Berhampur woman weightlifter Tikina Gopal wins three golds in National Weightlifting Championship

It was joyous moment for Odisha and Berhampur as city bred woman weightlifter Tikina Gopal won three gold medals on the second day of the 64th men and 27th women Senior Weightlifting Championship in Silk city Berhampur.

Tikina won the gold medals in the 56 kg women's category. With a total lift of 172 kg she bagged the gold medal in overall lifting. Silver medal was bagged by M.Santoshi of Andhra Pradesh with total lift of 169 kg, while Swati Singh of Railways got the bronze medal. Gold medals in snatch and clean and jerk were also in the bag of Tikina who lifted 77 kg and 95 kg respectively. In snatch silver medal was won by Swati and Santoshi got the bronze. In clean and jerk the Andhra girl Santoshi got the silver medal while Swati was in third position.

In 58 kilogram category for women Minati Sethi of Railways won the gold medal in snatch with 81 kg lift, another gold medal in clean and jerk with 107 kg lift and gold for over all lift of 188 kg. Meena Kumar of Chandigarh won silver medal in all the three categories. M. Sunibala Devi of Manipur won bronze medals in snatch and overall lift, while her compatriot from Manipur N. Sumanbala won bronze medal in clean and jerk.

In the 48 kg women event over all gold medal was won by Ng. Soniya Chan of Uttara Pradesh with a total lift of 169 kg. She won gold medal in clean and jerk with 97 kg lift and another gold in snatch with 72 kg. Kh. Sanjita Chanu of Manipur won silver medal in all the three events of this weight category. Deepa Mahara of Uttarakhand received bronze medals because of her overall lift and in clean and jerk. N. T. Devi of Meghalaya won the bronze medal in snatch.

In men's 62 kg event Rustam Sarang of Chhattisgarh won gold medal with a total lift 263 kg. He won silver medals in clean and jerk and snatch. K. Ramesh Kumar of services won gold medal in clean and jerk and silver medal for overall total lift. D. Senthamizh Selvan of Railways got bronze medals as per his total lift and in clean and jerk.

Preparation underway for National weightlifting championship in Berhampur

The 64th men’s and 27th women’s Senior National Weightlifting Championship, 2011, will be held at Berhampur Stadium (Barracks) from December 24 to 28. Preparations for the five-day event are on in full swing in the city. A mascot rally to create awareness among the public about the championship was taken out on Tuesday. A huge cut-out of a black buck, the mascot for the event, was displayed during the rally. Revenue divisional commissioner (southern division), Laxmi Narayan Nayak, the chairman of the organising committee, said: “All necessary work to organise the event here is almost complete. The main concrete dais of 96sqmt is ready. Construction of the wooden platform to be placed on the dais is in the final stage. We have arranged accommodation, transport and food for the participants.” The sub-committees of the organising committee have also taken steps to make the event a grand success, Nayak said. State revenue minister Surya Narayan Patro will inaugurate the event. The weightlifting coach of Sports Authority of India, Sita Prasad Patnaik, is also supervising the ongoing work. “Both the main dais and the wooden platform are being constructed according to international norms. The platform is being made with dhau wood. It will be fitted with leather at the bottom and plywood on top. But the space where the participants would lift weights would be fitted with a special rubber mat,” said Patnaik. Narayan Sahu, organising secretary of Odisha Weightlifting Association, Purna Chandra Patnaik and others are in the technical sub-committee of the organising committee. Participants from 29 states and different sporting boards, including FCI, Services Sports Control Board and Railway Sports Control Board, would participate in 15 categories. There are eight categories for men — 56kg, 62kg, 69kg, 77kg, 85kg, 94kg, 105kg and plus 105kg. Similarly, there would be seven categories for women — 48kg, 53kg, 58kg, 63kg, 69kg, 75kg and plus 75kg,” Sahu said. “Arjuna award winner from Berhampur, Ravi Kumar, who had sprained his shoulder during the qualifying round for the next Olympic Games a few days ago in Paris, will not participate in the championship. However, he will be present in the city to watch the event.

Source: The Telegraph

Demand for Greater Berhampur Municipal Corporation grows louder

The Ganjam Zilla Bikash Manch (GZBM) has asked the State government to merge the villages on the periphery of Berhampur with the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC) before the panchayat elections scheduled to be held next year. Activists of the philanthropic organisation have threatened to launch a peaceful agitation in front of the office of the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC), southern division in the city, from January 20, if the State government failed to take up any decision by the time. The GZBM has sent a memorandum to the Chief Minister regarding their demand. March president Siba Prasad Mishra has said it is quite regrettable that even after almost three years after upgradation of city municipality into a corporation, the BMC is yet to have the complete proposed area under it. On January 1, 2009, the State government declared Berhampur the third municipal corporation of Orissa. It was termed a new year's gift for the inhabitants of the city. The government gazette notification for the purpose had proposed that the area of the BMC was to be increased. As per the proposal, 26 villages of 14 panchayats on suburbs of the city were to be included under the BMC. Inclusion of these villages in the BMC was thought to become a major catalyst in the planned development of this major urban centre of south Orissa.  

