KKD stages demo for separate Kosal State

BHUBANESWAR: The members of Kosal Kranti Dal (KKD) on Friday staged demonstration in front of the State Assembly here demanding formation of separate Kosal Pradesh and to materialise the dreams of two and half crores Kosali people who aspire to see a new State under Article 2 and 3 of Indian Constitution.

More than a hundred members came in a procession started from Master Canteen to the Lower PMG and staged a meeting in front of the State Assembly here protesting the State Government’s delay in recognising their demands. KKD president Pramod Kumar Mishra, while addressing the members in the meeting, said the western part of the State has been facing many challenges including Government negligence from the day of the independence.

Mishra pointed out about the regional imbalances in the area and maladministration of different Governments of the State. “The people of the Kosalanchal has been facing untold misery in the hands of such bureaucrats and executing authorities who mostly hail from Eastern Odisha,” he said.

A delegation led by Mishra handed over a memorandum to the Chief Minister requesting fulfillment of their demands. The KKD members also met MLAs of Kosal area (consisting of 13 districts) and requested them to address their issues in the Assembly.

In the memorandum, the leaders said the mineral rich and naturally sound western Odisha people are neglected in almost all sectors including political, social, education and health. “Kosal Pradesh is our right and nobody can create obstacle on the way to get that right,” said Mishra, adding, “If the MLAs fail to address our issues, we would gherao them in their own Assembly constituency and would stage demonstration in front of the representatives of the Government.”     

‘National policy needed to protect deprived Hindu refugees’

--Infiltration increasing in border from B’desh side: RSS

BHUBANESWAR: “National policy for refugees and their rehabilitation should be formulated soon,” demanded Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangha (RSS) Pranta Sanghachalak for Odisha Bipin Bihari Nanda while briefing the media here on Thursday.

Nanda reiterated the demands of the Sangha passed during the All India Pratinidhi Sabha held at Jaipur in Rajasthan regarding protection of Hindus in the neighbouring muslim countries. Their demands include imposing of pressure on Pakistan and Bangladesh for protection of Hindus residing in the countries, provision of adequate compensation to the affected Hindus and imposing pressure on international organisations like UNHRC and UNHCR to save the honour and security of the minorities of the above countries.

He said the Hindus in Pakistan are deprived of their security, self respect and human rights. As per Nehru-Liaquat pact both the countries owe the responsibility to provide security to the minorities residing in their respective territory, while India has provided all the privileges to the minorities in it’s own land, it cannot escape from it’s responsibility by saying that the minority problem of the above two countries are their internal matter, he added.

Due to the atrocities on Hindus, their numbers have been declined in above two countries. According to the statistics, 28 per cent Hindus were living in Bangladesh during partition which has been decreased to 10 per cent now. Similarly, 11 per cent Hindus were living in Pakistan during partition and now it has been decreased to 2 per cent. On the other hand, the percentage of Muslims in India has been raised from 8 per cent to 14 per cent.

Nanda expressed grave concern over the beheading of two Indian soldiers by Pakistan army with some jehadi group and condemned the heinous act. He demanded a firm military policy to restore confidence among the people about the security in the border area.

He also strongly opposed the infiltration of Bangladeshis who are continuously entering into Indian Territory. The infiltrators are causing riots and communal violence in the country, he said citing examples of Kokrajhar incident in Assam. “The Government should check the increasing infiltration in the border for the security of the nation,” Nanda ended.

Police’s false case against Sushree Das: SO leaders move SHRC

BHUBANESWAR: Leaders of the Samruddha Odisha (SO) party led by its president Jatish Mohanty on Wednesday moved to the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) in connection with the forcible arrest of Sushree Das, a Zilla Parishad member, by the police in an undemocratic way. A five-member team would visit Talcher on Friday to take stock of the health condition of Das, said party general secretary Prabir Mohanty.

According to general secretary Mohanty, police forcibly arrested the ZP member on late Tuesday night and sent to jail when she was staging dharna in front of the State Assembly protesting company’s monopoly attitude at Tentulei in Talcher area. At 2.30 am on Tuesday, a few plain-clothed police, who had come in two private cars, took her from the dharna place by convincing her in the name of the discussion. The police took her to Talcher immediately and sent her to jail by lodging false cases under section 143, 149, 186, 194, 341 and 501 of IPC against her, he added.

SO senior vice president Gora Chand Barik warned the concerned officials, who had taken her to Talcher, would be responsible for her health condition.

