Chronic hunger kills 50 in Orissa district

Nine-year-old Ram Prasad Bariha saw his brother, sister and mother die within a month — September 2009. His father, Jhintu Bariha (42), followed a month later.

The dreaded Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput (KBK) belt of Orissa is yet to come out of the starvation-migration-death cycle. It accounts for 71 per cent of the state’s families below poverty line (BPL).

The Bariha family of Chabrapali village of Balangir district’s Khaprakhol block is no exception. In the last two years, 50 people in the 30-45 age group died of chronic hunger and prolonged malnourishment in Balangir, according to members of affected families and social organisations active in the area.

HT visited five blocks of Balangir — Khaprakhol, Belpada, Tureikela, Bangomunda and Muribahal — where the deaths have orphaned 300 children. Balangir is 340 km west of Bhubaneswar.

The dreaded Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput (KBK) belt of Orissa is yet to come out of the starvation-migration-death cycle. It accounts for 71 per cent of the state’s families below poverty line (BPL).

The region spanning the southwestern tribal tract of Orissa came under the spotlight in 1986, when news of starvation deaths and distress sale of children in Kalahandi drew the attention of then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Tens of thousands of crores have since been spent on development of the region. Some areas, such as Kalahandi, have turned around.

But several pockets in the KBK belt remain trapped in abject poverty. In Balangir alone, about 62 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line, official estimates say.

But data available with the Union Rural Development Ministry says only 476 (0.2 per cent) of the district’s 240,001 households covered by the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) have BPL cards that give them access to subsidised foodgrains.

The district administration is still in denial, so is state revenue minister Surya Narayan Patra. He said, “I have received a report from the Balangir collector on Jhintu Bariha’s family. It says starvation is not the cause of the deaths.”

Dr Purnachandra Sahu, chief district medical officer, said: “Most patients here suffer from malnutrition and anaemia.”

Patra said he had no information on the 50 deaths but would initiate a fresh enquiry into the Bariha case. “My whole family died due to lack of food,” said Jhintu’s father Champe (79). But Balangir collector Aswathy S said: “Jhintu Bariha was paid Rs 10,000 before his death.”

The state advisor to the Supreme Court-appointed Commission on Right to Food, said in its September 2009 report: “Inadequate food intake was taking a heavy toll on the health of the whole family.”

But Aswathy claimed, “We did everything possible for the family under the government’s social security programmes.”

These programmes never really took off in Balangir. The Western Orissa consortium for implementing NREGS admitted in 2008 that the scheme had failed to deliver in Balangir.

The public distribution system also has holes. Distribution is done according to the 1997 BPL survey even though another survey was done in 2002.

Also, in the last 13 years, many have branched out of their original families after marriage, like Jhintu. But they aren’t entitled to PDS facilities. Besides, many migrated to other states in 1997 and were left out of the BPL list.

Food, Supply and Consumer Welfare Minister Sarada P Nayak blamed the Centre: “The 1997 list left out many.”

Source : Hindustan Times

How the budget differentiate between Orissa and Bihar ?

Chief ministers of two neighbouring states of Bengal —home to railway minister Mamata Banerjee — expressed two different opinions on the budget she presented today.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar praised the railway budget, while his Orissa counterpart Naveen Patnaik expressed his unhappiness with the “meagre allocation” for his state.

“I requested 15 trains for Bihar. I am happy that Mamataji has given us 10. Our demand for five more trains will continue,” Nitish said. He added that the railway minister had talked about the “vision 2020”, which is praiseworthy.

However, Naveen said: “The railway budget has totally belied our expectations. Only Rs 836.64 crore has been allocated for projects of Orissa, as against the state government’s demand of Rs 1,805 crore.”

“Indian Railways earns more than Rs 6,000 crore from various stations in Orissa. The average per km earnings of railways in Orissa is approximately twice the national average. Hence by neglecting Orissa, Indian Railways is not only harming its long-term interest, but also creating serious roadblocks for the state’s development,” Naveen added.

Stating that Orissa’s rapid industrial and economic growth requires support of extensive rail infrastructure, Naveen said the state government had, therefore, demanded a special package, including extension of eastern dedicated freight corridor from Dankuni to Haridaspur. However, this had not been considered, he rued.

