Saraf Agencies to invest Rs 5,000 cr on titanium park SEZ at Chatrapur in Ganjam

Even as the row between Kolkata-based Saraf Agencies and Russian promoters over the jinxed titanium project is yet to settle, the Indian promoter has reaffirmed its commitment on the project. Saraf Agencies has unveiled Rs 5,000-cr investment plan that will also include a titanium park besides the titanium dioxide plant, a project proposed at Chhatrapur in south Odisha's Ganjam district that has hitherto remained a non-starter.

"Presently, we have got 260 acres of land at the project site. We have sought additional 250 acres of land for developing a titanium park. Our total investment on the titanium dioxide plant and titanium park will be Rs 5,000 crore,” SM Shroff, chairman, Saraf Agencies told the media after meeting chief secretary BK Patnaik. On the titanium dioxide plant, he said, “We are going to perform the ground breaking ceremony on January 17. Production of titanium slag is expected to commence by April 2014 while titanium dioxide production is set to start within 20 months of the ground breaking ceremony.” Shroff said his company would set up the titanium plant on its own without any joint venture partner.

Saraf Agencies will build the titanium plant with the help of Chinese technology. The company claimed to have placed advances of Rs 15 crore to Chinese equipment suppliers. When asked about the ongoing dispute with the Russian promoters, he said, “In compliance with the order given by the department of industrial policy and promotion, the land for the titanium project was transferred to the joint venture (JV) company. But the Russian promoters announced that they are not keen on implementing the project. The matter is now under arbitration.” Chief secretary BK Patnaik said, “Saraf Agencies is interested to set up the titanium project on the acquired land. We have to examine whether it is permissible or not.”

The titanium project proposed to be set up at Chhatrapur in south Odisha's Ganjam district has had a tortuous journey for over four years. Initially conceived as an Indo-Russian joint venture, the project grounded to a halt after its Indian promoter- Saraf Agencies walked out of the project following intractable differences with the Russian proponents. Of late, Saraf Agencies had revived its interest in the project as land was in its possession. The company had communicated its intent to the state government, stating that it was keen to implement the titanium plant on its own. Saraf Agencies has also submitted its proposal to the Ganjam district administration and Land Losers' Welfare Association, seeking their cooperation for implementing the project even as the company is embroiled in a legal battle with its erstwhile partner. The two partners had sparred over the controversial manner of allotment of land by Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco). Idco had allotted land for the titanium project to Saraf Agencies at Chhatrapur but the Russian promoters had opposed it, demanding land allocation in the name of Titanium Products Private Limited (TPPL), a special purpose vehicle formed for the project on January 29, 2008. As per the original scheme of things, the Russian partners- State Property Management Agency had 51% stake in the JV and Tekhnokhim Holding 4% stake.

Source: Business Standard

Odisha Government mooting Police Commissionerate system for Greater Berhampur

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Source: The Sambad

Berhampur local mini-bus stand near Barracks faces infrastructure woes

Source: The Sambad

MKCG getting decked up for Golden Jubilee Celebrations

How credible is BJD's claim about development of Gopalpur (Berhampur)?

Work begins on Khallikote College foot over-bridge

Construction work on a foot overbridge to connect two sections of Khallikote Autonomous College in the city has started. It was a long-standing demand of students of the institution and citizens of the city. This more than a century-old heritage educational institution is located in the heart of Berhampur by the side of the stretch of NH-59 that passes through the city. Its main block is on one side of the highway. Its large stadium, indoor sports complex, and building of the Junior College is on the other side of the road. Students and teachers face problem throughout the day to cross the highway to travel from one section of the college to the other as the traffic on this stretch of highway is quite high. During peak hours it also causes traffic jam. In the past, there were accidents in front of the institution in which students were injured by speeding vehicles while crossing the road. The foot overbridge is being built at a cost of around Rs. 110 lakh and a major chunk of investment is being provided by the State government.

Source: The Hindu

Modern sewerage system for Berhampur on the anvil

Plans are on to have a modern sewerage system for Berhampur, an old traditional city of Odisha. Project report for such a sewerage system is being prepared. Recently the consultancy agency that is preparing the project report for the project had a meeting with the corporators of Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC) to sensitize them about the project. This meeting was also attended by city mayor Siba Shankar Dash, Berhampur MLA RCC Patnaik, and Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Panigrahy. As per the consultancy agency this project would be worth around Rs 600 crore. It will involve establishment of two sewerage treatment plants. These sewerage treatment plants would be attached to the two major water carrying channels of the city, Bahana Nala and Sapua Nala. Survey to prepare the project report is not complete. It is expected that detailed project report for this sewerage project would be ready by end of this year. Satellite data and ground level data would be used to prepare the project report. As per the project the open rains in the city would only carry rain water. Every household and building in the city would be connected to the underground sewerage system. Executives of the consultancy agency elaborated how each and every household has to be included in the project for it success otherwise it would be a failure. It may be noted that the old sewerage system of the city is in dilapidated state. At many places spaces for drains have been encroached. Due to it during rains flood like situations are occurring in several areas of the city.

Source: The Hindu

Source: The Sambad

Living, loving and surviving in urban India: HT

In 2005, when SP Padhy (27) arrived in Hyderabad to work as an engineer in a telecom MNC, he hadn’t planned to stay on. After working for a year, he would move on to the IT Mecca that is Bangalore, he had thought. Five years later, not only has he remained in Hyderabad but has come to terms with the erstwhile city of Nizams.

