East Coast Railway to run 186 special trains during Rath Yatra

The East Coast Railway has announced 186 special trains between June 25 and July 4 to clear the rush for the annual Jagannath Rath yatra. There will be 36 additional booking counters at the Puri railway station for the occasion. The breakdown is 34 trains on the occasion of Gundicha yatra and sunabesha, while 32 will run on the day of bahuda yatra.
In addition to the above, there will be another 24 booking counters that will operate round the clock at various stations including Bhubaneswar and Cuttack during this period. Four additional enquiry counters will also be set up at Puri railway station along with the existing enquiry counter which will be strategically located for ease of the passengers.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 17 June 2017.

It is also understood that 60 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras would be installed at the Puri railway station to ensure the safety of the passengers apart from two drone cameras to keep tabs on the movement of passengers. There will also be RPF and GRP personnel along with sniffer dogs.
The East Coast Railway will also set up a temporary shed for around 1,000 people with toilet and bathroom facilities near the Puri railway station.


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Baliyatra fair on the banks of the Mahanadi sees over one lakh visitors on opening day

More than one lakh visitors had thronged to the historic Baliyatra fair on the banks of the Mahanadi on its opening day. The fair begins on the full moon day of Kartik and is held every year to celebrate Odisha's rich maritime past.
As per legend, the historic fair on the banks of the Mahanadi is to celebrate the voyage of Odia traders to the islands of Indonesia, Bali and Sumatra.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 15 November 2016.

In the opinion of locals, Baliyatra in Cuttack provides an opportunity to make best purchases at great deals. Many look at it as a time to unwind and enjoy because it is another festival. During this time, relatives from across the state come together and visit the fair on all the seven days.
Since many traders are accepting Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denomination notes, the sales have been great. There are around 1400 stalls and both the fair grounds, Killa Padia and Mahanadi river bed, had plenty of revelers. The fair offers traditional household items like brooms and 'chaki' along with electronic gadgets. There are also food parks, amusement rides and similar major attractions.


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Cuttack to finally get its second deer park in Mundali

Cuttack will finally get its second deer park in a a 45-acre plot of land in Mundali. It presently has one deer park at Madhusudan Nagar. It is spread over 2.5 acres and accommodates at least 165 spotted deers. It had been set up in 1981 here with six deers procured from Nandankanan zoo and, with passage of time, the population has increased manifold. Hence, the need was felt for a second one.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 3 November 2016.

This will be the fourth time in six years that Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has changed the site of the proposed second deer park in the city. In 2010, it had announced to have a second park to provide relief to the 165 deer, jostling for space, in the existing park at Madhusudan Nagar.
In 2012 it identified a plot in CDA sector 12 for the park and foundation stone was also laid, but due to some litigation, it got shelved.
In 2013, six acres of land at Bidyadharpur was selected for the deer park, but during rains the land gets submerged in floodwater, hence it was discarded.
A year later, a site at Subhadrapur under ward number 56 was identified for the park, but there were problems regarding acquisition of land.
Finally, the civic body has selected the Munduli site and it will be identified as a tourist destination with proper lighting and recreational facilities like food joints and seating space.


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The National Green Tribunal (NGT) allows Baliyatra festival on the banks of Mahanadi

The suspense over the annual historic Baliyatra festival has been cleared because the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has finally allowed the Cuttack district authorities to go ahead with necessary arrangements on the banks of Mahanadi.
Of course, the NGT has issued a clause directing the administration to maintain cleanliness and ensure that garbage is not dumped nor permanent structures erected on the river bed.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 5 November 2016.

The area were the festival is held is not a river bed and it is alluvial area or, rather, an old land mass. Allotment of sites to vendors for stalls will begin immediately.
The NGT had on 2 November issued directions and restrictions of erection of stalls on a petition filed by an environmental activist. The festival marks the ancient maritime history of Odisha and is a yearly event that happens at around this time of the year - it starts on 14 November.


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Hospital fire in Bubaneswar leaves at least 20 dead, 50 injured

A major fire broke out in the Sum Hospital in Bhubaneswar and the death toll is 20 with another 50 injured. It is a leading private healthcare institute in the city. The fire broke out in the dialysis ward on the second floor at around 7.30 pm.
A short circuit is suspected to have sparked the fire, which engulfed the entire floor within minutes.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 18 October 2016.

Ten fire tenders were deployed to bring the blaze under control.
This is the second such incident in the state in six months. The earlier one was on May 31 when a fire broke out at the state-run SCB medical college and hospital in Cuttack. It was a providential escape for more than 100 patients when the cardiology department caught fire.


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Cuttack gearing up to ensure safety in and around pandals during the Durga Puja

There are at least 156 puja committees in the city of Cuttack who celebrate Durga Puja in a lavish manner and, in order to ensure safety in and around puja pandals, the police have urged puja committees to install CCTV cameras on the roads near the pandals. The police had, earlier, asked the puja committees to install CCTV cameras at their pandals and have added that CCTVs be positioned on the roads as well.
The police feel that such an action would help keep a tab on mischief-mongers.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 18 September 2016.

In addition, police have urged the puja committee members to keep their immersion procession short so that flow of traffic is not affected and, also, to completely ban use of liquor during the procession. Moreover, police officers have been asked to initiate strict action against those found collecting puja donations forcibly from citizens.
As in previous years, there will be five special police officers(SPOs) appointed for each puja committee. They will assist the police to maintain law and order. The puja committees will have to select five youths, with clean track record, and recommend their names to police. These volunteers will be trained by police to handle security measures and regulate vehicular traffic near their respective mandaps. And, to ensure communal harmony in the city, five puja committees will rope in Muslims as SPOs.


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