Only one new railway line (Digha-Jaleswar) has been sanctioned as against 13, including three missing links, demanded by the state. Similarly, only nine new trains were announced as against the demand for 20, Naveen pointed out.

“It’s frustrating that many of the announcements made in previous budgets is yet to be implemented. Nothing concrete has been done so far regarding setting up of two world class stations, seven model stations, two multi-functional complexes and medical colleges in the state,” he noted.

Nitish, also a former railway minister, said he was also “happy that Mamata has ruled out privatisation of the railways”.

On the other hand, Rabri Devi described the budget as “negative”.

“Nitish, in nexus with Mamata, has been denying the state its due,” she said.

Former Union minister and Orissa BJP president Jual Oram said the state had once again been neglected in the budget. On the other hand, former railway minister and Orissa state Congress working president Bhakta Charan Das hailed the rail budget.

Robbery on train

At least eight armed robbers looted the 3039 Delhi-Howrah Janata Express near Jamui railway station in Bihar, hours before Mamata presented her budget.

Passengers on board the train between Lakhisarai and Mankattha stations were robbed of their valuables and luggage worth Rs 1.5 lakh around 4.30am. Sources said at least eight people were involved in the robbery.

Disappointment for Orissa in the Rail Budget- 2010

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik described the railway budget as totally disappointing saying that the State has been deprived of its due once again.

Reacting to the budget provisions for Orissa in the 2010-11 budget, the Chief Minister said against the demand of Rs 1,805 crore, the allocation has been Rs 836.64 crore. But the railways earns more than Rs 6,000 crore every year from Orissa and the average per kilometer earning of railways in the State is approximately twice that of the national average, he said.

Stating that Orissa’s demands have been ignored in the budget, Naveen said only one new line has been announced for the State. The State Government had demanded 13 new lines. Besides, only nine new trains have been announced as against the demand for 20. Even many of the announcements made in the previous budget are yet to be implemented, he said.

Naveen said no action has been taken on setting up two world-class stations, seven adarsh stations, two multi-functional complexes and medical college in the State which were announced in the last budget.

Stating that the anti-Orissa approach of Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has become quite clear in the budget allocations, State president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Jual Oram said there is no Orissa-specific announcement in it. The minister has tried to take the people of Orissa for a ride by extending trains from Kolkata, Mumbai, Guwahati and Ahmedabad to the State, he added.

Oram said rail connectivity to all the proposed ports and industrial areas would have accelerated the development of the State. But no allocations have been made for such projects.

Khurda Road-Balangir, Talcher-Bimalagarh, Lanjigarh- Junagarh, Gopalpur-Rayagada, Badampahad-Keonjhar, Bhadrak-Dhamra, Haridaspur-Paradip-Bangiriposhi-Gorumahisani and Talcher-Sukinda railway line projects have been ignored in the budget, he said.

The BJP president criticised the State Government for not placing its demands effectively before the Centre as a result of which allocations for several projects have gone down, he said.

Describing the railway budget as pro-people, former Union minister Bhakta Charan Das said the Railway Minister has not forgotten social responsibility by not enhancing the passenger fare besides taking care of improvement of infrastructure. He praised the Minister for her target to provide railway connectivity to the entire country during the next five years.

Nabarangpur MP Pradip Majhi hailed the budget for announcing railway links for several districts which had no railway line including Nabarangpur.

It has also been announced that survey for new railway line from Junagarh to Nabarangpur and Malkangiri to Bhadrachalam will be taken up under the rural connectivity programme, he said.

CPI State secretary Dibakar Nayak has also criticised the budget for ignoring the interests of Orissa.

Why Orissa expects more in the Rail Budget ?

see a change of track if the vision document of the Ministry of Railways tabled in Parliament recently is pursued with sincerity .

