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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New outlets for fresh fish from Chilika

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New outlets for fresh fish from Chilika

Odisha is setting up fresh fish stalls in different locations to sell fish from the Chilika Lake. The fish will be sold at rates stipulated by the government. The fisheries and animal resource department is about to complete work on these two Chilika Fresh shops at Kharavela Nagar and Rasulgarh. The first such shop was set up at Siripur in 2014 and, subsequently, two more came up at Nayapalli and Saheed Nagar in the following years. Once the two new outlets come up in Kharavela Nagar and Rasulgarh, the city of Bhubaneswar will boat of five such fish shops.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 18 May 2017.

These shops will sell fresh fish, crab, prawn, shrimp and other related products at reasonable prices. Later, there are plans to start selling dry fish, canned fish and fish pickle very soon. It seems the fisheries and animal resource department would open 100 such outlets in various parts of the state within six months.
Such an action would benefit the consumers and also the fishermen. Fishfed, an apex body of all primary fishermen's cooperative societies in the state, is the brain behind the concept of Chilika Fresh. Fishfed has more than 300 societies comprising 70,000 fishermen.


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Ranchi Zoo to get two female leopards from Lucknow Zoo in exchange of two male sloth bears

As part of an animal exchange program, Ranchi Zoo is expected to get two female leopards from Lucknow Zoo in exchange of two male sloth bears. The leopards are aged around two years each. Ranchi already has four leopards - one female and three male. The two males were rescued from Mandar in 2013 while the third came from Guwahati in 2012.
The main reason for the induction of the two young females was to accelerate the breeding program in the zoo because the lone female is aged around 17 years and too old while the two-year-old ones are young, hale and hearty.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 2 March 2017.

The Lucknow team will take sloth bears from the Bhubaneswar zoo also apart from Ranchi zoo.
The arrival of the leopards comes at a time 3when the number of people visiting the zoo has gone up, because there is lion cub on public display. It was born on December 17 and was the first ever successful lion breeding in the zoo. It has been put for public viewing about two weeks ago.


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Khandagiri Mela to start from February 3 on the foothills of Khandagiri

The stage is being set for the annual Magh Saptami Mela, also known as the Khandagiri Mela, from February 3 on the foothills of Khandagiri.
The fair starts on the seventh day of the month of Magh and attracts thousands of visitors from the city, its outskirts and neighboring districts. The venue is the twin hills of Khandagiri and Udayagiri and has been going on for many years.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 18 January 2017.

The civic administration of Bhubaneswar laid emphasis on security and cleanliness and, the fair will be used as a platform to create awareness among people about cleanliness. There will be makeshift toilets in the fair ground and the walls will be painted with messages on hygiene and sanitation. Opera houses will also have to provide toilets for their audience and the layout designs for these will be given by a Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation engineer.
There will also be an information cell at the fair entrance and it will also serve as the grievance redress counter. The fair venue will be under surveillance of CCTV cameras and there will be a map to show detailed exit mechanism to handle emergencies.
In addition, non-standard LPG cylinders will be banned and vendors using sub-standard cylinders will be denied entry.


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Bhubaneswar flop show of Trinamool Congress in support of tainted leaders

It was a flop show of the Trinamool Congress in Bhubaneswar when their ministers failed to show up at the protest rally and, there was hardly a handful of 500 odd people present. The rally had been organized in support of two tainted TMC leaders who were in CBI custody in the city. The leaders had been implicated in Rose Halley chit fund scams and the TMC felt that it was not true.
Another point on the agenda was the demonetisation.
But - none of these points could draw the people to the venue.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 11 January 2017.

West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee had visited the city one day earlier on August 8 to oversee the preparations because this was the first time that TMC had organised such a protest rally in Odisha, where the party has little presence.
To add to the discomfort, the absence of the wife of one of the tainted TMC leaders also raised eyebrows - she is, herself, a TMC legislator and had been camping in Bhubanesawr for the past three days.


