72 yr leads mission to eliminate illiteracy

http://post.jagran.com/search/kendrapara-district

Posted on: 01 Feb 2011, 11:51 AM

Kendrapara, Feb 1 (Agencies): A 72-year-old woman is on a mission to wipe out illiteracy setting an commendable example of community service. She has been a teacher almost five decades tutoring tiny-tots in remote village school of Orissa's Kendrapara district.

For Paravati Mohanty, educating small children is a passion. Since 1964, she has been working enthusiastically towards her mission at Patapur village under Aul block headquarters.

Free services rendered by her come in handy as the school is often hit by shortage of teachers. Many of her students are well established in life and that includes Pitambar Das, now presiding as the headmaster of the village school.

“She is loved and respected by all in the village. She is an excellent teacher and expert in handling children. She arrives on time and teaches standard-1 and 2 students”, said Pitambar Das, Headmaster of Patapur primary school.

“In fact, she taught me. I learnt Oriya alphabets and grammar from her. That was in 1968”, he said.

“As per school and mass education department rules, no outsider is allowed to teach in government-run schools. But we had sought permission. The department was impressed with her act of benevolence and promptly accorded permission”, he said.

“I have read up to class 6th. Early marriage stopped my study. Despite discontinuing, I read at home. As my study was discontinued, I had resolved to teach children who are deprived of education. Since 1964, I have been doing this since the time school was running in a thatched house", recalled Parvati.

"An inherent urge drove me to teach children. I derive intrinsic pleasure out of it", she said.

“I feel I have somehow succeeded in my mission. My two daughters are graduates and are now married off. Many whom I taught are settled in life. My husband is no more. But he was a source of inspiration for me to take up such work", Paravati narrated.

“Now the government might have enacted legislation making primary education mandatory for all children. But Parvati didi had vowed to make children literate decades ago. But the irony is she remains unnoticed despite her service” Pramod Mallick, a local resident, said.

Marine fishermen are up in arms

http://www.merinews.com/article/marine-fishermen-are-up-in-arms/15852530.shtml

Tue, May 31, 2011 17:40:43 IST

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In Kendrapara district only at least 7 fishermen have died attempting suicide and 4 others have been mentally disable. All these happened because of the fishing ban on 65 kms. Along Gahiramatha coast of the district, says, Konda Alleya, General Secretary, Orissa Traditional Marine Fish Workers Union (OTFWU).

Not only this, thousands of marine fishermen of Ganjam, Puri and Jagatsinghpur have migrated to Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Hyderabad in search of alternative livelihood. Fisher people of these districts are facing the wrath of local police and forest department officials because of the fishing ban along the coastal areas of Rushikuly, Devi and Jatadhari sea mouth and adjoining areas during breeding seasons of Olive Ridley Turtles and declaration of these areas as marine sanctuary.

While speaking to this correspondent W.Simadri,a fisherman from Rushikulya Rookery in Ganjam,said, “it is the fisherman who protects and ensures safe passage of Turtle hatchlings to sea, government agencies are only supervising.”

Simadri further added, though government spends crorers in the name of Turtle Conservation, the local community are not being involved. They pay only Rs.90/- per day for two months to 10-20 persons of a fishing village of more than 300 families.

The never ending agony of coastal fishermen not stopped here, during rainy season especially from May to August, they are not allowed to venture into the sea owing to breeding. Government has announced this period as a Lean Session and to compensate fishermen a scheme called “saving cum relief” is in place to have to be financed by both central and state government, but because of departmental apathy the scheme is not working well. In addition to this, on account of the Turtle nesting and breeding, every year from 1^st November to 31^ST May, government has banned fishing. As a result of which thousands of fishermen have been deprived from venturing into the sea for more than 7 months in a year, thus living with an uncertain future and semi-starving condition.

