Berhampur celebrates Maha Shivaratri

कर्पूरगौरं करुणावतारं संसारसारं भुजगेन्द्रहारम् ।

सदा बसन्तं हृदयारबिन्दे भबं भवानीसहितं नमामि ॥

Source: The Sambad

Museum proposed in honour of Biju Patnaik in his ancestral village in Ganjam

Berhampur: Residents of G Nuagaon in Odisha’s Ganjam district have urged the government to set up a museum as a mark of honour to legendary Biju Patnaik in his ancestral house in the village located near Bhanjanagar, about 80 km from Berhampur city. 

The proposal has been mooted on the occasion of the 97th birth anniversary of the former chief minister. Some of the articles, which were used by the legendary leader, are still intact. 

They include a cot, a chair, a wrist watch and some photographs including those of his father Laxmi Narayan Patnaik. “Biju Babu frequently visisted the house and spent several nights at the village. A room was reserved in the house for him. 

Some of his belongings, including his photos, are stored in the room,” said his 50-year-old nephew Pramod Patnaik. Residents are very proud that Biju Patnaik belonged to this village. They will be happy if the government sets up a museum to display of his memorabilia, said Nihar Pradhan, a village youth. 

“A proposal in this regard will be submitted to the government soon. We think the government will take it seriously”, said former sarpanch Subash Khandual. 

Biju’s nephew also supported the proposal. “If a museum on Biju Babu is set up, we will be extremely happy,” said Pramod. There is a library in the village named after Laxmi Narayan.

Source: OdishaReporter.in

Second ISKCON Temple in Berhampur city

To know more about the ISKCON temple at Berhampur and for contributions Click Here.

Terminal remedy to traffic mess in Berhampur city

Berhampur Development Authority (BDA) has identified the required land at Haldiapadar on the city outskirts to build a new bus terminal for Berhampur. “A high-level meeting has approved the site and we are in the process of selecting a consultant for the project,” Kishen Kumar, Ganjam collector and vice-chairman of the Berhampur Development Authority, said. Bus terminal at Haldiapadar is expected to tackle traffic congestion in the city. Long-route buses will not be allowed to enter the city and passengers can avail themselves of city or town buses. The development authority is optimistic about this project, he said.

There are currently two bus stands in Berhampur. However, the Odisha State Road Transport Company has ceased to operate from the Old Bus Stand at Barracks, and now, taxis and auto rickshaws are using the space. Company and the private buses are operating from the New Bus Stand.  “We would use the New Bus Stand as the City Bus Terminus,” Kumar said. “We are in the process of introducing the city bus service between Berhampur and Chhatrapur and Gopalpur before August. The state government has decided to procure 28 buses. However, the management will be in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode like that in Bhubaneswar and Puri,” he said. The development authority is also undertaking two bus terminuses at Chhatrapur and Gopalpur, and a Mumbai-based company Crisil has been appointed as the transaction advisor. It has already done preliminary study, he said. Source: The Telegraph

Berhampur Development Authority (BDA) to take up infrastructure work in Greater Berhampur on a war footing

Commuters in greater Berhampur that includes Chatrapur, Gopalpur and villages between them would have city bus service by August. It was stated by Ganjam district Collector Krishen Kumar, who has taken charge as vice-chairman of the Berhampur Development Authority (BDA). Speaking to newsmen on Tuesday, Mr Kumar said city bus service was one of the six major projects that the BDA had decided to start in 2013. Total cost of these projects would be around Rs 100 crore. The city bus service for greater Berhampur would be operated through Private Public Participation (PPP) mode on the lines of similar service in Bhubaneswar and Puri. The State government has agreed to provide 28 buses for the city bus service of the BDA. Apart from easing transportation in the city, city bus service would help flow of tourists to Gopalpur beach resort and travel of common mass to district headquarters town, Chatrapur.

The other major proposed project of the BDA was establishment of a new bus stand on the outskirts of the city at Haldiapadar. This new bus stand would be established on a five acres of land. Consultants were appointed for establishment of modern bus stands at Gopalpur and Chatrapur.

