Floating Garden brings hope for farmers having wet lands

BHUBANESWAR: Farmers of Satyabadi block in Puri district, whose hundreds of acres of lands are covered with waste water round the year, have a reason to cheer with the successful implementation of a pilot project that allows them to again raise crops on the land in an innovative way.

Before the project, farmers had lost hope on their land covered with waste water. They had left farming due to the water-logging problem. But when the members of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Regional Center for Development Cooperation (RCDC) and the Society for Women Action Development (SWAD) told the farmers that they could raise crop in their waterlogged land with making floating gardens, the farmers got wondered first and later learnt the trick to use their waste land. 

According to the process of making floating garden, the farmers first make rectangular plots with bamboo sticks. After making plots (20 ft length, five feet width and 1 feet height) intertwined with bamboo sticks, the farmers cover the wooden plot with water hyacinths and left it for dry. Then the hyacinths are covered with a layer of soil mixed with compost to make it ready for farming. 

This year, farmers sowed seeds of green leaves, coriander, panmahuri, chili, tomato and other vegetables and have yielded good amount of vegetables. “I got vegetables sufficiently for 15 days and also sold some of these in the market,” said a woman farmer Sumi Baral, adding, “I’m not calculating loss and profit out of the vegetable produce, but I’m so happy that I can able to use the waste land and raise crop on it.”

SWAD member and a farmer Swadhin Pradhan said the vegetation on the bamboo plot from a distance seems like a garden floating on the water. The bamboo plot, which floats on water, is tied to a log so that it would not change its location, he added.   

Now Sumi is more confident about her crop. She would create more bamboo plots to sow seeds on it.

Floating garden concept has brought a new ray of hope for the farmers of waterlogged areas, said RCDC manager Barsha Mishra.   

Woman dies during Rath Yatra in Ganjam

BRAHMAPUR: An elderly woman died and her granddaughter was injured when the chariot of Lord Jagannath run over them at Singipur under Patapur police limits in Ganjam district on Sunday, sources said. 

According to Patapur IIC Ajay Kumar Barik, the incident happened at the noon while the old woman Rukuna Sahu (80) was trying to touch the chariot from the front side. She died on the spot and her granddaughter Laxmi (5) fell unconscious. 

The small girl, admitted at a local hospital, was later shifted to the MKCG Medical College and hospital here.

     

Thousands of devotees witness Ratha Yatra in Bhubaneswar

BHUBANESWAR: The devotees of the capital city on Sunday who could not attend the Ratha Yatra at Puri celebrated the auspicious occasion by going different Jagannath temples in the city to experience the holy moments.  

Like every year, the capital city geared up for the religious festival. Ratha Yatra was celebrated in different places of the city. Mostly Jagannath temples have arranged the Yatra to continue their tradition.

According to the rituals of the age-old tradition, the festival in the Jagannath temples in the city began with worshipping the three deities before taking them to the chariots. Then the priests took them to the respective chariots in a ceremonial rite ‘Pahandi’ and ‘Cherapahanra’ and then the pulling of chariots began.

From other temples in the city, the Ratha Yatra festival at the Iskcon temple was crowded as thousands of devotees witnessed the Yatra. The chariot of Balabhadra, big brother of Lord Jagannath, was ahead of Lord Jagannath and his sister Subhadra. The chariots were reached the destination Mausimaa temple at Unit-8 in the afternoon.   

In Patia, the Ratha Yatra was celebrated according to the rituals of Puri Srimandir. Besides, the festival was celebrated in the Jagannath temples of KIIT campus, Nandankanan, Unit-6 area, RCM Jagannath temple, Chidananda Vihar at Khandagiri, Jagamara, Old town and Barmunda village.   

Odisha Govt responsible for electricity woes: BJP

BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha BJP on Saturday held the State Government responsible for problems like shortage of electricity, load shedding, unscheduled power cuts in the State. 

Party’s spokesperson Samir Mohanty in a Press release said the State Government is talking too much instead of increasing generation of power. Adding salt into consumers’ wounds, the Central Electricity Supply Utility (CESU) of Odisha has issued notice for power cut in nine districts. 

Mohanty said the State gets 40 per cent power from hydro power projects, 25 per cent from thermal power projects and the rest 35 per cent purchase from thermal power plants of private industries established in the State. “It is very unfortunate that the State signs MoU with industries and forgets to generate power on its own,” he said, adding, “Due to Government’s lack of foresightedness, common people suffer a lot.” 

The spokesperson said two units of the Odisha Power Generation Corporation (OPGC) had been installed during the nineties and other two units are yet to be completed. Out of the two OPGC units, one is not producing power due to technical problem, he added. 

“The power sector of the State is encountered with several problems. Instead of solving the matter, the Ministers and Secretaries are clarifying that they don’t have power cut problem in the State which is proved as false by the people,” said Mohanty and added that the State Government should admit its fault.     

CPI (M) to rejuvenate party in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: “The Communist Party of India (Marxist) would rejuvenate its Odisha unit by incorporating young activists and determined workers,” said CPI (M) politburo member and Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Dr Suryakanta Mishra addressing party workers here on Saturday.

Dr Mishra while analysing post-election situation said they have experienced mixed results in the recently ended General Election 2014. Taking the benefit of collective anger against Congress’s misrule and corruption, the right wing party BJP got the thumping majority which would help the corporate world to loot the country. But their party would not allow the right wing party’s economic policy and caste politics in the country, he added. 

In Odisha context, Dr Mishra said they would create several cadres of party workers to take party’s works forward. “Though we have won a single Assembly seat in the Assembly polls-2014, we have the capacity to increase the number of the seats in the next elections with the help of our workers,” he added.

He said that senior leaders should begin their social activism by engaging grassroots-level workers to raise local issues in order to stay connected with the common people. “Instead of finding faults in party workers, inspire them to do well,” the senior leader said, adding, “We have to convert the people’s support in tribal areas into votes and for which we need to win their heart.”

Dr Mishra said they would sensitise the common people about the ruling party’s anti-people policy and displacement tactics to help corporate houses and other issues through popular movements and agitations.