This is reported in many papers, such as Telegraph. Thus, the Bhubaneswar Trident Hilton will become simply Trident.
Following is tathya.in’s take on this.
Finally it is Lalu Prasad Yadav giving waking up call to the sleeping states.
The Union Railways Minister him self has announced that he will present an “unprecedented and astonishing” rail budget for 2008-09.
He on 25 September said at Motihari, while addressing a gathering.
“The thrust will be on further expanding the network in the country”, said he.
So he has in fact drawn the attention of the Chief Ministers of the various states having poor railways infrastructure to rise to the occasion and grab the opportunity offered by the Ministry of Railways.
Never in the past, the Minister of Railways announced before hand that the forthcoming budget will be “unprecedented”.
Reading his mind an insider in the Railway Board said that Mr.Prasad is in a mood to dole out large chunk of investments to the less developed states.
Obviously Orissa has a big chance to grab the opportunity, said he.
So without wasting time the state should take a cue from the hints given by Mr.Prasad, said the insider.
And fortunately the Railway Board Chairman K C Jena belongs to Orissa.
In this scenario asking for an “unprecedented amount of investment for the state will be justified”, said the source.
“If any body has a close look at the demands of Orissa, it hovered around Rs.600 crore per annum.
“With this amount of investment in railway sector, the state will have to wait for another three decades to come up to a level”, said he.
In a realistic assessment the state needs investment at least Rs.3000 crores per annum for at least 10 years to connect its hinter land with the main areas”, revealed an expert in railways.
“Will the chief Minister take a note of the hint given by Mr.Prasad and demand accordingly”, said he.
Now it is time for the all party assembly committee on railways to demand more for the rail projects, which needs immediate funding.
And the list is unending as because the investment level has remained at an abysmally low level because of the laid back attitude of the state government coupled with the callous mentality of the Centre.
The railway minister Lalu Yadav has recently hinted that he is ready for rail network expansion. Following are excerpts from an Economic Times article about it. (Thanks to Rajesh Toppo for the pointer.)
Promising the next rail budget to be unprecedented and astonishing, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav on Tuesday said its thrust will be on further expanding the network in the country.
“The next budget for the Railways will be unprecedented and astonishing. We want to further expand the network in the country and reach such people who have not yet got the opportunity to use its service,” Prasad said while addressing a gathering here after flagging off a new train between Motihari and Varanasi.
Describing the Railways as the country’s “lifeline”, he said, “Though India has the largest rail network in the world, we want to take it to the people who are not yet reached.”
From the above it seems Lalu is open to rail network expansion to hinterlands. But unless Orissa makes its demands in time, they may lose out on this.
Following are excerpts from a news item in Tathya.in.
… the Bharati Shipyard Limited (BSL), a major private shipyard and the Apeejay Surendra Group, an industrial conglomerate have joined hands to set up the-State-of-the-art shipbuilding yard and ship repair yard project at Dhamra in Orissa.
The mega shipyard project will entail an investment of Rs.2200 crore in 3 phases.
Employment opportunities in this labor intensive industry will be 41,000 in the third phase, reveals the proposal submitted to the State Government.
… Revealing the strength of the state over others, the promoter said that easy availability of raw material like steel, availability of large number of skilled, unskilled man power and above all the proactive government policies dotted with positive environment for investors are creating conducive atmosphere for a mega shipyard in the state.
The requirement of steel in shipbuilding and repairing has been projected as in the first phase it will be up to 75,000 MT per annum, while in second phase it will go up to 2,30,000 MT.
In the final phase the steel requirement will go up to 4, 50,000 MT said the source.
… The proposed site has been identified near the Dhamra Port, where out of 1500 acres surveyed 1050 acre of land has been provisionally selected for the mega shipyard.
According to implementation schedule the promoters have decided to go for Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Government of Orissa in the month of October.
Once MOU in place than other activities will follow, said the source.
Rehabilitation Plan will be taken up in accordance with the present Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy of the State Government.
… Milestones set up for the project envisages that Master Plan will be ready in the next year and construction of the shipyard will begin in mid of 2008.
The Joint venture promoters feel that the project will complete its first phase construction in early 2009 to begin commercial production by middle of the year.
Update: Tathya.in has a nice article on this. Following is an excerpt.