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The annual Mayurbhanj Utsav has been going on since 2011

The three-day annual Mayurbhanj Utsav which has been going on since 2011 has concluded - it was a hit with delicious food and fascinating tribal dance recitals to soaking in Makar revelry. This annual festival is organized by the Mayurbhanj Cultural Association to celebrate the district's culture and heritage in Bhubaneswar.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 9 January 2017.

The festival attracted a large number of visitors who got the opportunity to see traditional art forms of Mayurbhanj such as jhumur. Then there were the swift movements and rhythmic twirls displayed by the artistes from Mayurbhanj during Chhau performances - it was appreciated by one and all.
Visitors also relished the traditional Odia snack mudhi mansa - it has its origin in the Mayurbhanj district. There were around 10 kiosks set up - these served culinary delights right from dala khichdi to ram ruchuka. THen there were special offerings for deities, such as arisha - these are served at the Jagannath temple of Baripada.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Make in Odisha conclave attracts investment of more than Rs 22000 crore on first day

The Make in Odisha conclave, the state's biggest showpiece event, has managed to attract over Rs.22,000 crore in new investments on the first day itself. The list includes leading business groups like the Adanis, Tatas, Hindalco and ITC - they have announced fresh investment plans in the state.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 1 December 2016.

Adani group chairman has indicated that their overall investment plans in the state stand at over Rs.12,000 crore and additional plans are in hand to raise this investment even higher to Rs.15,000 crore. That is expected to generate over 10,000 jobs within the state.
Another key investor is Tata Steel - it proposes to invest Rs.15,000 crore in scaling up steelmaking capacity at Kalinganagar plant to eight mtpa from three mtpa currently.
Managing director of Hindalco Industries went on to announce a fresh investment of Rs.4,000 crore in the state. Similarly - ITC also announced to invest Rs.800 crore in the state. It plans to invest Rs.800 crore in two projects in the state - one of these is for the 110 rooms of a five-star hotel under the 'Welcome' brand. Second is for a food processing plant to be set up on Bhubaneswar's periphery.
Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages also announced an investment of Rs.500 crore in the state for the next three years. The Dalmia group also announced an investment of Rs.2,000 crore in the state in its cement projects.
Speaking on the occasion, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik thanked the industry leaders for showing their commitment towards the state and expressed hope that the 'Make in Odisha' conclave will go a long way in carrying forward the brand Odisha as a land of new opportunities.


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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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Soon air-conditined bus service will begin between Bhubaneswar and Puri

By December an inter-city bus service between Bhubaneswar and Puri is set to begin - one can simply go online and book a hassle-free journey from the city to Puri in air-conditioned buses. The fare in a normal bus from Bhubaneswar to Puri is Rs 40 but, in the air-conditioned bus it will be Rs 100.
This service by Bhubaneswar-Puri Transport Service Limited will start online booking for its air-conditioned buses running between the state capital and Puri from December.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 14 October 2016.

Dream Team Sahara is the agency that runs the service and it has said that the online booking facility would be available on its website and passengers could select their seats from there. The air-conditioned buses had been introduced on the route to provide a viable and comfortable travel alternative to commuters, and the online booking system would help streamline the service as well as ensure reduction in the travel time.
The system now is that passengers have to wait for the air-conditioned buses to get filled before they depart from the Master Canteen bus station. A normal private bus takes around two hours to travel from Puri to Bhubaneswar and vice-versa but, the air-conditioned ones take around two-and-a-half hours for the same. The agency feels that this can be avoided through online booking.


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Tourists in Odisha took part in water sports on World Tourism Day

Tourists in Odisha took part in angling, kayaking and rafting in the Daya river near the Dhauli Peace Pagoda on the occasion of World Tourism Day. Apart from the other attractions at the popular tourist spot, visitors enjoyed the activities that were hosted by the state tourism department and Fluid Logic. The enthusiastic tourists braved the rain to participate in the adventure activities.
This has been reported in telegrahindia.com dated 28 September 2016.