To bail out, fishing communities from this trap, Orissa Traditional Marine Fish Workers Union (OTFWU) had lodged a strong complain with CEC (Central Empowered Committee) formed by Hon’ble Supreme Court and CEC had recommended to compensate fishermen for this period. To implement this fisheries department had ordered through a letter vide no. 7fy-sch-30/2004, 10810, 14-7-2005. But still fishermen are not getting their due compensation

Apart from this, the major cause of concern for coastal fishermen is fishing by unauthorized Trawlers from Andhra, Bengal, Bangladesh and Thailand fishing in Orissa coast, violating Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification, Orissa Maritime Fishing Regulation Act (OMFRA). But government has been the silent spectator to all these violations. Though Union government has sanctioned Rs. 2 crores to construct two Speed Boats for patrolling inside Sea and final amount of Rs. 32 lakhs recently, there seems to be no headway on this.

Whereas, government has failed to implement CRZ notification, they are now keen to implement Coastal Management Zone (CMZ) and have allowed Special Economic Zones (SEZ), violating user access rights of traditional fishers and converting agriculture lands into other purposes to corporate/ multinational houses.

General problems like non-availability primary health services, mal -functioning of educational institutions, communication and transport facilities to marine fisher populous villages, legal rights of fisher people over their homestead land, insurance coverage of the productive assets of traditional fisher people by the government are not adequately taken care of.

In this regard, more than 7000 marine fishermen had staged three-day long dharana and rally during last year’s assembly session from November 21 to 23 to press for their demand, fortunately state fisher minister had visited dharana and had assured the delegates to solve the problem of traditional fisher people. Before that Minister and Fisher secretary had lengthy discussion with the union leaders. But since then nothing has done yet.

That’s why, OTFWU has warned the government to immediately look into the genuine demands of thousands of marine fishermen, otherwise they will be forced to resort seizure of illegal trawlers and banned nets inside sea and has declared that the organization and marine fisher people will go on strike.

China wreckage off missile test site

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110615/jsp/nation/story_14115526.jsp

MANOJ KAR

Kendrapara, June 14: Forest personnel have stumbled upon the wreckage of a Chinese vessel close to the Wheelers’ Island missile test range in Orissa’s Kendrapara, triggering security concerns. Jewn Jyi Rong, badly damaged and almost split in two, has come under the security scanner as the ship is of Chinese make and has been sighted in the vicinity of the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) missile test centre. “Forest personnel are keeping round-the-clock watch on the wreckage. The DRDO and the coast guard have been alerted,” said a forest official. Coast guard commandant (Paradip) Saroj Kumar Sahu said a Chinese vessel had sunk off Sri Lanka’s coast and he believed its wreckage could have drifted up the Bay of Bengal to the Orissa coast. “It has been ascertained that a Chinese ship sank off Sri Lanka’s eastern coast about six months ago. Since then, there had been no trace of that vessel. We believe the debris is of that particular ship. We will inspect it.” The wreckage is about 80 feet long, 30 feet wide and 20 feet high, officials said, adding that portions of it are still submerged. The mass of metal is learnt to have floated to the site, known as the Gahirmatha coast, about a week back but had apparently gone unnoticed by officials. Some residents of Pravati village nearby tried to sift through the wreckage in the hope of retrieving articles before forest officials spotted it yesterday and informed the DRDO and the coast guard (Paradip) and sought security cover from the police’s marine wing. “We chanced upon the wreckage during a patrol yesterday. It was found firmly anchored along the coast, though it had suffered extensive damage. The vessel may have hit an underwater rock, causing it to capsize. It also had burn marks,” divisional forest officer Manoj Kumar Mahapatra said.

Kendrapara heritages sites are in the list of Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project

http://www.hindu.com/2011/06/16/stories/2011061654740300.htm

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 16, 2011
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Facelift for heritage sites planned

Staff Reporter

BHUBANESWAR: As many as eight heritage sites along the Orissa coast have been identified to be preserved under the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project. Conservation plans for the sites are being given finishing touches. “We are focusing on proposals for conservation of eight heritage properties, currently in different stages of ruin, in the ICZMP, which is being implemented in Orissa along with Gujarat and West Bengal with support from the World Bank,” said Ajit Patnaik, project director of ICZMP.

The heritage sites proposed to be conserved include Jagannath Temple, Pentha, Old Building, Jamboo, Harichandi Temple, Baliharichandi, Baba Kundelashwar Temple, Manikapatana, Hariharadeva Temple, Sananairi, Bateshwar Temple, Kantiagada and Ganjam Fort, Pothagada in Kendrapara, Puri and Ganjam districts.

