Rahul to meet State Cong MPs in Delhi

BHUBANESWAR: Newly elected Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi would meet State Congress MPs at the Parliament party office in New Delhi on Thursday to discuss about the present status of the party in the State. After February 18 Odisha visit of the vice-president, it would be the second formal meeting with the Congress leaders, party sources said.

Everybody’s eye on the meeting of Rahul with MPs as what would be the outcome of the discussion and what they would discuss in the meeting. The State Congress leaders are also waiting for the result of the meeting.

“I’m really very happy that Rahul Gandhi is discussing with everyone from the grassroots level instead of holding discussions with a few selected leaders. It is a welcoming step of our national vice-president,” said Rajya Sabha member Ramchandra Khuntia.

MP Pradeep Majhi said that their leader would discuss about the strengthening of the party from the Panchayat level to State level, while Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik said that it is a routine meet with their central leader.   

After being elevated as the AICC’s second in command, the Gandhi scion had visited Odisha for two days on February 18 and 19 to rejuvenate the party in the State ahead of the next general election by meeting the grass root level workers and block level leaders to know their problems. As a part of his promise to give a new dimension for the party within three months, he had started the brainstorming sessions with the leaders regarding advantages and drawbacks of the party.

After ten days of Rahul’s visit, AICC general secretary Madhusudan Mistry had visited here to discuss with the presidents of the districts regarding the listing of aspirants of MPs. Earlier, two central observers had taken opinions from the leaders of the total 21 organisational districts in the State.   

 

Aam Aadmi Party to launch State unit on Mar 17

BHUBANESWAR: India Against Corruption chief campaigner Arvind Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) would officially launch its Odisha unit on March 17 a day after holding a State level public meeting at the Lower PMG here. It would be the first public meeting in the State after formation of the party, party sources said.

Party’s national executive members including Prof Ajit Jha would attend the State level convention on March 16, said AAP State coordinator Nishikant Mohapatra. “We are expecting around 3000 volunteers and supporters to attend the convention. Party has received an excellent response from people across the State,” said Mohapatra at a Press meet.

He said that they have already formed committees in 17 districts in the State and they have strengthened their position in 25 districts. “Our party’s main agenda include Janlokpal, Right to Recall, Right to Reject, Right to Justice and Swaraj,” said Mohapatra, adding, “We are also working on various local issues across the State.”

Recently, the party has organised a State level preparatory meeting where 19 districts have participated and shared their progress and development done in respective areas.

       

        

Man hunt for Maoist Sabyasachi intensified

-- Panda calls for Odisha bandh to protest Pradip’s killing

BHUBANESWAR: Following the death of Pradip Majhi, military in-charge and close aide of Odisha Maovadi Party chief Sabyasachi Panda, the police have started man hunt to nab Panda. They have intensified combing operations in the Ganjam-Gajapati border forests where Panda is suspected to be hiding, the police sources said.

The police believe that Panda might have hidden in the 2 km long Gudi Sahi jungle nearer to the Karanjadua forests of Gajapati district’s Mohana police limits where the police killed his aide on Monday.   

                                               

Panda on Tuesday released an audiotape in which he condemned the Odisha Police for killing Majhi in fake encounter. He also called for Odisha bandh on March 14 in protest of the killing of his aide in police encounter.

The Maoist leader once again rejected the call for surrender from police DG Prakash Mishra who had appealed to Panda to surrender and join the mainstream of society. “If he does not give up arms, he knows what consequence awaits him,” Mishra had said.

Panda’s wife Subhashree said that the Government is unnecessarily targeting such Maoists who are not indulged in violent activities.

Shah Comm to re-examine mines on Mar 16

BHUBANESWAR: The Justice MB Shah commission, which is probing illegal mining across the country, would re-examine the mines in the State by March 16. The commission has sent a guideline to the State Government in this regard.

From the beginning of the Commission’s hearing recently, the lessees were raising question on the authenticity of differential geographical positioning systems (DGPS) used for demarcation of mines lease boundaries in the State. Following the complaint of the mine owners, the Commission had allowed physical verification of certain leasehold areas during the hearing.

According to the decision of the commission, a seven-member team would go to Keonjhar and Sundergarh district to re-examine the actual position of the mines. They would be assisted by district level members.

Meanwhile, the Commission has sent guidelines to the State Government regarding the re-examining of mines which stated that the mining outside of the lease area would be declared as encroachment area. It also stated that the team would examine the lease area whether it is forest or non-forest area and the lessees have followed the rules or not that would be examined.     

Kalinga Hospital gets Best Multyspeciality Hospital award

BHUBANESWAR: Kalinga Hospital Limited has been awarded as the Best Multyspeciality Hospital in the entire East zone in Non Metro category for the year of 2012. This prestigious ‘ICICI Lombard Health Insurance and CNBC TV 18 India Healthcare Award’ was given by Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia and WHO Representative to India at New Delhi on Sunday.

