Here is list of a few credits of "Mini India"
# 1st Public Sector Steel Plant of the country- Rourkela Steel Plant, Plan-1954, Operation of 1st Blast Furnace-1957, Established as an Unit-1959
# 2nd largest Railway Marshalling Yard of Asia-Bondamunda,Rourkela
# 2nd largest Railway Locomotive Shed of India(according to locomotive strength)-
Bondamunda: Diesel Locomotive Shed(1962)& Electric Locomtive Shed(1983)
# 1st and only Silicon Steel Producing Unit of India.One of 4 such units in the world-
Silicon Steel Mill(SSM),Rourkela Steel Plant(1982)
# 1st CCTV Network in the entire Asia Continent- Rourkela Steel Plant(1982)
# One of the oldest and reputed Technical Institutes of the country- National Institute of Technology(NIT),Rourkela;formerly Regional Engineering College(1962); Ranked as 2nd best NIT in India
# 1st Technical University of India- Biju Patnaik University of Technology(BPUT),Rourkela(2002)
# 1st and only township to be wholly managed by an Industrial Unit- Rourkela Industrial Township/Rourkela Steel Township,managed by Rourkela Steel Plant
Rourkela Industrial Township is ISO-14001 & 9001 certified
# One of the tallest stautes of Asia- Lord Hanuman Statue at Hanuman Vatika - 74 ft 9 inches;Formerly the tallest stautes in Asia
# Largest colony of Asia- Chhend Colony,Rourkela
# One of best schools of India,with respect to academic performance and achievements in national and international level- Ispat English Medium School,Rourkela
# 14th cleanest city of India out of a total 423 cities taken for a survey- Rourkela Industrial Township/Rourkela Steel Township
# Birthplace of Saint Vedvyas, the compiler of Mahabharata- Vedvyas,Rourkela at the confluence of Koel,Sankha and Saraswati rivers which go on to become river Brahmani
Sunday, 19 June 2011
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
Saturday, 14 May 2011
Few takers for BJD claims on Rourkela’s development
Daily Pioneer reports
http://www.dailypioneer.com/338447/Few-takers-for-BJD-claims-on-Rourkela%E2%80%99s-development.html
The repeated claims of the BJD leaders and Rourkela MLA and Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development Sarada Prasad Nayak that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has special attention for Rourkela have few takers here.
It is no doubt that during the last two tenures of Naveen Patnaik’s regime, the city has lost its quota of PDS which is just the beginning of neglect to the city. But one thing the denizens of Rourkela would never forget is during Naveen’s first tenure (2000-04), when Ajit Das was the MLA of Rourkela, the city was conferred with many mega projects like BPUT (foundation stone laid in 2003), medical college (foundation stone laid in February 2004) and four-lane road from Panposh Chowk to Udit Nagar.
However, it is a different story that the construction work of the medical college and BPUT are still going on in very lethargic manner and just for name’s sake, the BPUT headquarters has been established at Rourkela, but all the important decisions and executions are being taken up by its top brass at Bhubaneswar. The four-lane road construction work is still going on and nobody knows when it would end.
As Rourkela is an industrial hub and a sensitive city, earlier the State Government used to post an IAS officer as the ADM of Rourkela.
But it may be some political compulsion or anything else, OAS officers were posted for some years. No doubt, the State has less than the required number of IAS officers and it is acceptable to have an OAS officer as ADM occasionally. Given the fact that the office of the ADM is already overburdened with its day-to-day works, the Government has imposed the ADM to take up the additional charge of Secretary, Rourkela Development Authority (RDA). The decision will not only subject the officer with more responsibility but also the public will be deprived of getting appropriate and timely service from both the offices.
However, the Government has decided to put an IAS officer as ADM on October 20, 2010. With the posting of an IAS officer as ADM, the people here have regained some confidence and hope that the development of city will be on the line.
But when the ADM was starting the developmental works, he was sent as District Collector of Koraput on promotion on May 5, 2011. The pity is that the substitute of the ADM is not yet posted. Rather, the Sub Collector, Rourkela has been given the additional charge of the ADM and Secretary, RDA.
The step-motherly attitude for Rourkela does not end with this. Rourkela Police District is very sensitive for a host of reasons.
Koira, Gurundia, Bonai, Lathikata, Bisra and Lahunipara blocks of the district are worst affected by the Maoist menace. However, the police district is running without a regular SP since April7, 2011. It is to be mentioned here that the SP DK Pattanaik on leave since April 7 has not only been carrying very bad reputation since his posting here but also his activities have sullied the image of the Government.
A couple of months ago, fresh OAS officers were recruited in different blocks and tehsils on the basis of a jumbo transfer list. But despite repeated demands, an Additional EO post has been lying vacant in Rourkela Municipality since February 11, 2009. When the municipality requires at least three regular OAS officers for its smooth functioning, one OAS has been posted as EO only.
Similar neglect is reflected in primary education and health services here. For months together, a regular DI of Schools has not been appointed. Similarly many doctor posts are lying vacant in Rourkela Government Hospital for years together. In another development, the ESIC proposed to have a medical college in Odisha investing `500 crore. And locals here thought that the medical college should be set up here as it is one of the major industrial and mining hubs of the State. But ignoring the sentiments of the denizens of Rourkela, the State Government proposed to have it in Bhubaneswar even though a number of medical colleges exist there.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/338447/Few-takers-for-BJD-claims-on-Rourkela%E2%80%99s-development.html
The repeated claims of the BJD leaders and Rourkela MLA and Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development Sarada Prasad Nayak that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has special attention for Rourkela have few takers here.
It is no doubt that during the last two tenures of Naveen Patnaik’s regime, the city has lost its quota of PDS which is just the beginning of neglect to the city. But one thing the denizens of Rourkela would never forget is during Naveen’s first tenure (2000-04), when Ajit Das was the MLA of Rourkela, the city was conferred with many mega projects like BPUT (foundation stone laid in 2003), medical college (foundation stone laid in February 2004) and four-lane road from Panposh Chowk to Udit Nagar.
However, it is a different story that the construction work of the medical college and BPUT are still going on in very lethargic manner and just for name’s sake, the BPUT headquarters has been established at Rourkela, but all the important decisions and executions are being taken up by its top brass at Bhubaneswar. The four-lane road construction work is still going on and nobody knows when it would end.
As Rourkela is an industrial hub and a sensitive city, earlier the State Government used to post an IAS officer as the ADM of Rourkela.
But it may be some political compulsion or anything else, OAS officers were posted for some years. No doubt, the State has less than the required number of IAS officers and it is acceptable to have an OAS officer as ADM occasionally. Given the fact that the office of the ADM is already overburdened with its day-to-day works, the Government has imposed the ADM to take up the additional charge of Secretary, Rourkela Development Authority (RDA). The decision will not only subject the officer with more responsibility but also the public will be deprived of getting appropriate and timely service from both the offices.
However, the Government has decided to put an IAS officer as ADM on October 20, 2010. With the posting of an IAS officer as ADM, the people here have regained some confidence and hope that the development of city will be on the line.
