Business Standard, March 14, 2011
Despite a stay on the proposed expansion of Vedanta's alumina refinery at Lanjigarh in Orissa's Kalahandi district, the Centre has now sought a fresh application for the purpose from the state.
This was stated by Orissa's Revenue Minister S N Patro in the assembly while replying to a written question. Patro was speaking on behalf of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who holds the forest and environment portfolio.
"Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) in a letter on January 11 directed authorities of Vedanta project to make fresh application for expansion plan," he said.
On October 20, 2010, MoEF had stayed the proposed expansion of Vedanta's refinery from 1mtpa to 6mtpa. The ministry put the stay stating that provision under section 5 of the Environment Protection Act, 1986, were violated.
The authorities of Vedanta, however, moved the ministry and requested it to allow its expansion plan as the company had met all terms and conditions under the EPA, 1986.
Meanwhile, the company had moved Orissa High Court, challenging MoEF's rejection of its refinery expansion plan. The case was pending for disposal.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Lanjigarh foundation website launched
Tathya.in, March 14, 2011
Lanjigarh:14/March/2011
Laxmi Narayan Nayak, RDC Southern Division launched the Website of Lanjigarh Project Area Development Foundation (LPADF) www.lpadf.org here.
The LPADF is a special purpose vehicle(SPV) formed by Government of Orissa (GOO), Sterlite Industries India Limited (SIIL) and Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC); as per the Supreme Court’s Order on 8 August, 2008.
The Foundation is registered under Section 25 of the Companies Registration Act is chaired by the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (South).
Sterlite Industries India Limited deposits 5 per cent of the profit or Rs. 10 Crore per Year- whichever is higher.
LPADF website launching ceremony was graced by Roopa Mishra District Collector of Kalahandi and Director of LPADF.
Mukesh Kumar, another Director of LPADF was also present in the ceremony.
Dr.Kumar has all along supported the developmental activities in this backward region.
The website was launched during the sixth meeting of the Board of Directors to review the status of the development projects by the Foundation to.
The website can be accessed at www.lpadf.organd gives detail information about its projects, organizations, and photographs.
Sterlite Industries India Limited (SIIL) has deposited Rs. 20 Crore in the Foundation.
In the Board Meeting it was also decided that SIIL will deposit Rs. 10 Crore for the year 2009-10 to take up more developmental projects.
Since formation in 2009, the LPADF has taken up several Projects for within 50 km radius of Lanjigarh.
It works in close collaboration with specialized government development agencies like Dongria Kondh Development Agency, Kutia Kondh Development Agencies, SC ST Research and Training Institutes, RWSS, ITDA, District Watershed Mission.
It has works in both Kalahandi and Rayagada district.
It has taken up initiatives in the areas of healthcare, education, infrastructure development as well as livelihood promotion.
Mr. Nayak, RDC also also inaugurated a health care centre funded by LPADF at Jugasaipatna, Kalahandi.
Lanjigarh:14/March/2011
Laxmi Narayan Nayak, RDC Southern Division launched the Website of Lanjigarh Project Area Development Foundation (LPADF) www.lpadf.org here.
The LPADF is a special purpose vehicle(SPV) formed by Government of Orissa (GOO), Sterlite Industries India Limited (SIIL) and Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC); as per the Supreme Court’s Order on 8 August, 2008.
The Foundation is registered under Section 25 of the Companies Registration Act is chaired by the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (South).
Sterlite Industries India Limited deposits 5 per cent of the profit or Rs. 10 Crore per Year- whichever is higher.
LPADF website launching ceremony was graced by Roopa Mishra District Collector of Kalahandi and Director of LPADF.
Mukesh Kumar, another Director of LPADF was also present in the ceremony.
Dr.Kumar has all along supported the developmental activities in this backward region.
The website was launched during the sixth meeting of the Board of Directors to review the status of the development projects by the Foundation to.
The website can be accessed at www.lpadf.organd gives detail information about its projects, organizations, and photographs.
Sterlite Industries India Limited (SIIL) has deposited Rs. 20 Crore in the Foundation.
In the Board Meeting it was also decided that SIIL will deposit Rs. 10 Crore for the year 2009-10 to take up more developmental projects.
Since formation in 2009, the LPADF has taken up several Projects for within 50 km radius of Lanjigarh.
It works in close collaboration with specialized government development agencies like Dongria Kondh Development Agency, Kutia Kondh Development Agencies, SC ST Research and Training Institutes, RWSS, ITDA, District Watershed Mission.
It has works in both Kalahandi and Rayagada district.
It has taken up initiatives in the areas of healthcare, education, infrastructure development as well as livelihood promotion.
Mr. Nayak, RDC also also inaugurated a health care centre funded by LPADF at Jugasaipatna, Kalahandi.
Orissa Mining Corporation to seek for speedy hearing of Niyamgiri Hills case today
DNA, March 14, 2011
Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC), the mining body of the Orissa government, is planning to appeal in the Supreme Court on Monday for speedy hearing of its case it filed against the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) last week.
Almost six months after the MoEF directed OMC and the Vedanta Group to stop mining bauxite from the Niyamgiri Hills in the Kalahandi district, Lanjigarh, OMC filed an Interlocutory Application (IA) in the Supreme Court challenging MoEF’s decision on March 10.
Now, the company is planning to put the case on ‘mention’, which means that if accepted, the case will be considered on a priority and emergency basis.
“OMC, through its advocate KK Venugopal, will put up the case for mention in the Green Bench of the Supreme Court to be heard by Justice Sudarshan Reddy. It would then depend on the judge whether he wants to refer it to the Chief Justice of India or wants to hear it himself,” said an industry source, adding that if the plea is accepted then the case could come up for hearing as early as the next week itself.
In the application filed with the Supreme Court on Thursday, OMC had said that the company had to apply in the court since the MoEF has rejected the Stage- II forest clearance for the OMC bauxite mining project in the Niyamgiri Hills of Lanjigarh, thereby effectively neutralising the SC judgements dated November 22, 2007 and August 8, 2008.
In these judgements, the court had granted clearance for diversion of forest land of 660.749 hectares for mining bauxite.
“The most unfortunate aspect of the matter is that the considerations which form the foundation of the decision of the MoEF are the very same considerations which were urged before the Honourable Court, and which were all taken into account by this Honourable Court while granting clearance to the project in question,” the application said.
The MoEF in August 2010 accepted the recommendations of the four-member Forest Advisory Committee headed by N C Saxena and stopped mining in Niyamgiri Hills and the expansion of Vedanta’s one million tonne alumina refinery in Lanjigarh, citing that mining would severely impact the ecology of the Niyamgiri Hills.
The mining contractor for the Niyamgiri project was a joint venture company with 76% stake of Sterlite Industries, a listed subsidiary of Vedanta Group, and the remaining with OMC. The bauxite to be mined was to be fed to Vedanta’s Lanjigarh refinery.
Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC), the mining body of the Orissa government, is planning to appeal in the Supreme Court on Monday for speedy hearing of its case it filed against the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) last week.
Almost six months after the MoEF directed OMC and the Vedanta Group to stop mining bauxite from the Niyamgiri Hills in the Kalahandi district, Lanjigarh, OMC filed an Interlocutory Application (IA) in the Supreme Court challenging MoEF’s decision on March 10.
Now, the company is planning to put the case on ‘mention’, which means that if accepted, the case will be considered on a priority and emergency basis.
“OMC, through its advocate KK Venugopal, will put up the case for mention in the Green Bench of the Supreme Court to be heard by Justice Sudarshan Reddy. It would then depend on the judge whether he wants to refer it to the Chief Justice of India or wants to hear it himself,” said an industry source, adding that if the plea is accepted then the case could come up for hearing as early as the next week itself.
In the application filed with the Supreme Court on Thursday, OMC had said that the company had to apply in the court since the MoEF has rejected the Stage- II forest clearance for the OMC bauxite mining project in the Niyamgiri Hills of Lanjigarh, thereby effectively neutralising the SC judgements dated November 22, 2007 and August 8, 2008.
In these judgements, the court had granted clearance for diversion of forest land of 660.749 hectares for mining bauxite.
“The most unfortunate aspect of the matter is that the considerations which form the foundation of the decision of the MoEF are the very same considerations which were urged before the Honourable Court, and which were all taken into account by this Honourable Court while granting clearance to the project in question,” the application said.
The MoEF in August 2010 accepted the recommendations of the four-member Forest Advisory Committee headed by N C Saxena and stopped mining in Niyamgiri Hills and the expansion of Vedanta’s one million tonne alumina refinery in Lanjigarh, citing that mining would severely impact the ecology of the Niyamgiri Hills.
The mining contractor for the Niyamgiri project was a joint venture company with 76% stake of Sterlite Industries, a listed subsidiary of Vedanta Group, and the remaining with OMC. The bauxite to be mined was to be fed to Vedanta’s Lanjigarh refinery.
Poverty-hit Kalahandi's cup of woes runneth over
Times of India, March 12, 2011
Sandeep Mishra
Kalahandi has been in the news for all the wrong reasons for decades now, and has attracted much aid and assistance from the centre. But the lot of the tribals here is as bad as ever. A TOI report
Kumuti Majhi is a disturbed man. Notwithstanding the flow of huge funds into his native Kalahandi district over the past few years, this tribal is worried about what the future holds for his brethren. "Tribals have not benefited in any way from the various so-called development initiatives of the government, " complains Majhi, who has been at the forefront of the agitation opposing the Orissa government and the Vedanta group's bid to mine bauxite from Niyamgiri Hills. Tribals constitute over 30 per cent of Kalahandi's estimated 15 lakh population. And primitive tribal groups like the Dongaria Kondhs, Kutia Kondhs and Jharania Kondhs are particularly oppressed and deprived.
"Corrupt government officers and touts misappropriate whatever money comes to the district for tribal welfare, " he says, pointing, as an example, to the Indravati irrigation project, credited for turning around the tribal-dominated region's agricultural fortunes since over a decade. "The majority of those displaced were tribals, but non-tribals gained. Tribals turned beggars, " rues Majhi, a Kutia Kondh living in the foothills of the Niyamgiri Hills in Lanjigarh block, where the Vedanta Aluminium Limited's controversial Rs 5000-crore refinery has been established despite many protests by locals.
Majhi's sentiments are shared by many in the south-western Orissa district. "Tribals have been the worst sufferers of the Indravati project, though the district surely benefited from it, " says Kalahandi MP Bhakta Charan Das.
The Congress leader adds: "Things have certainly improved since the 70s and 80s when starvation deaths and child sale made Kalahandi infamous. But the tribals continue to rot, exploited and left to the mercy of God."
In popular literature and media, the Kalahandi Syndrome is something that still means hunger deaths, acute poverty, and child sale. The area, forming part of KBK (Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput ), has over the decades enjoyed such an unenviable reputation that it's a favourite pitstop for VVIPs to pay visits and make grand promises. Last August, when Rahul Gandhi announced that he would be the sipahi (soldier) for Kalahandi's tribals in New Delhi at a public meeting in Lanjigarh, he was doing what his family elders had done before. Four years before 40-year-old Rahul was born, his grandmother, Indira Gandhi, toured Sinapalli (then part of Kalahandi district) during a drought. In 1984, Rajiv Gandhi toured Amlapalli village (now in Nuapada) with wife Sonia in tow in the wake of Phanus Punji, a tribal woman, selling away her sister-in-law Banita for Rs 40 and a saree to a blind man. Three years later, 200 people perished from starvation, forcing Rajiv to show up in Kashipur in Koraput district. Keeping with the family tradition, Rahul launched his Discovery of India journey in March 2008, from Nuapada district and visited Ijurpa, a Dongaria Kondh village. Chandra Sekhar, P V Narasimha Rao, H D Deve Gowda and A B Vajpayee, too, have made trips as prime ministers to KBK, promising help.
But despite such attention, the socio-economic status of tribals here has not changed much. "Be it education, healthcare, infrastructure or any other development indicator, tribals have got hardly anything. Governments, NGOs, and businessmen have looted Kalahandi and its tribals in every possible way, " says Siddhartha Nayak, chairman, Green Kalahandi, a socio-political outfit. "Most tribals are far away from whatever development has taken place, " says social activist Jagadish Pradhan. "VVIP trips have brought in lots of money, but development does not follow the flow of funds, " he points out, adding that the reason for this is an absence of political commitment.
Sandeep Mishra
Kalahandi has been in the news for all the wrong reasons for decades now, and has attracted much aid and assistance from the centre. But the lot of the tribals here is as bad as ever. A TOI report
Kumuti Majhi is a disturbed man. Notwithstanding the flow of huge funds into his native Kalahandi district over the past few years, this tribal is worried about what the future holds for his brethren. "Tribals have not benefited in any way from the various so-called development initiatives of the government, " complains Majhi, who has been at the forefront of the agitation opposing the Orissa government and the Vedanta group's bid to mine bauxite from Niyamgiri Hills. Tribals constitute over 30 per cent of Kalahandi's estimated 15 lakh population. And primitive tribal groups like the Dongaria Kondhs, Kutia Kondhs and Jharania Kondhs are particularly oppressed and deprived.
"Corrupt government officers and touts misappropriate whatever money comes to the district for tribal welfare, " he says, pointing, as an example, to the Indravati irrigation project, credited for turning around the tribal-dominated region's agricultural fortunes since over a decade. "The majority of those displaced were tribals, but non-tribals gained. Tribals turned beggars, " rues Majhi, a Kutia Kondh living in the foothills of the Niyamgiri Hills in Lanjigarh block, where the Vedanta Aluminium Limited's controversial Rs 5000-crore refinery has been established despite many protests by locals.
Majhi's sentiments are shared by many in the south-western Orissa district. "Tribals have been the worst sufferers of the Indravati project, though the district surely benefited from it, " says Kalahandi MP Bhakta Charan Das.
The Congress leader adds: "Things have certainly improved since the 70s and 80s when starvation deaths and child sale made Kalahandi infamous. But the tribals continue to rot, exploited and left to the mercy of God."
In popular literature and media, the Kalahandi Syndrome is something that still means hunger deaths, acute poverty, and child sale. The area, forming part of KBK (Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput ), has over the decades enjoyed such an unenviable reputation that it's a favourite pitstop for VVIPs to pay visits and make grand promises. Last August, when Rahul Gandhi announced that he would be the sipahi (soldier) for Kalahandi's tribals in New Delhi at a public meeting in Lanjigarh, he was doing what his family elders had done before. Four years before 40-year-old Rahul was born, his grandmother, Indira Gandhi, toured Sinapalli (then part of Kalahandi district) during a drought. In 1984, Rajiv Gandhi toured Amlapalli village (now in Nuapada) with wife Sonia in tow in the wake of Phanus Punji, a tribal woman, selling away her sister-in-law Banita for Rs 40 and a saree to a blind man. Three years later, 200 people perished from starvation, forcing Rajiv to show up in Kashipur in Koraput district. Keeping with the family tradition, Rahul launched his Discovery of India journey in March 2008, from Nuapada district and visited Ijurpa, a Dongaria Kondh village. Chandra Sekhar, P V Narasimha Rao, H D Deve Gowda and A B Vajpayee, too, have made trips as prime ministers to KBK, promising help.
But despite such attention, the socio-economic status of tribals here has not changed much. "Be it education, healthcare, infrastructure or any other development indicator, tribals have got hardly anything. Governments, NGOs, and businessmen have looted Kalahandi and its tribals in every possible way, " says Siddhartha Nayak, chairman, Green Kalahandi, a socio-political outfit. "Most tribals are far away from whatever development has taken place, " says social activist Jagadish Pradhan. "VVIP trips have brought in lots of money, but development does not follow the flow of funds, " he points out, adding that the reason for this is an absence of political commitment.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Letter of Professor G B Behera to the Chairman of Higher Education Task Force Govt of Odisha
NOTE: Although initially when the proposal was submitted South Western Odisha University was proposed by intelectuals of Kalahandi, now many of us feel Odisha University would be more appropriate and people of Kalahandi will be happy to name as Odisha University over South Western Odisha University. Indravati and Mahakantara name could also be seriously considered.
To
The Chairman, Task Force for HE
Bhubaneswar.
Sub: Establishment of a University at Kalahandi.
Sir,
I may be permitted to bring to your kind notice regarding our long standing continuous and constant appeal for establishment of a University at Kalahandi, the center of KBK districts. This appeal of the people of Kalahandi dates back to 1990 which started with a feeble voice and with time has strengthened into a mega voice.
The knowledge commission has said,’ the transformation of economy and society in the 21st century would depend in significant part, on the spread and quality of education among the people, particularly in the sphere of higher education”.(recommendation of the NKC: Report to the Nation-2006, p-19) They have recommended establishment of 1500 universities in India to bring a gross enrolment ratio of at least 15% by 2015 since they have observed that no country could become an economically advanced country, if the enrolment ratio in HE is less than 20%. The enrolment ratio in Odisha is 8.71%. They have recommended, “… some clusters of affiliated colleges could also become universities.” (loc cit-p. 43). They have further said,” The need is for smaller Universities which are responsive to change and easier to manage and these should be created.” ( loc cit P-45). Investment in higher education makes a vital contribution to accelerate the process and rate of economic growth, through increasing human productivity.
We have made several efforts (given below) peacefully in this direction to achieve our goal.