Rock garden

To provide recreational facility and zones to the public the BDA has come up with two projects. One of them is establishment of a rock garden in Ambapua area. Two acres of land has been identified for the purpose. Bedabandha, a large water body of the city, would be developed into a water-based recreation centre by the BDA. The Bedabandha project would cost Rs 8-10 crore. “After clearance from State government, tender for the Bedabandha project was expected to be floated in March”, Mr Kumar said. He said the much-awaited Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) for greater Berhampur would be ready this year.

According to him the BDA itself would be revamped. At present the BDA was short-staffed and it did not even have an enforcement officer and secretary. “We have discussed with government to fill key vacancies in the BDA as early as possible,” he said. The vice-chairman of the BDA said in the next four to five months building regulation would be strictly implemented in the city. Lack of enforcement officer in the BDA was a major hindrance to implementation of regulation. There were several multi-storeyed buildings in the city which had used up their parking space fro commercial purpose. Thirty such cases had been identified and 17 had been issued notices.

Source: The Hindu

Source: The Sambad

MP Renubala Pradhan questions railway neglect to Odisha and Berhampur in Rajya Sabha

Source: The Sambad

Weightlifting champion Arun Santa given hero’s welcome at Berhampur

Arun Santa, the young weightlifter who broke two national records and won three gold medals in recent Youth National Weightlifting Championship held in New Delhi, was given a hero’s welcome when he reached the city. Santa happens to be part of the sports hostel at Berhampur stadium. Arun Santa’s success has again proved that Berhampur continues to be a major cradle of weightlifting in Odisha. Sports enthusiasts in large numbers, especially weightlifters, reached Berhampur railway station to welcome the champion weightlifter.

Arun participated in the national championship in the 56-kg weight category. He lifted 100 kg in snatch and 120 kg in clean and jerk to win gold medals. He also won overall gold in his weight category with the total lift of 220 kg. His total lift and his snatch lift were new national records. Dharma Rao, the coach of Arun, said the young lad had showed sparks which indicate that he had the capacity to become an international- level weightlifter in near future. According to Mr. Rao, now Arun would target the Youth Olympics to be held in 2014. Arun’s intrinsic talent to become a sportsperson was identified during a talent search programme among school students way back in 2008.

Arun, who was studying in a school at village Talari near Umekote in Nabarangpur district of South Odisha had drawn attention of panel selectors of a talent search programme of the State government.

Weightlifting coach and in charge of Berhampur stadium S. Majhi, who was in this panel of selectors, said at that time Arun was not attached to any sport in particular but he had the stamina and talent to excel in any sport. After selection it was found that Arun would excel if he took up weightlifting as his sport. “Now success of Arun has proved that we were not wrong in spotting this raw talent,” said Mr. Majhi.

Source: The Hindu, Odisha TV

Green activists oppose artificial dinosaur park near Chilika in Ganjam

Environmental activists and ornithologists of the State have protested against construction of an artificial dinosaur park within the fragile ecosystem of Chilika lagoon by the Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC). The park is being developed on the Chadheihaga island with an aim to attract tourists to the Chilika lake. The OTDC has already put up fibre models of dinosaurs at the island by using concrete and steel reinforcements in the midst of natural rocks of the island. The OTDC has also floated tenders for other works of the proposed dinosaur park at the island.

Recently members of ‘Birds of Odisha (BO)’, Indian Birds (IB) and Open Wildlife Lounge (OWL) made a joint visit to the Chadheihaga island to take stock of the situation. The team was led by ornithologist Gahar Abedin. After the visit, they felt the recent artificial construction work at the island would alter the natural landscape and ecology of the area. They remarked that the government should accord priority to maintain ecological balance in such sensitive area rather than opting for ‘senseless development’ in the name of promoting tourism. The organisations have started a signature campaign to unite nature lovers of the State and outside against the construction work of the OTDC at Chadheihaga island.

The team of nature lovers pointed out that the Chadheihaga island came under Coastal Regulation Zone 1, where no alteration or construction that may disturb or completely destroy the complex ecology of the place was not allowed. Disturbing or altering these rocks of the island by breaking or rearranging would surely disturb the balance of the weight of the island completely or partially, they said. They cautioned that in course of time it may lead to destruction of the island as it would lose its propensity to withstand natural disasters.