But when the ADM was starting the developmental works, he was sent as District Collector of Koraput on promotion on May 5, 2011. The pity is that the substitute of the ADM is not yet posted. Rather, the Sub Collector, Rourkela has been given the additional charge of the ADM and Secretary, RDA.
The step-motherly attitude for Rourkela does not end with this. Rourkela Police District is very sensitive for a host of reasons.
Koira, Gurundia, Bonai, Lathikata, Bisra and Lahunipara blocks of the district are worst affected by the Maoist menace. However, the police district is running without a regular SP since April7, 2011. It is to be mentioned here that the SP DK Pattanaik on leave since April 7 has not only been carrying very bad reputation since his posting here but also his activities have sullied the image of the Government.
A couple of months ago, fresh OAS officers were recruited in different blocks and tehsils on the basis of a jumbo transfer list. But despite repeated demands, an Additional EO post has been lying vacant in Rourkela Municipality since February 11, 2009. When the municipality requires at least three regular OAS officers for its smooth functioning, one OAS has been posted as EO only.
Similar neglect is reflected in primary education and health services here. For months together, a regular DI of Schools has not been appointed. Similarly many doctor posts are lying vacant in Rourkela Government Hospital for years together. In another development, the ESIC proposed to have a medical college in Odisha investing `500 crore. And locals here thought that the medical college should be set up here as it is one of the major industrial and mining hubs of the State. But ignoring the sentiments of the denizens of Rourkela, the State Government proposed to have it in Bhubaneswar even though a number of medical colleges exist there.
Monday, 9 May 2011
RSP’s cold response to OPL raises eyebrows
A report from Daily Pioneer
http://dailypioneer.com/337322/RSP%E2%80%99s-cold-response-to-OPL-raises-eyebrows.html
Even though the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) has decided to introduce Odisha Premier League (OPL), a State version of the Indian Premier league (IPL), from this year, its chosen venue of the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP)-owned stadium has been reportedly turned down by the RSP authorities here.
Such an act of the public sector unit has not only disheartened the spirit of the sportsmen and sports lovers here, but has also raised many an eyebrow over its allegedly pseudo-commitment towards sports.
While the RSP reportedly thanks OCA secretary Ashirbad Behera for his magnanimity for keeping Rourkela as a franchisee team, but has asked searching for other venue.
Despite concerted efforts, RSP AGM (Sports) D Mishra could not be contacted over his official mobile 8895501336 as all calls had no reply.
However, sources confided that the RSP turned down to spare the ground on the plea of summer camp while antecedent reveals that in the past, RSP has spared the ground for mega event like the women football tournament deferring its summer camp schedule.
It may further be mentioned here that as RSP could not send its team for the Sahani Cup Inter-District Football Tournament, Rourkela and its peripheral players were deprived of getting selected for the State Santosh Trophy team.
It is further learnt from reliable sources that the State Olympic Association is mulling to de-affiliate the RSP for its allegedly anti-sports mindset.
http://dailypioneer.com/337322/RSP%E2%80%99s-cold-response-to-OPL-raises-eyebrows.html
Even though the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) has decided to introduce Odisha Premier League (OPL), a State version of the Indian Premier league (IPL), from this year, its chosen venue of the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP)-owned stadium has been reportedly turned down by the RSP authorities here.
Such an act of the public sector unit has not only disheartened the spirit of the sportsmen and sports lovers here, but has also raised many an eyebrow over its allegedly pseudo-commitment towards sports.
While the RSP reportedly thanks OCA secretary Ashirbad Behera for his magnanimity for keeping Rourkela as a franchisee team, but has asked searching for other venue.
Despite concerted efforts, RSP AGM (Sports) D Mishra could not be contacted over his official mobile 8895501336 as all calls had no reply.
However, sources confided that the RSP turned down to spare the ground on the plea of summer camp while antecedent reveals that in the past, RSP has spared the ground for mega event like the women football tournament deferring its summer camp schedule.
It may further be mentioned here that as RSP could not send its team for the Sahani Cup Inter-District Football Tournament, Rourkela and its peripheral players were deprived of getting selected for the State Santosh Trophy team.
It is further learnt from reliable sources that the State Olympic Association is mulling to de-affiliate the RSP for its allegedly anti-sports mindset.
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
Bimlagarh-Talcher rail link: All decks cleared
Expressbuzz reports
http://expressbuzz.com/states/orissa/bimlagarh-talcher-rail-link-all-decks-cleared/266948.html
ROURKELA: Against the backdrop of knee-jerk reactions from various quarters, the Indian Railways seems to have woken up from its slumber.
Sources said decks have been cleared to lay the proposed Bimlagarh-Talcher rail link with Indian Railways depositing Rs 30 crore with the State Government for the first phase land acquisition work. Funds of Rs 810 crore would be required for laying the 156- km stretch of fresh track between Bimlagarh and Talcher.
Demand for this rail link has been in the public domain for the last four decades. The Union Railway Ministry was ignoring it before the final sanction was accorded in 2004-05.
Since then, every railway budget doled out a meagre ` 5 to ` 10 crore for the project even as six years elapsed without any visible outcome. After completion, the new rail link would be the shortest route between Rourkela and Bhubaneswar covering 300 km. The existing route via Sambalpur is around 460 km.
The South Eastern Railway (SER) has a single track between Rourkela and Bimlagarh in Sundargarh district and works are underway to double-track it. Sources said the East Coast Railway (ECoR) would lay around 140 km of track and the rest would be carried out by the SER. Till Talcher, the proposed track would cover the districts of Sundargarh, Deogarh, Dhenkanal and Angul.
At a high-level meeting on Friday in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the General Managers (GMs) of the SER and ECoR informed that ` 30 crore had been deposited with the State Government for acquisition of land in the first phase.
Accordingly, land would be acquired for 25- km stretch from Talcher.
In the past, the Indian Railways faced criticism from the Rourkela Development Steering Committee (RDSC), a consortium of Opposition political parties and a host of apolitical organisations, over major demands including the proposed new track.
http://expressbuzz.com/states/orissa/bimlagarh-talcher-rail-link-all-decks-cleared/266948.html
ROURKELA: Against the backdrop of knee-jerk reactions from various quarters, the Indian Railways seems to have woken up from its slumber.
Sources said decks have been cleared to lay the proposed Bimlagarh-Talcher rail link with Indian Railways depositing Rs 30 crore with the State Government for the first phase land acquisition work. Funds of Rs 810 crore would be required for laying the 156- km stretch of fresh track between Bimlagarh and Talcher.
Demand for this rail link has been in the public domain for the last four decades. The Union Railway Ministry was ignoring it before the final sanction was accorded in 2004-05.
Since then, every railway budget doled out a meagre ` 5 to ` 10 crore for the project even as six years elapsed without any visible outcome. After completion, the new rail link would be the shortest route between Rourkela and Bhubaneswar covering 300 km. The existing route via Sambalpur is around 460 km.
The South Eastern Railway (SER) has a single track between Rourkela and Bimlagarh in Sundargarh district and works are underway to double-track it. Sources said the East Coast Railway (ECoR) would lay around 140 km of track and the rest would be carried out by the SER. Till Talcher, the proposed track would cover the districts of Sundargarh, Deogarh, Dhenkanal and Angul.