1. Memorandum submitted to the CM on 14.01.2002.
2. Our late honorable MP presented a memorandum personally to the CM
3. Submitted a copy to the NDA Govt.(Hon’ able PM and Minister HRD) and also to the State govt.(Hon’ able CM and minister HE)
4. Submitted a copy to UPA Govt. (Hon’ able PM, Srimati Soniaji, Minister HRD, Vice-Chairman Planning Commission, Chairman Knowledge commission) and also to the State govt. (Hon’ able CM and Minister HE).
5. A petition to this effect has been submitted to the honorable speaker, Loksabha
6. Some of our NROs have written to the CM and also to the center justifying the establishment of a University at Kalahandi
7. A wave of silent movement moved across the entire district and as a result copies of one para appeal signed by more than 80.000 people sent separately to Honorable PM, HRD Minister, CM, Minister HE. This wave also inspired about 4000 individuals to write post cards to these four distinguished offices separately.
8. The Hon ‘able CM was kind enough in granting an audience to a delegate headed by four honorable MLAs, some educationists and some senior citizens of Kalahandi to discuss about the feasibility and justification for establishment of a university at Kalahandi. The Hon’ able CM was very kind in listening and discussing the issue. His response appeared positive to the people.
9. A delegation of 40 people representing Kalahandi met the CM on 12.08.08 and presented (perhaps in vain!) before him through a CD consisting all aspects of available infrastructure.
People of Kalahandi have never adopted violent methods bringing about a loss to the Nation to ventilate their genuine demand. They have tried to follow the principles of non-violence and dignity. This district is also a Naxal free zone till now.
INFRASTRUCTURAL FACILITIES:
1. Government land (Site 1) worth more than 500 acres. The Govt.(A) College has about 50 acres of land and about 30-40 acres can be acquired adjacent to it (site 2).
2. The railway line at Kesinga and the airport at Utkela are about 8 kms from site 1. The new railway station (Lanjigarh-Junagarh line) is close to this site.
3. The water facility is excellent.
4. The road facilities are also very good. Bhawanipatna-Khariar highway in one side, Pradhanmantri Sadak is on another side.
5. The site with hills and lakes is a picturesque one.
6. Bhawanipatna is at the central zone of KBK. The concept of KBK started with Kalahandi but is getting continuously neglected.
7. If the state of odisha is peeled into two, the centre of one is Bhawanipatna
and the other is Bhubaneswar.
Thus Kalahandi deserves the establishment of a State University so that a leveled play field is created.
ACADEMIC OUTLINES FOR THE PROPOSED UNIVERSITY
1. The university can introduce 5 year course with a lateral movement after three years (Like NISER).
2. The University may have a few constituent colleges (Like Govt. Autonomous College, Bhawanipatna) and some affliated colleges.
3. Interdisciplinary courses can start from the beginning. Students can take up credit courses in different departments as per the advice of a committee. Thus the boundaries between disciplines acting as dividing walls must collapse since knowledge is developing at the intersection of disciplines.
4. The present law college can be a part of the university, but with a 5 years course structure since law degree has started playing an important role now.
5. The University shall have M.Phil and Ph.D programmes with a course work.
NAME OF THE UNIVERSITY
One of the following names can be chosen for the university.
1 INDRAVATI UNIVERSITY
River Indravati is perhaps the longest river with a source from Kalahandi. She has brought economic development to the area. The Indravati civilization is yet to be brought to the notice of the people through research.
2. SOUTH-WESTERN UNIVERSITY (SWU)
3. MAHAKANTAR UNIVERSITY ( MU).
Mahakantar is a historical name of the area.
Yours faithfully, (G.B.Behera)
President
Encl:
Four pictures showing the geographical importance of Kalahandi.
This document is approved in a meeting of the intellectuals held on13.03.10 in the premises of Kalahandi Lekhak Kala Parishad.
To
The Chairman, Task Force for HE
Bhubaneswar.
Sub: Establishment of a University at Kalahandi.
Sir,
I may be permitted to bring to your kind notice regarding our long standing continuous and constant appeal for establishment of a University at Kalahandi, the center of KBK districts. This appeal of the people of Kalahandi dates back to 1990 which started with a feeble voice and with time has strengthened into a mega voice.
The knowledge commission has said,’ the transformation of economy and society in the 21st century would depend in significant part, on the spread and quality of education among the people, particularly in the sphere of higher education”.(recommendation of the NKC: Report to the Nation-2006, p-19) They have recommended establishment of 1500 universities in India to bring a gross enrolment ratio of at least 15% by 2015 since they have observed that no country could become an economically advanced country, if the enrolment ratio in HE is less than 20%. The enrolment ratio in Odisha is 8.71%. They have recommended, “… some clusters of affiliated colleges could also become universities.” (loc cit-p. 43). They have further said,” The need is for smaller Universities which are responsive to change and easier to manage and these should be created.” ( loc cit P-45). Investment in higher education makes a vital contribution to accelerate the process and rate of economic growth, through increasing human productivity.
We have made several efforts (given below) peacefully in this direction to achieve our goal.
1. Memorandum submitted to the CM on 14.01.2002.
2. Our late honorable MP presented a memorandum personally to the CM
3. Submitted a copy to the NDA Govt.(Hon’ able PM and Minister HRD) and also to the State govt.(Hon’ able CM and minister HE)
4. Submitted a copy to UPA Govt. (Hon’ able PM, Srimati Soniaji, Minister HRD, Vice-Chairman Planning Commission, Chairman Knowledge commission) and also to the State govt. (Hon’ able CM and Minister HE).
5. A petition to this effect has been submitted to the honorable speaker, Loksabha
6. Some of our NROs have written to the CM and also to the center justifying the establishment of a University at Kalahandi
7. A wave of silent movement moved across the entire district and as a result copies of one para appeal signed by more than 80.000 people sent separately to Honorable PM, HRD Minister, CM, Minister HE. This wave also inspired about 4000 individuals to write post cards to these four distinguished offices separately.
8. The Hon ‘able CM was kind enough in granting an audience to a delegate headed by four honorable MLAs, some educationists and some senior citizens of Kalahandi to discuss about the feasibility and justification for establishment of a university at Kalahandi. The Hon’ able CM was very kind in listening and discussing the issue. His response appeared positive to the people.
9. A delegation of 40 people representing Kalahandi met the CM on 12.08.08 and presented (perhaps in vain!) before him through a CD consisting all aspects of available infrastructure.
People of Kalahandi have never adopted violent methods bringing about a loss to the Nation to ventilate their genuine demand. They have tried to follow the principles of non-violence and dignity. This district is also a Naxal free zone till now.
INFRASTRUCTURAL FACILITIES:
1. Government land (Site 1) worth more than 500 acres. The Govt.(A) College has about 50 acres of land and about 30-40 acres can be acquired adjacent to it (site 2).
2. The railway line at Kesinga and the airport at Utkela are about 8 kms from site 1. The new railway station (Lanjigarh-Junagarh line) is close to this site.
3. The water facility is excellent.
4. The road facilities are also very good. Bhawanipatna-Khariar highway in one side, Pradhanmantri Sadak is on another side.
5. The site with hills and lakes is a picturesque one.
6. Bhawanipatna is at the central zone of KBK. The concept of KBK started with Kalahandi but is getting continuously neglected.
7. If the state of odisha is peeled into two, the centre of one is Bhawanipatna
and the other is Bhubaneswar.
Thus Kalahandi deserves the establishment of a State University so that a leveled play field is created.
ACADEMIC OUTLINES FOR THE PROPOSED UNIVERSITY
1. The university can introduce 5 year course with a lateral movement after three years (Like NISER).
2. The University may have a few constituent colleges (Like Govt. Autonomous College, Bhawanipatna) and some affliated colleges.
3. Interdisciplinary courses can start from the beginning. Students can take up credit courses in different departments as per the advice of a committee. Thus the boundaries between disciplines acting as dividing walls must collapse since knowledge is developing at the intersection of disciplines.
4. The present law college can be a part of the university, but with a 5 years course structure since law degree has started playing an important role now.
5. The University shall have M.Phil and Ph.D programmes with a course work.
NAME OF THE UNIVERSITY
One of the following names can be chosen for the university.
1 INDRAVATI UNIVERSITY
River Indravati is perhaps the longest river with a source from Kalahandi. She has brought economic development to the area. The Indravati civilization is yet to be brought to the notice of the people through research.
2. SOUTH-WESTERN UNIVERSITY (SWU)
3. MAHAKANTAR UNIVERSITY ( MU).
Mahakantar is a historical name of the area.
Yours faithfully, (G.B.Behera)
President
Encl:
Four pictures showing the geographical importance of Kalahandi.
This document is approved in a meeting of the intellectuals held on13.03.10 in the premises of Kalahandi Lekhak Kala Parishad.
Security Battalion Proposed for Jails in Maoist-Hit Areas
Outlook, March 11, 2011
With the Maoists unleashing violence in 17 districts of the state, a standing committee of Orissa Legislative Assembly on home department today recommended creation of a security battalion to guard 16 jails in naxal-affected areas and 8 other highly sensitive prisons.
Maoists maintain significant influence in pockets of Malkangiri and Koraput districts in south Orissa and in areas bordering Saranda jungle in Rourkela police district, the committee observed.
It said that the out-lawed outfit was also trying to open up new fronts in Orissa-Chhatishgarh border by expanding its activities to districts like Nabarangapur, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Bolangir and Baragarh.
"The outfit is also trying to consolidate in Mayurbhanj district bordering West Midnapore district of West Bengal," the committee cautioned the state government in its report tabled in the Assembly today.
Stating that as many as 179 Maoists were arrested till November 2010, the committee suggested that adequate security needs to be placed around jails housing hardcore ultras.
The committee said that the new battalion for jails could be created by taking tribal youths from among the special police officers (SPOs).
It also suggested the state government to waive any income ceiling for families to get rehabilitation due to killing of their men in naxal attack.
Though the government has decided to provide rehabilitation assistance to the next of the kin of police personnel killed in naxal attack but due to income ceiling fixed, most of the genuine beneficiaries could not avail assistance, it said.
The committee headed by senior BJD MLA Ramesh Chandra Chyau Patnaik also suggested creation of an economic offence wing for investigation of economic crimes like investment, deposit related fraud, land related forgery and fraud, job rackets, bank fraud and credit card frauds.
With the Maoists unleashing violence in 17 districts of the state, a standing committee of Orissa Legislative Assembly on home department today recommended creation of a security battalion to guard 16 jails in naxal-affected areas and 8 other highly sensitive prisons.
Maoists maintain significant influence in pockets of Malkangiri and Koraput districts in south Orissa and in areas bordering Saranda jungle in Rourkela police district, the committee observed.
It said that the out-lawed outfit was also trying to open up new fronts in Orissa-Chhatishgarh border by expanding its activities to districts like Nabarangapur, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Bolangir and Baragarh.
"The outfit is also trying to consolidate in Mayurbhanj district bordering West Midnapore district of West Bengal," the committee cautioned the state government in its report tabled in the Assembly today.
Stating that as many as 179 Maoists were arrested till November 2010, the committee suggested that adequate security needs to be placed around jails housing hardcore ultras.
The committee said that the new battalion for jails could be created by taking tribal youths from among the special police officers (SPOs).
It also suggested the state government to waive any income ceiling for families to get rehabilitation due to killing of their men in naxal attack.
Though the government has decided to provide rehabilitation assistance to the next of the kin of police personnel killed in naxal attack but due to income ceiling fixed, most of the genuine beneficiaries could not avail assistance, it said.
The committee headed by senior BJD MLA Ramesh Chandra Chyau Patnaik also suggested creation of an economic offence wing for investigation of economic crimes like investment, deposit related fraud, land related forgery and fraud, job rackets, bank fraud and credit card frauds.
Environment ministry’s SAIL tilt miffs Orissa
DNAindia, March 10, 2011
After the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) cancelled several projects and put roadblocks (read riders) on many other, it seems the companies or organisations at the receiving end are not ready to give up without a fight.
The Orissa government’s mining entity Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC) on Tuesday knocked at the doors of Supreme Court challenging the ministry’s August 2010 decision to stop mining bauxite from the Niyamgiri Hills.
The ministry and its boss Jairam Ramesh had in August 2010 accepted the recommendations of the four-member forest advisory committee headed by NC Saxena and pulled the curtains down on mining in Niyamgiri Hills citing severe flouting of environmental and forest conservation norms.
The mining contractor for the Niyamgiri project was a joint venture company with 76% stake of Sterlite Industries, a the listed-subsidiary of Vedanta Resources and the remaining with OMC.
The bauxite to be mined was to be fed to Vedanta’s Lanjigarh refinery.
Sources say the Orissa government, after an endless wait and a fruitless representation to the MoEF, has finally decided to go the legal way and has prepared a complete war chest of arguments to take on the ministry.
“While the Orissa government was planning to challenge MoEF’s decision in the Supreme Court for quite sometime, the what finally prompted it was Ramesh’s nod to a larger and environmentally more damaging project of Chiria mines in Jharkhand,” said a highly reliable source in OMC.
On February 22, Ramesh, in a surprising change of stance by over-ruling negative reports from the ministry’s forest advisory committee (FAC), gave a go-ahead to Steel Authority of India (SAIL) to mine iron ore from the prolific Chiria mines in Jharkhand.
In a statement on February 22, Ramesh said: “The FAC will continue to focus on bio-diversity-related issues and concerns, while as minister I will have to necessarily take a broader view but placing on record in a complete manner the reasons for taking that view.”
However, Orissa is particularly miffed with this decision since it claims that on a comparative scale the Niyamgiri Hills too had a merit for approval and its impact on the environment would have been far less than the Chiria mines.
“Much before the FAC was appointed, several other committees had done a study on the project and had given a decision in its favour,” the source said.
Ironically, these bodies were appointed by the ministry to clear the mining project in 2007.
The Central Mine Planning and Design Institute in its study on hydro-geological aspects had said that there are no water bodies, water table is available at a depth of 78m from top of the hill and mineral is available only up to 30-35m depth from top, therefore, no impact on groundwater.
Similarly, Orissa Agriculture University of Technology (OAUT) established that due to khondalite rocks and very minimal soil cover available, soil erosion is negligible at Niyamgiri Hills and there is no possibility of choking any stream running at the bottom of the hill.
Only, Wildlife Institute of India (WII) had said that in any case the Wildlife Sanctuary located nearby Niyamgiri should not be affected.
The Supreme Court, on August 8, 2008, based on detailed studies conducted by WII, CMPDIL, OAUT and recommendation of MOEF had cleared the Forest Diversion proposal after a prolonged debate spanning three years.
“In spite of these, OMC was stopped from mining, while a central PSU like SAIL was given a go ahead,” he said.
The source said Chiria iron ore mining project covers an area of around 2,376 hectares, which is 3% of total Saranda Forest area in Jharkhand where it is located. On the other hand, the total Niyamgiri Hill range is around 250 square km out of which nearly 7 sq km is the proposed mining lease area which constitute nearly 1.5 % of the total area.
“Hence the forest cover diverted will be much less than that in Chiria,” he said.
In the MoEF note, Ramesh said SAIL being a public sector unit, has a good track record of delivering corporate social responsibility.
“Going by this track record, our partner Vedanta has already been investing Rs10 crore as profit from notional profit from proposed mining every year and Rs12.20 crore towards tribal development,” the source said.
The area in and around Chiria is predominantly inhabited by Ho tribal community, which constitutes nearly 10% population (approx. 70,00,000) of Jharkhand population. While the number of tribals living in and around Niyamgiri are inhabited by Dongria Kondh tribal race having a total population of nearly 8600. “So the number of people affected through the project are far less,” he said.
The mining process in Chiria will involve blasting, there by impacting the wildlife near Chiria forests while OMC will be incorporating surface miner and ripper dozer techniques which are blast-free processes, he said.
After the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) cancelled several projects and put roadblocks (read riders) on many other, it seems the companies or organisations at the receiving end are not ready to give up without a fight.
The Orissa government’s mining entity Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC) on Tuesday knocked at the doors of Supreme Court challenging the ministry’s August 2010 decision to stop mining bauxite from the Niyamgiri Hills.
The ministry and its boss Jairam Ramesh had in August 2010 accepted the recommendations of the four-member forest advisory committee headed by NC Saxena and pulled the curtains down on mining in Niyamgiri Hills citing severe flouting of environmental and forest conservation norms.
The mining contractor for the Niyamgiri project was a joint venture company with 76% stake of Sterlite Industries, a the listed-subsidiary of Vedanta Resources and the remaining with OMC.
The bauxite to be mined was to be fed to Vedanta’s Lanjigarh refinery.
Sources say the Orissa government, after an endless wait and a fruitless representation to the MoEF, has finally decided to go the legal way and has prepared a complete war chest of arguments to take on the ministry.
“While the Orissa government was planning to challenge MoEF’s decision in the Supreme Court for quite sometime, the what finally prompted it was Ramesh’s nod to a larger and environmentally more damaging project of Chiria mines in Jharkhand,” said a highly reliable source in OMC.
On February 22, Ramesh, in a surprising change of stance by over-ruling negative reports from the ministry’s forest advisory committee (FAC), gave a go-ahead to Steel Authority of India (SAIL) to mine iron ore from the prolific Chiria mines in Jharkhand.
