Games and also set a record by lifting 321 kg - the highest in CWG's history."Berhampur has a long history in weightlifting.Lifters from the town have taken part in international competitions and brought medals for the country," said Ramesh Padhy, a former weightlifter.The club was established in 1940 with some assistance from sportslovers of the town."We are very proud of what our club members have achieved at the international level," said general secretary of the club Narayan Sahu.The club aims at producing more sportspersons to compete in international events, said Sahu, also the joint secretary of the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF).Although the state government has established a centre to impart training in weightlifting in the sports hostel here, the infrastructure facilities do not match international standards."We have urged the government to provide necessary infrastructure facilities at the centre to enable the students to compete in the international events," said coach Dharma Rao.
Also see a related news on this:
Plea to promote weight-lifting in the State: The Hindu

Source: PTI

Berhampur erupts in jubilation as Ravi Kumar strikes Gold at the CWG Delhi 2010

Follow the story on K Ravi Kumar's feat in The Samaja, Dharitri, PTI and The Samaja
Silk City erupts in Joy: New Indian Express
Orissa Sambad on K Ravi Kumar and his career so far
Click here to read the news on celebration in Berhampur
City celebrates Ravi Kumar's win in CWG: The Hindu
Ravi Kumar’s Victory spurs hope for more: The Telegraph

Berhampur city erupted in jubilation and people came on to the streets to celebrate with fire crackers as soon as news broke about the record breaking performance of city lad Ravi Kumar at the Common Wealth Games. Despite rains, the sports lovers and his friends thronged Ravi's house at Golapalli street immediately after the news about his victory spread to congratulate his family members. Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Governor M C Bhandare congratulated Ravi, while the Indian Olympic Association announced a cash reward for him. Ravi has not only brought glory to the town, but entire state as well as the country, said Biswanath Patra, a former weightlifter in the town. India’s K. Ravi Kumar won the gold in the men’s 69 kg weightlifting event at the Commmonwealth Games in Delhi on wednesday, setting a new Games record in the process. Members of Veera Hanuman club of Berhampur, to which Ravi Kumar belongs, celebrated by distributing sweets and greeting the crowd. Ravi Kumar broke the Games record by lifting 321 kg (146+175) and surpassed Cameroon’s Venecelas Dabaya’s total of 310kg, achieved in the 2002 Manchester Games. It is also a new Commonwealth Championships record. The 22-year-old from Orissa was always the runaway favourite having lifted a combined 307kg to win the Commonwealth title in 2009, 22kg more than his closest rival in the field Mohammad Talib of Malaysia.

Sources: New Indian Express, Orissa Sambad, The Samaja, Dharitri, PTI

Medical centre to come up at Tara Tarini Hill Shrine

BERHAMPUR: The Tara Tarini Development Board (TTDB) has proposed to establish a modern medical centre at the foot hill of this hill shrine with the support of the State government.The authorities of the TTDB held discussions with the State health secretary Anu Garg regarding the plan during her visit to the hill shrine. According to secretary of TTDB Pramod Kumar Panda the health secretary showed positive interest towards the project. The TTDB has proposed to provide all necessary infrastructures for the project. They have urged the State health department to provide doctors and para-medics.Mr. Panda said there is extreme need of a medical centre at this hill shrine as lakhs of devotees congregate here during the month of Chaitra and also during Navaratri celebrations.This year during the four Tuesdays of Chaitra over 20 lakh devotees visited this hill shrine. This medical centre would also benefit inhabitants of four panchayats in the area. It may be noted that the TTDB is continuing its efforts to develop it as a major tourist destination of Orissa. The work on the new temple complex at the hill top is expected to be complete by January 2011. Dedicated bus service to the hill shrine and construction of a new bus stand at the foot hill also start soon. A modern lavatory complex is also to be operational on the hill top. The existing ghat road from Keshpur to the hill top would be widened at a cost of around Rs. 5 crore , the TTDB authorities said.

Efforts are also on to protect hill from landslide. Outer protection walls are to be constructed on the north and south side of the hill. Apart from it retaining wall would be constructed on the side of the hill that faces Rushikulya River to check land slides and erosion from the hill top.This work is being taken up by the rural development department of the State government.

Source: The Hindu

Krishna Mohan Reddy of Berhampur among 35 young Indian achievers of India Today

Krishna Mohan Reddy of Berhampur features in the “Youth Special” issue of India Today weekly as one among the 35 young Indian achievers along with the likes of Sushil Kumar, Karun Chandhok, Hamdullah Sayeed, Cheteshwar Pujara, Kangana Ranaut and creator of a symbol for Indian Rupee D. Udaya Kumar etc. Interestingly India Today goes on to describe Berhampur city as the CULTURAL CAPITAL of Orissa.