Notably, Das was arrested when she had sat in fast in front the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s residence protesting the NSL Company for not providing compensation to the displaced, illegal land acquisitions and forcibly construction of boundary wall on the agricultural field. When she could not get opportunity to sit in dharna in front of the Naveen Niwas, she continued her dharna at the Lower PMG.

   

17k Home Guards to gherao Assembly on Mar 22

BHUBANESWAR: Around 17,000 members of the Nikhila Utkal Gruharakhi Mahasangha (NUGM) have threatened to gherao the State Assembly on Friday over their fulfillment of their six-point charter of demands. The association went on strike from Wednesday and cautioned the Government that they would follow civil disobedience path during the agitation at the Lower PMG here on Friday.

The home guards, working across the State, demanded that the authority should stop indiscriminate retrenchment of home guards. The Government should formulate new rules for them, said working president of NUGM Sanjay Kumar Behera.

The six-point charter of demands of the Mahasangh include daily allowance of Rs 200 to Rs 500, set up of welfare fund, granting of ESI and EPF, Government recognition for the Mahasangha and discrimination in pay of salary to company commander, platoon commander and home guards.

“The Mahasangha has been demanding before the State Government to fulfill their demands, but their voice is not being heard properly. This time we would not listen anyone till their demands are fulfilled,” said Behera.  

BMC to open 80 Jalchatras in city

BHUBANESWAR: Many poor people from across the State are coming to the capital city for various purposes and they could not purchase water bottles from the shop to satiate their thirst. The free water facility at different places in the city helps them saving money as well as from sunstroke. But this year, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has not started the free water facilities (Jalchatras) though the mercury level of the city crossed 39.2 degree Celsius.  

The city-dwellers also demanded early opening of Jalchatras in the city. “BMC should open jalchatras immediately without making any delay. The heat is increasing day by day, but no free water facility is provided in the city now,” said a passerby Gunagrahi Barik who hails from Pipili in search of work in the city.

“To beat the scorching heat of summer, people need sufficient water to drink which would maintain water balance in the body. The water deficit problem and the heat may cause sun stroke,” said a doctor.

While BMC Mayor Anant Narayan Jena said that they would open the jalchatras very shortly. “Like every year, we are planning to open 80 to 100 Jalchatras in the city from April 1,” said Mayor Jena on Wednesday. He continued, “The lassi and fruit juice vendors were told to open jalchatras in front of their shop according to their agreement with them.”

  

Discovered skeleton’s sample sent to Hyderabad for DNA test

BHUBANESWAR: Sample of the skeleton discovered from Baanga village near Harirajpur in Puri district, 15 km from here, has been sent to the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad for DNA test to know further information about the skeleton, said Paleopathologist and retired head of the Department of Anthropology, University of Pune, Prof S R Walimbe while addressing the Press at Utkal University campus here on Sunday.

The skeleton of an adult male, which was excavated during the month of February this year, belongs to Chalcolithic age dating approximately 2000 to 1500 BC (3,500 years old), revealed the expert team including Prof Kishore K Basa of Anthropology department in Utkal University, Dr Veena Mushrif Tripathy from Anthropology department of Deccan College of Pune and Prof Walimbe.

Experts said the age of the male (skeleton) was in between 35 and 40, height 5 ft 7 inch and was a healthy person. His hand got fractured when he was 25 and it was later fixed in a natural way, the team added.

They didn’t find the foot as it was already cut during the time of death, the team felt and added that it was a normal death of the person as the normal age was 40 then. The team would do x-ray on the skeleton to know the ancient treatment of bone fracture. They would do the test of carbon dating to know the exact age of the skeleton, informed the team.

“The research so far is at a preliminary stage. After proper anthropological investigation on the skeleton, we would give the details,” asserted Prof Basa. He continued, “We are sending the samples for carbon dating and the precise data would come after getting the result of the test.”   Presently, the expert team is conducting anthropological investigation on the adult male human skeleton, said sources.

Aam Aadmi Party’s State office bearers name declared

BHUBANESWAR: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday announced the office bearers of its newly launched State unit. In the presence of national executive body member Prof Ajit Jha, the party declared its 10-membered executive committee to look after the affairs of the State unit.

Nishikant Mohapatra, an active member of Arvind Kejriwal-led India Against Corruption (IAC), unanimously elected as convener of the State unit, while Bismay Mohapatra became the secretary and Snigdha Rani Mohanty became the treasurer of the unit.

The office bearers would start their work very soon by visiting different districts for strengthening of the party. “The party would hold a meeting next week where we make the schedule of the visit to reach the common people with very vital issues,” said convener Mohapatra.