Friday 11 January 2013

IFC supported Berhampur solid waste management project on fast track


Source: The Sambad

Odisha CM writes to PM and Railway Minister seeking National Project status for Berhampur-Sambalpur (via Phulbani) and Gopalpur-Rayagada railway lines; demands speedy implementation of railway wagon factory in Ganjam



Berhampur Railway Station, Odisha

Demanding justice and proper share to Odisha in the 2013-2014 Railway budget, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has written a letter to the Prime Minister mentioning the needs of the State in view of investment flow, economic growth and industrialisation. Pointing at the apathetic attitude of the Rail Ministry in spite of huge revenue collection from Odisha, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has said that 'the railway route length and all rail density in the state is much below the national average as also substantially lower than that in neighbouring States. In contrast, the gross earnings from various stations in the State of Odisha is estimated to be in excess of 14000 Crore during the year 2012-2013.' Chief Minister has requested the Prime Minister of India, in his letter, to ensure allocation of sizeable part of the revenues generated from Odisha within the State to strengthen and expand rail network.
Citing that the State needs to look for new virgin areas for development and industrialisation as many of the present industrial clusters have attained a stage of saturation in terms of availability of land, water and, also, due to environmental concerns, Naveen has demanded speedy execution of projects such as, Bhadrachalam Road – Talcher Rail Link via Malkangiri, Jeypore, Lanjigarh; Berhampur- Sambalpur new Rail Link via Phulbani; Rayagada – Gopalpur Rail Link via BhismagiriRequesting the PM to advise the Ministry of Railways to execute these projects on priority basis, Naveen has also urged that these projects should be treated as “National Projects”The Chief Minister has demanded the Prime Minister in his letter to expedite the setting up of the Wagon Factory at Sitalapali in Ganjam which was declared in Budget for the year 2011-12 and also take steps to establish a railway apprentice training centre in the backward KBK region to support the skills development and increase employability of the people of this region.
Alleging that the union ministry has bypassed Odisha while implementing ambitious projects like the dedicated freight corridor aligned with mega industrial hubs, national road expressways and high speed train projects, Naveen has demanded that the eastern dedicated freight corridor from Ludhiana to Dankuni should be extended to Vishakhapatnamso as to ensure seamless movement of freight between the ports and the vast northern and central hinterlands of the country. On poor or no rail network in the backward regions of Odisha, the Chief Minister said that lack of infrastructure has been one of the major reasons of impeding socio-economic growth of this region. Mentioning that expansion of rail network in these areas would help minimising the impact of left wing extremism, Naveen adds in his letter to the Prime Minister that ‘delivering rail services in the naxal affected regions is one of the best means to channelise development therein and provide counter active force.’
Source: Hotnhitnews.com & Orissa Diary

Devotees throng gurudwara to view rare editions of Guru Granth Sahib in Berhampur



Three rare and antique versions of Guru Granth Sahib, which are on a tour round the country, were put on display at Gurudwara Singh Sabha premises in the city. Devotees of Sikh community and others of the city thronged the Gurudwara to see these rare Guru Granth Sahib editions and to pay their respect to the most revered scripture of Sikhism.
Devotees paying respect to the Guru Granth Sahib in Berhampur 
The team carrying the three rare versions of Guru Granth Sahib reached Jagannathpur on the outskirts of the city at around 11 a.m. Berhampur Gurudwara Singh Sabha and Sikhs of the city welcomed them there. Then they were taken in a ‘nagar sankirtan’ to the Gurudwara in the city, where the Guru Granth Sahib editions were put on display.
These books are currently on a tour round the country to provide common mass and Sikhs an opportunity to see and learn from the history of Sikh religion and scriptures. This journey had started from Gurdwara Maithan Sahib in Agra on January 21, 2012.
According to the members of Gurudwara Singh Sabha of Berhampur, the three rare displays included a 100-year-old Guru Granth Sahib which was only one inch in size although it contained 1,430 ang or pages, a 225-year-old Guru Granth Sahib prepared by two Muslim brothers of Lahore and a 275-year-old hand written version of the revered scripture.
These books are currently on a nationwide tour to provide common mass and Sikhs an opportunity to see and learn from the history of Sikh religion and scriptures

Thursday 3 January 2013

Mayfair Palm Beach Resorts opened at Gopalpur-On-Sea



History repeated itself at Gopalpur-on-sea on Sunday with the opening of Mayfair Palm Beach Resorts.
Palm Beach Hotel was the country’s first beach resort established in 1914 by two Italian friends. It was used by the British who travelled to Rangoon, Burma (now Myanmar) by ship. Gopalpur was also an old seaport for rice trade.

The hotel was taken over by the Oberoi Group in 1947. It was a favourite place of stay for Indira Gandhi, Biju Patnaik and many other eminent people. But in 2002, the Oberois closed the hotel as business failed.

