Odisha civil society demands heritage status for 'Gudisa Chetty Choultry' at Berhampur

Demands are on to restore the dilapidated ‘Gudisa Chetty Choultry’ in Berhampur and provide it a heritage building status as it was a key centre and meeting point of leaders in south Odisha during the freedom movement.

Former Deputy Speaker of Odisha Assembly Ram Chandra Panda, working president of Berhampur Nagarika Manch Govind Dash, president of Andhra Bhasha Bivardhani Samajam P.Satyanarayana, former Berhampur mayor S. S. Dash, former president of Arya Vaisya Sangham P. Chitty Babu have sent a joint memorandum to the Odisha Governor on the issue. According to senior citizens of the city, in the early years of the 19th Century a philanthropist of Chatrapur named Gudisa Veeraya Chetty had established a charitable trust and this ‘choultry’ or shelter home for the travellers and needy near Berhampur railway station. The founder of this establishment had also donated around 200 acres of land to the trust and the ‘choultry’ for its maintenance and provision of at least 30 free meals to the poor and needy every day.

Mr Panda said as per historians, this ‘choultry’ had links with major events of history of Odisha including formation of modern Odisha state on linguistic basis as well as the freedom movement. Key leaders of freedom movement travelling to Berhampur and south Odisha used to stay in this ‘choultry’. “Former President V. V. Giri used to organise his trade union activities from this ‘choultry’. It was also the place of political activity of former Governor and freedom fighter Biswanath Das, associates of Netaji, firebrand freedom fighters like Dibakar Patnaik and Jagannath Mishra used camp in this ‘choultry’ for their organisational activities,” said Mr Panda and Mr Babu.

They lamented that the building was now dilapidated. They also added that without approval of competent authorities a portion of this ‘choultry’ has leased out an NGO to operate a centralised kitchen for Mid Day Meal (MDM) for schools.

Now, they are demanding an independent enquiry and audit into the assets, income and expenditure of this trust. They also want the Berhampur sub-collector to be appointed the executive officer of the trust to undertake necessary renovation of the building. “We want this historic building to be declared a heritage building and a library be opened on its premises in memory of freedom fighters who used to visit it,” said Mr Panda.

Construction of Berhampur stadium is yet to be completed even after 25 years of inauguration

Construction of Berhampur stadium is yet to be completed even 25 years after its inauguration as lack of sports infrastructure continues to plague the Silk City of Odisha.

The construction of the stadium was yet to be completed as a major portion of the land is under the possession of ministry of defence (MoD).

Land measuring 17.68 acre near the old bus stand was identified for the stadium. Of this, 9.18 acre is under the MoD while the stadium is functioning on 8.50 acre.

The incomplete stadium was inaugurated by the then chief ministerJ B Patnaik in 1989.

R C Chyaupatnaik, MLA (Berhampur), said "several high-level meetings were held at the government level to resolve the problem of Berhampur stadium. We hope MoD will hand over the land for completion of the stadium as the government is ready to provide the former same area at other place", he said.

Similarly the work on the proposed weightlifting academy has not progressed at Gopalpur. "There is no major stadium to conduct sports events in the city", said Kabiraj Gouda, an athlete.

"We can't afford the ground rent to conduct sports events at Berhampur Stadium", said Kameswar Rao, secretary Ganjam District Athletic Association (GDAA). The stadium authorities are charging Rs 500 a day.

"We have urged the government to waive the ground rent, but in vain. A memorandum has also been submited to the sports minister", said Rao.

Other two stadia at Khallikote College and MKCG Medical College and Hospital belong to the respective institutes.

"We have urged the government to open coaching facility for football in the sports hostel at the stadium," said Bijay Singh Samanta, Vice-president, GDAA.

At present, facilities are in place to provide coaching in weightlifting, basketball, volleyball. In almost all districts, football coaching is provided, he said.

Berhampur had in the past thrown up several national-level footballers, Singh added.

"If the land at Berhampur stadium is made available, the proposed weightlifting academy will come up here", said district sports officer A K Patnaik.

A mini stadium would be constructed at Gopalpur, he said adding that renovation of the stadium at City High School and K C Town High School is on at a cost of Rs 50 lakh.