But till now no concrete steps have been initiated for inclusion of these village in the BMC. Meanwhile, groundwork for the panchayat polls in these villages is under way as they are still part of different revenue blocks around the city. The local elected bodies of these panchayats have not received any communiqué regarding their proposed inclusion in the BMC. It may be noted that in 1971, Gosaninuagaon village was included in the city limits. In 1984 Ambapua village became its part. But, for past 27 years the municipal limits of Berhampur has not been raised while its population has risen four-fold during this period. 

Sources: The Hindu, The Sambad

Following is the notification of the State Government on merger of 26 villages with Berhampur Municipal Corporation, which remains to be implemented 

Source: Government of Odisha Gazette

Lankan wildlife officials praise Chilika conservation efforts

Berhampur (Odisha): Sri Lankan wildlife officials have praised India's conservation efforts for flora and fauna of Chilika Lake in the state of Odisha, with the active participation of locals. "We are really impressed by the efforts of India to conserve the wildlife with community participation and also protect their livelihood," said H D Ratnayake, Director General, Wildlife Conservation Department of Sri Lanka government. Led by Ratnayake, 25 Wildlife department officials are on a two-week India visit from November 29, to gain knowledge of the wildlife conservation as well as how to tackle the men-animal conflict. Officials of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is coordinating their tour. The team is slated to wind up the tour tomorrow. In Chilika, the biggest wetland of the country, the team has visited Satapada, Managalajodi and the Nalabana bird sanctuary. "We are really excited to see the dolphin and number of bird species who visited the wetland from far off places in every winter," he said. Divisional Forest Officer, Chilika B P Acharya told them about the importance of wetland and the conservation effort taken by his government to protect the millions of birds in the lake. "The lake is known as the paradise for the migratory birds. The winged guests come to the wetland every year as we provide them suitable habitat including the food and nesting ground," DFO told the team. Source: IBN Live 

Old Bus-Stand at Barracks to be shifted to City Bus Stand in Berhampur

Source: The Sambad

Urban pockets of Ganjam District ignored in the formation of new NACs

Source: Dharitri

Berhampur Airport project delayed owing to State Govt's inaction

Source: The Sambad

Government turns a blind eye to Berhampur-Paralakhemundi road conectivity

Source: The Sambad

Khallikote college faces acute staff shortage problem

Large-scale vacancies of both teaching and non-teaching posts are a major obstacle in the development of more than 125-year-old Khallikote Autonomous College in the city. At present more than 50 per cent of the sanctioned posts of teachers are vacant in the major educational institution of the State which is also considered a heritage institution. There is also a proposal to convert it into a unitary university. At present it has classes from +2 level to post-graduate and M. Phil level. College principal Surendranath Behera says the large-scale vacancies are putting extreme pressure on the existing staff. Around 40 per cent of the posts of non-teaching staff are also vacant. The institution has several students who take up Telugu as their compulsory language paper in undergraduate classes but it is not having any Telugu teacher. Member of the governing body of the institution have blamed the apathy of the State government for this dismal state of affairs. According to them, if the real student strength of the institute is to be taken into consideration, then it should have teaching staff strength of around 200. They have alleged that during nineties, the teaching staff strength of the institute was deliberately reduced while there was no reduction in teaching staff strength of government colleges in Bhubanswar and Cuttack.  Apart from lack of teaching staff, paucity of infrastructure is also a major stumbling block. “From February, examinations of various self- financing courses and +2 courses start in the college which affects the studies of other classes drastically due to lack of staff strength and dearth of ample number of rooms,” says Mr. Ali Patnaik, a member of the governing body. He recently advised construction of a multi-storied building at the spot of a dilapidated old building adjacent to the stadium of the institute to house all self-financing courses. It is felt that two acres of land of the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation that has been handed over to the college recently will help in enhancing its infrastructure leading to its upgradation into a full fledged Unitary University, the matter which is now under the active consideration of the state government.

Source: The Hindu

State Drama festival ends in Berhampur

A colourful procession to promote traditional folk theatre among the young generation marked the concluding evening of the State-level drama festival being held in the historic Town hall of Berhampur city. The non-competitive drama festival was organised by the Odisha Natak Samaroh Samity. The colourful precession showcasing folk theatre forms of south Odisha started from the venue of the drama festival and passed through different areas of the city. Children and youth artistes of various folk theatre and folk dance forms such as Chadheya Nacha, Dhuduki Nacha, and Jodi Sankha took part in the procession. Several veteran theatre artistes added glamour to the procession. Many senior artistes despite their advanced age marched along with children to promote amateur theatre in the city. The play on the concluding evening of the drama festival was aimed at providing hints to the audience how qualitative amateur theatre has survived in the State since past many decades. The play ‘Ravan Chhaya' was enacted by ‘Kalinga Kala Parishad' of Rourkela. The play was written by Sankar Tripathy around three decades ago. Even after such a long time, the play still seems contemporary in its story and presentation, said veteran theatre artiste Raju Padhi.