In a statement on February 22, Ramesh said: “The FAC will continue to focus on bio-diversity-related issues and concerns, while as minister I will have to necessarily take a broader view but placing on record in a complete manner the reasons for taking that view.”
However, Orissa is particularly miffed with this decision since it claims that on a comparative scale the Niyamgiri Hills too had a merit for approval and its impact on the environment would have been far less than the Chiria mines.
“Much before the FAC was appointed, several other committees had done a study on the project and had given a decision in its favour,” the source said.
Ironically, these bodies were appointed by the ministry to clear the mining project in 2007.
The Central Mine Planning and Design Institute in its study on hydro-geological aspects had said that there are no water bodies, water table is available at a depth of 78m from top of the hill and mineral is available only up to 30-35m depth from top, therefore, no impact on groundwater.
Similarly, Orissa Agriculture University of Technology (OAUT) established that due to khondalite rocks and very minimal soil cover available, soil erosion is negligible at Niyamgiri Hills and there is no possibility of choking any stream running at the bottom of the hill.
Only, Wildlife Institute of India (WII) had said that in any case the Wildlife Sanctuary located nearby Niyamgiri should not be affected.
The Supreme Court, on August 8, 2008, based on detailed studies conducted by WII, CMPDIL, OAUT and recommendation of MOEF had cleared the Forest Diversion proposal after a prolonged debate spanning three years.
“In spite of these, OMC was stopped from mining, while a central PSU like SAIL was given a go ahead,” he said.
The source said Chiria iron ore mining project covers an area of around 2,376 hectares, which is 3% of total Saranda Forest area in Jharkhand where it is located. On the other hand, the total Niyamgiri Hill range is around 250 square km out of which nearly 7 sq km is the proposed mining lease area which constitute nearly 1.5 % of the total area.
“Hence the forest cover diverted will be much less than that in Chiria,” he said.
In the MoEF note, Ramesh said SAIL being a public sector unit, has a good track record of delivering corporate social responsibility.
“Going by this track record, our partner Vedanta has already been investing Rs10 crore as profit from notional profit from proposed mining every year and Rs12.20 crore towards tribal development,” the source said.
The area in and around Chiria is predominantly inhabited by Ho tribal community, which constitutes nearly 10% population (approx. 70,00,000) of Jharkhand population. While the number of tribals living in and around Niyamgiri are inhabited by Dongria Kondh tribal race having a total population of nearly 8600. “So the number of people affected through the project are far less,” he said.
The mining process in Chiria will involve blasting, there by impacting the wildlife near Chiria forests while OMC will be incorporating surface miner and ripper dozer techniques which are blast-free processes, he said.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
38 Kalahandi migrants want to return home from TN
The Pioneer, March 10, 2011
BIKASH KHEMKA | Bhawanipatna
Thirty eight inhabitants who had migrated to Tamil Nadu in search of better wage, lured by a local man two months back, now reportedly want to come back after being harassed by the part-time employer.
Report said that at least 40 labourers, including women and nine children aged about one to ten years, belonging to Brahmani village under Kandel gram panchayat in Kesinga block migrated to Tamil Nadu following the former -sarpanch of the nearby Matia village, Brushava Bhoi allegedly lured them by paying Rs 8,000 per head and assured them to get daily wage of Rs 300 so that they will have a better lifestyle than in their own village.
With restless work and alleged exploitation continuously for two months after getting a minimum wage of Rs 60, two workers Chhabi Majhi (35) and his son Dharani Majhi (16) managed to escape from the village of Amli near Titotani railway station of Tamil Nadu and took a sigh of relief when they reached Brahmani village. The rest of 36 still want to come back and are reportedly in miserable condition. When the relatives of the rest 36 migrants heard the entire story from Chhabi and Dharani they started wailing whether their son, son in-law, daughters and kin will come back or not.
Seven kuchha houses have been completely locked since the migration in Brahamani village and a 68 year old woman Hema Bati was requesting with folded hands to the reporters to bring back her son and son in-law at any cost and in few houses the old age fathers were witnessed of wailing for the arrival of his children.
However, though the villagers have reported the matter to Labour and Employment Minister Pushpendu Singh Deo and District Labour Officer, till now no Government officials have allegedly reached Brahmani village.
BIKASH KHEMKA | Bhawanipatna
Thirty eight inhabitants who had migrated to Tamil Nadu in search of better wage, lured by a local man two months back, now reportedly want to come back after being harassed by the part-time employer.
Report said that at least 40 labourers, including women and nine children aged about one to ten years, belonging to Brahmani village under Kandel gram panchayat in Kesinga block migrated to Tamil Nadu following the former -sarpanch of the nearby Matia village, Brushava Bhoi allegedly lured them by paying Rs 8,000 per head and assured them to get daily wage of Rs 300 so that they will have a better lifestyle than in their own village.
With restless work and alleged exploitation continuously for two months after getting a minimum wage of Rs 60, two workers Chhabi Majhi (35) and his son Dharani Majhi (16) managed to escape from the village of Amli near Titotani railway station of Tamil Nadu and took a sigh of relief when they reached Brahmani village. The rest of 36 still want to come back and are reportedly in miserable condition. When the relatives of the rest 36 migrants heard the entire story from Chhabi and Dharani they started wailing whether their son, son in-law, daughters and kin will come back or not.
Seven kuchha houses have been completely locked since the migration in Brahamani village and a 68 year old woman Hema Bati was requesting with folded hands to the reporters to bring back her son and son in-law at any cost and in few houses the old age fathers were witnessed of wailing for the arrival of his children.
However, though the villagers have reported the matter to Labour and Employment Minister Pushpendu Singh Deo and District Labour Officer, till now no Government officials have allegedly reached Brahmani village.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Response to a comment on HC branch in KBK?
Some people pointed that High Court Bench in Bhawanipatna instead of Sambalpur/Berhampur is motivated and it should be based on population, not by geography. We urgue them to read the article (Samaja, Aug 7, 2010) below (posting again) carefully.
(1) Lucknow High Court Bench was created based on severe work pressuer and load in Allahabad Hig Court whereas Cuttack HC does not have such problem.
(2) Shilong was created based on inaccessibility and backwardness in north eastern states where logic for KBK fits.
(3) If population is every thing, then in Odisha every thing should be located in Coastal Odisha where poulation is high, and not in Sambalpur (instead of Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Berhampur). For western Odisha it should go to Rourkela by population. Similarly in India every thing should be located in UP, Maharastra, West Bengal, Bihar etc and not in Odisha. IIT Bhubaneswar would have been located in Nagpur instead of Bhubaneswar as Bhubaneswar is 48th city by population in India.
(4) Our beleive is things should be located based on geography (regional basis), for which a town may be chosen in a region convinient to every one based on distance. IIT, NISER etc were located in Bhubaneswar based on reginal basis (state quota). In the country still many things are located based on regional basis (state basis). In odisha also University, medical college, engg college etc were established earlier in Sambalpur and Berhampur based on regional basis (geography), so were RDCs.
(5) As the communication between Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur/Berhampur has improved, to and fro communication is possible within a day, such regional development now should concentrate in far off remote and backward region like KBK. The direct rail connectivity from Bhubaneswar-Cuttack to KBK may take at least another two decades, that too to place like Bhawanipatna, Nabarangpur and Koraput, it is in doubt.
(6) Our guess is Bhawanipatna could be a central town suitable for all KBK-Kandhamal districts, where direct train communication to state capital or Cuttack may not be possible in next two decades. In that respect Bhawanipatna remains inaccessible for next two decades or more along with Koraput. If Khordha-Balangir railway is made by this time, it may help for Boudh, Sonepur and Balangir to have direct link with Bhubaneswar, but not for Bhawanipatna, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Ryagada, Malakangiri etc.
(7) However, for medical college, hospital and university we continue to argue each undivided disitrict of KBK should have at least ONE. Of course, any establishement including HC bench in KBK if there is more than ONE possibility, it should be distributed among KBK districts or in undivided district level.
(1) Lucknow High Court Bench was created based on severe work pressuer and load in Allahabad Hig Court whereas Cuttack HC does not have such problem.
(2) Shilong was created based on inaccessibility and backwardness in north eastern states where logic for KBK fits.
(3) If population is every thing, then in Odisha every thing should be located in Coastal Odisha where poulation is high, and not in Sambalpur (instead of Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Berhampur). For western Odisha it should go to Rourkela by population. Similarly in India every thing should be located in UP, Maharastra, West Bengal, Bihar etc and not in Odisha. IIT Bhubaneswar would have been located in Nagpur instead of Bhubaneswar as Bhubaneswar is 48th city by population in India.
(4) Our beleive is things should be located based on geography (regional basis), for which a town may be chosen in a region convinient to every one based on distance. IIT, NISER etc were located in Bhubaneswar based on reginal basis (state quota). In the country still many things are located based on regional basis (state basis). In odisha also University, medical college, engg college etc were established earlier in Sambalpur and Berhampur based on regional basis (geography), so were RDCs.
(5) As the communication between Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur/Berhampur has improved, to and fro communication is possible within a day, such regional development now should concentrate in far off remote and backward region like KBK. The direct rail connectivity from Bhubaneswar-Cuttack to KBK may take at least another two decades, that too to place like Bhawanipatna, Nabarangpur and Koraput, it is in doubt.
(6) Our guess is Bhawanipatna could be a central town suitable for all KBK-Kandhamal districts, where direct train communication to state capital or Cuttack may not be possible in next two decades. In that respect Bhawanipatna remains inaccessible for next two decades or more along with Koraput. If Khordha-Balangir railway is made by this time, it may help for Boudh, Sonepur and Balangir to have direct link with Bhubaneswar, but not for Bhawanipatna, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Ryagada, Malakangiri etc.
(7) However, for medical college, hospital and university we continue to argue each undivided disitrict of KBK should have at least ONE. Of course, any establishement including HC bench in KBK if there is more than ONE possibility, it should be distributed among KBK districts or in undivided district level.
Dr. Digambara Patra seeks University and Wagon Factory in Kalahandi
www.odishanewstoday.com, March 6, 2011
News Desk: Dr. Digambara Patra has sought early establishment of the Wagon Factory in Kalahandi. He also requested the government to convert the Bhawanipatna College into a University.
He urged the Chief Minister of Odisha and other relevant authorities to take necessary action so that growth and development takes the centrestage in Kalahandi. Here's what Dr. Patra has to say:
"It is astonishing how politics is being made against Kalahandi, a backward region in Koshal, for any new establishment coming to the region. It was for an engineering college in 1980s, then for a central university in 2000s and now for a Wagon Factory in 2010s.
Based on geography and accessibility Kalahandi region deserves a University since a long time. Late Biju Panaik had once promised to consider for a University in Kalahandi in due time.
The distance between Utkal University and Berhampur University is much shorter and better accessible than the distance between Bhawanipatna and any other University in the state including recently established Central University of Orissa at Koraput in KBK.
In last few months both the Higher Education Minister Dr Mishra and Chief Minister of Odisha Mr Patnaik separately visited Khallikote College and announced to make it a University soon.
Although Chief Minister Mr. Patnaik visited recently to Govt. Autonomous College Bhawanipatna on Feb 28, 2011, he did not announce to upgrade it to a State University despite there was a strong local speculation and expectation from the students.
The higher education task force in its report has recommended for up gradation of Govt. Autonomous College Bhawanipatna (GACB) to a state (affiliated) University and Khallikote College (KC) to a Unitary University. In the page 68 of the report it has also mentioned to finance up gradation of GACB in the year 2010-11 whereas in page 66 it mentions to start financing Khallikote College in the year 2012-2017. Thus, GACB should be made University before KC.
Beside that as per the convenience of students and faculties affiliated University in KBK is more urgent than a Unitary University for an Autonomous College in a stone through distance from an existing state University.
GACB has got Potential Center of Excellence by UGC much before than KC.Unfortunately, politics is spoiling the chance of Kalahandi’s development every time as there is no rationality in state Government judgment for the above.
A big question is why the state Government has sent the proposal for Wagon Factory in Ganjam instead of Kalahandi if there was no ill motivation when railway budget 2010-11 clearly mentions Bhubaneswar/Kalahandi for the same?
As per the news report Wagon Factory proposal in Kulti near Asansol in Bardhaman of West Bengal needs just 20-30 acres of land, privately railway ministry has also mentioned requirement of 30-40 acres of land for the same, in that respect why 500 acres of land in Ganjam is being proposed by the state Government and sent to Railway minister?
Was it just to divert the attention to favour a particular region, so that once site is identified by using 500 acres of land tag, it could be easily established in 50 acres in Ganjam?
There is plenty of sites having 30 -50 acres of Government non-forest and unused land near to railway lines in Kalahandi. In fact there are many sites where 500 acres of land can be allotted. If state Government was serious for the site in Kalahandi, the land requirement could be easily fulfilled.
As per information, the district administration in Kalahandi was never asked to find out the land requirement for the proposed Wagon Factory, than how could the land in Ganjam be identified before that?
When state Government is diverting forest land for mining and other industries against the local people’s will, it is strange why such thing is not possible in Kalahandi for a public sector less polluting Wagon Factory when local people are very much interested.
To our knowledge there are plenty of lands, more than 500 acres each, in Narla, Kesinga, Lanjigarh road, Jaring etc near the railway tracks, some of this lands are by name shake forest land as in reality they are no more forests, which can be easily used for establishing such a factory. More than 180 acres of non-forest Government unused land is also available near Sardar Medical College in Jaring adjacent to railway track.
On the other hand state Govt. is directly encouraging forest land having dense trees for Vedanta in the same Kalahandi district.
Whether forest or non-forest land, if the Government was serious for Kalahandi, land could be easily found and it is absolutely illogical to say land cannot be found for Wagon Factory in Kalahandi.
Railway ministry is even kind enough to express in the parliament on March 3, 2011 (Samaja, March 4, 2011) that if land is allotted in Kalahandi by the state Government, then it may establish second Wagon Factory in Kalahandi in the state.
In this respect if state Government does not send a new proposal for Kalahandi, the ill motivation of the state Government against Kalahandi will clearly be exposed.
I request you to kindly consider upgradation of GACB immediately to a state University and send another proposal to railway ministry identifying land for Wagon Factory in Kalahandi."
Dr. Digambara Patra is the Assistant Professor Department of Chemistry at the American University of Beirut.
News Desk: Dr. Digambara Patra has sought early establishment of the Wagon Factory in Kalahandi. He also requested the government to convert the Bhawanipatna College into a University.
He urged the Chief Minister of Odisha and other relevant authorities to take necessary action so that growth and development takes the centrestage in Kalahandi. Here's what Dr. Patra has to say:
"It is astonishing how politics is being made against Kalahandi, a backward region in Koshal, for any new establishment coming to the region. It was for an engineering college in 1980s, then for a central university in 2000s and now for a Wagon Factory in 2010s.
Based on geography and accessibility Kalahandi region deserves a University since a long time. Late Biju Panaik had once promised to consider for a University in Kalahandi in due time.
The distance between Utkal University and Berhampur University is much shorter and better accessible than the distance between Bhawanipatna and any other University in the state including recently established Central University of Orissa at Koraput in KBK.
In last few months both the Higher Education Minister Dr Mishra and Chief Minister of Odisha Mr Patnaik separately visited Khallikote College and announced to make it a University soon.
Although Chief Minister Mr. Patnaik visited recently to Govt. Autonomous College Bhawanipatna on Feb 28, 2011, he did not announce to upgrade it to a State University despite there was a strong local speculation and expectation from the students.
The higher education task force in its report has recommended for up gradation of Govt. Autonomous College Bhawanipatna (GACB) to a state (affiliated) University and Khallikote College (KC) to a Unitary University. In the page 68 of the report it has also mentioned to finance up gradation of GACB in the year 2010-11 whereas in page 66 it mentions to start financing Khallikote College in the year 2012-2017. Thus, GACB should be made University before KC.
Beside that as per the convenience of students and faculties affiliated University in KBK is more urgent than a Unitary University for an Autonomous College in a stone through distance from an existing state University.
GACB has got Potential Center of Excellence by UGC much before than KC.Unfortunately, politics is spoiling the chance of Kalahandi’s development every time as there is no rationality in state Government judgment for the above.
A big question is why the state Government has sent the proposal for Wagon Factory in Ganjam instead of Kalahandi if there was no ill motivation when railway budget 2010-11 clearly mentions Bhubaneswar/Kalahandi for the same?
As per the news report Wagon Factory proposal in Kulti near Asansol in Bardhaman of West Bengal needs just 20-30 acres of land, privately railway ministry has also mentioned requirement of 30-40 acres of land for the same, in that respect why 500 acres of land in Ganjam is being proposed by the state Government and sent to Railway minister?
Was it just to divert the attention to favour a particular region, so that once site is identified by using 500 acres of land tag, it could be easily established in 50 acres in Ganjam?
There is plenty of sites having 30 -50 acres of Government non-forest and unused land near to railway lines in Kalahandi. In fact there are many sites where 500 acres of land can be allotted. If state Government was serious for the site in Kalahandi, the land requirement could be easily fulfilled.
As per information, the district administration in Kalahandi was never asked to find out the land requirement for the proposed Wagon Factory, than how could the land in Ganjam be identified before that?
When state Government is diverting forest land for mining and other industries against the local people’s will, it is strange why such thing is not possible in Kalahandi for a public sector less polluting Wagon Factory when local people are very much interested.
