Mixed response to ‘hartal’ in State

BHUBANESWAR: The dawn-to-dusk State-wide ‘hartal’ observed by the rulling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Friday demanding Special Category Status to the State partially affected normal life across the State. The communication was hit as the BJD supporters resorted to rail roko at different stations, stopped auto rickshaws and buses to ply on the road.

According to sources, rulling party activists obstructed many buses and auto rickshaws on their way. Picketing by the party activists at many places on Friday prompted the vehicles to remain indoor. Hartal supporters in the capital city and Cuttack reportedly damaged some vehicles while preventing people on vehicle to ply on the road, police said.

In the city, the activists staged road blockade at the busy and important squares and prevented the office goers to attend the offices. The city bus services were off the road in the city. Petrol pumps were also closed.

Big shops and business establishments remained closed in many places while attendance in banks, offices and other organisations was thin and it was seen that office goers reached office early to get respite from the picketers.

Train services were disrupted for three hours as the activists staged demonstrations and blocked rail tracks in various places including Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Brahmapur, Khurda Road, Baleswar, Bhadrak and Sambalpur, said the sources.

However, work in industrial sector, public sector units and Paradip Port remained unaffected. Two wheelers and some autorickshaws were seen on the road and small shops were opened at various places except big business establishments.  

Notably, the BJD had initially planned for a 12-hour Odisha bandh, but later the party changed it to hartal to avoid legal hassles. The party had also declared that essential services like ambulance, power, drinking water supply and exams in schools and colleges to be kept out of the purview of the hartal.

SP urges Prez to confer Baharat Ratna to Biju Patnaik

BHUBANESWAR: The Samajwadi Party State Committee on Thursday requested President of India Pranab Mukherjee, who was in a two-day Odisha visit, to direct the Central Government to confer the highest civilian award of the country Bharat Ratna to former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik posthumously.

State committee president Rabi Behera said the contribution of Biju Patnaik to Indian freedom struggle and later on to nation building is unparallel in the history. Though he deserves a Bharat Ratna, but till now it is not conferred on him, he added.

“It is not only an insult to the Odias, but also an injustice to a worthy son of the country,” said Behera, adding, “National flag of three countries-India, Indonesia and Soviet Russia was flown half-mast in recognition of his contribution, but neither during his life time nor even 16 years after his death the award is conferred on him.”       

AIDSO demands manual system of admission in colleges

BHUBANESWAR: All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) on Thursday staged dharana before the State Secretariat here demanding manual process of admission in colleges. The student leaders also demanded the Higher Education department to make all online processes including e-admission as optional like other e-processes including e-booking and e-banking.

A protest meeting was held at the lower PMG under the chairmanship of AIDSO Odisha State president Akshay Das. Later a delegation team submitted a memorandum to the Higher Education Minister on their demands. The student leaders said the majority of the students stand on one side of the digital divide, with easy accessibility and opportunity available only to a miniscule few. As e-admission being compulsory pushes majority of the students to an alien ambience, makes them feel inadequate, insecure and harassed, they added.

Matric result will be published in the first week of May 2013 and after that admission process would be started in the colleges. But the Government and the Higher Education authorities are silent about the process of admission. Even the Government ignored the order of the Odisha High Court to introduce manual process, AIDSO members alleged.

Among others, State vice-presidents Subash Nayak and Ganesh Tripathy, Secretary Shibasis Praharaj, secretariat members Kedarnath Sahoo, Sidharth Rath, Babi Balabantaray, Paramananda Sahoo and Krishna Sahoo condemned the callousness of the Government and high-ups.

Cong urges Prez for special State tag

BHUBANESWAR: A nine-member delegation led by PCC president Niranjan Patnaik here on Wednesday met President of India Pranab Mukherjee and handed over a memorandum for conferring Special Category Status on Odisha. Patnaik reiterated the Union Finance Minister’s budget speech where he had told to change the criteria for Special Category Status to the States.

Patnaik said in the memorandum that the State lags behind the national average on almost all development indicators and the gap between Odisha and the more prosperous States has been widening. The State is showing poor performance in the per capita income, poverty ratio, health indicators, employment generation, least developed in infrastructure facility, economic and human development. Per capita development expenditure in the State is far behind than other States, Patnaik said, adding, “Conferment of special State tag is fully justified considering our acute backwardness.”         

BYM protests crime against women, illegal gun trading

BHUBANESWAR: A delegation of BJP Yuva Morcha (BYM) handed over a memorandum to the Governor SC Zamir here on Wednesday protesting the increasing sexual assault and other atrocities against women, fire arm business and loot from business establishments’ everyday in the State.

The law and order situation is deteriorating fast in the State, alleged Morcha’s State general secretary Umakant Patnaik. He said the smuggling and illegal manufacturing of fire arms are on the rise in the urban areas like the capital city, Cuttack, Brahmapur, Jharsuguda and Kendrapada. Due to the illegal gun business, murder, kidnap, loot, robbery and snatching is increasing in the State, he added.

According to the White Paper issued by the State Home Department, rape incidents has been increased 31 per cent in 2012 than the previous year, while 526 dowry death cases and 3054 dowry torture cases were registered last year which clearly shows the condition of women living in the State.

The Morcha members alleged that the police and the State Government are solely responsible over the two major issues related to law and order situation. As the Chief Minister is the head of the Home Department, he is responsible for the increasing crime against women and illegal trading of fire arms in the State, they added.

Morcha general secretary Kabi Swain, vice president Biswaranjan Mishra, State Executive body member Suprabha Biswal, Bhubaneswar district president Madan Mohan Sahu and Satyabrata Nayak went with the delegation and demanded the Governor to take appropriate step to stop the illegal trading of fire arm business and atrocities against women.

Utkal Sammilani demands Prez to nominate Odias to RS

BHUBANESWAR: Not a single Odia get nominated by the President of India for the coveted seat of Rajya Sabha within 66 years of independence of the country which shows either the President of India is not interested to nominate from the State or the Odias have lack of talents, lamented Utkal Sammilani members here on Wednesday.

The Sammilani would press its demands regarding nomination of Odias before the President of India Pranab Mukherjee while welcoming him here on Wednesday. “At least an Odia should be nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the President,” demanded Utkal Sammilani’s Mancheswar Industrial Estate branch president Dillip Das Sharma said.

He also demanded Mukherjee to announce the nomination of Odias while delivering speech at the Utkal University convocation on Thursday. “Our intellectuals are not less than the nominated RS members by the President,” Das Sharma said.         

Special Committee begins inquiry into Engg colleges

BHUBANESWAR: Following the suicidal death of a girl student of a city-based engineering college NMIET after she was mentally tortured over the collection of college fees, a special committee of the Employment and Technical Education and Training department began its inquiry from Wednesday regarding infrastructure and fee structure of the private engineering colleges in the State.

The committee on its first day of its inquiry started from a private engineering college at Tangi in Cuttack district. It investigates the required infrastructure, library and laboratory facilities and fee structure fixed by the State Government. “We would write letter to the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) to take action against the colleges who violate the rule and regulations of the Government,” said E and TET secretary Dr CS Kumar.

Meanwhile, members of the Odisha Private Engineering Colleges Association (OPECA) said that they have applied before the State Government and Fee Regulatory Committee to hike fee of the engineering courses taught in 98 colleges in the State. “If the State Government does not increase the fee according to the Odisha Professional Educational Act 2007, the colleges would charge the hiked fee,” the members said.