The Mayfair Group of Hotels and Resorts purchased the property a year ago. Now, it is a splendid hotel with five-star facilities amidst lush greenery. The heritage aspects of the hotel have been preserved aesthetically. Old photographs of Prime Ministers and Presidents, who stayed in the hotel, and maps and artifacts of olden times are found at different places of the hotel.

With 45 rooms, the cost of renovation and modernisation of the hotel by the Mayfair Group amounted to Rs 45 crore. The hotel is now expected to be a national and international destination of tourists in need of luxury rest and tranquility.

When the big Oberoi Group could not run it, local entrepreneur Dilip Ray, who is also a politician and heads the Mayfair Group, has been able to revive it. With the Tata SEZ at Gopalpur on the anvil, the resort is expected to get further boost to its business.

The quiet inauguration of the new hotel was limited to the Mayfair family, its friends and well-wishers. The Mayfair Group earlier has hotels and resorts in Bhubaneswar, Puri, Rourkela, Darjeeling, Gangtok and Goa. A new second hotel is coming up at Puri and another new hotel in Kolkata. There are also plans to construct a five-star hotel at Paradip and another hotel at Chilka, said sources. Source: The Pioneer 

Lives cut short on the rail tracks


Author:  Hiranmay Karlekar


More and more elephants are getting killed or injured by speeding trains in the country despite promises made by authorities to contain such accidents

The killing of six elephants by the Coromondel Express which ran over a herd late on December 29 night in Odisha, has sent shockwaves round the world, and understandably. According to the report of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests' Elephant Task Force, submitted on August 31, 2010, train accidents had killed as many as 150 elephants since 1987. There have been many more similar deaths since then. There was particular reason for being especially careful in Odisha where train accidents had killed one elephant in June and four in August this year. In fact, 12 elephants have reportedly been killed in the State's Ganjam district in the last three months alone. Besides, the accident on December 29 occurred in an area where elephants cross the railway line regularly. There are as many as 10 signboards, warning that it was an “elephant crossing zone” between Rambha and Huma stations where the accident occurred.
Yet, the train was running from Howrah to Chennai at a speed of between 110 and 120 kilometres per hour when it mowed into the herd of elephants. Such was reportedly the speed that the bodies of the elephants hit fell here and there around the track. As could be expected, the railways and the Odisha forest department have started trading allegations about who is to blame, with the latter claiming that the railways had been informed in time and the elephants could have been saved had the train driver been warned on the wireless, and the former claiming that the forest department's information came at the time of the accident, which left no scope for a message to be sent.
An inquiry may well reveal what happened. But whatever the details of the present case, the railways have been guilty of showing utter indifference to the safety of animals crossing the tracks. If nothing else, there should be compulsory speed limits in areas where animals are vulnerable. Unfortunately, such limits, if they exist, are flouted at will.
It is not that the authorities have not had suggestions. Animal Equality, an animal rights organisation in Britain, has, according to its representative in India, Ms Amruta Ubale, outlined a number of steps in letters to the Union Ministers for Railways and for Environment and Forests. These include equipping trains with automatic speed governors which would be activated once trains enter forests where the maximum speed should be 20 to 25 kmph on even tracks and 40 to 45 kmph on steep tracts, and installing in them scintillating head lamps with halogen/LED bulbs which would help illuminate much longer stretches of tracks. Animal Equality has also recommended fitting trains with water cannons to remove animals refusing to budge from tracks. The suggestions also include the installation in trains of radar sensors to detect animals on tracks, determine the train's distance from these, and act as instant auto-brakes to prevent collisions. The Elephant Task Force's report too recommends several measures to prevent road and rail accidents. Besides site-specific short-term and long-term mitigation measures, these include the announcement of the principles of forest area, railway track and highway management, the grant of mining licences and rules governing the drawing and maintenance of power cables through forest areas. These are comprehensive, but will require time and funds. Meanwhile, the railway authorities themselves can implement some measures relatively soon.
Measures taken jointly by forest departments and animal welfare organisations in some States to avert elephant deaths include patrolling, electric fencing, installation of signage and hoardings, levelling of steep embankments, creation of awareness among train drivers and other railway staff, the clearing of vegetation at blind corners to improve visibility for train drivers, and so on. There have been some instances of success, such as in Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand where no elephant has died in train accidents since 2002. Much, however, needs to be done. Trains continue to kill.These measures will help; so will regular inspection and repair of power lines running through forests to prevent electrocution of elephants. While the implementation of all recommendations of the Elephant Task Force, including those against poaching for ivory, will take time, the one for creating a National Elephant  Conservation Authority, on the lines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, can be implemented immediately. It will provide a much-needed effective centralized direction to the task of protecting elephants. 
Source: The Pioneer