At a high-level meeting on Friday in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the General Managers (GMs) of the SER and ECoR informed that ` 30 crore had been deposited with the State Government for acquisition of land in the first phase.
Accordingly, land would be acquired for 25- km stretch from Talcher.
In the past, the Indian Railways faced criticism from the Rourkela Development Steering Committee (RDSC), a consortium of Opposition political parties and a host of apolitical organisations, over major demands including the proposed new track.
Rourkela to get two more trains
Extract from New Indian Express
http://expressbuzz.com/states/orissa/rourkela-to-get-two-more-trains/266158.html
BHUBANESWAR: Two more trains will be extended to Rourkela. Proposals for extension of Jammu Tawi Express and Gorakhpur-Hatia Maurya Express to Rourkela have been accepted by the Railway Ministry. A high-level meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here today, was informed of the new decision.
A proposal for re-routing the Puri-New Delhi Utkal Express through Rourkela is under consideration. Besides, a new proposal for re-routing of Samaleswari Express will be submitted soon before the Railway Ministry.
Railway officials present at the meeting informed that a plan to operate Inter City Express on Sunday was being examined by the Ministry, while the new train to Keonjhar will be extended to Banspani soon. Besides, work for modernisation of Rourkela Railway Station is currently underway. The meeting also discussed frequency of other Express trains in the State and the need to connect new places.
http://expressbuzz.com/states/orissa/rourkela-to-get-two-more-trains/266158.html
BHUBANESWAR: Two more trains will be extended to Rourkela. Proposals for extension of Jammu Tawi Express and Gorakhpur-Hatia Maurya Express to Rourkela have been accepted by the Railway Ministry. A high-level meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here today, was informed of the new decision.
A proposal for re-routing the Puri-New Delhi Utkal Express through Rourkela is under consideration. Besides, a new proposal for re-routing of Samaleswari Express will be submitted soon before the Railway Ministry.
Railway officials present at the meeting informed that a plan to operate Inter City Express on Sunday was being examined by the Ministry, while the new train to Keonjhar will be extended to Banspani soon. Besides, work for modernisation of Rourkela Railway Station is currently underway. The meeting also discussed frequency of other Express trains in the State and the need to connect new places.
Friday, 18 February 2011
Neglect of Rourkela by the Railways
Neglect of Rourkela by the Railways has been unveiled in this report
The union rail budget 2011-2012 is about to come by February end week.
The present railway minister, Mamataa Bannerji has called off a meeting of all the supervisors and officer of the 11 out of 14 railway zones of Indian Railways namely the ER, ECoR, SER, WCR, NCR, CR, NR, NER, SR, WR and NWR.
A few of the members from RRB and other public private partners were also invited for the meeting.
The expected budget claims as the budget for ordinary people.
*There shall not be any reduction or expansion in the fare of ordinary and Air Conditioned class.
*The fare of all class in Shatabdi Express and Yuwa Express will be reduced by 10%.
*New coach factory to be set up at Kota Junction, Digha & Nagpur
* There were several demands of the people to start the train services including the Duronto and Shatabdis. A long chart have been prepared under approval of honourable Railway minister to claim in the upcoming rail budget of 2011-2012.
The following new 90 Train services are proposed for the rail budget, out of which only 75 services will be taken under consideration and will be announced for rail budget 2011-2012.
*New Delhi - Panipat AC Express (daily)
*Howrah - Madurai Express (tri weekly)
*Howrah - Una Express (5 days a week)
*Secunderabad - Indore Express (bi weekly via. Nagpur)
*Secunderabad - Tata Express (daily)
*Hajur Sahib Nanded - Indore Express (weekly via. Nagpur)
*Howrah - Jammu Express (tri weekly)
*Howrah - Dehradun Express (bi weekly via. Agra)
*Howrah - Kolhapur Express (weekly)
*Jodhpur - Coimbatore Express (weekly)
*Jodhpur - Howrah AC Express (daily via. Nagpur - Bhopal)
*Howrah - Jaisalmer Express (bi weekly)
*Howrah - Bhuj Express (4 days a week)
*Dhanbad - Pune Express (bi weekly via. Allahabad)
*Howrah - Pune Express (daily via. Bhopal - Katni)
*Howrah - Firozpur Express (bi weekly)
*Ranchi - Ernakulam Express (weekly)
*Howrah - Mysore Express (bi weekly)
*Howrah - Chennai AC Duronto (tri weekly)
*Howrah - Guwahati AC Duronto (bi weekly)
*Howrah - Lucknow AC Duronto (weekly)
*Lucknow - Pune AC Duronto (bi weekly)
*Jaipur - Lucknow AC Duronto (tri weekly)
*Jaipur - Bhopal AC Duronto (tri weekly)
*Chennai - Mumbai CST Duronto (weekly)
*Mumbai CST - Ranchi Duronto Express (weekly)
*New Delhi - Vasco Duronto (weekly)
*Howrah - Agra AC Express (daily)
*Ferozpur - Puri Express (tri weekly)
*Chandigarh - Jabalpur Express (bi weekly)
*Bikaner - Gaya Express (weekly)
*Nagpur - Jaipur Express (daily)
*Nagpur - Kolhapur AC Express (daily)
*Miraj - Salem Express (daily via. Hubli)
*Bangalore - Amritsar Express (tri weekly via. Bhopal)
*Trivandrum - Mangalore Express (daily)
*Ernakulam - Dehradun Express (tri weekly)
*Digha - Tirunelveli Express (weekly)
*Ajmer - Jammutawi Express (daily)
*Howrah - Bareily Express (daily)
*Ranchi - Pune Express (tri weekly)
*Tirunelveli - Pune Express (4 days a week)
*Guwahati - Machilipatnam Express (bi weekly)
*Jaynagar - Bareily Express (daily)
*Jammutawi - Vizag Express (tri weekly via. Warangal)
*Pune - Mysore AC Express (daily)
*Pune - Udaipur Express (tri weekly)
*Ajmer - Palampur Intercity Express (daily)
*Chandigarh - Jaynagar Express (bi weekly)
*Amritsar - Malayaduthirai Express (weekly)
*Indore - Durg Express (daily via. Raipur - Bilaspur - Katni - Bina)
*Indore - Bangalore Express (bi weekly)
*Mumbai - Surat Intercity Express (daily via. Manmad)
*Vasco - Gorakhpur Express (bi weekly)
*Guwahati - Shriganga Nagar Express (weekly)
*Guwahati - Madgaon Express (bi weekly)