Construction activity would also lead to air and noise pollution as well as pollution caused by construction material. After visiting the island they observed that it was an important site for nesting of resident as well as migratory birds. The dinosaur models would serve more like scarecrows and surely scare away both resident and migratory birds, the ornithologists said.

Source: The Hindu

Gopalpur-on-sea getting decked up for beach festival

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will inaugurate the Gopalpur beach festival on December 24. The main attraction of the inaugural evening of the five-day festival will be Odissi dance recital by Dona Ganguly, a disciple of great Odissi guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. She also happens to be the wife of former captain of Indian cricket team Sourav Ganguly.

According to chairperson of the organising committee of the beach festival, Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Panigrahy, noted bollywood playback singer Babul Supriyo will also perform with his troupe on the inaugural evening. Babul has several famous Odia songs to his credit. The beach festival is being held to promote the serene beach resort as a major tourist destination of Odisha. So, its timing has coincided with the winter vacation tourist season. This time the beach festival is being organised jointly by the Ganjam district Department of Culture, Department of Tourism, Gopalpur Notified Area Council (NAC), and Ganjam District Hoteliers’ Association (GDHA).

According to the organisers, around one lakh tourists are expected to attend the beach festival every evening. Arrangements to maintain law and order and smooth passage of traffic are being made keeping this in view. Cultural troupes from different parts of the country will also perform during the beach festival. But there will be ample scope for the local folk dance troupes to showcase their skills. To cater to the tourists, who would visit the beach festival, there will be a ‘Pallishree Mela’ showcasing handicrafts from different parts of the State, especially Ganjam district. The mela will be organised by the Orissa Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS).

There will be 120 stalls in the Pallishree Mela. Several Women Self-Help Groups will display their handcraft in the stalls. Around 19 government departments will also open stalls to create awareness regarding various developmental projects of the government.

Source: The Hindu

Source: The Sambad

Anti-encroachment drive in Berhampur as road expansion work gathers pace

Source: The Sambad

Olive Ridley turtles arrive for annual nesting at Rushikulya coast in Ganjam

Rare and endangered Olive Ridley turtles have started to arrive for mating near Rushikulya rookery in Ganjam district of south Odisha. Adequate security arrangement has been made for protection of these endangered turtles. According to Berhampur Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), S.S.Mishra during past few days sporadic mating of Olive Ridleys was being observed in sea near the rookery. At present, on an average, around 30 to 40 mating turtle pairs were being observed in the sea.  Mating of Olive Ridleys picks up in this area in last week of December and January. As precautionary measure fishing by trawlers in the sea near the rookery up to a distance of ten kilometres from sea coast has been banned from Nov 1 till end of May. This has been done to enable safe mating, nesting of Olive Ridleys and secure return of turtle hatchlings after they hatch on the Rushikulya rookery coast. 
Forest department has started using two boats to patrol the area to check illegal entry of fishing trawlers into this region. One of these boats was of forest department while the other trawler used for patrolling purpose had been hired. As per the DFO during patrolling some trawlers from Andhra Pradesh had been rounded by the forest department patrols in recent past. They were sent back after warning as they were not found to be fishing. “If after this any fishing trawlers were located in the area where fishing has been banned they would be seized,” said the DFO. With the arrival of Olive Ridleys to this coast, some carcasses of these marine turtles have also started to float down to the Ganjam coast line. 
According to forest officials, till now they had located twenty carcasses of the turtles on this coast. Most of them had died of natural causes. Forest officials were too cautious about the fishing trawlers as they were major cause of death of these turtles. Forest department was also arranging for a floating jetty to be established near Purunabandha village to help in patrolling and vigil of the sea during the mating, nesting and hatching time of the turtles. Usually the males return after the mating season. But the females stay near this coast till nesting. They come down to the coast for mass nesting usually from last week of February. But their sporadic nesting starts from end of January. After laying their eggs and burying them in sand, the mother turtles also return. The eggs incubate on their due to the heat of sand and they hatch after 45 days. The newborn hatchlings return back to sea without any assistance from their parents.