The temple of Taratarini, the twin Goddesses, is situated on the top of a blue capped hill of Purusottampur, only 32 KM from Berhampur.
The following invitation for bids is for
Following is from a report in the Statesman:
The industries secretary Mr A Dalwai will hold the additional charge of the office of the chairman, IDCOL,Bhubaneswar, while Mr Tuhin Kanta Pandey has been appointed as the transport commissioner.
Mr Pradipta Mohapatra has been appointed as the resident commissioner, government of Orissa, New Delhi against the vacant post.
Mr AK Meena, at present, MD, IPICOL has also appointed as the Managing Director, IDCOL in addition to his own duties.
On the advice of the Orissa Public Service Commission, the state government today promoted several OAS officers (Senior Grade in Supertime Scale) to OAS (Superior Administrative Grade) on adhoc basis with a scale of payment of Rs.15,100-400-19,500.
The OAS officers who received the promotion to the superior administrative grade are Mr Anirudha Rout, Mr Bipin Bihari Naik, Mr Siba Prasad Mishra, Mr Gyanaranjan Dash, Mr Narayan Chandra Jena, Mr Bichitranananda Das and Mr Bhabani Sankar Panda.
Mr Gangadhar Singh, the collector of Kandhamal has been appointed as the additional secretary, higher education department, while Mr Hrusikesh , presently the additional secretary, law department has been posted as collector in Bhadrak.
Following are excerpts from an article in Pioneer written by Susim C Sahani.
Susim C Sahani | Sundargarh
Despite decade-old debates and agitations, the most sought-after Bimlagarh-Talcher rail link is still a distant dream for this tribal-dominated district. However, if the railway project sees the light of the day, it can help reduce the distance between Bhubaneswar and Rourkela from 180 km to 150 km besides providing the most viable transport links to the potential mines zone in the district to the port in Paradip.
The rail-link project has been eluding the locals here since 1955. With the inception of Rourkela Steel Plant, a 75-km-long rail route was set up linking Rourkela to Barsuan for the iron ore mines in Bonaigarh sub-division. The tribals, inhabiting the villages all along this rail route, have been deprived of passenger train facilities although the iron-loaded goods trains have stoppages at stations like Roxy and Bimlagarh. In what seems to be an imitation of a common sight in Bihar and Jharkhand, the tribals here too board the iron-ore loaded wagons of the freight trains. If the goods train tragedy a year-and-half ago that killed over 20 persons on this route, including an eight-year-old tribal boy, is any indication, then tribals travelling this way is likely to cause more fatal accidents in the coming days.
Sources said the Hindustan Steel Limited (HSL), now rechristened as Steel Authority of India (SAIL), in collaboration with Germany, had conducted an aerial survey for the Rourkela Steel Plant and the German experts then had strongly recommended the Bimlagarh-Talcher rail-link project, linking Rourkela with Paradip Port via Talcher. The rail-route was also expected to make mineral transportation more economical by direct rail links to the key mining zones of the State with Paradip Port and to the mines of Ranchi and Bokaro.
Unfortunately, due to the feeble leadership in Orissa, former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru could not be convinced about the utility of such a promising project. …
Minister of Civil Aviation, Mr. Praful Patel was visiting Orissa and he made some statements regarding airports in Orissa. following are excerpts from various news reports on this.
The Centre plans to set up another airport at Jharsuguda in western Orissa besides upgrading the existing Biju Patnaik Airport here to that of international standard, Civil Aviation minister Praful Patel said on Monday.
Announcing the Centre’s plan, he said that as one airport is not adequate for the state, the Centre has decided to develop another one in Orissa.
“The Centre will also upgrade the Bjiu Patnaik Airport since there are a lot of activities here,” Patel told a meeting here.
The union minister’s announcement about an international airport came in the wake of rapid industrialisation drive in the state with investors making a beeline for it.
The need for an airport of international standard was also echoed by state Tourism Minister Debi Prasad Mitra.
“An airport of international standard is essential for the state’s overall growth,” Mishra said.
Besides catering to the business houses, the international airport would help tour operators bring foreign tourists to the state which has a 480 km coastline, sanctuaries, historical monuments like the Sun Temple at Konark and beaches, he said.
The Union Civil Aviation Ministry is in process of preparing a Cabinet Memorandum to be placed to make Bhubaneswar an international airport.