*Guwahati - Amritsar Express (weekly)
*Howrah - Valsad Express (weekly via. Manmad)
*Mumbai CST - Tata Express (bi weekly via. Allahabad)
*Chandigarh - Mumbai CST Express (4 days a week via. Surat - Ajmer - Jaipur - Ambala)
*Jaipur - Bhuj Express (daily)
*Habibganj - Ranchi Express (weekly)
*Jabalpur - Dehradun Express (tri weekly)
*Bilaspur - Bhopal Express (daily via. Nagpur)
*Tirupati - Coimbatore Express (5 days a week)
*Puri - Guwahati Express (daily via. Howrah)
*Puri - Mumbai CST AC Express (bi weekly)
*Kanpur - Gaya Intercity Express (daily)
*Dehradun - Pune Express (bi weekly)
*Agra - Pune AC Express (4 days a week)
*Indore - Pune AC Express (bi weekly via. Bhopal)
*Patna - Howrah Shatabdi Express (5 days a week)
*Guwahati - Howrah Shatabdi Express (bi weekly)
*Indore - Bhopal Jan Shatabdi Express (daily)
*Indore - New Delhi Link Shatabdi Express (6 days a week via. Bhopal)
*Muzaffarpur - Jodhpur Express (weekly)
*Ernakulam - Guwahati Express (weekly)
*Chennai - Ahmedabad AC Express (tri weekly)
*Varanasi - Kolhapur Express (daily)
*Sainagar Shirdi - Howrah Express (daily)
*Sainagar Shirdi - Jaipur Express (tri weekly)
*Sainagar Shirdi - Trivandrum Express (weekly)
*Tirupati - Hubli Intercity Express (daily)
*Ajmer - Vishakhapatnam Express (weekly)
*Asansol - Trivandrum Express (tri weekly)
*Howrah - Kanpur Express (daily)
*Gwalior - Mumbai Express (weekly)
*Chhindwara - New Delhi Express (tri weekly)
*Chhindwara - Rewa Express (daily via. Jabalpur)
A list of passenger train services have been identified in between :
*Bhopal - Jabalpur via. Itarsi
*Varanasi - Agra
*Howrah - Barbil
*Patna - Ranchi
*Danapur - Gorakhpur
*Danapur - Bilaspur
*Mumbai - Pune
*Kolhapur - Pune
*Ahmedabad - Bhuj
*Tirunelvelli - Salem
*Hubli - Ernakulam
*Jammutawi - Una via. Amritsar
*Vadodara - Jaipur
*Indore - Bina
*Chengannur - Salem via. Chennai
So anyhow gross injustice for Odisha in general and Rourkela in particular, the region paying the highest revenue in the country. Why Railways is possessing a step-motherly attitude towards Rourkela is unkown. In the past, trains like Tapaswini, Samaleswari and Ispat have been extended; trains like Hirakhand,Hirakud have been diverted and trains like Rourkela-Jharsuguda, Rourkela-Biramitrapur, Rourkela-Howrah passengers have been cancelled. Now Utkal and Samaleswari are not plying! God only knows the future of these tarins
When Tapaswini was extended , the condition was to extend a Delhi bound train upto Rourkela, which is hanging till now. Recently many trains like Jammu Tawi Express, Jallianwalabagh, Gorakhpur Express, Garib Rath, Chhapra Express have been demanded to be extended up to Rourkela, however have been denied again.
No long distance train now terminates at Rourkela due to lack of a passenger coach terminal (coaching complex) which will have washing line, ac charging and maintenance facilities as well. This important infrastructure has been neglected again. The revenue generated from this region is spent on metro cities, North East, Jammu Kashmir and other states. If providing connectivity will help in curbing terrorism, separatist activities, insurgency in J&K and North-East why Odisha and Chotanagapur Plateau is being neglected as it is the haven of red rebels (naxalites) now?
Passenger fares will not be increased, but who will pay for the increased amenities, Durontos, AC trains, etc.? Certainly freight and again the centre will be the mineral rich region of Odisha.
Tata,Ranchi and Kharagpur are gaining a lot from the revenue generated from Rourkela. The railway authorities at Tata have planned everything in such a manner that Rourkela will not get a single train in future. If any thing happens to Howrah-Mumbai mainline, then Tata or Ranchi and even Kharagpur are not going to lose anything but Rourkela will suffer the most. It should be noted that in the last budget Barwadih-Chirmiri line was sanctioned, which will be ready by 2014. With the commissioning of this line the distance between Howrah and Mumbai will be reduced by 400 kms hence the present Howrah-Mumbai mainline is endangered. In future only freight trains will ply on this line, if the situation remains the same. There is hardly any Odia in South Eastern Railway now and maximum are from Bihar and the rest from Bengal
The repeated biasing attitude of South Eastern Railways has created the much awaited demand of a new Rourkela Division administered by East Coast Railways.
Not only political parties but the common people the general public should rise in protest, railrokos should be organized, MPs,State,Centre,Railways should be pressurized. Everything should be done for the right of Rourkela.
Railway Minister Ms. Banerjee should be made understood that Railways belongs the whole country not only Bengal, and the document she is reading out in the House is Railway Budget, not a Bengali poem, not any “Rabindra Gaan”. Parliament House is not the place to showcase your co-curricular activities, your talent.
If MP Hemananda Biswal is unable to do anything then he should resign immedietly without any further wastage of public money.
The union rail budget 2011-2012 is about to come by February end week.
The present railway minister, Mamataa Bannerji has called off a meeting of all the supervisors and officer of the 11 out of 14 railway zones of Indian Railways namely the ER, ECoR, SER, WCR, NCR, CR, NR, NER, SR, WR and NWR.
A few of the members from RRB and other public private partners were also invited for the meeting.
The expected budget claims as the budget for ordinary people.
*There shall not be any reduction or expansion in the fare of ordinary and Air Conditioned class.
*The fare of all class in Shatabdi Express and Yuwa Express will be reduced by 10%.
*New coach factory to be set up at Kota Junction, Digha & Nagpur
* There were several demands of the people to start the train services including the Duronto and Shatabdis. A long chart have been prepared under approval of honourable Railway minister to claim in the upcoming rail budget of 2011-2012.
The following new 90 Train services are proposed for the rail budget, out of which only 75 services will be taken under consideration and will be announced for rail budget 2011-2012.