Source: The Hindu

OSRTC land transferred to Khallikote Autonomous College

Revenue Minister Surya Narayan Patra handing over
the Record of Rights of the land to the principal of
Khallikote Autonomous College for its expansion in Berhampur

Around two acres of land of the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) was officially handed over to more than 125-year-old Khallikote Autonomous College in the city at a function held on the college campus on Friday. It was almost a five-decade-old demand fulfilled. Revenue officials handed over the patta of these two acres of OSRTC land to the principal of the Khallikote Autonomous College, Surendranath Behera. State Revenue Minister Surya Narayan Patra, Sub-Collector Ajit Mishra, Mayor Siba Shankar Das, Berhampur teshildar Satrughna Kar, Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Panigrahy, and Berhampur MLA R.C.C. Patnaik, State secretariat member of the CPI (M) and member of governing body of the autonomous college Ali Kishore Patnaik, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) secretary Bikram Panda were present.

Students and dignitaries of the city present at the function cheered when the formal land transfer was announced. Speakers at the function thanked the Chief Minister for the transfer.

It may be noted that since past several decades demand for transfer of land of the OSRTC adjacent to the college was taken up by students and citizens of the city, irrespective of their party affiliation.

But they were not satisfied with transfer of the land. During the function there was a demand for transfer of total 4.029 acres of the OSRTC to the college. At present a portion of the land has been handed over to the college. Mr. Patnaik, whose memorandum to the Chief Minister in 2008 regarding the matter had played major catalyst in the process of transfer of the land, said now the State government should take steps so that the rest 2.029 acres of land of the OSRTC gets transferred to the college as soon as possible. He also demanded immediate release of funds for construction of buildings on the land that was handed over the college. Mr. Panda termed the transfer of land as a victory of longstanding united effort for which people of the city got together forgetting their differences. The State Revenue Minister reiterated that the State government was making efforts to transform the autonomous college into a deemed university.

Source: The Hindu 

Turtle Research centre to come up at Rushikulya in Ganjam

The Odisha Government has decided to set up Olive Ridley Research and Conservation Centre (ORRCC) in the state with a cost of Rs.52 crore. This will be located at Rusikulya in Ganjam with two satellite Centers at Gahirmatha and Devi River Estuary. Olive Ridley Sea Turtle population in Odisha represents about fifty per cent of the world population of Ridley and about ninety percent of total Indian population of Sea Turtles. Odisha has the singular distinction of being the only maritime state of the Indian Peninsula, which holds three mass nesting beaches of Olive Ridley located at Dhamra, Devi and Rusikulay river Mouths. The near shore and offshore coastal waters of Odisha in front of above three river mouths provide ideal mating and breeding ground where the migratory Sea Turtles almost spend more than half a year during breeding migration. The need for a full-fledged and centralized National Sea Turtle Research and Conservation Centers in the State was being felt for a long time and therefore the announcement for establishment of ORRCC at Rushikulya has received appreciation from environmentalists and researchers.

Sources: Tathya.in, The Hindu,The Samaja 

Barracks stadium at Berhampur to get a facelift

Source: The Sambad

Black buck is the mascot for the national weight lifting championship at Berhampur

Source: The Sambad

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Black buck was chosen as the mascot for the 64th Men and 27th Women Senior National Weight Lifting Championship scheduled to be held in Berhampur city from December 24 to 28. Mascot for the National Weight Lifting Championships was released at a function held on Tuesday. The function held at Berhampur stadium was attended by working president of the organising committee of the championships Bikram Panda, Berhampur MLA R.C.C. Patnaik, secretary of Odisha Weight Lifting Association Narayan Sahu, Berhampur Sub-Collector Ajit Mishra, Arjun award winning veteran weight lifter Bijay Kumar Satpathy, sports lovers and weight lifting enthusiasts of the city.Senior coach and member of the organising committee Ramesh Padhi said black buck was chosen as the mascot as this animal happens to be the identity of rich natural heritage of Ganjam district. Black bucks are protected with religious fervour in Ganjam district as they are considered harbingers of rain. K. Dharma Rao, an artist of Chatrapur, has designed the mascot.Venue of these two major weight lifting championships would be the Berhampur stadium.Odisha Weight Lifting Association under authorisation of Indian Weight Lifting Federation is organising them. Around 400 Weight Lifters both men and women from all States and Union Territories as well as Services, Sports Control Board, and Railways would participate in the two National Weight Lifting events. Around 100 officials will also take part.