The document points out that with negative spread in passenger earnings, sustainability lies in freight earnings. Coal, iron ore, pig iron, steel and cement etc. form the bulk of freight earnings. It concedes that much of Railways’ freight earnings from coal by 2020 will primarily come from two coalfields namely Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (Ib Valley and Talcher) and South Eastern Coalfields .Railways currently transports 50 per cent of the domestic steel products. So to generate more revenue by 2020, the focus is mainly on Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh on the basis of MoUs signed in these states .The Railways expects to generate more revenue by transporting fly ash to cement plants and iron ore by 2020 and Orissa comes into focus again. Sprucing up the rail network in Orissa is in Indian Railways’ interests as currently the East Coast Railways contributes Rs 6,062 crore of the total Rs 48,000 crore per annum freight revenue nationally .But the rider is, saddled with 109 new rail projects including five from Orissa the Railways has failed to allocate more than Rs 1,500 crore a year that hardly suffices the escalated costs due to delays. The annual surplus extra budgetary resources could make up for only 64 per cent of the project cost, leaving a gap of 36 per cent .For the gap, the document has mulled on solutions like bearing of 50 per cent of the project cost by the State concerned and creating a dedicated fund called Accelerated Railway Development Fund (ARDF) etc. Provisioning from State would ensure assured allocation from Railways for the timely completion of the projects, the document mentions .In Orissa, the balance fund required for completion of the five new rail line projects underway for a decade now stood at a whopping Rs 2,319 crore as on April 1, 2009. For two of its gauge conversions, the amount required was Rs 42 crore and for the 10 doubling projects it was Rs 1,052 crore. Thus, the total capital investment needed as on April 1, 2009 was Rs 3,413 crore. It is seen that strategically important new projects like Talcher/ Hindol -Berhampur/Gopalpur, Bargarh - Nawapara road, Rupsa - Bangiriposi and Gunupur- Theruvali have not taken off despite being revenue potent for the Railways .Importantly, of the Rs 10,000 crore surplus of Railways, East Coast Railways currently accounts for Rs 2,800 crore per annum. But for new lines, the capital investment in 2008- 09 stood at a paltry Rs 62 crore only - at only around Rs 12 crore per project. And, at this rate the five new projects in Orissa would see completion only by 2050! If the Indian Railways goes by the road map to complete all the backlogs by 2020, the capital investment for the new lines require around Rs 300 crore per annum with the total capital needs of ECoR estimated at over Rs 4,000 crore .

Tata Steel's Orissa project gets first equipment

The first consignment of equipment for Tata Steel's Orissa steel project arrived at the Kalinga Nagar site in Jajpur district on Monday.

Tata Steel spokesperson said the first consignment-- steel melting shop-- of the project,supplied by SMS Demag, Germany, was shipped from Porto Marghera port of Germany and was received at Visakapatnam Port recently.

The spokesperson said Tata Steel has placed orders for equipment and civil structures worth Rs 6,373 crore for the Orissa steel project. Till date total number of 11 consignments ( blast furnace, sinter plant, electricals and steel melting shop) of equipment and machinery for Orissa Steel Project had arrived worth about Rs 200 crore. "Rs 500 crore worth of equipments and machinery for the project would arrive by the end of March 2010," the spokespersons said.

Tata Steel is putting up a 6 million tonne steel project with an investment of Rs 15,400 crore in the state.

Give us some time didi !

Mamata Banerjee, known so far for her Bengal-centric railway budget has probably little time for Orissa. An appointment, sought a month ago by the House Committee under Assembly Speaker Pradip Amat, is still waiting for a green signal from her Ministry and the PMO. The committee members were expected to put across Orissa’s needs and demands before the railway budget is presented.

The Assembly secretariat is trying to fix an appointment with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Railway Minister for over a month now. This has given rise to apprehension in the ruling dispensation as to whether Orissa will get justice in Mamata’s scheme of things.

This has evoked sharp reaction from the State Government with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Raghunath Mohanty describing it as yet another instance of Central neglect.

The House Committee had sought time from the Minister to argue its case for more funding to complete the ongoing projects in time so vital for upgrading the State’s infrastructure, Mohanty said. So far there has been no word on it. If the appointment is not given by February 20, the committee cannot meet her, Mohanty pointed out.

The committee, headed by the Speaker, meets at least the Railway Minister almost every year to argue for more funds in the Budget for the State’s projects. However, Speaker Amat is still hopeful of a meeting with at least Mamata.

“I am expecting that the Railway Minister will meet the committee in time,’’ he said, adding that the panel can meet Mamata if appointment is given within the next couple of days.

The State Government had submitted a memorandum to the Minister with a demand of Rs 1,805 crore to be provided to Orissa in this year’s Budget. Many of the demands were for enhanced funding for ongoing projects and introduction of several new trains.