This was disclosed by Prafulla Patel, Union Minister for Civil Aviation in the sidelines of a media conference held here on 24 September.
He said the Memorandum is being given final shape and soon will be sent to the Cabinet for approval.
The demand to declare the Biju Patnaik Airport at Bhubaneswar as an international airport has gained ground in view of the abundant tourism potential in the state, said Mr.Patel.
While the centrally funded JNNURM program will take care of most of the sewerage system in Bhubaneswar, the same for Cuttack needs to be done through other resources. Following are excerpts from a report in Pioneer elaborating on where the money for Cuttack will come from.
The State Government will invest Rs 945.17 crore for the restoration of drainage and improvement of sewerage system in the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.
Talking to reporters, Urban Development Minister KV Singh Deo said Rs 757.44 crore would be invested for the improvement of the sewerage system and renovation of drainage in Cuttack City alone.
Out of this, Japan’s JBIC Bank will give a loan assistance of Rs 624.65 crore and the rest money amounting to Rs 132.79 crore would be given by the State Government.
The loan amount would be repaid in 40 years time at a rate of 0.75 percentage. The moratorium period would be of 10 years.
The project will be implemented between 2007 and 2012. To this effect, the Government of India and Japan had signed a MoU on March 3, 2007. “The money would be released soon,” said Singh Deo.
He further said that draft request for the proposal for project management consultancy service has been prepared and furnished to JBIC and compliance to the comments of the JBIC is under process.
Under the plan, 231 km under ground pipeline will be laid and 10 pump stations will be installed.
Following is an excerpt from a report in Statesman on this.
Care Hospital today announced its plans to commission a 100-bed multi-specialised Aditya Care Hospital located near Municipal Kalyan Mandap at Chandrasekharpur.
… The Group will be investing around Rs 15 crores in the project and the facility will be scaled up to 300 beds over the next two years with an additional investment of Rs 50 crores.The Bhubaneswar centre will be equipped to handle comprehensive cardiac services, including catheterisation procedures and cardiac surgeries. The focus will also be on gastroenterology, laparoscopic/gastro surgery; nephrology and urology; neurosurgery along with critical care and trauma care. For the first time in Orissa, a team of eight cardiologists will be attending to the needs of patients at the Aditya Care Hospital.
Talking to reporters here yesterday Dr Veeraprasad, Chief Operating Officer, Care Hospitals said, “… Nearly 20 full-time professionals will provide comprehensive medical services in a unique concept of teams and the unit will be networked to support secondary and primary health care units in the state.’’
Following is an excerpt from a New Indian Express report on them.
Do wrong credit card bills scare the daylight out of you while your bank doesn?t give a damn to your complaints?
Are you worried that sanitation work in your locality leaves a lot to be desired and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation is not bothered? Have problems with weights and measures issues but you don’t know who to look forward to? You can turn to a group of senior citizens who would guide you how to go about it.
Assembled under the banner of Orissa Consumer Welfare Foundation (OCWF), they have joined hands to make consumers aware about their rights, and in cases, they would even take up your cause and fight on your behalf.
They may be ageing but they come from different walks of life and with a varied experience behind them. Some of them have long been social workers while others have put in decades as professionals.
All that one has to do as a consumer is write to the foundation and drop complaints in their drop-boxes kept at two points in the City. Members of OCWF would get back to them seeking an audience so that next course of action can be decided. …
“Over 90 percent of the consumers are not even aware that when one gets LPG cylinder, the delivery man must weigh it first. The foundation would take up consumer rights activism in an organised manner,” Jena said.
Rout said, OCWF would help individual consumers in different ways. “Not many know who to approach to in case of rights violation and how. We will draft letters, guide them with technicalities.”
The two contact points of OCWF are: 95 & 96, Surya Nagar as well as Sri Aurobindo House, Near Syndicate Bank Building, Kalpana Square.
A similar organization called “Consumer Protection Council, Rourkela” already exists in Rourkela and they even have a website. Their address, phone number, fax and email are:
Consumer Protection Council, Rourkela
C/66, Sector-2
Rourkela-769006. Orissa. India
Ph/Fax: +91-661-2472521, 2640810
Email: vaidya@advantageconsumer.com or rkl_cpcrkl@sancharnet.in
Following is an excerpt from a Pragativadi report.