*New Delhi - Panipat AC Express (daily)
*Howrah - Madurai Express (tri weekly)
*Howrah - Una Express (5 days a week)
*Secunderabad - Indore Express (bi weekly via. Nagpur)
*Secunderabad - Tata Express (daily)
*Hajur Sahib Nanded - Indore Express (weekly via. Nagpur)
*Howrah - Jammu Express (tri weekly)
*Howrah - Dehradun Express (bi weekly via. Agra)
*Howrah - Kolhapur Express (weekly)
*Jodhpur - Coimbatore Express (weekly)
*Jodhpur - Howrah AC Express (daily via. Nagpur - Bhopal)
*Howrah - Jaisalmer Express (bi weekly)
*Howrah - Bhuj Express (4 days a week)
*Dhanbad - Pune Express (bi weekly via. Allahabad)
*Howrah - Pune Express (daily via. Bhopal - Katni)
*Howrah - Firozpur Express (bi weekly)
*Ranchi - Ernakulam Express (weekly)
*Howrah - Mysore Express (bi weekly)
*Howrah - Chennai AC Duronto (tri weekly)
*Howrah - Guwahati AC Duronto (bi weekly)
*Howrah - Lucknow AC Duronto (weekly)
*Lucknow - Pune AC Duronto (bi weekly)
*Jaipur - Lucknow AC Duronto (tri weekly)
*Jaipur - Bhopal AC Duronto (tri weekly)
*Chennai - Mumbai CST Duronto (weekly)
*Mumbai CST - Ranchi Duronto Express (weekly)
*New Delhi - Vasco Duronto (weekly)
*Howrah - Agra AC Express (daily)
*Ferozpur - Puri Express (tri weekly)
*Chandigarh - Jabalpur Express (bi weekly)
*Bikaner - Gaya Express (weekly)
*Nagpur - Jaipur Express (daily)
*Nagpur - Kolhapur AC Express (daily)
*Miraj - Salem Express (daily via. Hubli)
*Bangalore - Amritsar Express (tri weekly via. Bhopal)
*Trivandrum - Mangalore Express (daily)
*Ernakulam - Dehradun Express (tri weekly)
*Digha - Tirunelveli Express (weekly)
*Ajmer - Jammutawi Express (daily)
*Howrah - Bareily Express (daily)
*Ranchi - Pune Express (tri weekly)
*Tirunelveli - Pune Express (4 days a week)
*Guwahati - Machilipatnam Express (bi weekly)
*Jaynagar - Bareily Express (daily)
*Jammutawi - Vizag Express (tri weekly via. Warangal)
*Pune - Mysore AC Express (daily)
*Pune - Udaipur Express (tri weekly)
*Ajmer - Palampur Intercity Express (daily)
*Chandigarh - Jaynagar Express (bi weekly)
*Amritsar - Malayaduthirai Express (weekly)
*Indore - Durg Express (daily via. Raipur - Bilaspur - Katni - Bina)
*Indore - Bangalore Express (bi weekly)
*Mumbai - Surat Intercity Express (daily via. Manmad)
*Vasco - Gorakhpur Express (bi weekly)
*Guwahati - Shriganga Nagar Express (weekly)
*Guwahati - Madgaon Express (bi weekly)
*Guwahati - Amritsar Express (weekly)
*Howrah - Valsad Express (weekly via. Manmad)
*Mumbai CST - Tata Express (bi weekly via. Allahabad)
*Chandigarh - Mumbai CST Express (4 days a week via. Surat - Ajmer - Jaipur - Ambala)
*Jaipur - Bhuj Express (daily)
*Habibganj - Ranchi Express (weekly)
*Jabalpur - Dehradun Express (tri weekly)
*Bilaspur - Bhopal Express (daily via. Nagpur)
*Tirupati - Coimbatore Express (5 days a week)
*Puri - Guwahati Express (daily via. Howrah)
*Puri - Mumbai CST AC Express (bi weekly)
*Kanpur - Gaya Intercity Express (daily)
*Dehradun - Pune Express (bi weekly)
*Agra - Pune AC Express (4 days a week)
*Indore - Pune AC Express (bi weekly via. Bhopal)
*Patna - Howrah Shatabdi Express (5 days a week)
*Guwahati - Howrah Shatabdi Express (bi weekly)
*Indore - Bhopal Jan Shatabdi Express (daily)
*Indore - New Delhi Link Shatabdi Express (6 days a week via. Bhopal)
*Muzaffarpur - Jodhpur Express (weekly)
*Ernakulam - Guwahati Express (weekly)
*Chennai - Ahmedabad AC Express (tri weekly)
*Varanasi - Kolhapur Express (daily)
*Sainagar Shirdi - Howrah Express (daily)
*Sainagar Shirdi - Jaipur Express (tri weekly)
*Sainagar Shirdi - Trivandrum Express (weekly)
*Tirupati - Hubli Intercity Express (daily)
*Ajmer - Vishakhapatnam Express (weekly)
*Asansol - Trivandrum Express (tri weekly)
*Howrah - Kanpur Express (daily)
*Gwalior - Mumbai Express (weekly)
*Chhindwara - New Delhi Express (tri weekly)
*Chhindwara - Rewa Express (daily via. Jabalpur)
A list of passenger train services have been identified in between :
*Bhopal - Jabalpur via. Itarsi
*Varanasi - Agra
*Howrah - Barbil
*Patna - Ranchi
*Danapur - Gorakhpur
*Danapur - Bilaspur
*Mumbai - Pune
*Kolhapur - Pune
*Ahmedabad - Bhuj
*Tirunelvelli - Salem
*Hubli - Ernakulam
*Jammutawi - Una via. Amritsar
*Vadodara - Jaipur
*Indore - Bina
*Chengannur - Salem via. Chennai
So anyhow gross injustice for Odisha in general and Rourkela in particular, the region paying the highest revenue in the country. Why Railways is possessing a step-motherly attitude towards Rourkela is unkown. In the past, trains like Tapaswini, Samaleswari and Ispat have been extended; trains like Hirakhand,Hirakud have been diverted and trains like Rourkela-Jharsuguda, Rourkela-Biramitrapur, Rourkela-Howrah passengers have been cancelled. Now Utkal and Samaleswari are not plying! God only knows the future of these tarins
When Tapaswini was extended , the condition was to extend a Delhi bound train upto Rourkela, which is hanging till now. Recently many trains like Jammu Tawi Express, Jallianwalabagh, Gorakhpur Express, Garib Rath, Chhapra Express have been demanded to be extended up to Rourkela, however have been denied again.
No long distance train now terminates at Rourkela due to lack of a passenger coach terminal (coaching complex) which will have washing line, ac charging and maintenance facilities as well. This important infrastructure has been neglected again. The revenue generated from this region is spent on metro cities, North East, Jammu Kashmir and other states. If providing connectivity will help in curbing terrorism, separatist activities, insurgency in J&K and North-East why Odisha and Chotanagapur Plateau is being neglected as it is the haven of red rebels (naxalites) now?
Passenger fares will not be increased, but who will pay for the increased amenities, Durontos, AC trains, etc.? Certainly freight and again the centre will be the mineral rich region of Odisha.
Tata,Ranchi and Kharagpur are gaining a lot from the revenue generated from Rourkela. The railway authorities at Tata have planned everything in such a manner that Rourkela will not get a single train in future. If any thing happens to Howrah-Mumbai mainline, then Tata or Ranchi and even Kharagpur are not going to lose anything but Rourkela will suffer the most. It should be noted that in the last budget Barwadih-Chirmiri line was sanctioned, which will be ready by 2014. With the commissioning of this line the distance between Howrah and Mumbai will be reduced by 400 kms hence the present Howrah-Mumbai mainline is endangered. In future only freight trains will ply on this line, if the situation remains the same. There is hardly any Odia in South Eastern Railway now and maximum are from Bihar and the rest from Bengal
The repeated biasing attitude of South Eastern Railways has created the much awaited demand of a new Rourkela Division administered by East Coast Railways.
Not only political parties but the common people the general public should rise in protest, railrokos should be organized, MPs,State,Centre,Railways should be pressurized. Everything should be done for the right of Rourkela.
Railway Minister Ms. Banerjee should be made understood that Railways belongs the whole country not only Bengal, and the document she is reading out in the House is Railway Budget, not a Bengali poem, not any “Rabindra Gaan”. Parliament House is not the place to showcase your co-curricular activities, your talent.
If MP Hemananda Biswal is unable to do anything then he should resign immedietly without any further wastage of public money.