Source: The Hindu

Berhampur city showed off at BRICs conclave in China; to have international tie-ups

After the recent 'sister city' tie-up between Bhubaneswar and Cupertino City of California, there are chances of more cities of Odisha joining hands with their counterparts in Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa. Mayors of the three municipal corporations (Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Berhampur) of Odisha participated in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Friendship Cities and Local Governments Cooperation Forum conclave in China on December 2. A number of foreign diplomats, politicians and entrepreneurs discussed issues like food safety, eco-friendly urban development, financial crisis and energy strategies, besides steps to foster communication and exchange programmes between the five countries at the BRICS Forum.

An independent international organization, BRICS Forum encourages commercial, political and cultural cooperation between the BRICS nations.  

The mayors, who returned from the event on Monday, said they described the art, culture, festivals and business potentials of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Berhampur and appealed to the foreign delegates to start "exchange" programmes in different areas to boost local-level cooperation.

Berhampur mayor Siba Sankar Dash said he earned a pat from the foreign delegates for taking a pro-poor step for cycle, rickshaw and bullock-cart drivers in the town. "Recently we stopped collecting tax from the drivers. The delegates praised the corporation as the step helps save fuel," Dash said. The tourism potential of Berhampur, which is close to the seaside tourist spot of Gopalpur, TaraTarini, Taptapani and Chilka lake was also highlighted in the meet, Dash said. "The forum offered a good platform to share our experiences and skills in tackling problems that our cities were facing. We learnt from each other to prepare ourselves better to face the challenges," he said.
Sources: Times of India, The Sambad, Dsoftsolution.org

Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) for Greater Berhampur getting delayed

Source: Dharitri

Odisha's Ganjam best Indian district in empowering disabled

Odisha's Ganjam has been adjudged as the best district in the country for empowering disabled by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The Ganjam District Administration was awarded at a function in New Delhi, on the occasion of World Disabled Day yesterday. District collector Krishan Kumar and other senior officials attended the function. "The credit goes to the people of the district, especially persons with disabilities along with officials working for them," the collector said. The disabled in the district have been covered under different welfare schemes after being identified through single window camps. During the year as many as 27,443 persons were provided medical certificates while 24,718 persons benefited through the state-sponsored Madhu Babu Pension Yojana and Central government's Indira Gandhi National Disable Pension Yojana (IGNDPY). Similarly, 19,015 persons had been provided with aids and appliances while 430 and 69 persons benefited under the Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) and state government's 'Mo Kudia' scheme with houses respectively, said district social welfare officer (DSWO) Sabita Beura.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik congratulated the Ganjam district administration, particularly the personnel of Ganjam District Disability Rehabilitation Centre for their national-level achievement.

According to the Chief Minister, the rehabilitation projects could not have been successful in Ganjam district without ample cooperation of physically challenged persons of the area. He thanked the physically challenged persons of Ganjam district for participating in all rehabilitation programmes being taken up in the district.

 Experimental ground 

Ganjam was experimental ground for implementation of a pilot project of the State government for rehabilitation of physically challenged persons. Success in Ganjam district prompted the State government to replicate the success model of rehabilitation of physically challenged persons in Ganjam district through launching of a new initiative named ‘Bhima Bhoi Bhinnakhyama Samarthya Abhiyan'. The project has been named after great saint and poet of Odisha Bhima Bhoi, who was blind.

Under the new project the process of identification, certification and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities has been decentralized through single window system. The system which has been successful in Ganjam, the home district of the Chief Minister, is now aimed at empowerment of over two-and-half lakh physically challenged persons of the State.

Source: PTI & The Hindu 

Research scheme launched on climate change impact on Chilika

The Chilika Development Authority (CDA) and the Wetlands International-South Asia (WISA) have launched a three-year research initiative on climate change at Chilika. This was declared at a three-day inception workshop being held from Thursday at the Wetland Research and Training Centre, Barkul (Chilika) around 65 km from silk city Berhampur. The three-year initiative titled 'Strengthening livelihood resilience to changing climate in Chilika lagoon, India' aims to enhance climate preparedness of wetland management through developing response options and strategies for reducing climate-related risks as well as increasing community preparedness for changes in the wetland ecosystem services.

The project is supported under the Climate Change and Water Programme of the International Development and Research Centre (IDRC). Its implementation will be led by the WISA and the CDA with expert support from the Institute of Land, Water and Society, Charles Stuart University, Australia. The implementation will build on climate scenarios modelling, participatory risk assessments with the Chilika communities, stakeholder consultations, capacity-building and communication and outreach. The initiative is first of its kind to be implemented for a wetland system and expected to be of immense use to wetland managers in the country.

The research would focus on the following elements: Developing scenarios of change in ecosystem components, processes and services of the Chilika lake due to climate change; assessing current coping and adaptation mechanisms within wetland communities in the context of climate change; demonstrating options for enhancing livelihood resilience in changing climate through pilot interventions; formulating a "climate smart" plan for wetland management identifying adaptation options, intervention strategies, priority actions and investment required; and building capacity of wetland managers to develop a response strategy to climate change, particularly addressing livelihood resilience.