To our knowledge there are plenty of lands, more than 500 acres each, in Narla, Kesinga, Lanjigarh road, Jaring etc near the railway tracks, some of this lands are by name shake forest land as in reality they are no more forests, which can be easily used for establishing such a factory. More than 180 acres of non-forest Government unused land is also available near Sardar Medical College in Jaring adjacent to railway track.
On the other hand state Govt. is directly encouraging forest land having dense trees for Vedanta in the same Kalahandi district.
Whether forest or non-forest land, if the Government was serious for Kalahandi, land could be easily found and it is absolutely illogical to say land cannot be found for Wagon Factory in Kalahandi.
Railway ministry is even kind enough to express in the parliament on March 3, 2011 (Samaja, March 4, 2011) that if land is allotted in Kalahandi by the state Government, then it may establish second Wagon Factory in Kalahandi in the state.
In this respect if state Government does not send a new proposal for Kalahandi, the ill motivation of the state Government against Kalahandi will clearly be exposed.
I request you to kindly consider upgradation of GACB immediately to a state University and send another proposal to railway ministry identifying land for Wagon Factory in Kalahandi."
Dr. Digambara Patra is the Assistant Professor Department of Chemistry at the American University of Beirut.
Ramdev empowers Kalahandi on Women's Day
The Pioneer, March 9, 2011
BIKASH KHEMKA | BHAWANIPATNA
The visit of yoga guru Baba Ramdev here on the International Women's Day not only empowered the women here, but also the men and children as he addressed and taught yoga to around 10,000 people at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium early morning on Tuesday.
As a part of his nationwide campaign christened Bharat Swabhiman Yatra and Nishulk Yoga Shivir, he has been spearheading the mass fight against corruption, retrieving of black money from abroad to India for national benefits and making a healthy India through his free yoga camp.
Carrying out his yoga training simultaneously with his general speech, Ramdev informed the audience that till now he has received lakhs of signatures from across the country which would be sent to the Government of India pressing the demand for bringing back the black money.
Citing the examples of women in Indian politics, he said that the women are becoming mahashakti (all powerful) and they should come forward with courage and self-confidence and added that the Indian women are now moving ahead in the country keeping in tune with the men.
Talking to mediapersons, he said that seats for women should be reserved in Parliament and Assembly and should also get their rights in health, education, sports, politics and business.
Boosting the women's confidence further, Ramdev said that there has been a misconception that the men are enjoying more power in the country while the truth is that woman is the mother of man and equally powerful.
Replying to the query if he would join politics, he categorically denied saying he would never enjoy the power, but would definitely try to save the country from corruption at any cost and advised the citizens to come forward and take the equal responsibility to save India from the corrupt Governments and leaders.
Ramdev also informed that a Swadeshi Udyog would be established by him in Kalahandi so that people would be benefited.He reached here after addressing the people at Junagarh and Dharmagarh on Monday followed by Raj Khariar, Sinapali and Boden block.
BIKASH KHEMKA | BHAWANIPATNA
The visit of yoga guru Baba Ramdev here on the International Women's Day not only empowered the women here, but also the men and children as he addressed and taught yoga to around 10,000 people at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium early morning on Tuesday.
As a part of his nationwide campaign christened Bharat Swabhiman Yatra and Nishulk Yoga Shivir, he has been spearheading the mass fight against corruption, retrieving of black money from abroad to India for national benefits and making a healthy India through his free yoga camp.
Carrying out his yoga training simultaneously with his general speech, Ramdev informed the audience that till now he has received lakhs of signatures from across the country which would be sent to the Government of India pressing the demand for bringing back the black money.
Citing the examples of women in Indian politics, he said that the women are becoming mahashakti (all powerful) and they should come forward with courage and self-confidence and added that the Indian women are now moving ahead in the country keeping in tune with the men.
Talking to mediapersons, he said that seats for women should be reserved in Parliament and Assembly and should also get their rights in health, education, sports, politics and business.
Boosting the women's confidence further, Ramdev said that there has been a misconception that the men are enjoying more power in the country while the truth is that woman is the mother of man and equally powerful.
Replying to the query if he would join politics, he categorically denied saying he would never enjoy the power, but would definitely try to save the country from corruption at any cost and advised the citizens to come forward and take the equal responsibility to save India from the corrupt Governments and leaders.
Ramdev also informed that a Swadeshi Udyog would be established by him in Kalahandi so that people would be benefited.He reached here after addressing the people at Junagarh and Dharmagarh on Monday followed by Raj Khariar, Sinapali and Boden block.
I won't be PM but will make one, says Baba Ramdev
The Pioneer, March 9, 2011
BISWAJIT PADHI | Nuapada
As yoga guru Baba Ramdev continued his campaign for a disease-free India, a 10,000-strong crowd at the Raja AT High School grounds at Khariar lapped every bit of his advice.
Starting his campaign from western Odisha under the Bharat Swabhiman Yatra, he used the three-hour Yoga Sibir to further his drive to propagate yoga as a medium for preventing diseases. He used the platform to vent his displeasure with corrupt people, both in Government and private arenas and advised these persons to shun greed by practising yoga.
Later, speaking to mediapersons at the venue, Swami Ramdev said his campaign was aimed at a disease-free country and development of the poor. He termed his insistence on the Government to bring back black money as a voice of a common man. "I am just raising voice as a common citizen, which is my democratic right," he added.
Replying to questions, he claimed that a majority share of his cash donations comes from lower and middle classes and whenever his Bharat Swabhiman Trust receives any big amount, it has to be in the shape of a draft or a cheque, which proves that it is accounted money of the donor. As a principle, the trust doesn't receive donations from wine and tobacco merchants, he said.
Speaking to this correspondent exclusively, Swamiji said, "Ramdev Baba will not himself become Prime Minister but will make the Prime Minister in near future." He has taken a political stand that can save the country from the present corrupt regime. Withdrawing all big denomination currency notes from circulation can remove black money to a great extent. Changing all systems like education which have a British legacy would be his other political priority, he added.
Already covering 50,000 kilometres on road, Baba Ramdev announced that he would be travelling more than 2 lakh km across the country under the Bharat Swabhiman Yatra to raise public awareness about black money and create pressure on the Government to bring back black money stashed away in Swiss banks.
BISWAJIT PADHI | Nuapada
As yoga guru Baba Ramdev continued his campaign for a disease-free India, a 10,000-strong crowd at the Raja AT High School grounds at Khariar lapped every bit of his advice.
Starting his campaign from western Odisha under the Bharat Swabhiman Yatra, he used the three-hour Yoga Sibir to further his drive to propagate yoga as a medium for preventing diseases. He used the platform to vent his displeasure with corrupt people, both in Government and private arenas and advised these persons to shun greed by practising yoga.
Later, speaking to mediapersons at the venue, Swami Ramdev said his campaign was aimed at a disease-free country and development of the poor. He termed his insistence on the Government to bring back black money as a voice of a common man. "I am just raising voice as a common citizen, which is my democratic right," he added.
Replying to questions, he claimed that a majority share of his cash donations comes from lower and middle classes and whenever his Bharat Swabhiman Trust receives any big amount, it has to be in the shape of a draft or a cheque, which proves that it is accounted money of the donor. As a principle, the trust doesn't receive donations from wine and tobacco merchants, he said.
Speaking to this correspondent exclusively, Swamiji said, "Ramdev Baba will not himself become Prime Minister but will make the Prime Minister in near future." He has taken a political stand that can save the country from the present corrupt regime. Withdrawing all big denomination currency notes from circulation can remove black money to a great extent. Changing all systems like education which have a British legacy would be his other political priority, he added.
Already covering 50,000 kilometres on road, Baba Ramdev announced that he would be travelling more than 2 lakh km across the country under the Bharat Swabhiman Yatra to raise public awareness about black money and create pressure on the Government to bring back black money stashed away in Swiss banks.
Orissa bats for Vedanta refinery
Times of India, March 9, 2011
BHUBANESWAR: The Orissa government on Tuesday moved Supreme Court challenging the Centre's decision to disallow bauxite mining in the Niyamgiri Hills for Vedanta's Rs 5,000-crore alumina refinery at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district.
The state government's move came six months after Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh on August 24 last year withdrew the permission to Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC) to mine the eco-sensitive Niyamgiri Hills, home to the primitive Dongaria Kondh tribals.
On October 21, Ramesh followed it up by rejecting Vedanta's application for expanding its refining capacity from one million to six million tonnes per annum and captive power plant from 75MW to 300MW.
Orissa steel and mines minister Raghunath Mohanty told TOI on Tuesday OMC had moved SC on mining the Niyamgiri Hills. He refused to divulge details. Sources said the state government had challenged the Centre's decision to re-examine issues the Supreme Court had earlier dealt with and settled. The SC in August 2008 gave the green signal to mine Niyamgiri through an OMC-Sterlite Industries joint venture. Sterlite is a Vedanta group arm.
But the Centre, after taking advice from the attorney-general, deputed two committees headed by retired bureaucrats N C Saxena and Meena Gupta to study forest law violations and decided not to allow mining.
Officials said the state government had three options: To obey the Union government order; to approach the Centre seeking review of the decision or move SC against the environment ministry directive.
If the state government accepts the central order, it has to provide 150 million tonne of bauxite to Vedanta in tune with its MoU signed in 2004. The state government moved SC seeking relief, like it has done in the Posco and Polavaram cases, an officer said.
Earlier, the Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta Aluminum Limited moved Orissa high court, seeking quashing of the Centre's decision stalling expansion of its refinery and captive plant at Lanjigarh. Last week, the HC completed hearing in the matter, but reserved its judgment.
The state government's move came six months after Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh on August 24 last year withdrew the permission to Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC) to mine the eco-sensitive Niyamgiri Hills, home to the primitive Dongaria Kondh tribals.
On October 21, Ramesh followed it up by rejecting Vedanta's application for expanding its refining capacity from one million to six million tonnes per annum and captive power plant from 75MW to 300MW.
Orissa steel and mines minister Raghunath Mohanty told TOI on Tuesday OMC had moved SC on mining the Niyamgiri Hills. He refused to divulge details. Sources said the state government had challenged the Centre's decision to re-examine issues the Supreme Court had earlier dealt with and settled. The SC in August 2008 gave the green signal to mine Niyamgiri through an OMC-Sterlite Industries joint venture. Sterlite is a Vedanta group arm.
But the Centre, after taking advice from the attorney-general, deputed two committees headed by retired bureaucrats N C Saxena and Meena Gupta to study forest law violations and decided not to allow mining.
Officials said the state government had three options: To obey the Union government order; to approach the Centre seeking review of the decision or move SC against the environment ministry directive.
If the state government accepts the central order, it has to provide 150 million tonne of bauxite to Vedanta in tune with its MoU signed in 2004. The state government moved SC seeking relief, like it has done in the Posco and Polavaram cases, an officer said.
Earlier, the Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta Aluminum Limited moved Orissa high court, seeking quashing of the Centre's decision stalling expansion of its refinery and captive plant at Lanjigarh. Last week, the HC completed hearing in the matter, but reserved its judgment.
The state government's move came six months after Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh on August 24 last year withdrew the permission to Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC) to mine the eco-sensitive Niyamgiri Hills, home to the primitive Dongaria Kondh tribals.
On October 21, Ramesh followed it up by rejecting Vedanta's application for expanding its refining capacity from one million to six million tonnes per annum and captive power plant from 75MW to 300MW.
Orissa steel and mines minister Raghunath Mohanty told TOI on Tuesday OMC had moved SC on mining the Niyamgiri Hills. He refused to divulge details. Sources said the state government had challenged the Centre's decision to re-examine issues the Supreme Court had earlier dealt with and settled. The SC in August 2008 gave the green signal to mine Niyamgiri through an OMC-Sterlite Industries joint venture. Sterlite is a Vedanta group arm.
But the Centre, after taking advice from the attorney-general, deputed two committees headed by retired bureaucrats N C Saxena and Meena Gupta to study forest law violations and decided not to allow mining.
Officials said the state government had three options: To obey the Union government order; to approach the Centre seeking review of the decision or move SC against the environment ministry directive.
If the state government accepts the central order, it has to provide 150 million tonne of bauxite to Vedanta in tune with its MoU signed in 2004. The state government moved SC seeking relief, like it has done in the Posco and Polavaram cases, an officer said.
Earlier, the Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta Aluminum Limited moved Orissa high court, seeking quashing of the Centre's decision stalling expansion of its refinery and captive plant at Lanjigarh. Last week, the HC completed hearing in the matter, but reserved its judgment.
The state government's move came six months after Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh on August 24 last year withdrew the permission to Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC) to mine the eco-sensitive Niyamgiri Hills, home to the primitive Dongaria Kondh tribals.
On October 21, Ramesh followed it up by rejecting Vedanta's application for expanding its refining capacity from one million to six million tonnes per annum and captive power plant from 75MW to 300MW.
Orissa steel and mines minister Raghunath Mohanty told TOI on Tuesday OMC had moved SC on mining the Niyamgiri Hills. He refused to divulge details. Sources said the state government had challenged the Centre's decision to re-examine issues the Supreme Court had earlier dealt with and settled. The SC in August 2008 gave the green signal to mine Niyamgiri through an OMC-Sterlite Industries joint venture. Sterlite is a Vedanta group arm.
But the Centre, after taking advice from the attorney-general, deputed two committees headed by retired bureaucrats N C Saxena and Meena Gupta to study forest law violations and decided not to allow mining.
Officials said the state government had three options: To obey the Union government order; to approach the Centre seeking review of the decision or move SC against the environment ministry directive.
If the state government accepts the central order, it has to provide 150 million tonne of bauxite to Vedanta in tune with its MoU signed in 2004. The state government moved SC seeking relief, like it has done in the Posco and Polavaram cases, an officer said.
Earlier, the Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta Aluminum Limited moved Orissa high court, seeking quashing of the Centre's decision stalling expansion of its refinery and captive plant at Lanjigarh. Last week, the HC completed hearing in the matter, but reserved its judgment.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
No let-up in Kalahandi college row: Demand for Full-fledged university status to the Govt. (A) College Bhawanipatna continues
No let-up in Kalahandi college row
The Pioneer, March 8 2011
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | BHAWANIPATNA
Baying for incumbent Collector Roopa Mishra’s scalp following the college union function fracas, the irate college students also boycotted the internal assessment examinations, which were scheduled to start on Monday morning.
The agitating students have been boycotting classes for the last four days.
The students’ union is irked over the alleged intervention of the District Collector in the union’s agenda that triggered unwarranted situation at the Golden Jubilee Celebration held on February 28 graced by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Since then, the students’ union has been adamant on its one-point demand seeking the District Magistrate (DM)’s transfer by boycotting classes and demonstrating inside the college premises.
With no response from the State Government, the union boycotted the internal assessment examinations finally and submitted a three-point charter of demands to the principal on Monday seeking transfer of the Kalahandi Collector, appointment of lecturers for the vacant posts and full-fledged university status to the college.
The Pioneer, March 8 2011
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | BHAWANIPATNA
Baying for incumbent Collector Roopa Mishra’s scalp following the college union function fracas, the irate college students also boycotted the internal assessment examinations, which were scheduled to start on Monday morning.
The agitating students have been boycotting classes for the last four days.
The students’ union is irked over the alleged intervention of the District Collector in the union’s agenda that triggered unwarranted situation at the Golden Jubilee Celebration held on February 28 graced by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Since then, the students’ union has been adamant on its one-point demand seeking the District Magistrate (DM)’s transfer by boycotting classes and demonstrating inside the college premises.
With no response from the State Government, the union boycotted the internal assessment examinations finally and submitted a three-point charter of demands to the principal on Monday seeking transfer of the Kalahandi Collector, appointment of lecturers for the vacant posts and full-fledged university status to the college.
Following article says 60 acre land has been earmarked for Kazipet near Secunderabad Wagon Factory, a coach factory that manufactures coaches for passenger trains needs about 150 acre land
NOTE: Why the politics of land by state Govt., even a coach factory needs 150 acres which Kalahandi can afford, confirmed source tells us Jaring in Kalahandi has minimum 180 acres of non-forest and Government land (Gochar) land, where railway line is being connected. Why state Govt. is insisting for 500 acres of land, it is not yet clear why?
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Feb 28, 2011
Feb. 27: Post the railway budget, there is still confusion as to whether Kazipet has been allocated a wagon-manufacturing unit or a wagon repair unit.
Both railway union leaders and politicians differ on this. According to railway union leaders, a wagon repair unit is set up on a small scale on 40-60 acre land and can provide employment opportunities to 1,500-2,000 people.
Whereas, a wagon manufacturing unit or a coach factory that manufactures coaches for passenger trains, needs about 150 acre land and can provide employment to over 10,000 people. However, railway sources claimed that between the two, they have no idea as to what has been allotted to Kazipet in the recent railway budget. “We will get a clear idea in 3-4 days, after the Railway Board sends the Kazipet unit’s proposal to GM, South Central Railway,” said K. Srinivas, president, SCR Majdoor Union (SCRMU), Secunderabad Division, which also includes Kazipet.
As of now, sources said out of the 60 acre earmarked for the wagon unit in Kazipet, the district administration has in its possession 49 acre in Madikonda while the rest 11 acre is still in possession of private parties. Even in the rail budget, the initial funds allocated for the proposed Kazipet unit is just Rs 20 crore, which sources said, has been given towards land acquisition and levelling works at the project site.
