New terminal to be started from Mar 14

BHUBANESWAR: New terminal of the Biju Patnaik Airport, which was recently inaugurated by Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on the birth anniversary of Biju Patnaik, would start functioning from March 14, said airport director Sharad Kumar.

The airport authorities fixed the date for shifting from Terminal 2 (T2) to Terminal 1 (T1) after holding discussions with the service providers and security agencies. On March 13 night, the shifting work would be started. The T1 would start functioning from the next day morning and the T2 would be constructed keeping eye on the international flight.

         

Plus II Q paper leak incident, Cong demands Higher Edu Min’s resignation

AIDSO stages demo in front of Min’s house, 50 arrested 

BHUBANESWAR: A minor scuffle in between the police and the student members of the All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) left five injured, including girl students, while they were demonstrating in front of the Higher Education Minister’s residence here on Saturday demanding stringent punishment against the culprits and authorities involved in the Plus II question paper leakage incident.

More than 50 students were arrested during the demonstration, those who were later released on PR bond. The organisation also demanded adequate compensation to the examinees suffered and to stop the ongoing privatisation and commercialisation of education. “We will strongly protest the police brutality on agitating students here,” said organisation secretary Shibasis Praharaj.  

AIDSO State president Akshay Das, vice-presidents Subash Nayak and Ganesh Tripathy said the Government ordered a Crime Branch inquiry to the incident, which is just an Eye wash, as it happened in the case of matric examination question paper leakage case. The leakage has also resulted in the mental trauma both in the students and guardians and students have lost the confidence upon the present set up, they added.

Similarly, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) on Saturday demanded resignation of Higher Education Minister Badrinarayan Patra for mismanagement in handling the Plus II examination and leakage of the Physics and Chemistry question paper.

In a Press statement Odisha Pradesh Sikshyak Sangh president Kailas Acharya said the State Government has failed to check the continuous leakage of the question paper.         

SP distributes relief for fire victims of Mali Sahi

BHUBANESWAR: Samajwadi Party workers distributed biscuits and water packets in the fire ravaged Mali Sahi in the heart of the city on Saturday morning. Party volunteers led by its State president Rabi Behera said the cause of the fire must be investigated as the hand of the land shirks can not be ruled out.

Similarly, after 18 hours of fire break out no polythene and cooked food have been reached out to the victims which reflects insensitivity of the administration and the BMC. Behera also demanded fire proof houses for all the victims. The party also requested the Chief Electoral Officer to provide Voter ID to the victims who lost that in the fire accident.   

CM inaugurates dev projects in Koraput

JEYPORE: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who was on a day-long tour to Koraput district on Saturday, inaugurated and laid foundation-stone for several development projects in the district.

Patnaik first inaugurated 100 seated boys hostel and class rooms at Government College here, Skill Upgradation centre, fly ash brick making unit, flower and vegetable show and Club-Foot correction pilot programme. Then he laid foundation stone for Kalyan Mandap, Model School at Koraput and distributed artificial limbs and hearing aids at Sanskruti Bhawan Koraput. Later he attended a public function here.

Soon after, Patnaik visited Laxmipur block and inaugurated 100 seated ST Girls’ hostel, Fire Station at Laxmipur, laid foundation-stone of 300 seated ST Girls hostel complex at Kanimusa and also addressed a public meeting at Laxmipur.

In Jeypore, Odisha Emergency Medical Ambulance Service was flagged off by the Chief Minister. Patnaik attended Gaon Kalyan Samiti and Asha Convention. Addressing the gathering, Patnaik spoke about various welfare schemes launched by the State Government focused on education, employment and general health for the people.

Among others, School and Mass Education Minister Rabi Narayan Nanda, Koraput MP Jayaram Pangi, Koraput MLA Raghuram Podal, Laxmipur MLA Jhinna Hikaka, Zilla Parishad president Malati Majhi and district Collector Sachin R Jadhav attended the programmes.

+2 Chem paper leaked, rescheduled for Mar 30

--CB begins probe into paper leak case

BHUBANESWAR: A day after the leak out of Plus II Physics question paper, it was the turn of the next paper Chemistry to face the same fate. Due to the leak out of Chemistry paper on Friday, the examination was cancelled. The Higher Education Minister Badri Narayan Patra announced that the examination would be held on March 30.

The Minister directed the director of Higher Education department to carry out an internal probe into the matter. After accepting the recommendations of the Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE), they have rescheduled the examination of the Physics paper on March 25 and Chemistry paper for March 30, he added.

After a hot discussion in the Assembly on Thursday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had ordered a Crime Branch probe into the Physics question paper leak case. The Crime Branch has started probing into the matter. “A DSP rank officer is taking the lead of the team that would investigate into the matter. The team is probing the case sincerely and seriously,” said Crime Branch ADG Bijay Kumar Sharma.

Meanwhile, a four-member team of Crime Branch led by DSP SK Patnaik reached the CHSE office for inquiry into Physics paper leak case.

According to a senior official of the CHSE, the areas like Bhawanipatna, Phulbani and nearby towns are coming under scanner regarding the leak out of the paper. “We are yet to get the concrete picture of paper leak,” he added.

Following the unfortunate incident, the students became unhappy and worried over the serial leakage of question paper. Though the district administrations and police had taken security measures to keep the question papers in safe, it was very unfortunate that someone has leaked it. It is said that the leakage of question paper for two consecutive days is first in the history of the CHSE.

Matric exam ends peacefully, results by April end

BHUBANESWAR: Besides a few problems in the beginning, the Annual High School Certificate Examination (HSCE) conducted by the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) of Odisha, which was commenced on February 25, concluded peacefully on Saturday.  

BSE president DP Nanda said that evaluation of answer sheets of matric exam would begin from March 17 and results likely to be published by April end.

Earlier, the School and Mass Education Department was geared up to conduct the examinations and had arranged elaborate security to make it incident free. The department had issued guidelines for deploying either Block Development Officers (BDOs), Tahasildars or magistrates in the examination centres to check malpractices.

This year, over five lakh students had appeared the HSC examination at 2,492 centres across the State. While 135 squad units had been formed, nearly 5,000 superintendents and deputy superintendents had been appointed to ensure free and fair conduct of the examinations.

Protect democratic rights of common people: CPM

BHUBANESWAR: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Friday staged demonstration in front of the State Assembly here protesting the eroding law and order situation of the State. Later the delegation led by CPI (M) State secretary Janardan Pati handed over a memorandum to the State Home Secretary demanding protection of democratic rights of the common people.

In the memorandum, party leader said that attack against tribals, dalits and women are increasing in the State. The police are neither taking action against the culprits nor lodge case based on the FIR which is happening in the districts of Nabarangpur, Gajapati and Malkangiri, they added.

Pati said the police even want to suppress the voice of the agitated school and college teachers by using lathi and water canon which is very unfortunate. The agitators, who take part in the demonstrations, were being arrested by Bhubaneswar DCP lodging criminal offences are condemnable, he added.

He also expressed grave concern over the police excess on the anti-Posco agitators at Govindpur and Patna near the proposed Posco site in Jagatsinghpur district. He demanded the Government to stop suppress the public voice and conduct fair investigation to book the criminals under law.

Among others, CPI (M) State member Jagannath Mishra, Sisir Hui, Sarat Das, slum leader Anjan Nath, women leader Minati Panigrahy and Suresh Panigrahy took part in the demonstration.