Agencies asked to expedite Berhampur University projects

Revenue Divisional Commissioner (south) Sanjay Singh recently reviewed the ongoing infrastructure development projects at Berhampur University (BU) here.

He asked the officials concerned to complete the work in a time-bound manner before the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) team's visit to the varsity in February next year.

Infrastructure projects worth Rs 39.36 crore are being executed by public works department and central public works department. These include academic blocks, new girls hostels, extension of library building and electrification.

"The state government has sanctioned Rs 11 crore of the Rs 22 crore for these projects. We have deposited Rs 5 crore with the executing agency," said BU vice-chancellor Deepak Kumar Behera.

Construction of Human Resources Development Centre (Rs 3 crore) and repair and renovation of administrative building, library and hostel common rooms will be taken up with Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan funds, he added.

Railway consultative committee meeting discusses proposals on station development in Berhampur

@ Multifunctional Complex coming up at Brahmapur Railway Station

@This will be the first-of-its kind of such complex in India

In the Railway consultative committee meeting held on Tuesday at Berhampur Railway Station, several proposals were discussed regarding the development of the station.

Proposals were put forth for construction of several facilities including 15 feet shed at the entrance of the station, gates at the end of the platforms for security reasons, setting up of public toilet outside the railway station and multi-functional complex. Officials also discussed measures to be taken for maintaining cleanliness and hygiene at the station. 

After hearing suggestions from the committee members, Divisional Commercial Manager of Berhampur Railway Division Lingaraj Panda said, “All the proposals will be considered as per the necessities of the passengers. More importantly, the public toilet (Pay and Use) is the first thing to be taken on priority. Secondly, we will consider the safety measures that can be taken inside the Railway Station.”

The multi-functional complex, for which approval will have to be sought from Central Railway Ministry, will have vast space for parking and shops. “This will be the first-of-its kind of such complex in India. We will soon invoke the Railway Ministry regarding this,” mentioned the Divisional Railway Manager. 

Additional Divisional Railway Manager A.K.Parida, Station Manager D.P.Brahma, Office Superintendent B.B.Nayak and other committee members were also present at the meeting.

Berhampur comprehensive development plan approved by Odisha government

The much awaited comprehensive development plan (CDP) for Berhampur development plan area has been approved by Odisha government.

Berhampur Development Authority (BDA) received a letter on Wednesday from the housing and urban development department in this regard, officials said today.

Berhampur development plan area, known as 'Greater Berhampur', comprises Berhampur Municipal Corporation, two neighbouring towns, Chhatrapur and Gopalpur and 139 villages. Greater Berhampur is spread over 320 sq km.

The CDP was prepared by the Town and Country Planning Organisation (TCPO) under Union ministry of urban development. The development authority has approved the plan after incorporating some suggestions received from public, the officials said.

Around 407 objections and suggestions were received after issue of public notice and accordingly the urban body made the rectification.

After some modifications by the Director, town planning, the CDP was approved by the government. The last development plan for the Silk City was prepared in 1969. "The new plan was prepared after an exhaustive exercise," said the development authority Chairman,Subash Moharana.

The CDP is necessary for development of any town. "The plan was prepared keeping in view Berhampur's possible growth in the next two decades," he said.

The urban body took the initiative get the CDP done in 1996, said its secretary Dipti Mohapatra. The TCPO took two- and a half months for finalising the CDP, the sources added.

Unauthorised colonies are mushrooming in the city due to lack of comprehensive master plan and inhabitants are facing problems in constructing houses. The city is also witnessing traffic congestion and shortage of drinking water.

Real estate developers are facing difficulty in getting their plans approved by the development authority, said an official. "I hope the CDP will help all the stakeholders," said Berhampur MLA .

-PTI Aug 7, 2015

Organic saris weave magic in Berhampur

Eco-friendly sari is the new fad among women, advocating the same in their fashion statement.

Reflecting this spirit is Tamil Nadu Handloom Weaver's Co-operative Society Limited aka 'Co-optex.' At the weeklong expo inaugurated on Monday in the city, Co-optex has displayed a wide range of organic cotton saris dyed using natural/vegetable colours.