Madath Kalidas, 76, secretary, CPI state control commission, who has been agitating for either a wagon or a rail coach factory in Kazipet since 1976, said, “I think, it would be a wagon manufacturing unit on a small scale.”
Sources, meanwhile, have expressed fears that in case only a wagon repair unit is allotted in Kazipet, it would be the end to the long pending demand for a large-scale unit.
Similarly, city residents have lamented lack of mention of another long- pending demand of making Kazipet a separate division within the SCR in the rail budget. Presently, Kazipet railway station, which connects north and south India, comes under Secunderabad division.
Similarly, city residents have lamented lack of mention of another long- pending demand of making Kazipet a separate division within the SCR in the rail budget. Presently, Kazipet railway station, which connects north and south India, comes under Secunderabad division.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Snap Short of Parliment Discussion on Wagon Factory in Orissa and Kalahandi
Thanks to Prof. Chitta Baral for sharing this snap short of Parliament Discussion on March 3, 2011
Rly Budget: Khuntia bats for Odisha’s demands
The Pioneer, March 7, 2011
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | BHUBANESWAR
Participating in the debate on the current Railway Budget in the Upper House of the Parliament on Friday, Rajya Sabha member Rama Chandra Khuntia dubbed it as a Budget catering to the needs of aam admi and pressed his litany of demands for Odisha.
Khuntia observed that the backward States of Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand should be given more emphasis and funds must be allocated rationally to the three neighbours.
He demanded that the proposed railway coach factory should be set up in Kalahandi while the proposed railway medical college and hospital should be set up in Rourkela apart from linking the holy Aradi Kshetra and Biraja Kshetra with railway connectivity.
Khuntia also demanded that two new divisions should be opened at Jajpur Road and Rayagada while the other plethora of longstanding projects of the State should be completed at the earliest inclusive of gauge conversions.
Among his other demands, he highlighted on the Multi Model Logistic Railway Parks at Kalinga Nagar, Angul, Jharsuguda, Rourkela and Choudwar. Khuntia also pressed for the stoppages of Rajdhani Express, Falaknama Express and Coromondal Express at the Jajpur Road-Keonjhar Road and for a second flyover bridge at the Jajpur Road station.
Arguing in favour of the agitated Talcher locals, he also demanded that since the Railways earn over `5 crore of revenue from the station per day, it must be modernised and almost all the express trains passing through it ought to be stopped for the benefits of the local passengers.
Congress member bats for State
Expressbuzz, March 7, 2011
BHUBANESWAR: Rajya Sabha member Ramchandra Khuntia has demanded that the Railways should set up a coach factory in Kalahandi district and a medical college in Rourkela as announced without further delay.
Participating in the discussion on the Railway Budget on Friday, Khuntia demanded more allocations for backward states like Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand in the budget.
Khuntia demanded creation of two new railway divisions at Jajpur-Keonjhar Road and Rayagada. He said adequate funds should be made available for the completion of Lanjigarh Road-Junagarh, Khurda- Balangir, Haridaspur-Paradip, Angul-Duburi, Talcher-Kanikagarh, Rupsa-Bangiroposhi gauge conversion projects, Nuapada-Gunupur Road, Talcher-Gopalpur, Puri-Konark, Rupsa-Bangiriposhi to Gorumahisani, Talcher-Chhendipada, Bhadrachalam-Malkangiri railway line projects.
The Congress member said a railway line survey should be conducted from Keonjhar Road to Dhamra port via Akhandalamani. Besides, multi-model logistic railway park should be announced at Kalinga Nagar, Angul, Jharsuguda, Rourkela and Choudwar.
He also demanded stoppage of Rajdhani Express, Faluknama Express and Coromandel Express at Jajpur Road and Keonjhar Road stations. Since Railway is earning Rs.5 crore daily from Talcher railway station, it should be connected with all the express trains. A second flyover should be constructed at Jajpur Road station besides modernisation.
He, however, said the Railway Budget is meant for the aam aadmi. The proposals to lay 1,300 km new railway lines, doubling of 867 km and gauge conversion of 1,017 km are illustrative of this, he reasoned.
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | BHUBANESWAR
Participating in the debate on the current Railway Budget in the Upper House of the Parliament on Friday, Rajya Sabha member Rama Chandra Khuntia dubbed it as a Budget catering to the needs of aam admi and pressed his litany of demands for Odisha.
Khuntia observed that the backward States of Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand should be given more emphasis and funds must be allocated rationally to the three neighbours.
He demanded that the proposed railway coach factory should be set up in Kalahandi while the proposed railway medical college and hospital should be set up in Rourkela apart from linking the holy Aradi Kshetra and Biraja Kshetra with railway connectivity.
Khuntia also demanded that two new divisions should be opened at Jajpur Road and Rayagada while the other plethora of longstanding projects of the State should be completed at the earliest inclusive of gauge conversions.
Among his other demands, he highlighted on the Multi Model Logistic Railway Parks at Kalinga Nagar, Angul, Jharsuguda, Rourkela and Choudwar. Khuntia also pressed for the stoppages of Rajdhani Express, Falaknama Express and Coromondal Express at the Jajpur Road-Keonjhar Road and for a second flyover bridge at the Jajpur Road station.
Arguing in favour of the agitated Talcher locals, he also demanded that since the Railways earn over `5 crore of revenue from the station per day, it must be modernised and almost all the express trains passing through it ought to be stopped for the benefits of the local passengers.
Congress member bats for State
Expressbuzz, March 7, 2011
BHUBANESWAR: Rajya Sabha member Ramchandra Khuntia has demanded that the Railways should set up a coach factory in Kalahandi district and a medical college in Rourkela as announced without further delay.
Participating in the discussion on the Railway Budget on Friday, Khuntia demanded more allocations for backward states like Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand in the budget.
Khuntia demanded creation of two new railway divisions at Jajpur-Keonjhar Road and Rayagada. He said adequate funds should be made available for the completion of Lanjigarh Road-Junagarh, Khurda- Balangir, Haridaspur-Paradip, Angul-Duburi, Talcher-Kanikagarh, Rupsa-Bangiroposhi gauge conversion projects, Nuapada-Gunupur Road, Talcher-Gopalpur, Puri-Konark, Rupsa-Bangiriposhi to Gorumahisani, Talcher-Chhendipada, Bhadrachalam-Malkangiri railway line projects.
The Congress member said a railway line survey should be conducted from Keonjhar Road to Dhamra port via Akhandalamani. Besides, multi-model logistic railway park should be announced at Kalinga Nagar, Angul, Jharsuguda, Rourkela and Choudwar.
He also demanded stoppage of Rajdhani Express, Faluknama Express and Coromandel Express at Jajpur Road and Keonjhar Road stations. Since Railway is earning Rs.5 crore daily from Talcher railway station, it should be connected with all the express trains. A second flyover should be constructed at Jajpur Road station besides modernisation.
He, however, said the Railway Budget is meant for the aam aadmi. The proposals to lay 1,300 km new railway lines, doubling of 867 km and gauge conversion of 1,017 km are illustrative of this, he reasoned.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Sacked Naik ups ante against K’handi BJD chief Majhi
The Pioneer, March 6, 2011
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE, BHAWANIPATNA
It appears that the recent tour of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to Kalahandi has made a crack in his own party.
While district Biju Janta Dal president Balabhadra Majhi is holding his own party leader Jayanta Naik responsible for the unwanted situation triggered at the college function on February 28, Jayanta, in his turn, has accused Majhi.
On the other hand, the irate college union is up in arms against the District Collector Roopa Mishra by boycotting their classes and demanding her transfer from the district.
Convening a Press conference on Saturday here, beleaguered Jayanta alleged that a conspiracy is being hatched against him by the BJD leaders here to expel from the party as he had contested the last Assembly election here.
Balabhadra had unanimously passed a resolution at a party meeting on Thursday and stated in a Press note that Jayanta has been expelled from the party.
In retaliation, Jayanta voiced against his own party leaders at a Press conference here on Saturday.
Jayanta further alleged that even his own party leaders had neither supported him nor voted in his favour in the last Assembly election and demanded that as Balabhadra himself had invited the Chief Minister to the college function, he is solely responsible for such fracas on the day and should be expelled first.
Jayant also exuded confidence on the Biju Janta Dal State president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik not to accord his seal of approval to his expulsion as he had no role to play at the college function.
College function row stokes intra-BJD blame game
March 06, 2011 7:20:58 PM
BIKASH KHEMKA, BHAWANIPATNA
The unwarranted situation, that cropped up at the college function graced by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here on February 28, has turned into an intra-party political blame-game as district Biju Janta Dal (BJD) president Balabhadra Majhi passed the buck to his own party worker Jayanta Naik.
Notably, Naik had contested for the Assembly constituency here and had got trounced in the last General Elections.
As per a Press release issued by the district Biju Janta Dal (BJD), Naik has been expelled from the party after being unanimously decided at a meeting held at its office here on Thursday.
On being queried that the college students are up in arms against District Collector Roopa Mishra for such an unwanted situation while the BJD is accusing Naik instead, Majhi replied that being the chairperson of the Government Autonomous College here.
She has the prerogative to have an alteration in the agenda at any moment, but the party workers unanimously decided that Jayanta was responsible for such a fracas on the day and have expelled him from the party as the party leaders felt that only at Jayanta's instigation, the disturbance at the college function got triggered.
On the other hand, beleaguered Jayanta has reportedly tightened up his belt to spit venom against his own party leaders at a Press conference to be held on Saturday and some of the local Biju Janta Dal (BJD) leaders would defend him as they were also seated on the dais.
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE, BHAWANIPATNA
It appears that the recent tour of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to Kalahandi has made a crack in his own party.
While district Biju Janta Dal president Balabhadra Majhi is holding his own party leader Jayanta Naik responsible for the unwanted situation triggered at the college function on February 28, Jayanta, in his turn, has accused Majhi.
On the other hand, the irate college union is up in arms against the District Collector Roopa Mishra by boycotting their classes and demanding her transfer from the district.
Convening a Press conference on Saturday here, beleaguered Jayanta alleged that a conspiracy is being hatched against him by the BJD leaders here to expel from the party as he had contested the last Assembly election here.
Balabhadra had unanimously passed a resolution at a party meeting on Thursday and stated in a Press note that Jayanta has been expelled from the party.
In retaliation, Jayanta voiced against his own party leaders at a Press conference here on Saturday.
Jayanta further alleged that even his own party leaders had neither supported him nor voted in his favour in the last Assembly election and demanded that as Balabhadra himself had invited the Chief Minister to the college function, he is solely responsible for such fracas on the day and should be expelled first.
Jayant also exuded confidence on the Biju Janta Dal State president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik not to accord his seal of approval to his expulsion as he had no role to play at the college function.
College function row stokes intra-BJD blame game
March 06, 2011 7:20:58 PM
BIKASH KHEMKA, BHAWANIPATNA
The unwarranted situation, that cropped up at the college function graced by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here on February 28, has turned into an intra-party political blame-game as district Biju Janta Dal (BJD) president Balabhadra Majhi passed the buck to his own party worker Jayanta Naik.
Notably, Naik had contested for the Assembly constituency here and had got trounced in the last General Elections.
As per a Press release issued by the district Biju Janta Dal (BJD), Naik has been expelled from the party after being unanimously decided at a meeting held at its office here on Thursday.
On being queried that the college students are up in arms against District Collector Roopa Mishra for such an unwanted situation while the BJD is accusing Naik instead, Majhi replied that being the chairperson of the Government Autonomous College here.
She has the prerogative to have an alteration in the agenda at any moment, but the party workers unanimously decided that Jayanta was responsible for such a fracas on the day and have expelled him from the party as the party leaders felt that only at Jayanta's instigation, the disturbance at the college function got triggered.
On the other hand, beleaguered Jayanta has reportedly tightened up his belt to spit venom against his own party leaders at a Press conference to be held on Saturday and some of the local Biju Janta Dal (BJD) leaders would defend him as they were also seated on the dais.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Upgrade GACB to state University and send 2nd proposal for Wagon Factory site in Kalahandi
To
Chief Minister of Odisha, Sri Patnaik
CC
MPs from Odisha
Intelectuals of Odisha
Dear Honorable Chief Minister Sri Patnaik,
It is astonishing how politics is being made against Kalahandi, a backward region in Koshal, for any new establishment coming to the region. It was for an engineering college in 1980s, then for a central university in 2000s and now for a Wagon Factory in 2010s.
Based on geography and accessibility Kalahandi region deserves a University since a long time. Late Biju Panaik had once promised to consider for a University in Kalahandi in due time.
The distance between Utkal University and Berhampur University is much shorter and better accessible than the distance between Bhawanipatna and any other University in the state including recently established Central University of Orissa at Koraput in KBK.
In last few months both the Higher Education Minister Dr Mishra and Chief Minister of Odisha Mr Patnaik separately visited Khallikote College and announced to make it a University soon.
Although Chief Minister Mr. Patnaik visited recently to Govt. Autonomous College Bhawanipatna on Feb 28, 2011, he did not announce to upgrade it to a State University despite there was a strong local speculation and expectation from the students.
The higher education task force in its report has recommended for up gradation of Govt. Autonomous College Bhawanipatna (GACB) to a state (affiliated) University and Khallikote College (KC) to a Unitary University. In the page 68 of the report it has also mentioned to finance up gradation of GACB in the year 2010-11 whereas in page 66 it mentions to start financing Khallikote College in the year 2012-2017. Thus, GACB should be made University before KC.
Beside that as per the convenience of students and faculties affiliated University in KBK is more urgent than a Unitary University for an Autonomous College in a stone through distance from an existing state University.
GACB has got Potential Center of Excellence by UGC much before than KC.
Unfortunately, politics is spoiling the chance of Kalahandi’s development every time as there is no rationality in state Government judgment for the above.
A big question is why the state Government has sent the proposal for Wagon Factory in Ganjam instead of Kalahandi if there was no ill motivation when railway budget 2010-11 clearly mentions Bhubaneswar/Kalahandi for the same?
As per the news report Wagon Factory proposal in Kulti near Asansol in Bardhaman of West Bengal needs just 20-30 acres of land, privately railway ministry has also mentioned requirement of 30-40 acres of land for the same, in that respect why 500 acres of land in Ganjam is being proposed by the state Government and sent to Railway minister?
Was it just to divert the attention to favour a particular region, so that once site is identified by using 500 acres of land tag, it could be easily established in 50 acres in Ganjam?
There is plenty of sites having 30 -50 acres of Government non-forest and unused land near to railway lines in Kalahandi. In fact there are many sites where 500 acres of land can be allotted. If state Government was serious for the site in Kalahandi, the land requirement could be easily fulfilled.
As per information, the district administration in Kalahandi was never asked to find out the land requirement for the proposed Wagon Factory, than how could the land in Ganjam be identified before that?
When state Government is diverting forest land for mining and other industries against the local people’s will, it is strange why such thing is not possible in Kalahandi for a public sector less polluting Wagon Factory when local people are very much interested.
To our knowledge there are plenty of lands, more than 500 acres each, in Narla, Kesinga, Lanjigarh road, Jaring etc near the railway tracks, some of this lands are by name shake forest land as in reality they are no more forests, which can be easily used for establishing such a factory. More than 180 acres of non-forest Government unused land is also available near Sardar Medical College in Jaring adjacent to railway track.
On the other hand state Govt. is directly encouraging forest land having dense trees for Vedanta in the same Kalahandi district.
Whether forest or non-forest land, if the Government was serious for Kalahandi, land could be easily found and it is absolutely illogical to say land can not be found for Wagon Factory in Kalahandi.
Railway ministry is even kind enough to express in the parliament on March 3, 2011 (Samaja, March 4, 2011) that if land is allotted in Kalahandi by the state Government, then it may establish second Wagon Factory in Kalahandi in the state.
In this respect if state Government does not send a new proposal for Kalahandi, the ill motivation of the state Government against Kalahandi will clearly be exposed.
I request you to kindly consider up gradation of GACB immediately to a state University and send another proposal to railway ministry identifying land for Wagon Factory in Kalahandi.
Hope you take the necessary step.
With best regards
Digambara Patra
Supporting information forwarded:
The Wagon Factory in Kulti, West Bengal would be set up in 12 acres of land offered by SAIL whereas Karnataka offered 100 acres of land to establish a Wagon Facotry, in that respect Kalahandi could easily offered 100 acres of non-forest and unused land near Jaring, Narla, Kesinga,or any other palce.
The state Govt politics and bureaucratic lobby is getting exposed against Kalahandi.
With best regards
Digambara Patra
New Wagon Factory to be built at Kulti
The Wagon Factory in Kulti, West Bengal would be set up in 12 acres of land offered by SAIL. (Reported by many media including in Statesman, this one is from Frontier India on Sept 14, 2010)
http://frontierindia.net/new-wagon-factory-to-be-built-at-kulti
Karnataka offers 100 acres of land for Wagon Factory. (Decan Herals, Feb 25, 2011)
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/141221/state-gets-wagon-factory-suburban.html
Chief Minister of Odisha, Sri Patnaik
CC
MPs from Odisha
Intelectuals of Odisha
Dear Honorable Chief Minister Sri Patnaik,
It is astonishing how politics is being made against Kalahandi, a backward region in Koshal, for any new establishment coming to the region. It was for an engineering college in 1980s, then for a central university in 2000s and now for a Wagon Factory in 2010s.