From a lower middle class family, Padhy’s father retired as a government school teacher in 2009 and his mother is a home-maker in the sleepy town of Berhampur in southern Odisha. After doing a Computer Science degree from the College of Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar, he joined a US-based MNC at Hyderabad.

“Initially the language and the food were big problems,” he says. A few months into his stay into the city, the water tap went dry one morning. He was told that there was water scarcity in the summer and the pressure was not enough to reach his floor. “ Every morning, it was a struggle carrying buckets of water from the basement through the steep steps to my floor.”

He also misses the warmth of his home town. “There, people stop you on the street to ask about your well-being. The soul is missing in big cities.” he says. Still he wants to continue in Hyderabad. “Chennai, Mumbai and Bangalore may offer better job opportunities but I will be cut off from my hometown. At least here I can catch a train from Secunderabad in the evening and be at home next morning, which will not be possible if I work in those cities.

— By Ashok Das

Source: Hindustan Times

Road projects going nowhere in Berhampur; people demand immediate action

People of Berhampur city are a disappointed lot for the tardy pace of work on various road projects and have demanded the immediate intervention of the state Chief Minister. While the GQ Project in the entire country has been completed, the stretch from Berhmapur to Bhubaneswar is far from complete, lamented they. Not only the four-laning work of NH-5, even the NH-217 which connects Gopalpur Port and Raipur in Chhattisgarh and passes through Districts like Ganjam, Kandhamal, Kalahandi and Nuapada, is being deliberately neglected, alleged they. While demanding the inclusion of NH-217 under NHDP and four-laning the road considering its importance for the under-developed region of South Orissa the concerned citizens have alleged inordinate delay in the NH-217 Bypass project that will decongest the Berhampur city. Faster completion of the Vijaywada-Ranchi National Highway project, Ring road project for Berhampur city, four-laning of Berhampur-Gopalpur road and immediate declaration of Berhampur-Koraput National Highway are other issues on which they plan to petition the state and central Government.

First Consumer Advice Centre in Orissa with German Collaboration inaugurated at Berhampur

A Consumer Advice Centre, which is part of a Indo-German Collaborative pilot project in the country was inaugurated in Berhampur city on May 09.

It is first centre to be established under this pilot project in Orissa. The next centre is to be established in Bhubaneswar soon. It was inaugurated by the State Minister for Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare, Sarada Prasanna Nayak in the presence of the secretary of the department, Ashok K. Meena and Ganjam district Collector, V.K.Pandian.

The minister declared that Satish Kumar Panigrahi and Ashok Senapati were selected as the advisers of this centre.

This Consumer Advice Centre has come on the campus of the District Consumer Forum in the city. This pilot project to create awareness among the consumers regarding their rights and to save them from exploitation has materialised out of collaboration of Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) of the Union government and the German Technical Corporation (GTZ).

This project is already on in four other states like Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Adviser of the centre Mr. Panigrahi said this Consumer Advice Centre would open up a toll free helpline to help out consumers wherever they are. Any consumer would be able to call up the centre from the spot to complain against any exploitive practice by traders. Any consumer would also be free to come over and take advice from the centre.

This centre would hold regular campaigns in rural areas to educate peer groups especially women regarding consumer rights and their implementation. In the initial target area campaign this centre plans to aim at the Women Self Help Groups (WSHG) in the district. In case of need the centre would also take the help of law and enforcement agencies to provide justice to consumers who need help.

The project manager of this project, Nihar Ranjan Samantray said in Orissa the consumers were still ignorant about their rights and the traders were misusing this gullibility of consumers.

As an initial measure consumer protection and rights have been included in the course of Class IX students. Yet this centre has also decided to come out with printed material to build up awareness regarding consumer awareness.

Source: The Hindu

HT article on urban services in India: Berhampur at the bottom in water supply

Following is an excerpt from an article published in Hindustan Times. The comparative table  is from Mint.

If you thought that not all was well with Delhi as with many other large Indian cities — official data backs your claim. Urban local bodies have for the first time sent data to the Centre on services like water supply, storm water drainage, and solid waste management, and the Capital is not faring so well. Delhi is among 25-30 cities that have sent their data to the Centre. The Centre had asked for the data about services cities deliver, to compare them against certain benchmarks. Linked to the provision of these services would be central funding for urban projects. The good news: having the data may perhaps help our ailing cities to correct course. “Read them like a medical bulletin: how healthy are you?” said an official of the Ministry of Urban Development, requesting anonymity.

“Only when you take the test do you take the first step towards better health.” The figures: Only 4 per cent of Delhi’s households enjoy household garbage collection facility. Meaning, most MCD areas may have no household collection, as posh NDMC areas are likely to have household collection. By contrast, Chandigarh has waste collection from 96 percent of its households.

Delhi has had 206 incidents of waterlogging — 45 minutes of waterlogging with six-inch high water level is seen as one incident of waterlogging — this year. But the city is not the worst here. Surat with 290 and Ahmedabad with 214 water-logging incidents are worse off.

About 29 per cent of Delhi’s households have no access to water supply. In this, Shimla is best, with 98 percent water supply, and Berhampur worst with just 29 percent water supply coverage.

52 per cent of the water supplied in Delhi is non-revenue water — meaning water that is not paid for, and that lost in leakage. For Dharamshala it is just 6 percent; for Trivandrum just 18 percent.

Sources: Hindustan Times and Mint (Link: http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/newdelhi/Capital-s-country-cousins-in-better-civic-health/Article1-490268.aspx)

(http://www.livemint.com/2009/12/24225317/Municipal-services-fall-short.html)