As informed by the organizers, such outdoor activities will certainly appeal to tourists because these are fun filled and eco-friendly. These could become regular activities in Bhubaneswar.
The various events were related to accessible tourism which is the theme of this year's World Tourism Day. A group of differently-abled persons were taken on a tour of the Sun Temple at Konark and, indigenous tribal and folk dances of the state were held at Rabindra Mandap. A carnival was held in the morning from Master Canteen Square to Ekamra Haat - the focus was on the state's heritage sites and monuments, classical dance forms like Odissi and folk and tribal dances.
A food festival is also being held on the occasion which will have cuisines around the world including Mexican, Chinese and continental. The fest will go on till October 2 and several hotel institutes and restaurants have set up their kiosks.


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Temples in Bhubaneswar damaged by lightning strikes

The recent lightning strikes in Odisha have damaged several temples in Bhubaneswar. One of these is the Jameshwar Temple. A deep crack has developed on the walls of the 11th century temple and a chunk of its ornate exterior is hanging precariously. Another temple that has suffered damages is the venerable Anant Vasudev temple in the city - its flag has burnt.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 2 August 2016.

These incidents highlight the poor condition of heritage monuments across the state with inadequate conservation measures. There are nearly 78 protected monuments in the ASI Bhubaneswar Circle. However, only a few like the Lingaraj, Konark and the Jagannath temple in Puri have lightning arrestors. The crown of an auxiliary shrine on the premises of the 11th century Lingaraj Temple was destroyed in a lightning strike a few years ago. Last year, also similar incidents damaged some temples in the city's Old Town area.
Odisha State Archaeology fixes lightning arresters on monuments that are more than 50ft high. The state archeology department manages a total of 218 monuments and, because of the latest incident, it has been decided to review the lightning protocol.


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Lightning strikes kill at least 31 people in Odisha

At least 31 people have been killed and 30 others injured in lightning strikes in different parts of Odisha. The lightning was accompanied by thundershower and rain. The special relief commissioner has confirmed 25 of the deaths and the final count may go up as information was still coming in.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 30 July 2016.

Balasore district reported eight deaths, while Bhadrak reported seven - all these 15 happened between 10am and 12 noon and most of the victims were those working on paddy field. In Banta, Chandballi and Tihidi blocks of Bhadrak district, four of the deceased were farmers working on the paddy field and three others were returning home from market.
In Khurda district, of which state capital Bhubaneswar is a part, six people were killed while four deaths were reported from Mayurbhanj district and three others in Jajpur district. Moreover, three deaths occurred in Nayagarh, Keonjhar and Kendrapada district respectively.
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Bhubaneswar promoting cycling as a part of its Smart City initiative

Cycling is a healthy and non-polluting way of travel and Bhubaneswar is promoting this activity as a part of its Smart City initiative. One of the key initiatives among Bhubaneswar's smart city proposal include construction of dedicated cycle tracks and pedestrian footpaths along key transport corridors. The civic body has already identified spots for construction of the tracks.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 17 July 2016.

Such cycling tracks already exist on the stretch between AG Square and Capital Hospital Square and some more tracks would be constructed. The civic body had been promoting cycling at the weekly Raahgiri event. Here bicycle rides are offered in partnership with an NGO. People were allowed to hire bicycles against a refundable fee of Rs 100 by producing identity proof.
Moreover, there is a cycling club where members have cycled at night from Bhubaneswar to Puri to Konark and back, covering 160km. Cycling not only helps to maintain fitness but is also a great way to experience nature. It seems people of the city are no longer averse to buying high-end cycles.


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Special viewing of Jagannath Rath Yatra organised by OTDC

The Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) has organized special services for tourists during Jagannath Rath Yatra (chariot festival) this year. As a part of this offer, special seating arrangements and online booking have been introduced for tourists to view the car festival from top of selected hotels.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 1 July 2016.