In pursuit of social justice and economic empowerment

Joe Madiath was hardly 12 years old when he organised youngsters in his native Kanjirappally to fight for better working conditions. Nothing very new, you might say, in Kerala. But what's notable is that he did that with workers in his own family farms! He was promptly packed off by his father to a boarding school in Kolkata. That was perhaps the beginning of Joe's long fight for the downtrodden and underprivileged that culminated in the establishment of the NGO, Gram Vikas in Ganjam district, Orissa, in 1979. Today, this is one of the largest NGOs in the country reaching out to countless poor families in over 800 rural habitations in the State that Joe now calls ‘his home.' Joe was in the city for a lecture on development at SCMS, Kalamassery.

Maiden effort

“That attempt to unite the workers employed by my father was, looking back, an exaggerated perception. I was definitely influenced by the Communist Movement. That was the time when the EMS Ministry was voted to power and there was this call for social equality. Of course, I was witness to this very obvious social ostracism, especially in my mother's place, Kuttanad,” remembers Joe.

After two years in Kolkata, Joe returned to complete his schooling at Infant Jesus Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School, Thangassery. That fire of protest against injustice and inequality was doused for a while. But it flared up once again during his Madras University days. He was president of the students union at Loyola College, Chennai, and formed the Young Students' Movement for Development (YSMD). It was during this period that Joe went on a solo cycle trip across the country, right up to Sikkim. This trip opened his eyes to poverty, social inequality, realising that ‘poverty knew no language or caste.'

The turning point in Joe's life was when in 1971 he led a group of volunteers from YSMD to manage relief camps in cyclone ravaged West Bengal. “We found that while international aid was pouring into Bengal, the destruction wrought by the cyclone in Orissa was not on anyone's radar. So we shifted base to Kendrapara, in Cuttack district with 40 volunteers.”

Irrigation facilities

After things settled down the group decided to provide irrigation facilities as the best option to put the hapless victims back on their feet. They established a lift-irrigation cooperative of the villagers. But soon they realised that the benefits were reaped by the big landlords, who went back on their promise of providing extra land for common benefit. The group handed over the irrigation facilities to the locals and left. But Joe stayed on.

“I don't know what made me do it. But I decided then that this was my calling. Some of my colleagues stayed back with me. We had seen so much misery that we decided to work for their development. We moved to the tribal district of Ganjam on an invitation from the government.

“Here, the village of Mohuda, became my home for the rest of my life, till now.”

Joe and his colleagues established Gram Vikas. Some of the pioneering efforts of this organisation have been in biogas promotion, community forestry, hygiene, health, drinking water, sanitation, education, adult literacy programmes and most importantly organising people to fight for their rights.

People groups were formed. The poor tribals began to realise their power as a group. Gram Vikas spearheaded a movement to help them shake off their burden of debt and bonded labour. “Not only the small plot of land even their children were mortgaged to the landlords. These landlords, much more benign that the ruthless ones in other states like Uttar Pradesh, lent them money, gave them liquor making them slaves forever. We fought against this, succeeded in reclaiming land, ousting the moneylenders, liquor merchants and even to some extent wean the menfolk from this terrible habit.”

For all this Joe and his group did face flak. “Yes, I did face the wrath of the landlords and others. These scars on my body are reminders of those tough days. But the people stood by us,” Joe says with that infectious laugh.

Joe has formally ‘retired' from Gram Vikas though he will still be around at least till they find his ‘successor.' After three eventful decades as its driving force what does he consider its biggest achievement?

Lower mortality rates

“Maybe bringing down mortality rates in these areas, most of which was related to water and hygiene. Our scheme of providing clean, continuous running water for each home through taps in the toilet, bathroom and kitchen was one. We also provided skill training for men and women in masonry, stone dressing, wire bending, plumbing and house painting. This supported the construction work of Gram Vikas programmes and also enhanced their livelihood options. I know of so many of these villagers who are now working in Kerala. Then, of course, it is education. There was a time when Oriya was a foreign language for the tribals. The schools we started in different villages, adult literacy programmes changed all this. Today, there are some brilliant students in these schools. Most of the athletics champions of Orissa, including the women's National weightlifting champion are from these schools.”