Following is the excerpt of the India Toady special article on Krishna Mohan Reddy
Krishna Mohan Reddy: Mover and Shaker

Determination, inspiration and attitude. Krishna Mohan Reddy has all this and more. He calls himself a dancer without training. A young man from Berhampur, a town known as the cultural capital of Orissa, Reddy became a dancer by watching films and TV programmes. In 2005, after completing high school, Reddy chose seven boys between 15 and 22, mostly labourers from Berhampur and formed the Prince Dance Group, a name he thought would attract young people. Within a year, the group grew to 16 members and plunged into Boogie Woogie, the long-running Sony dance show where it was adjudged a runner-up with a cash award of Rs 75,000. There was no stopping them then. In 2009, the group, which had expanded to 26 members, participated in Colors' reality show, India's Got Talent and successfully cleared its audition. They not only won the competition through a massive outpouring of SMSes, with Naveen Patnaik being among their supporters, but were also granted a cash prize of Rs 1 crore and four acres of land to set up a dance school at Gopalpur by the chief minister. Now, the Prince Dance Group is to represent Orissa at the Commonwealth Games. "We were attracted by local level competitions which inspired us to take on the national level challenge," says Reddy.

The Journey: "Earlier I used to think of myself alone but now I think of the 50-member team. This thinking has given me great responsibility. What we need now is not sponsors or tie-ups but adequate space to practice. The chief minister has promised it."

The Mission: He has been obsessed with dance since he was in school. "Dance has been my mission and for this reason I started hunting for talent. I always felt that adversity brings out the best in the best. None of the members has a dance and music background. My mission has been to make them perform despite that."

The Inspiration: His elder brother T. Harinath Reddy who also runs a dance school, Hari and Group, in Berhampur. "My brother was interested in dancing and I just copied him."

Source: India Today

Berhampur prays for Gold from K.Ravi Kuamr in the CWG Delhi 2010

BERHAMPUR: As the Commonwealth Games opens in New Delhi, people in Berhampur city performed 'yagna' and the civic authorities erected hoardings wishing luck to local weightlifter K Ravi Kumar who is participating in the mega event. Twenty two-year-old Ravi Kumar (69kg category) is one of the medal prospects for India. "I am very much hopeful for gold medal in CWG," Ravi, who will showcase his skills on Wednesday, said over phone from the Games Village in New Delhi. On his personal target in the Games, he said he aimed at lifting a total of 330 kg, which is way ahead of the effort required for gold medal. "During the training I did a total of 335 kg and I hope to lift 330 kg easily," he said. People of this 'silk city' are wishing him success in the mega event. While Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC) has put up big hoardings wishing him success, 'Veer Hanuman Club', from where he had started his career, has performed 'yagna' for his success. "His success is not only for Berhampur, but for the country. So we performed ritual before Lord Hanuman wishing his success," said Narayan Sahu, the president of the club. Source: Times of India

UN award for conservationist B. Chittama of Berhampur

B Chittama, president of Samudram, a confederation of 6,000 coastal traditional marine fisherwomen, won the prestigious UN award Equator. The award was conferred on Samudram in New York on September 20 by UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon. "We had never imagined such a proud moment will come in our life," said Chittamma. Berhampur based Samudram is the only organisation in Asia to get the coveted Award. Chitamma received a cash award of $5,000 and a certificate of achievement from the United Nations. Chitamma, a Class III dropout, leads the Samudram Women’s Federation from the Aryapalli village in Gopalpur port. The organisation has been awarded for its initiatives in Olive Ridley turtle conservation and poverty reduction. “We have trained fishermen in sustainable farming practices such as using turtle excluding devices. We have also asked them to avoid mesh size fishing nets. We have motivated the fishermen to adopt fishing holidays and to mark no-take zones to ensure fish breeding and growth,” said Chitamma. Samudram has worked for artificial reef construction in the coastal area to improve fish productivity and help eco-restoration. The women’s group has organised several campaigns opposing the ecologically destructive measures as the laws related to the dilution of coastal regulation zone. The group has also taken up artificial reef cultivation programme with technological help from the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute. “Reeds including Capavicus and Glacilleria are being grown, dried and sold by our group. We procure the seeds from Rameshwaram. In these endeavours, we are being guided by professors of the Algae Research Cell at Berhampur University,” she said. Besides conservation, efforts are being made by the organisation to ensure poverty reduction by equipping groups of fisherwomen with training and exposure of storage and marketing facilities with installations like warehouses and refrigerators. “This award means a lot to us. We will use the award money for the development of our organisation and for the betterment of the fishermen’s community,” she added.

Source: The Telegraph