The outcomes of the research would be used to guide investment planning for climate change mitigation and adaptation for Odisha in general and Chilika in particular. The project would provide a platform for knowledge-sharing amongst wetland managers placed in similar development and ecological contexts as well as advancing research on building livelihood resilience in socio-environmental systems within the context of changing climate. The research outcomes would be available as technical reports, peer-reviewed publications, datasets and policy briefs.

Stephen McGurk of the Regional Director (South Asia and China) of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) joined as the chief guest at the workshop. He is a noted development economist with experience in leading a wide range of projects in the region ranging from helping Afghanistan rebuild its health and agriculture sectors to supporting India's rollout of mobile communication technology to 600,000 villages. WISA president Ashok Kundra WISA delivered the inaugural address.

CDA Chief Executive Ajit Patnaik outlined the importance of the initiative to management of Chilika. WISA Conservation Programme Manager Ritesh Kumar presented the project outline. Source: The Hindu

Preparations apace for fourth State-level drama fest in Berhampur City

As an attempt to showcase major talents in the field of amateur theatre in Odisha, the non-competitive drama festival is being organised every year in the silk city Berhampur by the ‘Odisha Natak Samaroh Samity'. “At a time when young generation is getting detached from live performing art due to influx of electronic media of entertainment and drama lovers are not getting chance to witness the best quality productions on stage, we are getting together active amateur theatre groups of the State for the audience of Berhampur,” says president of the organisation, Anil Kumar Patra. The eight-day drama festival will conclude on December 11. This year, the venue of the drama festival will be the Historic Diamond Jubilee Town Hall.

During the drama festival, the audience will also get a chance to interact with prominent stage and cine personalities of the State. On December 02 a special decorated vehicle ‘Sanskriti Rath' was flagged off by the organisers of the drama festival. The vehicle will move around the city and its periphery to create awareness about new generation theatre movement in the State as well as the drama festival.

Major amateur theatre groups from different parts of the State are taking part in the drama festival. The participants include ‘Dharmatma Cultural Association' of Sambalpur, ‘Shatabdira Kalakar' of Bhubaneswar, ‘Yuva Natya Sansad' of Paralakhemundi, ‘Pancham Veda' of Bhubaneswar, ‘Rupantar' of Baripada and ‘Kalinga Kala Parishad' of Rourkela. The play on the inaugural evening will be enacted by the host ‘Odisha Natak Samaroh Samity', says secretary of the organisation Mihir Tripathy.

According to him, all of them will enact plays in which they have brought in some new experiments which will surely provide the audience a plethora of theatrics during the festival. On the last day of the festival a colourful rally will be taken out. Source: The Hindu 

Olive Ridley carcasses found on Rushikulya Coast near Silk City

Rushikulya rookery, around 30 km from Berhampur city in south Odisha, the most preferred nesting ground of the Olive Ridley sea turtles, was on December 02 littered with the carcasses of around 100 turtles. The carcasses were found scattered over an area of around four km from Nolianuagaon to Agastinuagaon.

Forest officials, who rushed to the spot, suspect that the turtles may have died after being injured by the propellers of mechanised boats during their journey to the rookery. The carcasses are later washed ashore by the waves, said Berhampur DFO, AK Jena. While in the sea the carcasses are protected by the salt water and once on the shore they start stinking, he added.

Usually the turtles arrive for mating from the beginning of December. A few pairs have nested in a seven km stretch in the deep sea. Mating of Olive Ridleys picks up in the last week of December and early January. Measures have been initiated to protect Olive Ridleys in the sea.

While fishing has been banned in the area where these turtles are congregating, illegal entry of fishing trawlers to this region is being checked through regular sea patrolling, said Jena. Source :The New Indian Express

Paralakhemundi to have tool room, training centre

In another step to enhance employability and gainful livelihood options in tribals-dominated districts, the State Government has decided to set up a Mini Tool Room & Training Centre (MTRTC) at Paralakhemundi. The MTRTC would be established in the public-private partnership (PPP) mode among the Central and State Governments and a private partner through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). The initial capital of the SPV has been estimated at Rs21 crore.  Chief Secretary Bijoy Kumar Patnaik, who held a high-level meeting here on Tuesday for establishment of the Mini Tool Room & Training Centre in the backward Gajapati district, advised the Industry Department to expedite the process of formulation of detailed guidelines for financial and administrative management of the SPV. The MTRTC would be set up in accordance with the broad guidelines prescribed by the Union Ministry of Micro Small & Medium Enterprises.                                                                               Source: The Pioneer, Panoramio (by devadattarath)

Over four thousand youths get employment at Ganjam job fair

Berhampur/Bhanjanagar: Altogether 4127 unemployed youth have get jobs at a mega employment fair held at Bhanjanagar in Odisha's Ganjam district. Similarly, 1969 persons were selected for training by different companies in the fair, sources said. Around 45,000 job-seekers thronged the Nijukti Mela held yesterday and the selected candidates were given the appointment letters on the spot, district collector Krishan Kumar said. Altogether 38 different companies from across the country opened their stalls to recruit unemployed youths in the one-day job fair, jointly conducted by the district administration and state employment mission for the first time in the district.