Apathetic bureaucracy

“This state is so rich in natural resources and in every other respect. But it still lags far behind. The reason is an apathetic bureaucracy. Politicians change every five years. In Orissa, I have felt, there is no political rule. The bureaucracy holds the reins. They, surprisingly, seem to resist any kind of change.”

And what does he think of Kerala? “I come quite often. I'm stunned to see that there is no consolidated effort for waste management. I find plastic and rubbish all over the place, even in the villages. I thought that Kerala would lead, especially with the success of some of its programmes like literacy, eradication of diseases, health and education. But I'm a bit disappointed that Kerala has not really surged ahead.”

Joe now plans to take Gram Vikas beyond Orissa. “We have just begun work in four African countries. We also want to move to other states like Tamil Nadu. I hope to spend more time with these new projects. But I'll still schedule things to spend at least one-third of my time at home, in Orissa.”

Joe Madiath and his successful Mohuda experiment is certainly an inspiration, a beacon of hope for the marginalised, to stand up and face life with dignity.

Source: the hindu

Rush for "MY NAME IS KHAN" in Orissa

Shah Rukh Khan-starrer “My Name is Khan” released all over Orissa Friday amidst stray protests by the Bajrang Dal. A large number of movie buffs were seen queuing for tickets despite the protests.

The Bajrang Dal protested the release of the movie in Berhampur town, where activists tore posters, burnt effigies of Shah Rukh and shouted slogans against him.

The screening of the movie has been stopped in Ashoka and Gautam talkies in Berhampur, 170 km from state capital Bhubaneswar. However, in other movie halls it was being screened with increased security.

The movie was released in 29 halls across the state, including three in Bhubaneswar, with extra policemen present.

One platoon of police has been deployed in each of the three cinema halls that were screening the movie in Bhubaneswar. All moviegoers were being thoroughly searched by the policemen before entry.

Some Bajrang Dal activists were arrested here when they were on their way to a movie hall to protest the screening, police said.

“I am a huge fan of Shah Rukh. I am not scared of the protests as police is there,” said Liza Das.

Subhash Chouhan, national co-convenor of the Bajrang Dal, said: “We are protesting against the mindset of Shah Rukh, who is patronising the cause of Pakistani players for the Indian Premier League.”

Orissa stands 2nd in India Inc investment plans

Orissa has secured second spot as far as the India Inc.’s investment plans in 2009 are concerned. Despite poor implementation record and the economic slowdown, the State has garnered a total private domestic investments worth Rs 2,00,846 crore in the year.

Only Gujarat with a total of Rs 2,45,352 crore investment plans surpassed it. This has been revealed by a recent ASSOCHAM study titled ‘Corporate Investments across States and Sectors in 2009’.

The study has noted that the domestic investment announcements of India Inc. registered a growth of 16 per cent in 2009 with Gujarat, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh emerging frontrunners. The total investment plans of India Inc. increased significantly from Rs 13,80,099 crore in 2008 to Rs 15,94,203 crore in 2009. Out of which Gujarat, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh cornered a share of 15.4 per cent, 12.6 per cent and 8.1 per cent respectively.

The report, however, points out that the implementation of these investment projects has been hampered by a slew of hurdles.

These include land acquisition problems, bureaucratic inertia, ongoing economic slowdown and depressed export market conditions. It urged the governments to address these issues on priority basis.

Orissa has attracted massive investments primarily because of availability of rich mineral resources such as coal and iron ore along with cheap manpower. Steel and power were among the sectors which attracted maximum investments in 2009. But, it has clearly pointed out that Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra lead in possessing a convincing investor-friendly image.

A glance at the sector wise investments nationally reveal that power sector has bagged the maximum investments totalling Rs 4,14,327 crore or 26 per cent of the overall investment plans.

Real estate at Rs 2,57,314 crore, energy Rs. 1,98,565 crore, metals & mining at Rs 1,59,534 crore, infrastructure at Rs.

74,210 crore, hospitality at Rs 43,746 crore, auto components Rs. 38,150 crore and telecom at Rs 34,461 crore follow. States like Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra have received major investments in energy, real estate, infrastructure, hospitality and telecom etc.

The moot point in this context is with environmental clearances post-Copenhagen going to shroud many of the steel and coal-based power projects in Orissa, and with the US and EU’s insistence on the World Bank not providing loans for coal-based power projects in developing countries, may hamper investments in these sectors in 2010.

