2 killed as old cinema hall roof collapsed in city

BHUBANESWAR: Two workers died on Wednesday when a part of the roof of the Kalpana cinema hall in the city collapsed on them. The incident happened when the workers were engaged for demolishing the defunct old cinema hall building here.

According to reports, the cinema hall building was being demolished for its renovation. The work was going on during last few days. On Wednesday afternoon, the mishap took place when the support system of the roof collapsed suddenly. 

After getting information from the locals, Fire Brigade officials rushed to the spot and pulled out a person from the debris of the cinema hall. Fire Brigade officer Ramesh Majhi said a part of the hall’s roof caved in on the workers engaged in the demolition of the side wall of the balcony space.

                

While one worker died on the spot, the other was rushed to the Capital Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Chargesheet filed in Bachansudha murder case

BHUBANESWAR: The Commissionerate Police on Tuesday submitted an 85-page chargesheet against the accused security guard Dipti Ranjan Pattanayak who was the prime suspect in the broad daylight murder of 53-year-old business woman Bachansudha Pattanayak at Sabar Sahi in Rasulgarh area here on September 11 last year.

The chargesheet was submitted before the SDJM court here. The police even submitted the statements of 23 witnesses, circumstantial evidences along with psychoanalysis test report with the chargesheet to prove the charges.

The police confirmed that only the security guard had killed the elderly woman while committing robbery in Bachansudha’s house. In the chargesheet, the police have given handful of evidences to prove that the murder was committed by the security guard including bloodstain in the shirt of Dipti and matching of fingerprint.

Other evidences like seizure of mobile and ATM cards from the accused have been mentioned in the chargesheet. The police have also pointed out the statement of the woman who had seen Dipti while coming out of the house after committing the crime.

“We have sufficient evidences to prove the accused,” said Twin City Police Commissioner Dr RP Sharma.

Meanwhile, son of the deceased Rochan Pattanayak demanded the accused should be trialed in a fast-track court and he should be given death sentence.        

DL/RC to be sent by post in home address from Feb 1

--Person with fake address in DL may face music

BHUBANESWAR: Now the persons, who mention fake or fictious address in their driving licenses (DL) or registration certificates (RC) application, may land in trouble as the State Government has decided to dispatch the DL/RC by Speed Post or Registered Post through post offices from February 1 this year.

If the address is found fake, said a notification issued by the State Commerce and Transport department, the DL/RC would be returned to the concerned Regional Transport Office (RTO) and the applicant would be interrogated for the unscrupulous act.     

“This will also act as a check to ensure that the applicants provide correct residential address while applying for DL/ RC and to prevent unscrupulous elements applying DL/RC with fictitious addresses.” said the notification, adding, “The new system will ease the difficulties experienced by the applicants for DL/RC while collecting it from RTO office.”

The notification further said the present practice of collecting the DLs and RCs in person by the applicants from the office of the RTOs will be stopped and such licenses and certificates will be sent to the applicants’ address as stated in the applications by Speed Post/Registered Post only. For this purpose, the dispatch fees and handling charges will be borne by the applicant concerned which will be added to the present fees for different purposes of obtaining DLs/RCs, it added.

Accordingly, the notification said, Rs 20 in case of address of the applicant falling in the local municipal area where the RTO office is situated and Rs 40 for the other areas as the case may be will be collected from the applicants in addition to the DL and RC fees for different purposes.

This order shall come into effect from February 1, 2014 and applications will be received from February 1, 2014 onwards will be accepted with these additional charges towards dispatch fee by Speed Post and handling charges in addition to the DL and RC fees for different purposes, stated the notification.

OJM forms committee for CMC poll

BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Jan Morcha (OJM) has decided to take part in the election for the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) which would be held on February 6. Party president Pyarimohan Mohapatra on Sunday formed an 11-member election committee to look after the party affair in the election.

The committee is headed by party’s vice president Rajendra Prasad Singh, said a Press release issued by the party. Among others, party’s another vice president Divyasingh Mishra, Bibhuti Bhushan Mishra, Sayed Ostaulla, OJM general secretary Deepak Kumar Barik and Seshadev Patra, spokesperson Dr Rabiranjan Sahu and Amar Nayak, Cuttack Sadar coordinator Narayan Mallick and Laxmidhar Sahu and Tarun Pati have been included in the committee.

Notably, the party could not take part in the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) election due to delay in applying for the party symbol before the State Election Commission (SEC).