Based on geography and accessibility Kalahandi region deserves a University since a long time. Late Biju Panaik had once promised to consider for a University in Kalahandi in due time.
The distance between Utkal University and Berhampur University is much shorter and better accessible than the distance between Bhawanipatna and any other University in the state including recently established Central University of Orissa at Koraput in KBK.
In last few months both the Higher Education Minister Dr Mishra and Chief Minister of Odisha Mr Patnaik separately visited Khallikote College and announced to make it a University soon.
Although Chief Minister Mr. Patnaik visited recently to Govt. Autonomous College Bhawanipatna on Feb 28, 2011, he did not announce to upgrade it to a State University despite there was a strong local speculation and expectation from the students.
The higher education task force in its report has recommended for up gradation of Govt. Autonomous College Bhawanipatna (GACB) to a state (affiliated) University and Khallikote College (KC) to a Unitary University. In the page 68 of the report it has also mentioned to finance up gradation of GACB in the year 2010-11 whereas in page 66 it mentions to start financing Khallikote College in the year 2012-2017. Thus, GACB should be made University before KC.
Beside that as per the convenience of students and faculties affiliated University in KBK is more urgent than a Unitary University for an Autonomous College in a stone through distance from an existing state University.
GACB has got Potential Center of Excellence by UGC much before than KC.
Unfortunately, politics is spoiling the chance of Kalahandi’s development every time as there is no rationality in state Government judgment for the above.
A big question is why the state Government has sent the proposal for Wagon Factory in Ganjam instead of Kalahandi if there was no ill motivation when railway budget 2010-11 clearly mentions Bhubaneswar/Kalahandi for the same?
As per the news report Wagon Factory proposal in Kulti near Asansol in Bardhaman of West Bengal needs just 20-30 acres of land, privately railway ministry has also mentioned requirement of 30-40 acres of land for the same, in that respect why 500 acres of land in Ganjam is being proposed by the state Government and sent to Railway minister?
Was it just to divert the attention to favour a particular region, so that once site is identified by using 500 acres of land tag, it could be easily established in 50 acres in Ganjam?
There is plenty of sites having 30 -50 acres of Government non-forest and unused land near to railway lines in Kalahandi. In fact there are many sites where 500 acres of land can be allotted. If state Government was serious for the site in Kalahandi, the land requirement could be easily fulfilled.
As per information, the district administration in Kalahandi was never asked to find out the land requirement for the proposed Wagon Factory, than how could the land in Ganjam be identified before that?
When state Government is diverting forest land for mining and other industries against the local people’s will, it is strange why such thing is not possible in Kalahandi for a public sector less polluting Wagon Factory when local people are very much interested.
To our knowledge there are plenty of lands, more than 500 acres each, in Narla, Kesinga, Lanjigarh road, Jaring etc near the railway tracks, some of this lands are by name shake forest land as in reality they are no more forests, which can be easily used for establishing such a factory. More than 180 acres of non-forest Government unused land is also available near Sardar Medical College in Jaring adjacent to railway track.
On the other hand state Govt. is directly encouraging forest land having dense trees for Vedanta in the same Kalahandi district.
Whether forest or non-forest land, if the Government was serious for Kalahandi, land could be easily found and it is absolutely illogical to say land can not be found for Wagon Factory in Kalahandi.
Railway ministry is even kind enough to express in the parliament on March 3, 2011 (Samaja, March 4, 2011) that if land is allotted in Kalahandi by the state Government, then it may establish second Wagon Factory in Kalahandi in the state.
In this respect if state Government does not send a new proposal for Kalahandi, the ill motivation of the state Government against Kalahandi will clearly be exposed.
I request you to kindly consider up gradation of GACB immediately to a state University and send another proposal to railway ministry identifying land for Wagon Factory in Kalahandi.
Hope you take the necessary step.
With best regards
Digambara Patra
Supporting information forwarded:
The Wagon Factory in Kulti, West Bengal would be set up in 12 acres of land offered by SAIL whereas Karnataka offered 100 acres of land to establish a Wagon Facotry, in that respect Kalahandi could easily offered 100 acres of non-forest and unused land near Jaring, Narla, Kesinga,or any other palce.
The state Govt politics and bureaucratic lobby is getting exposed against Kalahandi.
With best regards
Digambara Patra
New Wagon Factory to be built at Kulti
The Wagon Factory in Kulti, West Bengal would be set up in 12 acres of land offered by SAIL. (Reported by many media including in Statesman, this one is from Frontier India on Sept 14, 2010)
http://frontierindia.net/new-wagon-factory-to-be-built-at-kulti
Karnataka offers 100 acres of land for Wagon Factory. (Decan Herals, Feb 25, 2011)
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/141221/state-gets-wagon-factory-suburban.html
The Wagon Factory in Kulti, West Bengal would come in 12 acres of land offered by SAIL
NOTE: The Wagon Factory in Kulti, West Bengal would be set up in 12 acres of land offered by SAIL whereas Karnataka offered 100 acres of land to establish a Wagon Facotry, in that respect Kalahandi could easily offered 100 acres of non-forest and unused land near Jaring, Narla, Kesinga, etc. The state Govt politics and bureaucratic lobby is getting exposed.
New Wagon Factory to be built at Kulti
Frontline India, Sept 14, 2010
The Public Sector Undertaking of Ministry of Railways namely RITES Limited signed a joint venture agreement with the Public Sector Undertaking of Ministry of Steel namely Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) for setting up a Wagon Manufacturing Factory in Joint Venture (JV) at Kulti near Asansol in Bardhman district of West Bengal.
Minister of Railways, Mamata Banerjee had announced the setting up of the wagon factory in the Railway Budget 2010-11, along with four locations are Secunderabad, Bhubaneshwar/Kalahandi, Haldia and Guwahati.The proposed joint venture Wagon Manufacturing Factory is planned to be equipped to handle 1500 wagons per annum (manufacture of 1200 wagons and rehabilitation of 300 wagons). The factory is expected to manufacture BOXN type wagons including specialized high end wagons. It can also undertake manufacturing modern Stainless Steel wagons with marginal investment in plant and machinery. The project cost is envisaged to be around Rs. 85 crores in Phase-I going upto Rs. 120 crore in Phase-II. In May, 2010, SAIL and RITES entered into a MoU for setting up this factory. Feasibility study was subsequently conducted by both the organisations.
SAIL will provide land measuring about 12 acres inside SAIL Growth Works (SGW), Kulti. The plant is envisaged to be erected and commissioned within 14 months from the date of incorporation of the joint venture company.
State gets wagon factory, suburban trains
Decan Herald, Feb 25, 2011
Mamata Banerjee may have upset many states by her attempts to woo West Bengal voters with more projects, but the railway minister -who presented her budget in the Parliament on Friday- did not let down Karnataka.
In fact ‘Didi’ has actually been liberal, sanctioning a wagon-manufacturing unit at Kolar which is represented in the Lok Sabha by her junior colleague K H Muniyappa. She has also granted several DEMUs-suburban trains. Kolar has something more to cheer about as Muniyappa has succeeded in getting more for his constituency.
Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, in a recent letter to the Railway Minister, had requested a wagon-making factory and promised to give 100 acre land and other infrastructure.
The State was granted seven sub-urban trains — six sub-urban local trains DEMU (Diesel Electrical Multiple Unit) and a MEMU (Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit) train services. Of the six DEMUs, three will connect Bangalore with neighbouring towns such as Bangarpet, Dharmapuri and Kolar and rest are Kacheguda-Raichur, Raichur-Gadwal, Marikuppam-Bagarpet. One MEMU will run from Bangarpet and Kuppam.
The eight new express trains would only run or connect the southern part of the state causing disappointment to north Karnataka. However, extension of some of the trains is certain to delight passengers as the railway minister has granted long-standing demands such as extension of Yeshwanthpur -Mangalore train to Karwar, Mysore-Shimoga Train. to Talaguppa, Hyderabad-Wadi Express train to Gulbarga.
Extending Train Management System to Bangalore station would help passengers get information on running trains, while Bangalore City station would also get modern trolleys with rail yatri sevaks.
The pre-feasibility study for Chennai-Bangalore golden railway corridor, which the Minister had announced, is a significant step forward in realising setting up an industrial corridor between the two cities. Though Karnataka has been insisting that the corridor should be extended till Belgaum, the study limits itself to Bangalore.
Setting up a polytechnic at Hubli-Dharwad will help northern Karnataka students to get skill development training.
The announcement of survey for 16 new railway lines, including doubling of Bangalore-Hubli, Birur Shimoga, has raised hopes for the people of the region that would benefit them in the long run.
The Railway Minister sanctioned five new projects involving an investment of of Rs 1996.90 crore to construct 364 km railway line. As a first step, Rs 15 crore has been earmarked in this budget.
Projects announced for Karnataka are likely to increase the state railway network to 25 per cent from 15 per cent in 2008-09, claimed the Minister of State for Railway.
Mamata also said Rs 873.79 crore has been allocated in the budget for the state for on-going projects --including construction of new lines, gauge conversion, doubling and electrification. Last year, the sum was only Rs 532 crore. "With the increase of allocation in this year's budget, compared to the last year, the railways ministry is keen to enhance the infrastructure in the state,” the minister said.
The state was hoping to get nod for many more long pending projects like Bangalore-Chamarajnagar-Satyamangala, Kadur-Chickmaglur-Sakaleshpur, Bidar-Gulbarga, Munirabad-Mehboobnagar, but none of them were considered in the budget.
Center is ready for Wagon Factory in Kalahandi, but state Govt. proposes in Ganjam
Samaja, March 5, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Seven Dropped from Congress Working Committee
Outlook, March 24, 2011
The much-awaited reshuffle of the Congress hierarchy, which took place today, saw the exit of seven members from the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and two general secretaries Mohsina Kidwai and V Narayanasamy who was recently made Minister of State in PMO.
Veteran party leader Arjun Singh, one of the seven dropped from the CWC, passed away a few hours later.
Azad is looking after poll-bound Tamil Nadu and now has also been made in-charge of Andhra Pradesh, where party is grappling with a number of issues including the separate statehood for Telangana.
Wasnik, who was in-charge of Bihar, where the party met a crushing defeat in the Assembly polls in November, will now look after only Rajasthan.
G Venkataswamy, a senior leader from Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh, who attacked her recently, is also out of the CWC.
The exercise coming three months after the authorisation given to her also saw the exit of CWC member K Keshava Rao who was in-charge of poll-bound West Bengal as also Jharkhand.
Others who have not been renominated to the CWC are Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Union Ministers Mallikarjun Kharge, V Narayanasamy and senior MP Kishore Chandra Deo.
Those retained in the CWC besides Rahul Gandhi are senior ministers Pranab Mukherjee, A K Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ambika Soni and senior leaders Motilal Vora, Digvijay Singh, Janardan Dwivedi.
Oscar Fernandes has been promoted to CWC, the highest policy-making body of the party, and made a general secretary. Home Minister P Chidambaram, who is a member of the elite Core Group, has been made a Permanent Invitee for the CWC.
Senior leader Ahmed Patel, who retains his position as political secretary to Congress President, will continue to be part of the CWC, which will now have 19 members including Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Dropped from the CWC, Arjun Singh and Mohsina Kidwai have been made permanent invitees of the body.
Satyavrat Chaturvedi, who is often at the centre of controversies because of statements against allies, has been removed as a permanent invitee.
Besides the incumbents, Rahul Gandhi, Digvijay Singh, B K Hariprasad, Azad, Janardan Dwivedi and Mukul Wasnik, the new general secretaries are Birender Singh, Madhusudan Mistry and Fernandes.
Andhra Pradesh, which has sent the largest number of Congress MPs in two successive elections, does not find a place in the reconstituted CWC.
A K Antony is no more in-charge of Maharashtra, which will now be looked after by Mohan Prakash, who was earlier AICC secretary assisting Antony in the state affairs.
Prakash, a party spokesman, is now elevated as a CWC member. He will also look after Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir.
Another party spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed, too has become a CWC member and will be looking after poll-bound West Bengal, Jharkhand and Andaman and Nicobar.
Mohsina Kidwai has now been made in-charge of Mahila Congress with party MP Priya Dutt to assist her as AICC secretary.
Newly appointed CWC member Gulchain Singh Charak has been made incharge of Bihar in place of Wasnik.
Charak will also be in-charge of Punjab and Chandigarh.
Union Ministers M Veerappa Moily and Vilasrao Deshmukh and former Union Minister Saifuddin Soz and C K Jaffer Sharief are no longer permanent invitees to the CWC.
Paying special attention to Uttar Pradesh, where assembly elections are due next year, the party has made Union Minister Beni Prasad Verma as permanent invitee and Raj Babbar, Nirmal Khatri and Anil Shastri as special invitees.
Rahul Gandhi would continue to look after NSUI and Youth Congress.
G Sanjeeva Reddy, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, has been retained as a special invitee to the CWC on account of his being the head of INTUC.
Hemo Prova Saikia, wife of late Assam Chief Minister Hiteshwar Saikia, and Sushila Tiriya from Orissa have also been brought to the CWC while former Nagaland Chief Minister S C Jamir has been made a permanent invitee so also M V Rajsekharan from Karnataka.
The party has appointed as many as 33 secretaries including party MPs Sanjay Nirupam, Ashok Tanwar, Avinash Pandey, Bhakt Charan Das, Meenakshi Natarajan, Pervej Hashmi, RC Khuntiya, Tarachand Bhagora and V Hanumanth Rao and Vijay Lakshmi Sadho.
Former Orissa PCC President Jaydev Jena and Shanimol Usman, a Mahila Congress leader from Kerala, have also been made secretaries. Usman as well as Jeetendra Singh and Meenakshi Natarajan will be assisting Rahul Gandhi.
Party's media department chief Janardan Dwivedi said that the AICC departments have not been reconstituted and it could be effected soon.
The name of Tom Vadakkan, who was handling media affairs as AICC secretary, does not figure in the new list of secretaries.
With assembly election in Punjab due next year, former MP Jagmeet Singh Brar has been made a permanent invitee to the CWC and in-charge of Goa, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
Birender Singh, who has been made general secretary, has been given charge of Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
The much-awaited reshuffle of the Congress hierarchy, which took place today, saw the exit of seven members from the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and two general secretaries Mohsina Kidwai and V Narayanasamy who was recently made Minister of State in PMO.
Veteran party leader Arjun Singh, one of the seven dropped from the CWC, passed away a few hours later.
Azad is looking after poll-bound Tamil Nadu and now has also been made in-charge of Andhra Pradesh, where party is grappling with a number of issues including the separate statehood for Telangana.
Wasnik, who was in-charge of Bihar, where the party met a crushing defeat in the Assembly polls in November, will now look after only Rajasthan.
G Venkataswamy, a senior leader from Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh, who attacked her recently, is also out of the CWC.
The exercise coming three months after the authorisation given to her also saw the exit of CWC member K Keshava Rao who was in-charge of poll-bound West Bengal as also Jharkhand.
Others who have not been renominated to the CWC are Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Union Ministers Mallikarjun Kharge, V Narayanasamy and senior MP Kishore Chandra Deo.
Those retained in the CWC besides Rahul Gandhi are senior ministers Pranab Mukherjee, A K Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ambika Soni and senior leaders Motilal Vora, Digvijay Singh, Janardan Dwivedi.
Oscar Fernandes has been promoted to CWC, the highest policy-making body of the party, and made a general secretary. Home Minister P Chidambaram, who is a member of the elite Core Group, has been made a Permanent Invitee for the CWC.
Senior leader Ahmed Patel, who retains his position as political secretary to Congress President, will continue to be part of the CWC, which will now have 19 members including Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Dropped from the CWC, Arjun Singh and Mohsina Kidwai have been made permanent invitees of the body.
Satyavrat Chaturvedi, who is often at the centre of controversies because of statements against allies, has been removed as a permanent invitee.
Besides the incumbents, Rahul Gandhi, Digvijay Singh, B K Hariprasad, Azad, Janardan Dwivedi and Mukul Wasnik, the new general secretaries are Birender Singh, Madhusudan Mistry and Fernandes.
Andhra Pradesh, which has sent the largest number of Congress MPs in two successive elections, does not find a place in the reconstituted CWC.
A K Antony is no more in-charge of Maharashtra, which will now be looked after by Mohan Prakash, who was earlier AICC secretary assisting Antony in the state affairs.
Prakash, a party spokesman, is now elevated as a CWC member. He will also look after Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir.
Another party spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed, too has become a CWC member and will be looking after poll-bound West Bengal, Jharkhand and Andaman and Nicobar.
Mohsina Kidwai has now been made in-charge of Mahila Congress with party MP Priya Dutt to assist her as AICC secretary.
Newly appointed CWC member Gulchain Singh Charak has been made incharge of Bihar in place of Wasnik.
Charak will also be in-charge of Punjab and Chandigarh.
Union Ministers M Veerappa Moily and Vilasrao Deshmukh and former Union Minister Saifuddin Soz and C K Jaffer Sharief are no longer permanent invitees to the CWC.