Thursday, 17 February 2011
Night trains to remain suspended
Expressbuzz reports
http://expressbuzz.com/states/orissa/night-trains-to-remain-suspended/248589.html
ROURKELA: It could be some more time before the night train services resume on the busy Howrah-Mumbai route. If sources in the South Eastern Railways (SER) are to be believed they have no specific clue as yet as to when night train services would begin on the Rourkela-Kharagpur and Kharagpur-Adra sections.
Owing to suspension of train services between 10 pm and 5 am at least a dozen important trains are getting rescheduled, while half-a-dozen others are either plying through alternative routes or facing regulation.
The SER’s decision bodes ill for Rourkela junction with the station losing two most sought-after trains. Utkal Express, the only direct train to Delhi, has been withdrawn and is plying from Jharsuguda.
Similarly, the Samaleswari Express now goes via Sambalpur-Angul-Cuttack-Howrah. SER General Manager Vinay Mittal, who was on a day’s visit to here yesterday, said the SER can do little without security clearance from the Union Home Ministry. At a meeting with local delegates over the issue, Mittal blamed the Orissa and the Jharkhand governments claiming that they were not doing enough to bring back the confidence among the staff.
Here’s some solace for the beleaguered passengers though. If the SER chief is to be believed then by March the Ranchi-Delhi Garib Rath and Hatia-Jammu Tawi Express would be extended till Rourkela station. Train services during night were suspended following derailment of Jnaneswari Express on May 28 last year due to Maoist sabotage.
Meanwhile, it is being apprehended that normalcy is unlikely before the West Bengal Assembly polls. The local BJD has, however, pinned all hopes on a meeting of the State Government with the chiefs of SER and ECoR.
In a decision taken at a recent meeting of Railway Board, 90 new trains have been proposed among which 75 have to be finalized, and again the steel city of Rourkela has been left out ,while Ranchi and Tatanagar have managed to get more than their share. Hence without wasting any more time, Rourkela Division should be constituted under the administration of East Coast Railways, so that justice is done for the 50 lakh people of Sundargarh,Keonjhar and Jharsuguda districts
http://expressbuzz.com/states/orissa/night-trains-to-remain-suspended/248589.html
ROURKELA: It could be some more time before the night train services resume on the busy Howrah-Mumbai route. If sources in the South Eastern Railways (SER) are to be believed they have no specific clue as yet as to when night train services would begin on the Rourkela-Kharagpur and Kharagpur-Adra sections.
Owing to suspension of train services between 10 pm and 5 am at least a dozen important trains are getting rescheduled, while half-a-dozen others are either plying through alternative routes or facing regulation.
The SER’s decision bodes ill for Rourkela junction with the station losing two most sought-after trains. Utkal Express, the only direct train to Delhi, has been withdrawn and is plying from Jharsuguda.
Similarly, the Samaleswari Express now goes via Sambalpur-Angul-Cuttack-Howrah. SER General Manager Vinay Mittal, who was on a day’s visit to here yesterday, said the SER can do little without security clearance from the Union Home Ministry. At a meeting with local delegates over the issue, Mittal blamed the Orissa and the Jharkhand governments claiming that they were not doing enough to bring back the confidence among the staff.
Here’s some solace for the beleaguered passengers though. If the SER chief is to be believed then by March the Ranchi-Delhi Garib Rath and Hatia-Jammu Tawi Express would be extended till Rourkela station. Train services during night were suspended following derailment of Jnaneswari Express on May 28 last year due to Maoist sabotage.
Meanwhile, it is being apprehended that normalcy is unlikely before the West Bengal Assembly polls. The local BJD has, however, pinned all hopes on a meeting of the State Government with the chiefs of SER and ECoR.
In a decision taken at a recent meeting of Railway Board, 90 new trains have been proposed among which 75 have to be finalized, and again the steel city of Rourkela has been left out ,while Ranchi and Tatanagar have managed to get more than their share. Hence without wasting any more time, Rourkela Division should be constituted under the administration of East Coast Railways, so that justice is done for the 50 lakh people of Sundargarh,Keonjhar and Jharsuguda districts
PD protocol for kidney treatment opened at IGH
A report from Daily Pioneer
http://dailypioneer.com/318340/PD-protocol-for-kidney-treatment-opened-at-IGH.html
The Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) protocol was inaugurated at Rourkela Steel Plant-owned Ispat General Hospital (IGH) on Friday by its Director SK Mishra. The system, a modern concept world over, would be used for the kidney-affected patients.
Earlier, such patients used to be treated with the Hemo Dialysis (HD), usually costly and specific time-bound along with restricted diet, but with the PD system, the patients have convenience without going to the hospital or nursing home.
As per the recent medical figures, around 7,000 kidney-related patients are in India needing dialysis for the same while as per the IGH records, around 15 patients are there in Rourkela with acute kidney problems who are under different stages of dialysis. Inaugurating the system, Dr Mishra spoke on the recent advancement in PD process and said patients will be more benefited at the IGH.
He also denied any competition between the PD and HD process though each has its own advantages. Specialist surgeon from Hyderabad BV Reddy gave a presentation on PD process of treatment with its advantages while IGH senior deputy director (medicine) SK Mahanta gave a comparison between PD and HD process of treatment with various facts and figures.
He also elaborated the detailed procedure for the Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis which is an important part of the PD protocol.
The PD protocol system treatment is only available at Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. Now, the western Odisha patients can avail the benefit. A few patients, having already treated on the PD system, shared their experience on the occasion.
http://dailypioneer.com/318340/PD-protocol-for-kidney-treatment-opened-at-IGH.html
The Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) protocol was inaugurated at Rourkela Steel Plant-owned Ispat General Hospital (IGH) on Friday by its Director SK Mishra. The system, a modern concept world over, would be used for the kidney-affected patients.
Earlier, such patients used to be treated with the Hemo Dialysis (HD), usually costly and specific time-bound along with restricted diet, but with the PD system, the patients have convenience without going to the hospital or nursing home.
As per the recent medical figures, around 7,000 kidney-related patients are in India needing dialysis for the same while as per the IGH records, around 15 patients are there in Rourkela with acute kidney problems who are under different stages of dialysis. Inaugurating the system, Dr Mishra spoke on the recent advancement in PD process and said patients will be more benefited at the IGH.
He also denied any competition between the PD and HD process though each has its own advantages. Specialist surgeon from Hyderabad BV Reddy gave a presentation on PD process of treatment with its advantages while IGH senior deputy director (medicine) SK Mahanta gave a comparison between PD and HD process of treatment with various facts and figures.
He also elaborated the detailed procedure for the Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis which is an important part of the PD protocol.
The PD protocol system treatment is only available at Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. Now, the western Odisha patients can avail the benefit. A few patients, having already treated on the PD system, shared their experience on the occasion.
Thursday, 3 February 2011
Traffic snarls slow down life in Steel City
A report from Indian Express
ROURKELA: The traffic snarl-ups on the busy thoroughfares of the ever-growing Rourkela city have become intolerable for the population of over six lakh.
While the residents have to deal with the inconvenience on a daily basis, the municipal corporation and the traffic police have turned a blind eye to the problem.