"These cotton saris are intrinsically woven by traditional weavers of Negammam area in Coimbatore. These were first introduced in Tamil Nadu followed by Andhra Pradesh. The saris have now hit the Berhampur market" said senior regional manager, Co-optex, K Yuvaraj.

The cotton used for weaving the saris was cultivated without using fertilizers or pesticides. This type of cotton is dubbed 'organic' and when dyed with chemical-free natural or vegetable colours, the fabric becomes non-toxic, non-allergic and environment-friendly, he said.

"The saris have soothing colours, with an attractive border and a pallu. These are good for skin and are available in the range of Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 a sari," he added.

The photo and address of weavers are stuck to each sari. "We are targeting teenage girls, professionals and homemakers," the senior regional manager said. The Tamil Nadu government is extending 20% rebate on silk and cotton varieties.

Besides saris, other handloom products are on display at the exhibition. "These are also available at the Co-optex stores in Berhampur, Rayagada and Paralakhemundi. We hope to achieve Rs 10-lakh sale turnover during the exhibition," Yuvaraj said.

Odisha Govt fails to complete Brahmapur-Paralakhemundi road even after 30 years of work

  

The State Government has failed to complete construction work of 115-km Brahmapur-Paralakhemundi road even after 30 years of work starting.According to information available, currently people of Ganjam, seeking to reach Paralakhemundi (the headquarters of Gajapati district) from Brahmapur for their work, go via Ichhapuram and Palasa crossing Andhra Pradesh even though an alternative route via Taptapani-Chandragiri-R Udayagiri is available.

Significantly, the distance of the existing alternative route from Brahmapur to Paralakhemundi via Taptapani-Chandragiri-R Udayagiri is only 176 km for which most of the vehicles prefer to go via Ichhapuram and Palasa route crossing Andhra Pradesh as the distance of the route is only 120 km. But the question remains is why a native of Ganjam will have to cross Andhra for reaching Paralakhemundi which is within the geographical limit of his own State. There has been a long public demand for construction of a new road to Paralakhemundi without touching Andhra Pradesh to benefit the pubic of more than a dozen villages located in adjoining areas.

Mention may be made that keeping the convenience and public perceptions in mind, administrative approval was reportedly accorded to a Government proposal during 1983-84 for construction of a new alternative road covering a distance of 176 km from Brahmapur to Paralakhemundi via Lathi, Tamana, Chikiti, Kelua, Jarada and Tumba of Ganjam district and Jarang and Burkhat of Gajapati district, but the dream of the local public to have a road of their own is yet to become a reality.

According to sources, there is already a pucca PWD road of 54km available from Brahmapur to Jaradagada (Patrapur Block), while the construction work of only  9km road from Jarada to Tumba (Ganjam district border) at an estimated cost of Rs 10 crore is still under construction, said PWD (Division-1) Executive Engineer MRTripathy. Similarly, the construction work of the road from Paralakhemundi to Burkhut of Mahendragiri hill has been completed, sources said.

According to Executive Engineer ( RD-PKD division) Bipra Pradhan, though the construction work of only 8 km road up to Ganjam border has been completed except bitumen spreading work, the same would be completed after monsoon, and thereafter the much- awaited Paralakhemundi-Brahmapur road via Kainpur and Chikiti would take a complete shape. Pradhan, however, claimed that there is already a metal road from Burkhut (Mahendragiri hill base) to Kainpur on which four-wheeler vehicles are currently plying, though Brahmapur-Paralakhemundi buses do not use the route.

Sources said the Maoists had set up their most favorite camps in Brahmapur-Paralakhemundi forest area during the1970s for which they were reportedly opposing to the construction of a road and good communication system in that region. Till 2000, Mahendragiri and Tumba hill region was under the control of the Maoists, as a result of which none of the contractors dared to take up the work. This could be one of the reasons for delay in completion of the road work from Brahmapur to Paralakhemundi.

It may be mentioned here that, the 29km road from Paralakhemundi to Kainpur and from Burkhat to Ganjam border were divided into two parts for convenience by the RD Department in 2006 and tender process was started for the work with an assurance by the then Principal Secretary of the RD Department to render all help and security to the concerned contractors. The contractors then agreed to participate in the tender process and came forward to execute the work, sources said. But unfortunately, the construction of metal road work was reportedly completed only after 8 years. Now, the public is hopeful that, after the black-topping work of the 115 km road between Brahmapur and Paralakhemundi is completed, Paralakhemundi-bound buses can start use it. As a result, Andhara Pradesh will no longer remain as an impediment for the tribal people of Gajpati and Ganjam districts to reach Paralakhemundi.

