Sub-committee is formed for tourism development in Ganjam

 
Berhampur: A sub-committee is formed for the development of tourism in Ganjam district and to make efforts to attract tourists towards tourism destinations in the district. This committee will meet twice in a month to discuss the progress of the works informed Ganjam Collector Dr Krishan Kumar.

Due to lack of attention and maintenance, most of the tourism destinations in the district are in underdeveloped stage. At time all the problems of the tourist places can not be resolved, but the steps can be taken to develop the main tourist places in the district. Taking into the account, the sub-committee is formed.

In the sub-committee, Kavisuryanagar MLA V Sugyan Kumari Deo will take the lead. Among others, Chatrapur Sub-collector, Tourism officer, PWD officer, District Cultural Officer will be the members of the sub-committee. Additional District Magistrate will review the works of the committee.

The committee will discuss about the steps taken by the committee for the development of the tourist places and the future plans to uplift tourism in the district. The committee will give special attention towards the famous tourist places include Gopalpur, Pakidi temple, Tampara, Potagada, Puti Sonepur along with Gopakuda, Nirmalajhar, Karanjei, Ratnei, Marda, Biranchi Narayana and so on.

The newly formed committee discussed about the construction of a stadium and airstrip near Gopalpur to attract tourists from outside. Besides, the infrastructure development of Panchama, Bhairabi, Dhabaleswar will attract more tourist opined the committee members. They also discussed about the development of hot-spring Taptapani, picturesque part of Lake Chilika from Rambha site, Boat club Tampara, the natural tourist spots which attracts tourists form different places of Odisha and abroad.

The committee will submit a report after the discussion between the committee members on this matter. The district administration will send the report to the Government for the sanction of fund and its smooth functioning for the development of tourism in the district.     

   

Drought like situation in Ganjam

Berhampur: The drought like situation in Ganjam district left the farmers in stress. Due to less rain fall in the district and scorching heat of the daytime, transplanted rice plants are struggling for existence in the dry paddy-fields.

According to the report by Agriculture Department, all the 22 blocks of Ganjam are affected by scanty rainfall. The situation is very critical in ten blocks include Rangeilunda, Chatrapur, Ganjam, Khallikote, Sheragada, Patrapur, Kukudakhandi, Sanakhemundi, Polasara and Digapahandi.

The farmers of different area are demanding that water is not coming in the canals. In some areas are also claimed that the canal water is not coming to the lower area of the canal. The irrigation officials are not coming regularly to take the stock of the situation.

In Humma and Burupada area people were gheraoed the officials of irrigation department for their inaction towards meeting the water scarcity problem in their area.

Some farmers’ bodies like Rushikulya Rayat Mahasangha, Akhila Bharat Kissan Mazdoor Sabha and Utkal Rajya Krushak Sabha have demanded for the accurate estimation of crop loss due to drought in the district.

“We know this is the flowering time of the rice plant, if the crop will not get adequate water, the growth of the plant will be severely affected. 20-30 percent farming land was affected during the month of august due to late monsoon while 30 percent farm land is affected by drought again. Farmers are crying in distress, said the Secretary of Rushikulya Rayat Mahasangha Simanchala Nahak to The Pioneer.

He also added that LI points are not functioning properly, though the situation is now in alarming state. Those area have LI points, the farmers of the area could get 50 percent yield this year. But those areas have no LI points or canal connection, the yield of that area will be damaged.  

e-service center will start in Chatrapur

Berhampur: As the part of smart governance, an e-service center will kick-start it’s functioning from October 18 at Chatrapur.

In a meeting attended by Additional District Magistrate Sasibhusan Padhy, Chatrapur Tehsildar Ajay Kumar Dash, Nodal officer Shiva Sahu and NAC Chairman T Laxmi and others discussed on this matter to start an e-service center to give easy service to the common people.

Through e-governance programme, different types of certificates will be given applied by the people in the respective e-service center. The common people can get their respective certificates from their e-service centers instead of going different offices.The applied forms for certificates will reach online to different higher level officers for certification. It will save time and money along with lower level corruption, said the students of Chatrapur, as it was a long standing demand by the peoples of Chatrapur.     

  

Hearing to witnesses of K’mal riot begin

Berhampur: Commissioner of Kandhamal riot enquiry commission Justice Basudev Panigrahy started hearing to the witnesses of the riot at Regional Divisional Commissioner’s office here on Thursday.

Following the murder of Swami Laxmanananda and firing at Brahmanigaon, the riot had taken place in Kandhamal district in 2007. A commission was set up by the government to probe into the matter. As a part of the probe, enquiry commissioner of the riot Justice Panigrahy has started hearing to nine witnesses on Thursday.

The hearing started formally from Wednesday. The commissioner started hearing the witnesses include Berhampur DSP Subash Chandra Acharya who was the then Inspector-in-charge (IIC) of Brahmanigaon on the matter of Kandhamal violence occurred in 2007. Another witness former IIC of Tikabali police station was absent on the day of hearing.

On Thursday, the witnesses including a woman were spoken about the violence occurred in Brahmanigaon and how it devastated they expressed their views before the commission.  

Water scarcity leaves the farmers wailing in Ganjam

Berhampur: Following the erratic and scanty rainfall in the month of July and August, the same situation came into exist in Ganjam again. Forgetting the previous crop damage by the erratic monsoon rain, farmers were happy with the rain due to low pressure in Bay of Bengal for few days. But now the acute problem of water again creates a wailing situation for the farmers of Ganjam.

Paddy-fields have not received water since third week of September. The parched lands are still waiting for adequate water for sustaining, as it is the flowering time and growth of the rice-crop. As rains have been the lifetime for the farmers in Ganjam district, erratic and less rainfall this year has left them sulking.