The densely populated main road area from Bisra Square to Panposh Square and the local railway station continue to be a nightmare for commuters with traffic moving at a snail’s pace. Both traffic and parking rules are flouted with impunity.
Four-wheelers parked in front of the Haryana Bhawan eat into the road space leading to congestion. With the traffic police doing little to pull up the offenders, the violators are having a field day.
Economic boom has led to unprecedented surge in the number of vehicles. There are over 55,000 four-wheelers and three-wheelers along with 1.20 lakh two-wheelers.
Even as the administration is aimless, the woes of the law abiding residents do not end here.
Numerous cart vendors and cycle-rickshaws, who at times turn bullish, continue to stamp their authority on the left over parking space.
It is learnt that land owners along the busy thoroughfares have used up every inch of the space to develop market complexes with no proper parking space.
Admitting the mounting problem, Rourkela municipal vice-chairman RN Mishra said he would move a proposal in the next council meeting to implement parking fees.
ROURKELA: The traffic snarl-ups on the busy thoroughfares of the ever-growing Rourkela city have become intolerable for the population of over six lakh.
While the residents have to deal with the inconvenience on a daily basis, the municipal corporation and the traffic police have turned a blind eye to the problem.
The densely populated main road area from Bisra Square to Panposh Square and the local railway station continue to be a nightmare for commuters with traffic moving at a snail’s pace. Both traffic and parking rules are flouted with impunity.
Four-wheelers parked in front of the Haryana Bhawan eat into the road space leading to congestion. With the traffic police doing little to pull up the offenders, the violators are having a field day.
Economic boom has led to unprecedented surge in the number of vehicles. There are over 55,000 four-wheelers and three-wheelers along with 1.20 lakh two-wheelers.
Even as the administration is aimless, the woes of the law abiding residents do not end here.
Numerous cart vendors and cycle-rickshaws, who at times turn bullish, continue to stamp their authority on the left over parking space.
It is learnt that land owners along the busy thoroughfares have used up every inch of the space to develop market complexes with no proper parking space.
Admitting the mounting problem, Rourkela municipal vice-chairman RN Mishra said he would move a proposal in the next council meeting to implement parking fees.
Sunday, 30 January 2011
BJD flags down goods trains
A report from Indian Express
ROURKELA: Seeking better railway infrastructure in Orissa with focal point being the mining and industrial district of Sundargarh, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) today gave a knee-jerk reply to the Indian Railways by disrupting movement of all goods trains at Rourkela. However, the South Eastern Railway (SER) heaved a sigh of relief after buying time for two months to soothe the frayed tempers.
Sources said the Rourkela unit of the BJD intensified its week-long sit-ins by paralysing movement of good trains and blocking all four lines. Normalcy was restored in the evening after the additional divisional railway manager from Chakradharpur Division of SER committed in writing to immediately sort out issues under the SER control. The main demand of the BJD is carving out a new division at Rourkela under the East Coast Railway (ECoR). The BJD leaders AC Mohanty and Shailendra Marothia threatened to revert to agitation if the promises are not redeemed.
Other demands include immediate laying of BimlagarhTalcher rail link, setting up of a wagon/wheel factory at Bondamunda, introduction of direct train services to New Delhi, Amritsar, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kanyakumari, Allahabad, Bangalore and Guwahati, running of trains to Berhampur in Orissa and a DMU/EMU train between mining regions of Kiruburu and Birmitrapur to benefit the neglected tribal population in the Maoist-hit belts. In addition, development of Panposh station here as 'heritage station', setting up of multiplexes at Rourkela, Bondamunda and Panposh were also sought.
Kolkata-based SER chief spokesperson Soumitra Mojumdar said formation of new division is a 'policy' issue to be taken at the higherlevel. Things under the jurisdiction of SER zone would be taken care of.
Incidentally, the BJD has decided to go it alone even as a host of apolitical organisations under the banner of the Railway Passengers' Steering Committee along with the Rourkela Development Forum and Rourkela Railfanning Association pressing for similar demands.
ROURKELA: Seeking better railway infrastructure in Orissa with focal point being the mining and industrial district of Sundargarh, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) today gave a knee-jerk reply to the Indian Railways by disrupting movement of all goods trains at Rourkela. However, the South Eastern Railway (SER) heaved a sigh of relief after buying time for two months to soothe the frayed tempers.
Sources said the Rourkela unit of the BJD intensified its week-long sit-ins by paralysing movement of good trains and blocking all four lines. Normalcy was restored in the evening after the additional divisional railway manager from Chakradharpur Division of SER committed in writing to immediately sort out issues under the SER control. The main demand of the BJD is carving out a new division at Rourkela under the East Coast Railway (ECoR). The BJD leaders AC Mohanty and Shailendra Marothia threatened to revert to agitation if the promises are not redeemed.
Other demands include immediate laying of BimlagarhTalcher rail link, setting up of a wagon/wheel factory at Bondamunda, introduction of direct train services to New Delhi, Amritsar, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kanyakumari, Allahabad, Bangalore and Guwahati, running of trains to Berhampur in Orissa and a DMU/EMU train between mining regions of Kiruburu and Birmitrapur to benefit the neglected tribal population in the Maoist-hit belts. In addition, development of Panposh station here as 'heritage station', setting up of multiplexes at Rourkela, Bondamunda and Panposh were also sought.
Kolkata-based SER chief spokesperson Soumitra Mojumdar said formation of new division is a 'policy' issue to be taken at the higherlevel. Things under the jurisdiction of SER zone would be taken care of.
Incidentally, the BJD has decided to go it alone even as a host of apolitical organisations under the banner of the Railway Passengers' Steering Committee along with the Rourkela Development Forum and Rourkela Railfanning Association pressing for similar demands.
Tuesday, 25 January 2011
Growth plans for eight major cities
A report in Times of India
BHUBANESWAR: With urban centres in Orissa growing at a very fast rate, the state government has decided to prepare comprehensive development plans (CDPs) for eight major cities in the state. The cities include Berhampur, Sambalpur, Rourkela, Talcher-Angul-Meramandali, Kalinga Nagar, Paradeep, Puri-Konark, Jharsuguda.
"The CDPs of these cities are in various stages of preparation and many more are in the pipeline. The CDPs would streamline the growth of the cities," said housing and urban development minister Badri Narayan Patra at a workshop on Urban development in Orissa, opportunities for growth' here on Friday.
Speaking on the occasion, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said, "Migration has caused a shortage of housing and other basic services in urban areas. Moreover, the proliferation of slums in cities has become a major concern for the state government in the last few years. Orissa has been a pioneer in bringing reforms in urban planning and management. Along with various other reforms, the state government is coming up with a slum rehabilitation policy to make our cities slum free." The chief minister also awarded various urban local bodies for best practices in sectors like housing, water supply, sanitation, fund utilization and good governance. Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation bagged the best performing corporation award among the three state corporations.
Housing and urban development secretary Sourav Garg said, "It is found that NACs are doing better than municipalities and municipalities are performing better than the municipal corporation. The workshop would discuss the best performances of different municipalities on untilisation of funds for infrastructure, poverty alleviation, sanitation and so on. We would discuss the challenges faced by the urban local bodies."