The two selected hotels are Hotel Grand Central for 120 tourists and Jagananth Ballav Mutt to accommodate 150 tourists. Bookings for the seats have already begun. The cost of each seat at the Jagananth Ballav Mutt is Rs 1,999, including both-way travel to the mutt from Bhubaneswar. For those who want to come and go on their own, the charge will be Rs 1,499. The mutt is located around 1.5-Km from Sri Jagannath Temple.
Tourists from Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, who will avail the car festival viewing service at Hotel Grand Central, will have to start from their local Panthanivas on June 6, and tourists from Sambalpur on the night of July 5 and stay at Panthanivas in Bhubaneswar after their arrival.
The rath yatra viewing centres will provide breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks. Facilities will also be there for drinking water and toilet.


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'Smart City' Bhubaneswar to build five additional bus depots

The city of Bhubaneswar in Odisha has already got the tag of 'Smart City' and, efforts have been initiated by the authorities to improve mobility of the people in the city. The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has drawn up plans to have five more bus depots in the city so that an additional 500 buses can be accommodated. These will ply on the city roads within next two years as part of the smart city initiative.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 5 June 2016.

The tentative plan is to have a five acre land for each of the proposed bus depot each of which will accommodate 100 buses. At present there is only one such depot in Pokhariput. Other depots are proposed to be set up at Pandra, Ghatikia, Nakhara, Patia and Patrapada.
According to the national benchmark recommendations, six buses for every 10,000 person. Since the population of the city has touched 10 lakh, it is necessary to have 600 buses to ensure smooth public transport system. The authorities had planned to create 100 more bus stops on public-private-partnership mode in the city and 98 bus stops are operational.


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Foreign tourists give Puri a miss - drop in arrivals a matter of concern

Odisha is faced with a problem of drop in arrival of foreign tourists. Apparently, big-ticket events such as Nabakalebar of the Trinity in Puri is unable to attract foreign tourists to the state in expected numbers. It seems the foreign tourist footfall has declined in 2015, when the Nabakalebar was held, as compared to the previous year.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 29 May 2016.

As per statistics, a total of 71,426 foreigners visited the state in 2014 and it came down to 66,971 the next year when Nabakalebar was organised with great fanfare. The festival was witnessed by around 23,000 foreigners - this is around 35 per cent of the total foreign tourist footfall of the year. This is in spite of tall claims made by the state government that they had showcased the event in a manner that it created a global appeal.
Last year, only 0.83 per cent of foreigners, who visited the country, came to Odisha and this does not paint a happy picture. There are accusations that the state lacked in setting up foreigner-friendly tourist amenities. Moreover, the government's imposition of restriction on the visit of foreigners and researchers to the state's tribal areas have also had a negative effect and have played spoilsport.
Many tour operators felt that the foreigners are keen on exploring areas beyond the Puri-Konark-Bhubaneswar triangle. Obviously, the tourism policy needs to be modified since the state has only been highlighting these three places. Tourists would want to explore other areas like the handloom clusters and tribal zones. But, there are no government packages for tourism in such areas.


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Coca-Cola to stop production of its beverage in Venezuela because of sugar shortage

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Moody’s mind flits from Black Money to White House (satire)

Lord Shiva and Durga on home delivery and drones (satire)

Didi plans new conquests via Rabindrasangeet (satire)


Daniel Craig is through with James Bond - turns down £68 million offer from MGM

Snoop Dogg and Lucy Liu will be seen together in thriller 'Future World'

Kavita Kaushik to play the role of an Army doctor in TV show “Dr. Bhanumati on Duty”


Was the EgyptAir crash an act of terrorism by the ISIS?

Suicide bombings in Baghdad kill 43 - brings total death in 7 days to more than 145

One more Chibok girl rescued - she was kidnapped along with 275 others in April 2014

IPL9 - Sunrisers Hyderabad on a roll - beat Gujarat Lions by 10 wickets

Sunrisers Hyderabad are on a roll - they beat Gujarat Lions by 10 wickets and moved up the ladder of IPL points table - with this second successive win, they are now at the fourth position. This was possible by Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4/29) and Mustafizur Rahman (1/19) who bowled exceptionally well to restrict Gujarat Lions to just 135/8 Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.
In reply, the SRH openers Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner shared an unbeaten 137 run stand to help their side notch up their second win on the trot.
This has been reported in cricbuzz.com dated 21 April 2016.