Thus, the Government here has to urgently diversify the investment portfolio with appropriate incentives to the sectors like solar/clean energy generation, infrastructure, telecom and real estate to stay in the race.

Health Institute to set-up in Orissa

Public Heath Foundation of India (PHFI), a registered society set up on the public private partnership mode and engaged in the training of public health professionals, will invest Rs 140 crore in setting up the Indian Institute of Public Heath (IIPH) in Orissa.

The IIPH in the state will come up on 40 acres of land to be provided free of cost by the Orissa government at Kumarabasta village near the city in Khurda district.

Initially, the IIPH will operate from a temporary campus in the city and the short-term training programmes will kick off from July this year.

The state government today inked an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with PHFI for setting up the institute which is set to be fully operational by the end of 2012.

The MoU was signed between Anu Garg, secretary, health and family welfare, Orissa government and K Srinath Reddy, president, PHFI at the state secretariat in the presence of state chief minister Naveen Patnaik, state minister for health and family welfare Prasanna Acharya and chief secretary T K Mishra.

Speaking on the occasion, Patnaik said, “PHFI shall work with the Orissa government to strengthen the overall public health system in the state. This will involve education, training and research on prioritized health problems of the state.”

“IIPH, in consultation with the state government, will impart training programmes for enhancing the capacity of the public health functionaries across all levels. The institute will offer Post-Graduate diploma programmes in Public Health Management, Health Economics, Health Care Financing, Health Policy, Biostatistics and Data Management. In addition, IIPH will conduct two-year diploma course in Public Health and Masters in Public Health”, he added.

“The vital health indicators like IMR and MMR (Maternal Mortality rate) have improved appreciably over the past few years. I am sure that the partnership between the state government and PHFI will go a long way in realizing the desired subjectives”, said Acharya. Reddy, the PHFI president, said, “Once the IIPH campus is fully operational, it will offer training short-term training programmes to 500 people and long-term training to 300 others.

Avatar plot a reality for Orissa tribe

They are an indigenous people struggling to defend their land against mining interests who threaten their homes, culture and sacred deity.

Sounds familiar? No, they are not blue-skinned aliens and this is not the plot for the blockbuster film Avatar. Instead, it is the real life story of the Dongria Kondhs, a tribe of about 8,000 people in Orissa. Many of them are protesting the plans of mining giant Vedanta Resources and its subsidiary Sterlite Industries to mine bauxite in the Niyamgiri Hills, which they worship as their deity.

In an advertisement in Monday’s edition of the film industry magazine Variety, tribal rights organisation Survival International appealed to Avatar director James Cameron on behalf of the Dongria Kondhs. “ Avatar is fantasy…and real,” reads the advertisement. “We’ve watched your film — now watch ours,” it says, with a link to Survival’s 10-minute film ‘Mine: story of a sacred mountain,’ narrated by British actress Joanna Lumley.

Survival’s director Stephen Corry says: “Just as the Na’vi [of Avatar] describe the forest of Pandora as ‘their everything,’ for the Dongria Kondh, life and land have always been deeply connected. The fundamental story of Avatar — if you take away the multi-coloured lemurs, the long-trunked horses and warring androids — is being played out today in the hills of Niyamgiri.”

Sells stake

Last Friday, the Church of England sold its £3.8 million stake in Vedanta, saying it was unsatisfied with “the level of respect for human rights and local communities” shown by the mining company.

In a statement issued after the Church of England’s decision, Vedanta said that it “remains fully committed to pursuing its investments in a responsible manner, respecting the environment and human rights.”

Source- The Hindu

Orissa High Court Directive for unauthorized Red light on vehicles

The Orissa High Court has directed the state government to instruct the District Magistrates and SPs to check up unauthorized use of red flickering light on the vehicles and submit the information by 3rd March regarding the steps taken to stop the misuse of the red flickering light on the vehicles. Similarly The Orissa High Court had earlier directed the state government on 14th September ,2009 to submit the steps taken to stop use of Cell Phones at the time of Driving vehicles.