Paying special attention to Uttar Pradesh, where assembly elections are due next year, the party has made Union Minister Beni Prasad Verma as permanent invitee and Raj Babbar, Nirmal Khatri and Anil Shastri as special invitees.
Rahul Gandhi would continue to look after NSUI and Youth Congress.
G Sanjeeva Reddy, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, has been retained as a special invitee to the CWC on account of his being the head of INTUC.
Hemo Prova Saikia, wife of late Assam Chief Minister Hiteshwar Saikia, and Sushila Tiriya from Orissa have also been brought to the CWC while former Nagaland Chief Minister S C Jamir has been made a permanent invitee so also M V Rajsekharan from Karnataka.
The party has appointed as many as 33 secretaries including party MPs Sanjay Nirupam, Ashok Tanwar, Avinash Pandey, Bhakt Charan Das, Meenakshi Natarajan, Pervej Hashmi, RC Khuntiya, Tarachand Bhagora and V Hanumanth Rao and Vijay Lakshmi Sadho.
Former Orissa PCC President Jaydev Jena and Shanimol Usman, a Mahila Congress leader from Kerala, have also been made secretaries. Usman as well as Jeetendra Singh and Meenakshi Natarajan will be assisting Rahul Gandhi.
Party's media department chief Janardan Dwivedi said that the AICC departments have not been reconstituted and it could be effected soon.
The name of Tom Vadakkan, who was handling media affairs as AICC secretary, does not figure in the new list of secretaries.
With assembly election in Punjab due next year, former MP Jagmeet Singh Brar has been made a permanent invitee to the CWC and in-charge of Goa, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
Birender Singh, who has been made general secretary, has been given charge of Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Hope Lotus is NOT keep moving away: Medical college to see light of the day
'Medical college to see light of the day'
NOTE: It was said that the medical college would start in 2008, then 2009, 2010, 2011 and now 2012. Hope this statement does not come after local demands during recent chief minister's visit to Kalahandi. Last 4 years the issue of medical college at Jaring has been like PADMA GHUNCHI GHUNCI JAUCHHI (Lotus is keep moving away).
Expressbuzz, March 4, 2011
BHAWANIPATNA: The last one year has rekindled hopes for Kalahandi waiting since long for a medical college as promised by the State Government. Sardar Raja Medical College at Jaring is expected to start functioning from 2012 academic year, the chief executive officer of the college Tarun Mishra announced at a press meet here.
The project got clearance from the State Government in 2004 after an MoU was signed with a private educational institute Salvam Educational and Charitable Trust, Tamil Nadu. The Revenue Department provided 25 acres at Jaring and Western Orissa Development Council released Rs10 crore for infrastructure development. Work soon picked up on the 300-bed hospital, college and hostel buildings.
However, the project suffered a setback with the chairman of the trust entangled in a legal battle in Tamil Nadu. The long court battle had raised doubts about the future of the project. Last year, the college also failed to get a nod from the Medical Council of India mostly due to lack of adequate number of doctors, staff and some basic infrastructure. This had led to resentment among the locals.
With the charges against the chairman of the trust dropped, the project witnessed some positive development this year.
Mishra said that the infrastructure as pointed out by MCI has been put in place. The Health and Family Welfare Department has already issued essentiality certificate and Sambalpur University given consent for affiliation. MCI permission has already been sought and the team is expected to be here soon. Pending works have been taken up on a war-footing to meet the MCI stipulations, he added.
The chairman of the Salvam Educational and Charitable Trust SA Raja, in a press release, said that the commitment for establishment of a medical college and super speciality hospital will be fulfilled and he thanked people for their cooperation for success of the project despite undue delay.
NOTE: It was said that the medical college would start in 2008, then 2009, 2010, 2011 and now 2012. Hope this statement does not come after local demands during recent chief minister's visit to Kalahandi. Last 4 years the issue of medical college at Jaring has been like PADMA GHUNCHI GHUNCI JAUCHHI (Lotus is keep moving away).
Expressbuzz, March 4, 2011
BHAWANIPATNA: The last one year has rekindled hopes for Kalahandi waiting since long for a medical college as promised by the State Government. Sardar Raja Medical College at Jaring is expected to start functioning from 2012 academic year, the chief executive officer of the college Tarun Mishra announced at a press meet here.
The project got clearance from the State Government in 2004 after an MoU was signed with a private educational institute Salvam Educational and Charitable Trust, Tamil Nadu. The Revenue Department provided 25 acres at Jaring and Western Orissa Development Council released Rs10 crore for infrastructure development. Work soon picked up on the 300-bed hospital, college and hostel buildings.
However, the project suffered a setback with the chairman of the trust entangled in a legal battle in Tamil Nadu. The long court battle had raised doubts about the future of the project. Last year, the college also failed to get a nod from the Medical Council of India mostly due to lack of adequate number of doctors, staff and some basic infrastructure. This had led to resentment among the locals.
With the charges against the chairman of the trust dropped, the project witnessed some positive development this year.
Mishra said that the infrastructure as pointed out by MCI has been put in place. The Health and Family Welfare Department has already issued essentiality certificate and Sambalpur University given consent for affiliation. MCI permission has already been sought and the team is expected to be here soon. Pending works have been taken up on a war-footing to meet the MCI stipulations, he added.
The chairman of the Salvam Educational and Charitable Trust SA Raja, in a press release, said that the commitment for establishment of a medical college and super speciality hospital will be fulfilled and he thanked people for their cooperation for success of the project despite undue delay.
Orissa Government declares 15 Private Colleges as aided
orissadiary, March 3, 2011
Report by Orissa Diary correspondent; Bhubaneswar : Atleast 15 Private Colleges of 13 districts have been declared as Aided and they will be provided Block grant as per the order of 2004. A notification in this respect published by the department.
These colleges are Saheed Smruti Junior College, Katasahi, Bhadrak, Saheed memorial Junior College , Eram, Bhadrak district, Riamal Junior College ,Riamal, Debagarh, Womens Junior College, Rasalo ,Dhenkanal, saheed bhagat Singh Junior College , Khandadeuli, Ganjam, DM Science Junior College, Galary, Janta Science Junior College, Beguniapada, United Panchayat Junior College, Rufra, Kalahandi, PS Junior College, Saharapada,Keonjhar, Kapileswar Junior College, Katana, Kendrapara, Luipa Junior College, Radho, Mayurbhanj, Khunta Junior College, Khunta.
Three degree colleges are MP Degree College , Erakana, Cuttack, LN Degree College ,Kodala, Ganjam, and PS Degree College , Narla, Kalahandi.
Report by Orissa Diary correspondent; Bhubaneswar : Atleast 15 Private Colleges of 13 districts have been declared as Aided and they will be provided Block grant as per the order of 2004. A notification in this respect published by the department.
These colleges are Saheed Smruti Junior College, Katasahi, Bhadrak, Saheed memorial Junior College , Eram, Bhadrak district, Riamal Junior College ,Riamal, Debagarh, Womens Junior College, Rasalo ,Dhenkanal, saheed bhagat Singh Junior College , Khandadeuli, Ganjam, DM Science Junior College, Galary, Janta Science Junior College, Beguniapada, United Panchayat Junior College, Rufra, Kalahandi, PS Junior College, Saharapada,Keonjhar, Kapileswar Junior College, Katana, Kendrapara, Luipa Junior College, Radho, Mayurbhanj, Khunta Junior College, Khunta.
Three degree colleges are MP Degree College , Erakana, Cuttack, LN Degree College ,Kodala, Ganjam, and PS Degree College , Narla, Kalahandi.
Thousands throng K’handi Shiva temple
The Pioneer, March 4, 2011
Bhawanipatna: Thousands of devotees lighted diyas at the Dhabaleswar Shiva temple of Mohangiri under Madanpur-Rampur block in Kalahandi district on the occasion of the Mahashivaratri on Wednesday. The original shrine was constructed by Mudgala Spita Chandra as per the stone inscription on the pillar of the temple’s Mukhashala. The shrine was renovated into the present one by Kruttibas Dandasena in 1933 and is protected by the State Archaeology Department.
Bhawanipatna: Thousands of devotees lighted diyas at the Dhabaleswar Shiva temple of Mohangiri under Madanpur-Rampur block in Kalahandi district on the occasion of the Mahashivaratri on Wednesday. The original shrine was constructed by Mudgala Spita Chandra as per the stone inscription on the pillar of the temple’s Mukhashala. The shrine was renovated into the present one by Kruttibas Dandasena in 1933 and is protected by the State Archaeology Department.
Students up in arms against Kalahandi Collector
The Pioneer, March 4, 2011
PNS, Bhawanipatna
The Students’ Union of the Government Autonomous College here has threatened to go on strike from Friday demanding transfer of the Kalahandi Collector Roopa Mishra. Union president Umakanta Suna made a statement to this effect at a Press conference in the college premises on Thursday.
The union is anguished over the Collector’s alleged interference in preparation of its agenda for the closing ceremony of the golden jubilee celebration of the college, which was held on February 28 and where Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was invited as the chief guest and Odia daily Aromv’s editor Chandra Mishra was invited as the chief speaker.
Suna alleged that though the agenda was already finalised by the union, the Collector changed it a day before the function, which was not intimated to the union directly and the letter was addressed to the college principal and later on conveyed to the union leaders on the dais when the function was about to start. The Collector wanted that the chief speaker would deliver his speech after that of the Chief Minister, which triggered an unseemly situation on the stage, he said.
Suna further said that despite the change in the agenda, he moved on according to the earlier agenda made by the union.
Meanwhile, the chief speaker left the dais but returned when he (Suna) requested him to speak. The chief speaker flayed what he said the ‘officer raj’ running in the State.
PNS, Bhawanipatna
The Students’ Union of the Government Autonomous College here has threatened to go on strike from Friday demanding transfer of the Kalahandi Collector Roopa Mishra. Union president Umakanta Suna made a statement to this effect at a Press conference in the college premises on Thursday.
The union is anguished over the Collector’s alleged interference in preparation of its agenda for the closing ceremony of the golden jubilee celebration of the college, which was held on February 28 and where Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was invited as the chief guest and Odia daily Aromv’s editor Chandra Mishra was invited as the chief speaker.
Suna alleged that though the agenda was already finalised by the union, the Collector changed it a day before the function, which was not intimated to the union directly and the letter was addressed to the college principal and later on conveyed to the union leaders on the dais when the function was about to start. The Collector wanted that the chief speaker would deliver his speech after that of the Chief Minister, which triggered an unseemly situation on the stage, he said.
Suna further said that despite the change in the agenda, he moved on according to the earlier agenda made by the union.
Meanwhile, the chief speaker left the dais but returned when he (Suna) requested him to speak. The chief speaker flayed what he said the ‘officer raj’ running in the State.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
MoUs create 39,000 jobs in Orissa
Business Standard, March 3, 2011
Companies that have signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Orissa government have created employment for 39104 people in the state by the end of December 2010.
In all, the state has inked MoUs with 88 companies across sectors like steel, power, aluminium, cement and downstream industries.
Topping the list of employment is the steel sector which has generated 31164 jobs which includes employment for 22399 people from the state and 8765 people from outside the state.
Next to steel is the aluminium sector which has engaged a total of 5474 people including 3657 from the state and the remaining 1817 outside the state. Investment worth Rs 11017 crore has been grounded in this sector.
In the aluminium sector, Vedanta Aluminium Ltd (VAL) has been the biggest job creator, generating over 5000 jobs through its one million tonne per annum (mtpa) refinery project and 75 MW captive power plant (CPP) at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district and aluminium smelter complex at Burkhamunda near Jharsuguda with a smelter capacity of 0.25 mtpa and a 675 MW CPP.
At its refinery plant, VAL has employed 2523 people from Orissa and 1091 persons from outside the state. Similarly, 1026 people have been engaged from the state for VAL's smelter plant while 686 others have been hired outside the state. VAL's total investment on the refinery plant and smelter complex stands at Rs 9084 crore.
Aditya Aluminium Ltd has invested Rs 1875 crore on its one mtpa alumina refinery at Rayagada and a 0.26 mtpa smelter plant cum 650 MW CPP at Sambalpur. The company has created jobs for 63 people from the state and 34 others outside the state.
In the cement sector, the total employment generated stands at 1502 by the end of December last year. OCL Cement Ltd has generated employment for 1494 people and the company has invested Rs 697.46 crore out of a total project cost of Rs 850 crore for its 1.10 mtpa cement manufacturing unit at Rajgangpur.
The other two investors in the cement sector- Ultratech Cement Ltd and ACC Cement Ltd have made negligible progress on their projects in the state. Ultratech Cement Ltd which had signed an MoU with the state government on November 10, 2006 for setting up a 3.5 mtpa cement plant and 50 MW CPP in Sundergarh district has not made any physical progress in view of non-availability of limestone.
The company has applied for extension of the MoU period.
Similarly, ACC Cement which had proposed to set up a 0.5 mtpa cement unit and a 75 MW CPP in Sundergarh district at a cost of Rs 132 crore and had signed MoU with the state government on November 10, 2006, has also been unable to make physical progress due to non-availability of limestone. It has also applied for extension of the MoU period.
In the power sector, the Independent Power Plants (IPPs) have generated employment for 964 people.
While Sterlite Energy Ltd has commissioned the first unit (600 MW) of its 2400 MW IPP, four other IPPs- GMR Kamalanga Energy Ltd, Monnet Power Company Ltd, Jindal India Thermal Power Ltd and Ind-Barath Energy (Utkal) Ltd have started construction.
Companies that have signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Orissa government have created employment for 39104 people in the state by the end of December 2010.
In all, the state has inked MoUs with 88 companies across sectors like steel, power, aluminium, cement and downstream industries.
Topping the list of employment is the steel sector which has generated 31164 jobs which includes employment for 22399 people from the state and 8765 people from outside the state.
Next to steel is the aluminium sector which has engaged a total of 5474 people including 3657 from the state and the remaining 1817 outside the state. Investment worth Rs 11017 crore has been grounded in this sector.
In the aluminium sector, Vedanta Aluminium Ltd (VAL) has been the biggest job creator, generating over 5000 jobs through its one million tonne per annum (mtpa) refinery project and 75 MW captive power plant (CPP) at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district and aluminium smelter complex at Burkhamunda near Jharsuguda with a smelter capacity of 0.25 mtpa and a 675 MW CPP.
At its refinery plant, VAL has employed 2523 people from Orissa and 1091 persons from outside the state. Similarly, 1026 people have been engaged from the state for VAL's smelter plant while 686 others have been hired outside the state. VAL's total investment on the refinery plant and smelter complex stands at Rs 9084 crore.
Aditya Aluminium Ltd has invested Rs 1875 crore on its one mtpa alumina refinery at Rayagada and a 0.26 mtpa smelter plant cum 650 MW CPP at Sambalpur. The company has created jobs for 63 people from the state and 34 others outside the state.
In the cement sector, the total employment generated stands at 1502 by the end of December last year. OCL Cement Ltd has generated employment for 1494 people and the company has invested Rs 697.46 crore out of a total project cost of Rs 850 crore for its 1.10 mtpa cement manufacturing unit at Rajgangpur.
The other two investors in the cement sector- Ultratech Cement Ltd and ACC Cement Ltd have made negligible progress on their projects in the state. Ultratech Cement Ltd which had signed an MoU with the state government on November 10, 2006 for setting up a 3.5 mtpa cement plant and 50 MW CPP in Sundergarh district has not made any physical progress in view of non-availability of limestone.
The company has applied for extension of the MoU period.
Similarly, ACC Cement which had proposed to set up a 0.5 mtpa cement unit and a 75 MW CPP in Sundergarh district at a cost of Rs 132 crore and had signed MoU with the state government on November 10, 2006, has also been unable to make physical progress due to non-availability of limestone. It has also applied for extension of the MoU period.
In the power sector, the Independent Power Plants (IPPs) have generated employment for 964 people.
While Sterlite Energy Ltd has commissioned the first unit (600 MW) of its 2400 MW IPP, four other IPPs- GMR Kamalanga Energy Ltd, Monnet Power Company Ltd, Jindal India Thermal Power Ltd and Ind-Barath Energy (Utkal) Ltd have started construction.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Justice on Wagon Factory
Note: Bad luck of Kalahandi continues, rumor in the local level that Naveen Patnaik never favors Kalahandi is getting exposed.
To
The President of India
CC: Honorable Prime Minister of India, Dr Singh
Chief Minister of Odisha
Intelectuals of Odisha state
Dear Honrable President of India Smt Patil,
With great pain I write this letter that how injustice is being made by Odisha state Government politically against backward KBK region to favor home district of Chief Minister.
This is being practice since past 63 years in Odisha, but this time it became a day light robbery when the State Government is trying its best to shift the proposed railway Wagon Factory to Chhatrapur, Ganjam.