Source: The Hindu

Go Gopalpur: Mayfair to open heritage resort at Gopalpur-on-Sea from December 9

Mayfair Hotels & Resorts, which operates the Mayfair chain of luxury hotels in various parts of the country, will open its latest resort at Gopalpur-on-Sea for commercial operations from December 9. The sprawling resort- Mayfair Palm Beach Resort, the eighth property of Odisha-based Mayfair Group, is equipped with all facilities of a luxury hotel, spread over eleven acres of land. The Mayfair Group acquired this heritage property from the Oberoi Group in September 2011 and decided to renovate it, said Mayfair Group chairman and managing director Dilip Ray. The resort, at present, has 32 rooms. In addition to the existing facilities, Mayfair Group plans to add a tennis court and golf course to the resort. Besides Gopalpur, the tourists can also visit some other places in Ganjam district like the habitats of the blackbuck and peacock near Aska and the mass nesting of Olive Ridley turtles at Gokharakuda near Rushikulya river mouth, Ray said.

History & Background

Before 1830, an Englishman by the name of John Spence had established the Spence's hotel in Calcutta, making it perhaps the oldest western style hotel outside Europe and in 1841 David Wilson built the 'Wilson Hotel' now known as 'Great Eastern Hotel', also, in Calcutta, which was considered to be one of the best of it's kind, in this part of the world. No one had really by then heard of Gopalpur. And Gopalpur returned the compliment. Barely 16 kms from Berhampur, the commercial hub of Southern Orissa, in the Bay of Bengal, it was extremely uncanny of a young Italian Signor Maglioni, to mysteriously find home all the way from Sicily , and establish the 'Palm Beach' in 1914. It was Odisha's first hotel, of its kind.

Gopalpur on sea how very British suffix on sea like Midleton- on- sea /Frankton-on- sea was a palm fringed beach and Maglioni's dream fused with the sepia and romance of the langorous town ,where the silence was broken only by the breakers and the occasional coconut thudding on the ground.

Originally a small fishing village on the coast of Odisha when it was so named, when a temple dedicated to Lord Krishna 'Krishna Gopal' temple was built in the 18th Century. Legend has it that Gopalpur's sands had witnessed maritime ventures of a much earlier age when Odisha had flourished as part of the Kalinga Kingdom in the 4th and 5th century B.C early colonists to Java, Bali and Sumatra were supposed to have sailed from here, carrying the seeds of Indian civilization with them.

Between the two World Wars ( 1914-1918 and 1939-1945) Gopalpur was overrun by the men in Khakis and became the eastern sectors base for flying out troops and supplies to Rangoon. The commercial port became the living symbol of its grandeur and the pulsating lifestyle was evident in the packed dance floors of the hotel 'Blue Haven'. In 1945. The World War2 came to an end and India inched towards being an independent, sovereign republic. By 1947the British had left the Indian shores and the commercial activity of Gopalpur had dwindled to a trickle. The once vibrant, emblazoned ball rooms gaped at open skies. The noisy wharfs moulted and the warehouses became seedy gateways for derelicts. Gopalpur's importance dwindled when trade with Burma abruptly ceased during the war. When the British left India, even members of rich Bengali homes preferred to holiday in other places and Gopalpur began to revert to what it originally was a fishing village.

In 1938,another enterprising, courageous Indian Hotelier, Rai bahadur M.S Oberoi had already taken over a closed down 'Grand' hotel from the Armenian Stephen Arathoon and reinvented it with trademark Oberoi elan' as the 'Oberoi Grand', to make it the most sought after address in Calcutta. In 1947, on a chance visit to Maglioni's 'Palm Beach' hotel his keen eyes did not miss the state of disrepair that the hotel had fallen to. His instinct smelled a bargain and Maglioni was only too happy to sell it to the Oberoi's for a paltry 3.0 lacs rupees.,thereby enabling the Oberoi legend to root itself as the 'Oberoi Palm Beach'.As it's doors opened the who's who of the country , from Prime ministers, to celebrities and royalty left their impressions behind along with their footprints on the sands of time. History was being created every day, as the hotel played hosts to the history makers.