The capital city of the state, Bhubaneswar, is the oldest city of the world that grew up 5000 years ago.
This historic evidence, unearthed by the Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) in its survey report, was submitted to the Orissa government on Thursday.
The report that has proposed the state government to take necessary measures by writing a letter to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) to declare Bhubaneswar as a heritage city, has been accepted in principle by the government. …
The survey report states that the state capital city traces its history to the 4th Century BC, when it was the capital of the Kalinga empire.
In the 7th Century BC, the city became the capital of the Sailodbhava kings under whose reign it had witnessed a golden era.
In the next 500 years, during the reign of the Sailodbhava over 7,000 temples each of a unique design were built.
These temples are architectural wonders in terms of their decorations and hand carved designs.
This great architectural tradition, flourished till 17th Century.
Bhubaneswar is one of the richest cities in India where Lord Shiva is known as Tribhuvaneswara or Lord of the Three Worlds, from which the city derives its name. Bhubaneswar is also known as temple town and Cathedral city on account of its many temples in the extravagant Orissan style that are a true manifestation of the architectural potential of the people of this historic city.
Some of the temples of Bhubaneswar have stood witness to the history of this city that dates back to 25 centuries.
During the meeting, the INTACH representatives briefed the chief minister that about 199 temples Bhubaneswar and 239 in Puri were unprotected monuments.
The chief minister later directed the concerned officials to spend funds from the 12th Finance Commission (TFC) to preserve the monuments.
He also directed the officials to take steps for the protection of all maths near Jagannath Temple in Puri.
The archaeology department would remain in charge of the conservation of these temples and maths.
The meeting also decided to paint all the buildings near Bindusagar in a single colour.
All care would be taken to clear encroachers from the sides of historical monuments.
Following is an excerpt from a report in Asian Age.
National Aluminium Company Ltd (Nalco) on Friday notched up the highest ever net profit of Rs 2,381 crores in 2006-07 compared to Rs 1,562 crores in the previous year, thus registering a growth of 52 per cent in the net profit.
The company at its 26th annual general meeting (AGM) held here to approve the accounts for 2006-07 said it also achieved the highest-ever sales turnover of Rs 6,515 crores as against the sales turnover of Rs 5,324 crores during the previous year registering a growth of 24 per cent in turnover. It also made an impressive record export earning of Rs 2,585 crores in the last fiscal.
The gross margin jumped by 40 per cent to Rs 3,942 crores in 2006-07 from Rs 2,811 crores in the previous year. Return on capital employed increased to 32 per cent against 25 per cent in the previous year. The earning per share increased to Rs 37 from Rs 24 in the previous year.
Following is an excerpt from an IANS report that appears in many places including in Earth Times.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed in principle to provide loan assistance of Rs.1.2 billion for the Orissa Integrated Agriculture and Water Management project.
Monich Yakoyama, ADB’s senior water management specialist for South Asian countries, …
Yakoyama, who held discussions with senior state officials here today, said that the expert team was studying different small irrigation projects, watershed projects, canal systems and water panchayats and people’s participation in water management.The project plans to involve the maximum number of self-help groups to partner water management for increasing agricultural production.The ADB will release $180 million in the first phase and would supervise implementation of the water management projects on a regular basis. Special care would be taken to rehabilitate families who would be displaced during execution of the irrigation projects.
Following is an excerpt from an Economic Times report on this topic.
“The latest proposal came today from Kolkata-based Shyam-Century Group of Industries,” said Transport Secretary Priyabrata Patnaik here.
He said the company had proposed to develop a 14 million tonne cargo handling capacity all-weather port at Bali-Harichandi near Puri town and close to Chilika Lake.
The sources said, the company which presented its proposal before Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and other senior officials, pointed out that it would develop the port with an investment of Rs 1900 crore.
In first phase, the company planned to start with 3 mt capacity and two berths for the purpose.
Orissa government, the sources said, asked the company to submit a detailed project report (DPR) on the proposed port.
Prior to this, a Hyderabad-based company has shown interest in setting up a port at Astarang near Konark in Puri district.
“The firm also submitted its preliminary report with the state government. Both the proposals will be processed before the government finally accepts their proposal,” said Transport Department Special Secretary P K Mishra.
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