The prominent companies which came to recruit the youths included Wipro, Genpact, L&T and several textile and security services. The jobs ranged from security guards to BPO and IT professionals. The qualified ITI pass outs also got scope to get job in different companies. The mela, conducted for the first time in the district, gave an opportunity to job seekers to get employment on the spot, said state’s rural development minister Bikram Keshari Arukh who inaugurated the fair. Bhanjanagar, the sub-divisional headquarter town was made venue of the Nijukti Mela to attract candidates from nearby interior tribal villages, the collector said. Assistant director, employment, Berhampur RM Khillana said while free food was arranged for the job seekers, several of them were provided transport facilities to reach to the venue.

Source: Indian Express

SUCI seeks better amenities at Brahmapur railway station

Local committee of Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI), Communist Party, staged a dharna in front of the Brahmapur railway station demanding furnishing the station with necessary services for the common passengers by the Railways. Even though Brahmapur has become an important place from trade and economic point of view and a lot of people depend on the railway as a major mode of travelling and transportation, absence of prime services creates problems for the passengers, said SUCI State committee member Bisnu Das. The Railways authorities are neglecting developmental activities, he added. The SUCI demands included morning passenger train services to Brahmapur via Bhubaneswar, a waiting lounge at the station, a passenger halt at Ankuli and free provision of toilets and parking space. A member of the committee, Somanath Behera, said railway accidents have become common in the area. Many passengers have been injured or killed in the accidents. But the Railways Department does not have ambulance facility at the main station. Therefore, we demand 24-hour ambulance facility at the railway station and 24-hour doctor and nursing facilities, he said. Meanwhile, in his one-day visit to Brahmapur, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) verified the situation of city railway station. He was given a six-point charter of demands through the Chief Commercial Manager (CCM). Source: The Pioneer, OTV

Century-old Hanuman temple demolished in Berhampur

Nearly a century-old Hanuman temple was demolished in Hanuman Bazar in an eviction drive in Berhampur city after shifting the deities to a temporary place. The administration had given around one-month time to Hanuman temple authorities to shift the deities before carrying out demolition. "We demolished the temple because it was constructed on government land," sub-collector (Berhampur) Ajit Mishra said. The anti-encroachment drive jointly launched by the revenue department, Berhampur Municipal Corporation, Berhampur Development Authority (BDA) and police was postponed to give sufficient time to the encroachers and temple authorities to move away before November 23. "Since the temple has enough land to construct another place of worship, we will take steps to construct a new Hanuman temple in the area and install the deities", mayor of the city corporation S.S.Das said. The new temple would be constructed by raising fund through collection of donations from the public. The anti-encroachment drive would continue for some more days in Bada Bazar. The people fully cooperated with the administration and there was no protest, police said. Police personnel were deployed in the area to maintain law and order. Several multi-stored buildings have also been demolished during the drive. Earlier the administration had issued notices to the building owners to evict. The busy commercial area, considered the nerve centre of the city, is choking with encroachments that have become a nightmare for the commuters. Source: PTI

Ganjam apparel training centre gets country's first ISO certification

Vikash Apparel Training Centre (VATC) of Hinjli in Ganjam district got ISO 9001:2008 certification. Present trainees of the centre met the Chief Minister at his residence  in Bhubaneswar. According to a release from the Chief Minister's office, VATC is the first centre out of 7 apparel training centres in Odisha and 543 training centres across the country that has achieved this feat of accreditation through the International Organisation for Standardisation certification. This certification is Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand who are the leaders in quality management. Vikash Apparel Training Centre located in Hinjilicut, Ganjam set up with the support of State Employment Mission and ministry of rural development by IL&FS Cluster Development Initiative Limited has pioneered employment linked training program since July 2008. This training centre has trained and placed over 2000 BPL youth from Ganjam and Malkangiri in large garment manufacturing export houses like Roverco Apparel (Chennai), Arvind Limited (Bangalore), Shahi Exports (Bangalore), K. Mohan (Cochin) and many others. The training centre simulates the exact industry shop floor with industrial sewing machines and the training is conducted in two shifts. Apart from technical training, the trainees are provided with soft skills, life skills, yoga, English & Hindi, motivation, leadership, HIV AIDS, company law, etc. IL&FS Clusters with the support of State Employment Mission has been able to train and place over 7000 rural BPL youth in its seven training centres across the state and has presence in almost all the left wing extremist affected districts in Odisha with the latest addition at Malkangiri. 