David Warner scored his 26th IPL fifty off 29 balls and his second successive too. He led from the front and played an unbeaten knock of 74 off 48 balls - it included nine fours. Shikhar Dhawan, his partner, scored a disciplined 40-ball half-century to guide his team. He hit five boundaries in his 41-ball 53 knock.
Earlier, sent in to bat first, skipper Suresh Raina hit a spirited knock of 75 off 51 balls that included nine boundaries and surprisingly not a single hit over the park. He along with Brendon McCullum added crucial 56 runs for the second wicket to build up the Lions innings before McCullum was dismissed by Bipul Sharma for 18 that came in 17 balls with the help of one four and a lone six. They raced to 50/1 after six overs of Powerplay.
But, their batsmen failed to counter the quality bowling attack of the Sunrisers - this is evident from the fact that they could score only 11 fours and one six in their innings and, only three batsmen managed to cross double-figure mark.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked up three prize wickets in the form of Raina, Akshdeep Nath and Dale Steyn while Mustafizur bowled a superb 19th over, conceding only four runs.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Arrange water for the thirsty birds to beat the heat

A group of wildlife enthusiasts of Bhubaneshwar have joined forces to save birds from the scorching heat of summer by providing them water. The mercury is soaring and is in the 40 degrees region and the group under the banner, Wildies, is spreading the message that people should keep pots filled with water on terraces or open spaces for the thirsty birds. The group has also set up kiosks at Raahgiri to spread awareness on the issue.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 12 April 2016.

The group is also promoting the concept on various social networking sites because, birds struggle to find natural water resources and many of them die of heatstroke. Therefore, if people keep clean bowls of drinking water in their balconies or their backyards for the thirsty birds in the neighborhood it will be a great service to the feathered friends.
The group has around 15 members with most of them being in their late forties. They carry out bird-watching in their leisure time and have been doing so for the past 25 years and, now, they want to turn their passion into a serious affair.
The group has also linked up with forest officials of the Barbara reserve which is the home to a number of bird species and will work with them to prevent forest fires, a common sight during summer.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Odisha in the grip of a heat wave with temperatures around the 40 degrees Celsius mark

Odisha is experiencing scorching heat and high humidity with mercury levels rising to above 40 degrees Celsius at most places and, as a result, people are facing extreme difficulties in stepping outside. The weatherman has predicted a further rise in temperature till at least April 5 which has added to the problem.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 3 April 2016.

Everyone is trying to beat the heat and lassi and cold drink kiosks have mushroomed across Bhubaneswar doing a brisk business. Cool water is also being served along the streets by local groups as part of social service programs. Morning schools have advanced the class timings which are being held between 6am and 10.30am. The school and mass education department has instructed both private and state-run schools to close down before 11am. Therefore, mid-day meals in government schools will have to be served by 10am.
The met department has predicted that the uncomfortable conditions will continue till April 5 with almost the entire state experiencing temperatures over 40°C in the next couple of days and, from April 6 to 8, the weather will be better and more windy.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Bhubaneswar recorded temperatre of 40.9 degrees Centigrade

Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, has recorded a maximum temperature of 40.9°C when the normal temperature in Odisha in February is 32°C. The temperature recorded on Saturday is the highest in a February since 1963. As per the met office, Bhubaneswar had last witnessed 42.7°C on February 23, 1963 and it has now turned out to be the hottest in the state.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 21 February 2016.

In the opinion of experts, the spurt in temperature is attributed to clear skies coupled with a weak sea wind, lack of northern wind and stronger south-west wind. Moreover, an anti-cyclone flow (opposite of low pressure) centered over Odisha which has given rise to increase in temperature. However, the day temperature is likely to fall gradually once the anti-cyclonic flow heads towards the sea.
Due to the heat, the roads wore a deserted look because most of the residents chose to remain indoors as they suddenly found themselves in the midst of summer, when it should have been the last phase of winter.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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