The Transport commissioner cum Chairman C.T.M Suguna on Tuesday has submitted brief reply through an affidavit regarding the steps taken in the matter. The Commissioner has informed the Orissa High Court that Vide Circular No 20505 Dt 30.10.2007 instruction had already given by the Transport Department. The Traffic Police to check up . The violation of the Rules the person will be punishable under Section 177 / 1988 of Motor Vehicles Act.

In response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Utkal Vyarthi Parishad alleging violation of rules on use of red flickering light on the vehicles ,the Division bench comprising acting Chief Justice IM Quddusi and Justice Sanju Panda instructed the state government to check up unauthorized use of red flickering light on the vehicles and submit the information by 3rd March . The next date for hearing is fixed to 3rd March.

Utkal Vyarthi Parishad expressed in his PIL that the flag code of India and Orissa Motor Vehicles Rule have specified the persons and authorities who are authorities who can use red beacons on their vehicles. The Governor, Chief Minister, Member of state Cabinet, Judges of Orissa High Court, Lok Pal, and the Advocate General authorized to use red beacons on their vehicles. But in our state the rules openly violated by the officers as well as elected political and social activists.

First private IT Park in Orissa

Orissa got its first private software technology park Tuesday. Built on the outskirts of state capital Bhubaneswar by city-based JSS Group, the venture was inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The JSS Software Technology Park has a built-up area of about 55,000 square feet and can accommodate about 1,000 IT (Information Technology) professionals, Bijoy K. Sahoo, Chairman of the JSS group told IANS.

The eight-floor building constructed with an investment of Rs.10 crore in the first phase has ready-to-move-in facilities, Sahoo said, adding that two companies have already allotted space and they have begun their operations from today (Tuesday).

JSS has planned to invest Rs.70 crore (Rs.700 million) in the second phase that is scheduled to complete in the next 24 months. The total built up area of the project after second phase expansion would be two lakh square feet, he said.

“I am happy to see the overall ambience of the IT Park equipped with international standard infrastructure and facilities which can be customized and put to use in the least possible time for effective use by small and medium enterprise IT units,” Patnaik said at the inaugural ceremony.

“Besides offering ready to move-in built up space for IT and ITES (IT enabled services) units, it will also provide incubation facilities for start-ups at affordable rates,” he said.

“This will not only create new job opportunities, but also give a boost to the export of software and IT services in the state,” the chief minister said.

JSS Group operates as a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) company in the banking and financial back-end services.

Problems, inadequate infrastructure mar MKCG medical: Orissa House Committee

The visiting Vidhan Sabha House Committee under the Chairmanship of Prabhat Ranjan Biswal has admitted that MKCG medical in Berhampur is marred with problems and inadequate infrastructure.

The house committee under Biswal (MLA of Tangi-Choudwar) along with members; Purna Chandra Sethi (Khallikote), Sadhu Nepak (Bargarh), Khageswar Behera (Chhendipada), Hrudananda Majhi (Nabrangpur), Ram Chandra Hansda (Sarasakana) Niranjan Pradhan (Polasara) and Chakradhar Paika (Mohana) had visited Ganjam district to review development works and to observe the problems like drinking water shortage, civil supplies, construction works and on the MKCG medical college among other important things.

Biswal, while taking note of the problems and statements of local MLAs on the MKCG Medical College here in the city, could not believe that such number of problems exists at the medical and such was the poor state of basic infrastructure of the MKCG.

Local MLA RCC Patnaik had briefed the problems of the MKCG and expressed his dissatisfaction as patients from across the southern region were being referred to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh for treatment.

He also resented that even minimum facilities like ventilators, ICUs, CT scan machines and instruments are not available. Most important problem was unavailability of required doctors, stated Berhampur MLA Patnaik.

Berhampur Mayor SS Das also expressed his dissatisfaction stating that 80 percent of the cases were being referred to medicals located in AP and doctors were doing this for commission from such hospitals.

Doctors and heads of various departments had also complained that there was less number of staffs in comparison to other medical college hospitals in the state and facilities are not being provided to develop basic infrastructure here.

House Committee Chairman Biswal had then asked the head of departments of MKCG to submit a detail report on their problems and requirements and appealed that they should provide minimum health care facilities as 10 southern districts depend on this MKCG Medical.

The house committee is visiting the tribal dominated Gajapati district on Thursday as per their schedule to review as many as 3 districts; Khurdha, Ganjam and Gajapati.