Briefing the Press persons here, Managing Director of the hospital Dr Mala Chattopadhyay said that it is an achievement by itself and stressed on the involvement and efforts of the consultants and staff which made such accomplishment possible. She reiterated the slogan of ‘seva dil se’ and promised to continue providing compassionate care towards the greater masses of the society at the most affordable cost.

Chief Manager Administration Dr R K Padhi and Deputy Medical Superintendent Dr Siddharth Mishra, who were present over the Press meet, said the process of service delivery is being closely monitored and being upgraded to suit the scope of ‘tertiary corporate health care service delivery’. “We are also working on the upgradation of the ambience of the hospital both tangible and intangible aspects for the better customer service and delight,” said Dr Mishra.

Among others, HR consultant Namita Priya, Corporate Relations and Marketing Manager Sayahna Saha and administrative officers were present.

Farmer suicide becomes regular phenomenon in State: Cong

BHUBANESWAR: Criticising the State Government for not taking appropriate steps to stop farmer suicide in the home district of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) on Saturday said in a memorandum to the Governor that the farmer suicide has become a regular phenomenon during BJD rule since 2000 in the State.

The PCC members said that due to continued neglect of agriculture, the cultivators suffer unspeakable economic hardship and deprivation. One such tragic incident has .taken place at Erendra village of Girisola GP under Chikiti Block in Ganjam district on last February 23 this year. On February 21, Trinath Pradhan (50) belonging to scheduled caste was forced to take poison to end his life due to mounting mental agonies on account of debt burden. Apart from Rs 10,000 which he had borrowed from local Co-operative, there was an outstanding private loan of Rs 50,000 against him, they added.

The members demanded payment of an immediate compensation of Rs 5 Lakh to his widowed wife, engagement of his migrant son Jitendra Pradhan to support family income, sanction of old age pension for his 75-year-old mother Sadhu Pradhan and disabled pension for his dependent sister Phula Pradhan who is dumb. They also demanded payment of additional Rs 300 per quintal for paddy to farmers, reassessment of crop loss estimate to cover many left out genuine farmers in the district under crop insurance scheme, Urgent initiatives for interlinking of the river Rushikulya with the Bansadhara to ensure irrigation facilities in deficient Ganjam district.

The PCC delegation under the chairmanship of former Minister Ganeswar Behera, former speaker Chintamani Dyan Samantaray, met the family on March 6 to take stock of the situation and condole the bereaved family. The Block Congress Committee of Chikiti staged demonstration and submitted a memorandum to the Governor through the Tahasildar, Chikiti on the same day.

Fact finding team on Posco demands judicial inquiry

--Bomb blast incident at Posco site--

BHUBANESWAR: The Civil Liberty Fact Finding Team (CLFFT), a twelve-member group, who made a visit to the proposed Posco area in Jagatsinghpur district to assess the situation in the wake of escalated violence since the land acquisition process resumed in the area on February 4, has demanded a high-level judicial inquiry into the bomb blast incident.

A national-level fact-finding team consisting of civil liberties, democratic organisations and individuals visited Govindapur and Dhinkia villages of the district on Saturday. After visiting the site, the team briefed the Media persons here on Sunday about the facts they got during their visit. They stated that the blast was not occurred due to bomb making by the villagers, but that was thrown by some groups.

They alleged that the police neither reached the area nor sent any help for taking Laxman Parmanik immediately to the hospital, despite Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samity (PPSS) informing the police immediately after the incident. The police arrived only on the morning of March 3 at the scene of the incident and took charge of the dead bodies, they added.

The team members said the families of the two deceased shared that the police arrived on the midnight of March 3 and asked them to sign a written statement stating that the victims died in the process of making the bomb which they refused to do. When Kusumbati Sahu, sister-in-law of the deceased Narahari Sahu went to register an FIR at the Abhoychandranpur police station on March 3 evening, the police refused to accept the FIR, while the police accepted the FIR was lodged by Ranjan Bardhan on March 4 against the three deceased, the injured Parmanik, Abhay Sahu, Surendra Das and five others of the PPSS, they said.   

Besides the high level judicial enquiry into the bomb blast incident, the team members also demanded immediate withdrawal of the police camp from Gobindpur village as it is contributing to escalating tensions in the area, cessation of the land acquisition process forthwith in the Dhinkia panchayat area including Gobindpur village and compensation on humanitarian grounds to the families of the deceased who were killed in the bomb blast and proper medical help for the injured person.

The members like scientist Meher Engineer, Mainstream Weekly Editor Sumit Chakravartty, Delhi University Retired Professor Dr Manoranjan Mohanty, Pramodini Pradhan and Saroj Mohanty from PUCL and Partho Roy from Sanhati were present at the Press briefing.