Agriculture minister Pradeep Maharathy had visited Ganjam on August 28 this year after the drought like situation approached in the district. Most of the blocks had affected by drought. Minister himself astonished after visiting the paddy fields in Rangeilunda, Chatrapur, Ganjam, Khallikote and Konisi block, the worst hit by drought in August this year. Due to this problem 20-30 % farmland remained uncultivated during the current year.

Most of the farmer bodies demanded that the canals are not properly maintained and managed by concerned departments, even there are no sufficient canals for irrigation purpose. Junior Engineers of Irrigation departments are not coming regularly. Around half of the Lift Irrigation (LI) points are not functioning out of 1511 LI points in the district, said the farmers of Humma Panchayat while the office gherao of JE of Irrigation near Humma. They also demanded that functioning of LI point is the need of hour and release the water from Ghodahada dam for the lower area paddy-fields.

On the other hand, the water in Hiradharabati and Jayamangala canal is not coming to the lower area of the canal. Lack of proper co-ordination between Irrigation, Revenue, Agriculture and Electricity department might be the reason behind the failure of ‘Pani Panchayat’ in some places, as the electricity department cut the connection for further water supply due to huge due from the year of 1985. Again the black marketing of fertilizer adds salt in the wound of the farmer, says Rushikulya Rayat Mahasangha Secretary Simanchala Nahak. He along with a team of farmer leaders have met the collector and demanded to ‘save the crop’ and ‘help the farmer’.

This year, 2, 10,045 hectare farm land is used for rice-crop. 50% crop was damaged in 3628 Revenue villages of 475 Panchayat according to the report by District Administration to the government on September 30 this year. Only few days of releasing of previous drought report, the fresh incident of drought like situation again approached in the district.

Last month Ganjam district had received 150 mm against 216 mm which was 31% less rainfall in the district. The situation of eight blocks is very critical. These blocks are Rangeilunda, which received 67% less rainfall during last month, Polsara 69%, Sheragada 57%, Purusottampur 53%, Hinjili 51%, Digapahandi 49%, Ganjam and Kukudakhandi block respectively.

According to the estimation, 12,700 hectares of paddy-field is severely affected by the acute problem of water. Within a week, if the parched lands will not get water, the crop of this year will be damaged.  

      

  

Investigation by CCF on peacocks’ death in Ganjam

Berhampur:  State Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) will investigate on peacocks’ death in Aska area of Ganjam district. He will visit the peacocks’ death spot and start investigation on Sunday.

Within last three days, three peacocks were died while devouring the cotton crop which was poisoned by insecticide ‘atom’ near the village areas of Aska. Adding the last, the death toll rises to 13 according to the forest department. After the peacocks’ death in Aska area, State Environment and Forest Minister Devi Prasad Mishra had directed for further investigation into the matter.

An awareness campaign was organized by the Forest Department to create awareness among the villagers of Ambaabadi, Kerikerijhola, Padmapur, Subhashchandrapur, Khandadeuli and Kandoli of Aska area where the peacocks’ were died by devouring the poisonous insecticides used in the cotton field. The people were advised to use bio-fertilizers and compost in the place of chemical fertilizers and poisonous various insecticides in the awareness campaign.

On the other hand, a meeting was organized by District Magistrate of Ganjam to tackle the situation. He expressed grave concern on peacocks’ death in Aska area. He has directed the Forest and Agriculture Department to create awareness among the villagers.

Victim of human rights violation murdered

Berhampur: A floated dead body of a woman was found from a roadside pond near K Samantarapur village of Kushapada Panchayat uneder Digapahandi police station on Sunday evening. The dead body was identified as L Sebati wife of L Shyambabu Reddy of Matiaburei village under Patapur police station of Ganjam district.

It was a preplanned murder according to the brother of the deceased. The family members of the dead had given complains at the nearby Patapur police station, as she was missing during last few days. While on Sunday, some people noticed the dead body which was floating on the pond water. The dead body could not be rescued on Sunday.

It may be noted that the family members of the deceased L Sebati were tortured suspecting them as sorcerer-who allegedly practising witchcraft wherein one of them was badly beaten up, two sons were paraded half-naked with forcefully balding the head in front of others and forced to eat human excreta. Even the villagers boycotted the family from the village, sources said.

Human Rights Commission was investigating into the matter. Earlier, it was a much discussed debate when NHRC came to the Matiaburei village on May 31 this year.

Before the villagers were conducting a ‘Magic Cot’ trick to caught the burglar and the persons who were allegedly practising witchcraft in the village. In the meantime, L sebati of the village convicted with the so called magic trick system. The villagers took the sons of the lady and tied in an electric pole and telephone pole by balding their head. Even they forcefully blackened the face of the family members in the middle of the village. The villagers suspected her as the sorcerers’ allegedly practicing witchcraft in the village. The villagers punished her with the fine of Rs 30,000.   

After the incident the family members went to police station to file a case against the inhuman behavior of the villagers. Patapur police had registered a case no 23 on March 19 last year. 18 people of the village were arrested in connection to the inhuman behavior on the families of Sebati.   

When Human Rights Commission came to the village Sebati had given some information regarding the torture on her. This conversation and information sharing between the investigation team and Sebati created anger among some groups of the village. It is the main reason behind the murder says the family members of the deceased.

The dead body rescued by the police on Monday and it brought to the MKCG for post mortem. When we contacted with the police they told that after the postmortem report which will come soon, they can say about the matter. “We are investigating into the matter. After the report the enquiry will continue. Before that no comment on this sensitive issue”, said Berhampur SP Safeen Ahmed K.