Maglioni's Mediterranean Architecture had undergone a makeover by the Oberoi's ,but the core of the structure was slowly but surely giving way to the Gopalpur on Seacorroding effects of the saline sea breeze. The erosion had begun and no amount of hasty repairs could make it anymore safe for it's guests. The Oberois closed gates in 2002 and decided to distance themselves and sell this piece of Orissa's history to any worthy taker . It was at this time, 201 1, that 'Mayfair hotels and resorts' stepped in. T o protect, renovate and restore the' Palm beach',where history echoed from every cobble stone. Lured by the fact that Gopalpur-on-sea still stood untouched by the concrete commercialism that had destroyed nearby Puri's equally pristine beach and also because Gopalpur had actually wrapped itself in a romantic mysticism that tugged at history but refused to drown in its excesses.

Rebuilding the core structure from scratch, lovingly touching up the details, reinventing the old magic, preserving the memories, Mayfair has now breathed new life to the 'Oberoi palm Beach' in its all new avatar- 'The Mayfair palm Beach resort' Its the ultimate tribute to your senses and helps in stealing your time and mind in order to find your DNA and recreate you for future generations... where always, every time, anyday 'sometimes the sky looks like the sea and sometimes the sea looks like the sky'.

Source: Business Standard & www.mayfairhotels.com

Odisha Government mooting Police Commissionerate system for Greater Berhampur

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Source: The Sambad

Tata Industrial Park-Gopalpur: Progress updates

H M Nerurkar, managing director, Tata Steel and B Muthuraman, vice chairman of Tata Steel recently called on chief minister Naveen Patnaik to apprise him on the status of  industrial park at Gopalpur where the steel maker is the anchor tenant. Nerurkar hinted that Tata Steel was keen on taking up two new projects at Gopalpur in addition to the two existing projects. However, he refused to spell out the details, saying the projects were yet to be approved by the company's board. The steel maker had lined up two projects at the Gopalpur industrial park- a 50,000 tonne per annum ferroalloys plant and 4,00,000 tonne per annum bar mill. Tata Steel 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 Odisha. The company is operating two ferroalloys plants at Bamanipal and Athgarh (through its subsidiary Rawmet) with capacities of 50,000 tonne per annum each. Tata Steel had got the environment clearance for the Gopalpur industrial park. It was awaiting CRZ (coastal regulatory zone) nod for the project. The company has placed all major orders for its projects at Gopalpur industrial park being developed on around 3500 acres of land.

Source: Business Standard

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik to inaugurate MKCG Medical College golden jubilee

Preparations were in final stages for the five- day golden jubilee celebration of Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati (MKCG) medical college in the city, which is to be inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday. According to organising secretary of the golden jubilee celebration, S.N.Mohanty, it was an occasion to celebrate for whole of south Odisha as this institute happened to be the only medical college in this region. The hospital attached to the medical college was also the only referral hospital in south Odisha.

The State government had started a medical college in Berhampur in 1961. Due to dearth of its own campus it was being run in the building in front of the City Hospital, which is now being used as office of Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO). Later it was shifted to the building which is now being used as living quarters of Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC), southern division and the building which is now being used by the Ophthalmology Department of the medical college. On November 30, 1963, foundation stone was laid for the new building of the medical college and the hospital attached to it. In 1966 it was named after Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati, who had played a pivotal role for the formation of modern Odisha State on linguistic basis. New building of this institution was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister of Odisha Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo on February 21, 1969.  

During the time of inception this institute had intake strength of 40 students. Now 150 students are getting admitted into its MBBS course every year. At present 96 students were studying in post graduate courses of the institute. As the hospital attached to it happens to be the only referral hospital in south Odisha, more than 1,000 patients reach its out-patients section every day. On an average more than 120 patients get admitted in the indoor wards of the hospital every day. The alumni of the institute include several physicians of national and international repute. According to Dr. Mohanty around 5,000 delegates would attend the golden jubilee celebrations. First principal of the institute Sukumar Das would also attend the inaugural ceremony. As part of the celebration several technical seminars would be held in which experts of international fame would take part. Present as well as past students of the institute were also busy preparing for cultural shows they would perform during the five-day long celebration.