I learned from the following news report that Odisha state Government has identified the land for proposed Wagon Factory in Chhatrapur near NH5 and recommed the same to the central Government.
http://www.dharitri.com/010311/story10.asp
(Dharitri, March 1, 2011)
However, in the railway budge 2010-11 railway minister Smt Mamata Benerjee had proposed the railway Wagon Factory in Bhubaneswar/Kalahandi.
http://india.gov.in/images/rlybudget_eng_highlights_10-11.pdf
(See page 4 in the report)
In Nov 26, 2010, Smt Benerjee had clearly mentioned in West Bengal that:
"'We will set up 20 more heavy industries like wagon factories in underdeveloped areas of the country like Kalahandi in Orrisa, in Telangana (in Andhra Pradesh) and in Junglemahal (Maoists affected area),' said Banerjee, while addressing a function to commence the work for the Dedicated Eastern freight Corridor at Dankuni."
http://www.sify.com/finance/railways-will-bring-industrial-boom-in-the-country-mamata-news-default-klqvFahfjfh.html
( Report stored at: http://kalahandia.blogspot.com/2010/11/railways-will-bring-industrial-boom-in.html )
In this respect, what is the justice and what kind of politics is being played by Odisha Government?
Historically, importance has been always given to Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur and Sambalpur. Although Ganjam and Khordha districts are neighbouring districts, all the administrative offices and higher educational institutes were located in Berhampur in the name of South Odisha, when as per inaccessibility, distance and backwardness the region that genuinely deserved was KBK. Three very influential chief ministers coming from Ganjam district in the past to the present along with political awareness have made that region major beneficiary compared to KBK district. In Odisha political demand, lobby and protest take over rational judgement for which innocent region like KBK suffer to region having better political clout and more public protest. KBK suffers this kind of discrimination. State University and Government Medical College are other issues for which people in KBK directly suffer. It is not difficult to reach out SCB medical college from Berhampur or Sambalpur than reaching MKCG medical college in Berhampur or VSS medical college in Sambalpur from Koraput or Kalahandi respectively.
Innocency of KBK region is taken advantage poltically by current state Government and adminisstration, which is clear from the propsoed site of Wagon Factory.
I urgue you to take necessary steps in this regard and stop approving Wagon facotry in Odisha if it is not made in Kalahandi as proposed earlier.
Thank you and best regards
Digambara Patra
To
The President of India
CC: Honorable Prime Minister of India, Dr Singh
Chief Minister of Odisha
Intelectuals of Odisha state
Dear Honrable President of India Smt Patil,
With great pain I write this letter that how injustice is being made by Odisha state Government politically against backward KBK region to favor home district of Chief Minister.
This is being practice since past 63 years in Odisha, but this time it became a day light robbery when the State Government is trying its best to shift the proposed railway Wagon Factory to Chhatrapur, Ganjam.
I learned from the following news report that Odisha state Government has identified the land for proposed Wagon Factory in Chhatrapur near NH5 and recommed the same to the central Government.
http://www.dharitri.com/010311/story10.asp
(Dharitri, March 1, 2011)
However, in the railway budge 2010-11 railway minister Smt Mamata Benerjee had proposed the railway Wagon Factory in Bhubaneswar/Kalahandi.
http://india.gov.in/images/rlybudget_eng_highlights_10-11.pdf
(See page 4 in the report)
In Nov 26, 2010, Smt Benerjee had clearly mentioned in West Bengal that:
"'We will set up 20 more heavy industries like wagon factories in underdeveloped areas of the country like Kalahandi in Orrisa, in Telangana (in Andhra Pradesh) and in Junglemahal (Maoists affected area),' said Banerjee, while addressing a function to commence the work for the Dedicated Eastern freight Corridor at Dankuni."
http://www.sify.com/finance/railways-will-bring-industrial-boom-in-the-country-mamata-news-default-klqvFahfjfh.html
( Report stored at: http://kalahandia.blogspot.com/2010/11/railways-will-bring-industrial-boom-in.html )
In this respect, what is the justice and what kind of politics is being played by Odisha Government?
Historically, importance has been always given to Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur and Sambalpur. Although Ganjam and Khordha districts are neighbouring districts, all the administrative offices and higher educational institutes were located in Berhampur in the name of South Odisha, when as per inaccessibility, distance and backwardness the region that genuinely deserved was KBK. Three very influential chief ministers coming from Ganjam district in the past to the present along with political awareness have made that region major beneficiary compared to KBK district. In Odisha political demand, lobby and protest take over rational judgement for which innocent region like KBK suffer to region having better political clout and more public protest. KBK suffers this kind of discrimination. State University and Government Medical College are other issues for which people in KBK directly suffer. It is not difficult to reach out SCB medical college from Berhampur or Sambalpur than reaching MKCG medical college in Berhampur or VSS medical college in Sambalpur from Koraput or Kalahandi respectively.
Innocency of KBK region is taken advantage poltically by current state Government and adminisstration, which is clear from the propsoed site of Wagon Factory.
I urgue you to take necessary steps in this regard and stop approving Wagon facotry in Odisha if it is not made in Kalahandi as proposed earlier.
Thank you and best regards
Digambara Patra
Another Politics by State Govt. by proposing Wagon Factory in Ganjam
Thanks to Dr Prabhat Sahu for the sharing the link.
Please see the report, it says state Govt. has identified land near Chhatrapur for the Wagon Facotry, in last year budget the location was mentioned as Bhubaneswar/Kalahandi. How politics is being made against Kalahandi to favor Chief Minister's home distirct?
http://www.dharitri.com/010311/story10.asp
Please see the report, it says state Govt. has identified land near Chhatrapur for the Wagon Facotry, in last year budget the location was mentioned as Bhubaneswar/Kalahandi. How politics is being made against Kalahandi to favor Chief Minister's home distirct?
http://www.dharitri.com/010311/story10.asp
Arrest of Cong leaders marks Naveen's visit to Kalahandi
The Pioneer, March 1, 2011
BIKASH KHEMA | BHAWANIPATNA
Eleven Congress leaders and seven others were arrested by the police here and at Kalampur block simultaneously during the daylong Kalahandi visit of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday.
Besides laying a foundation stone for a 100-seated special SC girls' hostel at the Medinpur Government High School, the Chief Minister also attended the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the Government Autonomous College here after landing at the Police Reserve Ground by chopper.
Addressing the students, the Chief Minister lauded his own Government and said that the district was improving with the establishment of a medical college and hospital at Jaring, engineering college and an agriculture college here at the district headquarters town.
However, the Chief Minister did not assure the college students of upgrading the college to a university despite their repeated demands.
The function was also attended by Mass Education Minister Pratap Jena, Labour and Employment Minister Pushpendu Singh Deo and TDCC chairman Balabhadra Majhi.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated the newly-constructed Tehsil office building at Junagarh and launched Sakhara Bharat at Junagarh Mohatsav ground and addressed the gathering.
He also distributed assets and benefits under various Government schemes and addressed the gathering at Thuamul Rampur, laid the foundation stone for Tehsil office at Kalampur and attended a Vikas Samabesh at the mini stadium ground.
On the other hand, the college function was marked with an unfortunate development.
Odia daily Aromv's editor Chandra Mishra despite being invited as the chief speaker to the college function, got anguished and came down from the dais when he was invited to deliver his speech by the college union president, but the Collector objected.
Later on, again invited by the college president, the editor went onto the stage and came down heavily on the Kalahandi district administration and Naveen Patnaik's Government and said that the State has failed to fulfill all its assurances to the public.
Mishra told the media that when he was not given a chance to deliver his speech as chief speaker by the district administration, it was not his insult, but an insult to education and democracy.
BIKASH KHEMA | BHAWANIPATNA
Eleven Congress leaders and seven others were arrested by the police here and at Kalampur block simultaneously during the daylong Kalahandi visit of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday.
Besides laying a foundation stone for a 100-seated special SC girls' hostel at the Medinpur Government High School, the Chief Minister also attended the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the Government Autonomous College here after landing at the Police Reserve Ground by chopper.
Addressing the students, the Chief Minister lauded his own Government and said that the district was improving with the establishment of a medical college and hospital at Jaring, engineering college and an agriculture college here at the district headquarters town.
However, the Chief Minister did not assure the college students of upgrading the college to a university despite their repeated demands.
The function was also attended by Mass Education Minister Pratap Jena, Labour and Employment Minister Pushpendu Singh Deo and TDCC chairman Balabhadra Majhi.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated the newly-constructed Tehsil office building at Junagarh and launched Sakhara Bharat at Junagarh Mohatsav ground and addressed the gathering.
He also distributed assets and benefits under various Government schemes and addressed the gathering at Thuamul Rampur, laid the foundation stone for Tehsil office at Kalampur and attended a Vikas Samabesh at the mini stadium ground.
On the other hand, the college function was marked with an unfortunate development.
Odia daily Aromv's editor Chandra Mishra despite being invited as the chief speaker to the college function, got anguished and came down from the dais when he was invited to deliver his speech by the college union president, but the Collector objected.
Later on, again invited by the college president, the editor went onto the stage and came down heavily on the Kalahandi district administration and Naveen Patnaik's Government and said that the State has failed to fulfill all its assurances to the public.
Mishra told the media that when he was not given a chance to deliver his speech as chief speaker by the district administration, it was not his insult, but an insult to education and democracy.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Chief Minister of Odisha did not announce University status to Govt. Autonomous College Bhawanipatna but said he would consider
Feb 28, 2011
Chief Minister of Odisha visited Govt. College Bhawanipatna on Feb 28, 2011 , but did not announce University status to the college. However, he said that he would consider the suggestion of the chief speaker, who had raised upgrading the college to a University.
Chief Minister of Odisha visited Govt. College Bhawanipatna on Feb 28, 2011 , but did not announce University status to the college. However, he said that he would consider the suggestion of the chief speaker, who had raised upgrading the college to a University.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Thousands treated at K’handi health camp
The Pioneer, Feb 26, 2011
Bhawanipatna: The Kalahandi district administration hosted a three-day-long Mega Health Camp from February 20 to 22 at the district headquarters here attended by a huge crowd, majority of them form the BPL families of the region. Total 29 doctors from various departments treated the patients at the camp while five doctors from the Vedanta Hospital made their valuable contributions. Vedanta Hospital CMO Sabita Swain, paediatrician Ratan Kumar Das, medicine/sickle cell anaemia specialist Gyanarajan Padhy, physiotherapist Supriti Patra, cardiologist Binay Binaykar and nephrologist Sukanto Kishore Das rendered their services at the three-day camp. Four doctors from the Vedanta Hospital attended the camp daily and treated nearly 1,000 patients and majority of them consulted the medicine department, informed CMO Swain. Apart from medicine, patients were treated and cured in the departments of physiotherapy, paediatrics and nephrology, she added.
Bhawanipatna: The Kalahandi district administration hosted a three-day-long Mega Health Camp from February 20 to 22 at the district headquarters here attended by a huge crowd, majority of them form the BPL families of the region. Total 29 doctors from various departments treated the patients at the camp while five doctors from the Vedanta Hospital made their valuable contributions. Vedanta Hospital CMO Sabita Swain, paediatrician Ratan Kumar Das, medicine/sickle cell anaemia specialist Gyanarajan Padhy, physiotherapist Supriti Patra, cardiologist Binay Binaykar and nephrologist Sukanto Kishore Das rendered their services at the three-day camp. Four doctors from the Vedanta Hospital attended the camp daily and treated nearly 1,000 patients and majority of them consulted the medicine department, informed CMO Swain. Apart from medicine, patients were treated and cured in the departments of physiotherapy, paediatrics and nephrology, she added.
JSPL to set up world's biggest steel plant in Orissa
Economic Times, Feb 26, 2011
BHUBANESWAR: Optimistic of commissioning the proposed 6 million tonnes per annum steel project in Orissa by 2013, Jindal Steel and Power (JSPL) on Saturday said it would keep enhancing the plant's capacity to make it the world's biggest steel plant .
"We will be able to achieve the capacity of 6 mtpa steel plant by 2013," JSPL executive vice-chairman and managing director Naveen Jindal told reporters after meeting Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik .
He added, "The capacity of the proposed 6 mtpa (million tonnes per annum) steel plant will be expanded to 20 mtpa in the next 10 years. This will be the biggest steel plant in the world."
He said the company had already invested Rs 10,000 crore and placed order for another Rs 5,000 crore for its Orissa steel project.
While JSPL would invest Rs 45,000-50,000 crore in steel sector, another Rs 50,000 crore would be invested in its proposed Coal-To-Liquid (CTL) plant.
"The company is likely to invest Rs 1,10,000 crore in next 10 years," Jindal said, claiming that the environmental clearance to its project was not conditional.
To a question on rehabilitation of the project-affected people, Jindal said the company had already demonstrated its activities.
BHUBANESWAR: Optimistic of commissioning the proposed 6 million tonnes per annum steel project in Orissa by 2013, Jindal Steel and Power (JSPL) on Saturday said it would keep enhancing the plant's capacity to make it the world's biggest steel plant .
"We will be able to achieve the capacity of 6 mtpa steel plant by 2013," JSPL executive vice-chairman and managing director Naveen Jindal told reporters after meeting Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik .
He added, "The capacity of the proposed 6 mtpa (million tonnes per annum) steel plant will be expanded to 20 mtpa in the next 10 years. This will be the biggest steel plant in the world."
He said the company had already invested Rs 10,000 crore and placed order for another Rs 5,000 crore for its Orissa steel project.
While JSPL would invest Rs 45,000-50,000 crore in steel sector, another Rs 50,000 crore would be invested in its proposed Coal-To-Liquid (CTL) plant.
"The company is likely to invest Rs 1,10,000 crore in next 10 years," Jindal said, claiming that the environmental clearance to its project was not conditional.
To a question on rehabilitation of the project-affected people, Jindal said the company had already demonstrated its activities.
Didi's budget leaves state leaders fuming
Times of India, Feb 26, 2011
BHUBANESWAR: Several MPs, cutting across partylines, slammed the railway budget presented by Mamata Banerjee on Friday.
"Mamata did injustice to Orissa. Even the requests by us (Congress MPs) yielded little result," Congress MP from Kalahandi Bhakta Das said. "We had met her much before the presentation of the Budget and conveyed the state's wish list for overall development of railway sector. But the state's hopes were dashed," Das said.
Equally vocal was BJD MP Baishnab Parida. "The Railway Budget indicates the step-motherly treatment of the Centre towards Orissa. It was purely a West Bengal-centric Budget," Parida remarked.
Expressing concern over the tardy progress of the ongoing rail projects in state, BJD MP Prasanna Patsani said the Railways should act in a "time-bound" manner. "Work on the Khurda Road-Balangir and the Haridaspur-Paradip rail links has been going on since years. Mamata made no commitment regarding the completion of the projects," Patsani said.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who described the Budget as "extremely disappointing" said, "Money sanctioned for the ongoing projects is getting diverted due to non-receipt of project specific sanction and poor execution. Money sanctioned for the projects should be fully utilized."
Mamata proposed to set up a Central Organisation for Project Implementation (COPI) to ensure proper monitoring of the projects across the country. "COPI will monitor and ensure the funds allocated to different projects are fully utilized and not surrendered or diverted and projects completed in time-frame. COPI will also ensure accountability and fix responsibility for non-performance," Mamta said while tabling the Rail Budget.
Taking potshots at her, Naveen said, "The railway budget is disturbingly silent about our proposal of expanding rail network in Maoist-hit areas." BJP MP Rudranarayan Pani said, "Orissa was neglected again. Mamata gave little stress on track safety."
"Mere introduction of new trains and pro-passenger initiatives does not reflect a please-all Rail Budget. Tracks should be maintained properly and repaired in time for the safety of pilgrims," Pani said.
Meanwhile, passengers here expressed happiness as Mamata did not hike the fares. They, however, laid stress on the need to keep the train compartments and stations shipshape.
BHUBANESWAR: Several MPs, cutting across partylines, slammed the railway budget presented by Mamata Banerjee on Friday.
"Mamata did injustice to Orissa. Even the requests by us (Congress MPs) yielded little result," Congress MP from Kalahandi Bhakta Das said. "We had met her much before the presentation of the Budget and conveyed the state's wish list for overall development of railway sector. But the state's hopes were dashed," Das said.
Equally vocal was BJD MP Baishnab Parida. "The Railway Budget indicates the step-motherly treatment of the Centre towards Orissa. It was purely a West Bengal-centric Budget," Parida remarked.
Expressing concern over the tardy progress of the ongoing rail projects in state, BJD MP Prasanna Patsani said the Railways should act in a "time-bound" manner. "Work on the Khurda Road-Balangir and the Haridaspur-Paradip rail links has been going on since years. Mamata made no commitment regarding the completion of the projects," Patsani said.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who described the Budget as "extremely disappointing" said, "Money sanctioned for the ongoing projects is getting diverted due to non-receipt of project specific sanction and poor execution. Money sanctioned for the projects should be fully utilized."
Mamata proposed to set up a Central Organisation for Project Implementation (COPI) to ensure proper monitoring of the projects across the country. "COPI will monitor and ensure the funds allocated to different projects are fully utilized and not surrendered or diverted and projects completed in time-frame. COPI will also ensure accountability and fix responsibility for non-performance," Mamta said while tabling the Rail Budget.
Taking potshots at her, Naveen said, "The railway budget is disturbingly silent about our proposal of expanding rail network in Maoist-hit areas." BJP MP Rudranarayan Pani said, "Orissa was neglected again. Mamata gave little stress on track safety."
"Mere introduction of new trains and pro-passenger initiatives does not reflect a please-all Rail Budget. Tracks should be maintained properly and repaired in time for the safety of pilgrims," Pani said.
Meanwhile, passengers here expressed happiness as Mamata did not hike the fares. They, however, laid stress on the need to keep the train compartments and stations shipshape.
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