ICZMP, Orissa is organising a state-level workshop on Italian know-how and skill for up-gradation of the state museum and maritime built heritage here on Thursday.

With an objective to integrate conservation, with the need to enhance livelihood security for the local communities, the World Bank had undertaken a specific study to identify opportunities to promote local economic development connected to conservation of the built heritage, and to promote local economic development connected to conservation of the built heritage and to promote linkages with conservation of traditional stone craft and enhancement of brand and archiving the State Museum at Bhubaneswar.

The master plan of the State Museum is being developed with the inputs from experts including those from Italy. The inputs from Italy would certainly help to make our State museum world class.

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Schoolgirl found dead; father alleges rape, murder

http://dailypioneer.com/313104/Schoolgirl-found-dead;-father-alleges-rape-murder.html

June 22, 2011 12:00:00 AM

PNS | Kendrapada

The body of a 13-years-old girl and student of Class IX, Swapna Biswal, of Narsinghpur under the Pattamundai police station which was found hanging from a mango tree just a km from the deceased girl's house was retrieved by the police on Monday, said Pattamundai DSP Ramchandra Gaud.

Swapna's father Babaji Biswal lodged an FIR at the Pattamundai police station alleging that his daughter was kidnapped on Sunday afternoon at about 3.30 pm by two village youth Prasant Rout and Sanjay Rout from his house while the family members were absent. Later, the kidnappers abused her sexually before killing her. In a bid to escape in the murder case, the culprits hanged her from the tree.

The police are conducting investigations into the incident and have sent the girl's body for autopsy in order to ascertain the reason behind the death, stated the DSP.

Water crisis in Kendrapara

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110518/jsp/orissa/story_13993587.jsp

MANOJ KAR

People draw water from far-off places in Kendrapara town as the taps are going dry. Telegraph picture Kendrapara, May 17: Residents in urban areas of Kendrapara Municipality and Pattamundai Notified Area Council are experiencing a scarcity of potable water and as many as 172 settlements apart from these in the district are hit by the same crisis. With summer at its peak, shallow tube wells go dry one after the other. The dysfunctional state of deep-dug tube wells has worsened the situation. Given the scenario, there is a risk of several water-borne diseases breaking out. In Kendrapara Municipality limits, the water supply continues to be erratic with frequent power-cuts adversely affecting the water supply. Power breakdown has hit the pumping of water from the reservoir and its chemical treatment at the effluent treatment plant. So, large areas are not getting water. The situation at Pattamundai NAC is similar. “Taps have been dry for the past 10 days. The situation is entirely man-made. Authorities were well aware of the impending crisis. But they failed to adopt precautionary measures,” said Debendra Rout, a resident of Kendrapara town. Pitambar Pradhan, sub-divisional engineer of the public health engineering department said: “The prevailing crisis is due to load-shedding and a drop in the reservoir’s water layer. However water tankers have been pressed into service in water-scarce urban areas.” Of the 1,579 revenue hamlets in the nine revenue blocks of the district, roughly 400 villages are hit by water scarcity. But officials maintained that around 172 villages in the region are actually affected. Over 300 other hamlets have turned water-deficient, as the tube wells are not working. Overexploitation of ground water sources for agriculture purposes has led to the drastic fall in ground water table. With the monsoon rain being erratic, the scope for the ground water table getting recharged has diminished. The receding groundwater table has resulted in the deep-dug tube wells going out of order. Nearly 40 per cent of the 12,569 deep wells dug by rural water and sanitation scheme wing are defunct. “The defunct tube wells are being made operational by finance commission grants. The gram panchayats are taking up the restoration works. The Rural Water Sanitation Scheme (RWSS) is providing the required machinery and tools for the purpose. The department is also extending technical expertise. The restoration work is slated for completion within a week. Things are expected to improve soon,” said RWSS executive engineer Basanta Kumar Senapati.