It may be recollected here that similar tardy progress of work on 41-km Brahmapur-Taptapani road in Ganjam district irked people as the Rs 82 crore project was taken up over six years ago in 2008 under a World Bank-funded project to improve the State highway, connecting Brahmapur with Taptapani, a tourist destination. The delay had escalated the project cost to Rs 87 crore, sources said. While some attributed the delay to hurdles in land acquisition, termination of contract and floating of fresh tender, others made the Government responsible.

 - 30 July 2015 | KRUSHNA CHANDRA PANDA | The Pioneer

- http://microstatindia.com/index.php/news-updates/2725-odisha-govt-fails-to-complete-brahmapur-paralakhemundi-road-even-after-30-years-of-work

Dear CM Sir, Don’t deny SMART CITY status to Berhampur

Khallikote University students in Berhampur have abundant choices to hangout with friends

One of the largest and oldest cities of the state, Berhampur offers abundant choices to college students to spend some leisurely hours after college.

Luckily for the college students in Khallikote University, malls, restaurants, multiplexes or markets are located in close proximity, where the students can go to rejuvenate themselves.

A B.Sc second year student from the Khalikote Cluster University, Minakshi Mohanty highlights that there are many shopping complexes and mid-sized malls in Berhampur like V2, My Mart, Bazar Kolkata which are quite popular among college students here. “All these places are close to my college too. We usually go for shopping after college hours with friends and it is great fun shopping with them.”

Located in the heart of town, the Arnapurna Market is another favourite hangout zone which is just half a kilometer away from the institute.

Gitanjali Panigrahi, another undergraduate student, points out that the city has both high-end and economical restaurants. “Being students, however, we prefer going to restaurants which are not very expensive,” she says. College students’ first choice happens to be Radha restaurant near the Telephone Bhawan, while the street food also happens to be their favourite.

“The Panipuri stalls near the college are also our favorite places to have chit chat with friends. The small Tiffin stalls nearby also attract huge crowds as they are very economical. One can have a good breakfast for just Rs. 20 here”, says a Post Graduation student Laxmi Priya Dora.

Hari Prasad Guru, a Computer Science student, further shares “The best thing about Berhampur is everything is in close proximity to the colleges, and we don’t have to spend much on commuting. So it is fun and economical to move around with friends. I love the Ganesh Market in Bada Bazar, where we get electronic gadgets at cheaper prices.”

Students can also be seen gathering at Khalikote College ground in evenings. “There are small cricket clubs too and we are thinking of joining one of them” confesses Samir Kumar Acharya, a B.Sc. fellow.

03 August 2015| Ronalisa Parida| Edited by: Swati Bhasin

IIS-ER Odisha to come up at Berhampur

IISERs are a group of premier science education and research institutes in the country

The Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) would come up in the southern city of Berhampur.

"The state government would provide 200 acres of land for IISER. Academic session would commence from 2016-17", said state minister for employment, technical education & training Sanjay Das Burma.

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley had announced the establishment of IISER in Odisha in the Budget for 2015-16.

"Today is a h istoric day for the people of Odisha since chief minister Naveen Patnaik today decided to set up IISER at the life line of southern Odisha, Berhampur in Ganjam district", Dasburma told reporters here.

"Berhampur has necessary infrastructure like road, rail and air connectivity, which is in conformity with the central guidelines. This apart, the state government is committed to provide temporary campus facility for this institute of national importance in and around Berhampur", he added.

The IISERs are a group of most premier science education and research institutes in the country. These institutions have been declared by an Act of Parliament as institutions of national importance and are intended to be the IITs of basic sciences. The institutes were created by the Government of India, through the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), under The National Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2010.

Five IISERs have already come up in the country at Kolkata, Pune, Mohali, Bhopal and Thiruvnanthapuram. In the 2015-16 Budget, two new IISERs were announced for Odisha and Nagaland.

- BS Reporter  |  Bhubaneswar I August 1, 2015