Sources: The Hindu & OrissaDiary

Another weightlifter from Berhampur wins gold in national weightlifting championship

Source: Anupam Bharat

Berhampur to get 6 lane Highway connecting Ichhapuram and Bhubaneswar

The 180km four-lane highway between Andhra Pradesh’s Ichhapuram and Bhubaneswar via Berhampur will be made into a six-lane road.“A feasibility study is in progress,” said National Highways Authority of India deputy general manager Prabhat Ranjan Behruia. “The task of feasibility study has been entrusted to AECOM, a Gurgaon-based agency. We expect to launch the six-lane highway soon,” he said. “Our norms say if the passenger car unit (PCU) is more than 23,000 a day, we can opt for a six-lane highway. During a recent study at Kespur in Ganjam and the portion of the highway that passes through Berhampur, we found that the PCU was 28,000 a day. A six-lane highway could accommodate more vehicles on the road and ensure passengers’ safety,” he said, adding that construction of the six-lane highway had already begun from Chennai.Behruia said of the 158km road from Icchapur to Ganjam (50.80km), Ganjam to Sunakhala (56km) and Sunakhala to Khurda (51km), construction of 141km has been completed. “A road under bridge at Chhatrapur is to be constructed by the NHAI, for which the Indian Rare Earths Limited has to hand over the site.

Source: The Telegraph

Gopalpur beach festival from January 11 to 15

Gopalpur beach festival would be held in January this time rather than in December like earlier years. This five-day beach festival would be held from January 11 to 15. Earlier date of this beach festival used to coincide with Christmas. This decision was taken at the first preparatory meeting for the beach festival held in Berhampur city. This beach festival is organised every year jointly by the Ganjam district administration and Ganjam District Hoteliers' Association (GDHA) to promote tourism at this beach resort and to show case cultural heritage of South Odisha. The preparatory meeting was chaired by Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) southern division, Laxmi Narayan Nayak. It was attended by Ganjam Collector Kishan Kumar, MLAs of Gopalpur and Berhampur and many office bearers.

Decision to shift dates of the beach festival was taken at the request of the GDHA. The GDHA felt holding of beach festival during festive tourist season was putting extra pressure on the small beach resort. Added to it large crowd that gathers up for the beach festival and clogged traffic was also causing problems for the tourists who check in hotels of the beach resort during that time. Holding of this beach festival during January would add up another tourist season for the beach resort, felt GDHA. This famous beach festival had been started during 90s by the GDHA and this famous beach is just 9km away from Berhampur city. Source: The Hindu

Dividers to come up on NH 59 passing through Berhampur city

Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Berhampur Ajit Mishra has directed the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to put dividers on the stretch of NH 59 that passes through the city to curb rising accidents. Mr. Ajit Mishra has passed the order while dealing with a case filed under Section 133 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in his court by former secretary of Ganjam Bar Association (GBA) Manoj Patnaik. According to the directive, dividers will come up in the middle of the highway to bifurcate the incoming and outgoing traffic to check accidents. Dividers will be put up on a stretch of 15 km of NH 59 from Ambapua to Budhighara temple on the outskirts of the city. The highway authorities have also been directed to put extra watch on most accident-prone stretch of the highway between Engineering School square and Budhighara temple. Mr. Patnaik filed the case on January 20. The NH 59 was formerly NH 217. The road connecting Gopalpur Port with Raipur in Chhattisgarh has become NH 217 through gazette notification made in 2001. Stretch of this highway that passes through the city also became most accident prone zone. As per the data provided by city police, between April 2001 and April 2010, 104 persons died and 269 persons were injured due to accidents on this stretch of road. So, there was a demand for measures to check incidences of frequent accidents on this stretch of highway. Another reason for the accidents on this stretch of highway is unauthorized parking of passenger vehicles including buses. In March, the SDM also ordered against unauthorized passenger bus stoppages from the stretch of the highway that passes through the city. But till date unauthorized parking of passenger buses has not been checked. It is alleged that although the city has two bus stands, yet passenger buses and mini buses block the road at different places for long periods.

Source: The Hindu

Stone laid for 'Break Water Wall' at Gopalpur Port

BERHAMPUR: The Commerce and Transport Minister Sanjib Sahu laid the foundation stone for  a ‘break water wall’ at Gopalpur Port, 18 km from Berhampur city on Thursday. The wall - mandatory for an all-weather port - would be 3 km in length and will cost ` 240 crore.  The fair-weather port of Gopalpur was handed over to Odisha Stevedores Limited (OSL Group) by the Odisha Government.  And the port is being developed into an all-weather one by Gopalpur Port Ltd (GPL), a consortium led by OSL Group. It will be the second all-weather port in the State after Paradip. The existing fair-weather port was handed over to GPL in October 2006. According to the CA, GPL will develop the port on BOOST (build, own, operate, share and transfer) basis. After completion, the Port targets to handle 10 million tonne of cargo in the first year of its operation. The consortium is to invest about ` 1,700 crore in the port. Though the construction was scheduled to start last October, it was delayed for various reasons. The port officials informed the Minister that construction works would be completed by 2012-end. Transport Secretary Gagan Dhal accompanied the Minister.