Trader shot dead at busy market

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110613/jsp/orissa/story_14104133.jsp

MANOJ KAR

Kendrapara, June 12: A trader was shot dead by some unidentified assailants on Saturday night at a busy marketplace in Pattamundai notified council area triggering tension in the township. Sanjay Swain (37), who owned a photo studio near the bypass lane, was gunned down by at least three motorcycle-borne criminals. The incident occurred at about 8.30pm yesterday. It is suspected that the goons knew the victim. According to an eyewitness, seeing the criminals approach him, Swain ran for cover. The assailants chased the victim and shot him dead from a close range. The onlookers were afraid and did not come to the rescue of Swain even though the victim had reportedly cried for help. The incident took place about 300 metres away from the local police station. After executing the crime with professional expertise, the criminals fled from the scene on their motorcycle. Police are still groping in dark in ascertaining the motive behind the crime. The assailants are yet to be identified. The incident has prompted deployment of police at strategic junctions of Pattamundai. “It was a cold-blooded murder. It has become apparent that the criminals shot dead the trader given the manner in which the killing was executed,” said Rama Chandra Goud, sub-divisional police officer, Pattamundai. “Probe is on. The criminals would be arrested soon. Extortion could have been the motive behind the crime,” Goud said, adding that police were not ruling out the involvement of Kendrapara based crime syndicates in the incident.

Will B'deshi settlers get Quit India notice again?

http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3606528927834954014

June 11, 2007 12:24 IST

The issue of infiltration has returned to haunt the Bangladeshi settlers in Orissa's Kendrapara district after nearly two and half years following a directive of the Centre to launch a special drive for fresh enumeration of infiltrators along the district's coastal belt.

Even though unofficial estimates put the number of Bangladeshi settlers at over 50,000, hardly 1,677 of them have settled in the district unlawfully if the official figures are to be believed.

Apart from 1,551 foreigners in Mahakalapada, there were 126 others officially detected to be residing in Rajnagar (30) and Pattamundai (96) areas of the district.

"The enumeration of Bangladeshi nationals will commence once the state home department asks us to go ahead," district collector Kashinath Sahu said.

When the enumeration is taken up again, care would be taken to ensure that mistakes, which had crept in during the enumeration exercise undertaken in 2001, were not repeated again, officials said.

Emphasis was being laid on keeping the fresh enumeration free from discrepancies and inaccuracies so that bonafide settlers did not figure in the list of infiltrators.

"We will be bound by central guidelines and provisions of the Foreigners' Act. Those Bangladesh nationals who infiltrated on or after February 25, 1971 will find their names in the list," the sources said.

The issue of infiltration had receded to the background after there was widespread opposition to the January 15, 2005 move to deport 1551 illegal Bangaldeshi settlers from the Mahakalapada tehsil of the district.

Political forces and human rights activists had rallied behind the Bangladeshi settlers after they were served the 'Quit India' [ Images ] notice in accordance with the Foreigners' Act.

But the entire exercise never took off.

Even Bharatiya Janata Party [ Images ], despite being passionate about the issue of infiltration, threw its weight behind the settlers saying they could not be thrown out of the country as they were Hindus.

Besides, glaring discrepancies in the enumeration stood in the way as even dead persons were served with the 'Quit India' notices in some cases.

Names of three persons, who had died long ago, figured in the list of 1551 infiltrators thereby reducing the number to 1548.

© Copyright 2011 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.

Body of Indian killed in Lebanon arrives Body of Indian killed in Lebanon arrives

http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/jul/24leb.htm

July 24, 2006 18:30 IST

The body of Devesh Kumar Swain, India's [ Images ] first casualty in the Israeli strikes on Lebanon, arrived in Bhubaneswar from Delhi [ Images ] Monday.

"We extend our deepest condolences to the family members at this time of tragedy," Patnaik said and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 25,000 for the next of kin of Swain. District Collector of Kendrapara was present to receive the body.

Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Minister of State for Information and Public Relations Debasish Nayak laid wreaths at the coffin of Swain, who hailed from Kendrapara district, at the Biju Patnaik airport.

Swain, 42, was from Khadipala village under Pattamundai block of Kendrapara and was employed at a glass factory at Bekaa on the outskirts of Lebanon's capital Beirut. He was killed on Friday when an Israeli missile slammed into the factory.

© Copyright 2011 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.