Source: The Hindu

Source: The Sambad

Source: Anupam Bharat

Berhampur local mini-bus stand near Barracks faces infrastructure woes

Source: The Sambad

50 years of MKCG Medical College (Berhampur): The more things change, The more they stay the same

Source: The Sambad

Queen of the Mission Festival concludes in Berhampur

Queen Mission Church, Berhampur

Thousands of Christians from different parts of the State and Andhra Pradesh gathered in Berhampur city on Tuesday to attend the concluding ceremony of ‘Queen of the Mission Festival’. It is a more-than-150-year-old festival observed at the Queen of the Mission cathedral in the city. Thousands of devotees marched through the streets of Berhampur holding burning candles in their hands in honour of Mother Mary on Friday evening. It is celebrated to commemorate the appearance of Mother Mary before St Catherina Laboure of France on Nov 27, 1830. So, this festival concludes on Nov 27. This festival has been celebrated in the Queen of the Mission Cathedral of the city since its inception in 1855. The main attraction of this festival is a large candle procession taken out by the devout on Nov 27 evening every year. The festival is also called ‘Candles’ Day festival by the common mass.

As part of the concluding day rituals a special holy mass was held at the cathedral on Tuesday morning. This mass was attended by Bishop Sarat C. Nayak of Berhampur diocese and around 70 priests. In the evening thousands of Christian devotees took part in the procession with lighted candles in their hands. They marched forward singing songs in praise of Mother Mary. An idol of Mother Mary on a decorated vehicle was carried along with the procession. Tight security arrangements had been made around the cathedral and on the roads through which the procession passed. People of different religions paid respect to the idol of Mother Mary at different squares.

Source: The Hindu & berhampurphoto.blogspot.com

Berhampur city News

Source: The Sambad

Devotees throng historic deity-less Jagannath temple at Marda in Ganjam district

• This was the place where lord Sri Jagananth, Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra of Puri had been hidden for over two years in the 18^th century to keep them safe from Muslim invaders.
• The then Gajapati king of Puri Rachanra Dev is also said to have hidden himself near Marda.
• king of Athagarhpatna in Ganjam district, Jagannath Harichandan had built up the rock temple at Marda for safekeeping of the deities.
• The deities returned to their original temple in Puri in 1736. But the king of Athagarhpatna did not establish any deities in the Marda temple. He preferred to keep it empty as a mark of remembrance of this great event.
• Till date the temple remains empty.

Srigundicha, the inaugural day of Rath Yatra festival of Lord Jagannath, was also observed at the deity-less Jagannath temple at Marda in Ganjam district. Despite rain, hundreds of devotees reached the temple which finds a historic place in the history of Odisha. But like past years no Rath Yatra was celebrated at the temple. Devotees reached the temple at Marda a day before itself although no Rath Yatra was held here.

Even on this day of festivities, there were no sounds of traditional temple musical instruments like conch, bells or cymbals at the temple. Only some simple rituals were performed before the empty pedestal inside the temple. The tradition is said to have originated from the days when the deities from Sri Jagannath temple in Puri were hidden in this temple during the Mughal period. Sound of any musical instrument may have been avoided during the stay of deities at this temple to avid attention of spies, say historians.

At present, the historical temple has been renovated, restored and maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). This was the place where the deities of famous Sri Jagananth temple in Puri had been hidden for over two years in the 18^th century to keep them safe from Muslim invaders. The then Gajapati king of Puri Rachanra Dev is also said to have hidden himself near Marda.

At that time the king of Athagadapatna in Ganjam, Jagannath Harichandan, had come out to provide protection and shelter to the deities and the Gajapati of Puri.

Jagannath Harichandan had built up the rock temple at Marda for safekeeping of the deities. The temple, which was built in a hurry, resembles the Gundicha temple in Puri. At that time Marda was an extreme inaccessible place in the interiors of Ganjam district.

The deities returned to their original temple in Puri in 1736. But the king of Athagarhpatna did not establish any deities in the Marda temple.

He preferred to keep it empty as a mark of remembrance of this great event. Till date the temple remains empty.

Inhabitants of Pathara, a village near Marda, still take pride that their artisan ancestors had built up this temple. Source: The Hindu