Dawn-to-dusk hartal in State today

BHUBANESWAR: The Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) has called for a State-wide dawn-to-dusk hartal on Tuesday demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the issue of mining scam in the State. 

Keeping in view of the election on Wednesday, the party has decided to exempt the area under the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) from hartal. “We have exempted the city from hartal due to election. We’ll only hold demonstration only in the State capital,” said PCC president Jaydev Jena.

Business establishments and educational institutions across the State would remain close on Tuesday. Bank service, bus service and train service will also be paralysed due to hartal, said a party leader, adding, “The dawn-to-dusk hartal will be peaceful and nobody would be forced to participate in it.”

The PCC leaders particularly said that Naveen Patnaik’s role in the mining loot is now exposed and for which he must resign forthwith and should be arrested.

The hartal will tell the people of the State about the failure of the State Government in protecting the mining loot in the State, said the PCC leaders.  

BMC polls: Parties make last ditch effort to woo voters in city

--Parties to keep vigil on distribution of money among voters

Linkan Subudhi from BJD is campaigning in her ward

BHUBANESWAR: On the last day of the campaign for elections to the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), political parties including BJP, Congress and BJD and their candidates made a last-ditch effort to woo the voters on Monday.

In the campaign trail, senior leaders from mainstream political parties addressed public meetings and organised mass contact programmes through road shows in a hurried manner to touch most of the wards in the city.

Though the curtains were virtually downed on mass public meetings, the independent candidates along with candidates of political parties would reach out to voters by going door-to-door personally and would approach them through mobile phone and internet to get votes.

Like Saturday and Sunday, BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday also hit the campaign trail for the party candidates and attended meetings at different places of over 16 wards. In his marathon campaign, Patnaik attended campaign meetings at Rental Colony of ward-15, IRC Village of ward-25 and 27, different areas of ward-1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 16, 20, 21 and 24 of under Uttar Bhubaneswar constituency.  

The BJD used Odia film star Anubhav as star campaigner along with MP and actor Siddhant Mohapatra. The BJD massively used campaign materials like posters, banners and equipment like decorative moving platforms.

Not to be far behind, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Jaydev Jena also addressed a series of meetings at Saheed Nagar of ward-30, Bomikhal of ward-31, Jharpada of ward-32, Laxmisagar of ward-33, Maharshi College area of ward-34 and other areas of ward 35 and 41 with their candidates and sought support of the people to win the elections.

Union Minister Srikant Jena and party’s senior leader Prasad Harichandan and Kishore Patel took part in the processions.  

The BJP leaders also came out in a procession with its supporters to bang the campaign trail on the last day. Party’s State president KV Singhdeo during his marathon campaign addressed at Gautam Nagar of ward-55, Old Town area of ward-54, Barmunda Gaon of ward-50 and different areas started from ward-59 to 67. Besides, senior leader and former Minister Biswabhushan Harichandan also addressed several meetings in the city for their candidates.

The independent candidates, whose campaign lacked sparkle in absence of gaudy procession and star campaigners, were trying to win over voters by visiting every house and meeting every resident of their wards. Most of the independent candidates were dissidents of mainstream political parties like BJD and Congress.

Meanwhile, the Congress and BJP leaders said that they would keep strict vigil on distribution of money by other parties to lure the voters. They will be watchful on the movement of other party people in the night also, said a party leader of BJP, adding, “We have deployed our party people to keep eye on the miscreants who want to motivate the voters by distributing money and liquor.”

Notably, the poll would be held on January 8 and result would be declared on the very next day.

NFIR two-day secret ballot on strike from Jan 17

BHUBANESWAR: Protesting non-fulfillment of their demands, the National Federation of Indian Railway men (NFIR), a union of railway employees, has decided to conduct a secret ballot on January 17 and 18 to elicit opinion of the railway employees on its plan to hold an indefinite strike. 

Earlier, the federation had written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reiterating its 63 demands including hike in Grade Pay and rectification of VI CPC anomalies. The NFIR members had also warned of holding a strike in the event the Government develops cold feet towards its concerns after taking the opinion of the staff.

In the national convention of the NFIR held at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh from December 10 to 12, several problems of the employees were discussed. The convention felt disappointed over a non-responsive attitude of the Government on the proposals sent by the Railway Ministry.

The convention also expressed grave concern over lack of positive response on the part of the Central Government on the demand of DA merger and grant of interim relief, besides statutory guaranteed pension/family pension to the Central Government employees appointed on and after January 1, 2004.