Source: New Indian Express

OTDC comes out with package tour to Tara Tarini hill shrine

The Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) has come up with a package tour to promote Tara Tarini hill shrine in Ganjam district. This tour would be taken up around five times in a month to enable devotees and tourists from other parts of the State to have a comfortable luxurious trip to this famous hill shrine. As Bhubaneswar would be starting pint of this tour it would enable tourists coming to visit golden triangle, Puri-Bhubaneswar-Konark, to opt for a visit to another chunk of Odisha.

The Tara Tarini Development Board (TTDB) has decided to provide all possible assistance for this project of OTDC, said secretary of TTDB, Pramod Panda. According to him this package tour would be on Tuesdays along with the day of Sankranti. These are most preferred days for devotees to visit this hill shrine. Mr Panda said this package tour for Tara Tarini was being provided at affordable price of around Rs 640 per passenger. Tourists would start from Bhubaneswar in air-conditioned luxury buses and reach Tara Tarini hill shrine just before noon.

The TTDB authorities would welcome the passengers and provide them all possible hospitality. These tourists would be provided ‘prasad' of the temple as lunch which is part of the package. Along with accompanying guide the troupe of tourists would get a chance to move around scenic spots around the hill shrine during their stay there. Ropeway between the hill top and the foot hill was also part of the tour package, Mr Panda said. According to him this project of OTDC would help in promotion of this hill shrine as a major tourist destination.

Mr Panda said the second hill top road to the shrine was almost completed and it would be ready for use by public by the end of the year. This new road starts from Keshpur junction. Work was also under way for construction of a ring road around the Tara Tarini hill. The ghat road to the hill top is being widened further for easy driving. In some places gradient of steep slopes have been reduced.

To beautify adjoining areas embankment of Rushikulya river that flows around the Tara Tarini hill is being beautified. “We are planning to increase parking space on the hill top by cutting down and leveling some more portions on the hill top,” Mr Panda added. During past few years the TTDB has made a complete face lift of this hill shrine that includes erection of a complete new temple in place of the old temple. This new temple is based on ancient Rekha style temple architecture of Odisha. It was constructed under the supervision of noted sculptor, Padma Bhusan Raghunath Mohapatra.

Source: The Hindu

Much awaited Berhampur Book Fair kicks off

The much-awaited 12-day annual Berhampur Book Fair was opened in this Silk City on Saturday. The fair was inaugurated by Revenue Divisional Commissioner L. N. Nayak in the presence of a number of litterateurs of the State at the St Stephens Church Ground near the Telephone Bhavan road. There are 80 stalls of various books that include fiction and non-fiction, entertainment and leisure, business and finance, hobbies, special interest, general interest and health and living. Many stalls have also been opened up by organisations related to Shirdi Sai Baba, Gayatri Shaktipeeth, Pragyan Mission, Geeta Press etc to sell their own publications. Some book traders like one from Puri Jagannath temple premises, who specialise in spiritual and religious books, have also come out to open their stalls in this book fair. Most of these stalls are drawing huge crowds. The crowd includes youth as well as the aged. The Book Fair Committee has chalked out different activities, including quiz competitions by Chanda Bijoyee Mishra and literary discussions by different literature academies of Ganjam district. The inaugural function was attended by eminent writer Das Benhur, Secretary of State Sahitya Academy Bijay Patnaik and Dainik Asha editor Pramod Kumar Panda.

Source: The Pioneer, The Hindu

Berhampur University conducts indirect election

An indirect election for the students’ union of Berhampur University has been conducted peacefully. Earlier, the direct election process had to be cancelled following clash between two groups of students on September 28. “The students first voted their class representatives who, in turn, elected the office-bearers of the students’ union. President, vice-president, secretary, and joint secretary of the students’ union, 10 members of the executive body, and secretary and joint secretary of the dramatic association and athletic association were chosen in the indirect election today,” said the university’s administrative officer, Ganapati Chowdhury, who conducted the election. Forty class representatives were elected from the university’s 20 postgraduate departments to take part in the union’s election. Besides, three representatives were sent from computer application, tourism and Russian studies courses. Jayadev Pandit has become the newly-elected president, Kapilendra Nahak the vice-president, while Ajaya Kumar Sahu and Balaram Behera have been elected assistant secretaries of the union. Sidhartha Arawal and Minaketan Behera have been elected the secretary and joint secretary of the athletic association. P. Swarup Kisan and Satyajit Singh have been elected as the secretary and assistant secretary of dramatic association. “Indirect election process is one of the election methods recommended by the Lyngdoh Commission. We opted for it as it would not disrupt our classes and help maintain law and order on the campus,” said N.R. Chowdhury, chairman of the varsity’s postgraduate council.

Source: The Telegraph