As per the 2001 census, 14 per cent of Orissa's population lived in urban areas, which has been projected to be 20 per cent in the 2011 census, posing a serious threat to urban centres, official sources said.
Growth plans for eight major cities - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Growth-plans-for-eight-major-cities/articleshow/7343600.cms#ixzz1C3qAai6t
BHUBANESWAR: With urban centres in Orissa growing at a very fast rate, the state government has decided to prepare comprehensive development plans (CDPs) for eight major cities in the state. The cities include Berhampur, Sambalpur, Rourkela, Talcher-Angul-Meramandali, Kalinga Nagar, Paradeep, Puri-Konark, Jharsuguda.
"The CDPs of these cities are in various stages of preparation and many more are in the pipeline. The CDPs would streamline the growth of the cities," said housing and urban development minister Badri Narayan Patra at a workshop on Urban development in Orissa, opportunities for growth' here on Friday.
Speaking on the occasion, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said, "Migration has caused a shortage of housing and other basic services in urban areas. Moreover, the proliferation of slums in cities has become a major concern for the state government in the last few years. Orissa has been a pioneer in bringing reforms in urban planning and management. Along with various other reforms, the state government is coming up with a slum rehabilitation policy to make our cities slum free." The chief minister also awarded various urban local bodies for best practices in sectors like housing, water supply, sanitation, fund utilization and good governance. Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation bagged the best performing corporation award among the three state corporations.
Housing and urban development secretary Sourav Garg said, "It is found that NACs are doing better than municipalities and municipalities are performing better than the municipal corporation. The workshop would discuss the best performances of different municipalities on untilisation of funds for infrastructure, poverty alleviation, sanitation and so on. We would discuss the challenges faced by the urban local bodies."
As per the 2001 census, 14 per cent of Orissa's population lived in urban areas, which has been projected to be 20 per cent in the 2011 census, posing a serious threat to urban centres, official sources said.
Growth plans for eight major cities - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Growth-plans-for-eight-major-cities/articleshow/7343600.cms#ixzz1C3qAai6t
Saturday, 22 January 2011
‘Neglect’ by Railways: BJD launches sit-in
Indian Express reports
http://expressbuzz.com/states/orissa/%E2%80%98neglect%E2%80%99-by-railways-bjd-launches-sit-in/241563.html
ROURKELA: The ruling BJD today started a sit-in near the Rourkela railway station to press for a host of demands, including creation of a new division at Rourkela under the East Coast Railway (ECoR). At present, Rourkela is coming under Chakradharpur division of South Eastern Railway (SER).
Rourkela unit BJD president Anand Chandra Mohanty said the stir would continue till Tuesday and reiterated the demand to paralyse transportation of minerals by trains from January 28 if their demands went unheeded.
The BJD leaders said the mineral-rich Sundargarh district has been a major revenue contributor to SER. But the district has been neglected for decades, they alleged and added creation of a new division under the ECoR can address the problems like lack of railway infrastructure and passenger amenities.
The other demands include immediate laying of Bimlagarh-Talcher rail link, setting up of a wagon/wheel factory at Bondamunda, introduction of direct train services to New Delhi, Amritsar, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kanyakumari, Allahabad, Bangalore and Guwahati, running of a DMU/EMU train between mining regions of Kiruburu and Birmitrapur for the benefit of neglected tribal population in the Naxal-hit belts.
The BJD leaders made it clear that the Railways would no longer be allowed to earn huge revenue from the district and pump it elsewhere.
Among others, Rourkela municipality chairperson Rashmibala Mishra, vice-chairman RN Mishra, agitation convener Shailendra Marothia and former municipality chairman Kalandi Badajena were present.
http://expressbuzz.com/states/orissa/%E2%80%98neglect%E2%80%99-by-railways-bjd-launches-sit-in/241563.html
ROURKELA: The ruling BJD today started a sit-in near the Rourkela railway station to press for a host of demands, including creation of a new division at Rourkela under the East Coast Railway (ECoR). At present, Rourkela is coming under Chakradharpur division of South Eastern Railway (SER).
Rourkela unit BJD president Anand Chandra Mohanty said the stir would continue till Tuesday and reiterated the demand to paralyse transportation of minerals by trains from January 28 if their demands went unheeded.
The BJD leaders said the mineral-rich Sundargarh district has been a major revenue contributor to SER. But the district has been neglected for decades, they alleged and added creation of a new division under the ECoR can address the problems like lack of railway infrastructure and passenger amenities.
The other demands include immediate laying of Bimlagarh-Talcher rail link, setting up of a wagon/wheel factory at Bondamunda, introduction of direct train services to New Delhi, Amritsar, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kanyakumari, Allahabad, Bangalore and Guwahati, running of a DMU/EMU train between mining regions of Kiruburu and Birmitrapur for the benefit of neglected tribal population in the Naxal-hit belts.
The BJD leaders made it clear that the Railways would no longer be allowed to earn huge revenue from the district and pump it elsewhere.
Among others, Rourkela municipality chairperson Rashmibala Mishra, vice-chairman RN Mishra, agitation convener Shailendra Marothia and former municipality chairman Kalandi Badajena were present.
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
Demand for Rourkela railway division put on fast
A report on Indian Express
http://expressbuzz.com/states/orissa/demand-for-rourkela-railway-division-put-on-fast/238362.html
ROURKELA: How justified is the demand to carve out a separate railway division at Rourkela under the East Coast Railway (ECoR)? Given the continuing neglect towards the infrastructure and passenger amenities over
decades, the demand is gaining momentum.
With apolitical and political outfits jumping on the bandwagon to seek separation of Rourkela from the Chakradharpur division of the South Eastern Railway (SER), the Railway Ministry is likely to feel the heat ahead.
Train Passenger Steering Committee convener and Rourkela Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Subrat Patnaik in tandem with the members of the Rourkela Development Forum (RDF) and Rourkela Railfanning Association (RRA) are vociferous in their demand. The local BJD unit has gone a step ahead to threaten disruption of mineral transportation by rail if the issue was not sorted out.
Locals feel, in the changed scenario, the triangular districts of Sundargarh, Jharsuguda and Keonjhar -
high on industrial and mining activities - would no longer tolerate further neglect as Sundargarh alone annually contributes ` 800 crore to SER.
They claimed even for strategic economic development of Orissa, the proposed new division at Rourkela under the ECoR is the need of the hour.
Inadequate train services and infrastructure apart, the lingering of the proposed Bimlagarh-Talcher rail link is a stark pointer of neglect, they stated.
Even 10 per cent of the revenue generated from the regions is not spent to benefit a population of over 50 lakh.
RDF and RRA members Dillip Kumar Mohanty, Mahendra Mishra, Mihir Swain and Supratik Mishra sent a memorandum to the Railway Ministry over the demand claiming the combined revenue share from these three districts is anything over ` 2,200 crore.
The RDF and RRA blueprint proposes 10 routes under the new division and 63 stations covering mining and tribal belts
http://expressbuzz.com/states/orissa/demand-for-rourkela-railway-division-put-on-fast/238362.html
ROURKELA: How justified is the demand to carve out a separate railway division at Rourkela under the East Coast Railway (ECoR)? Given the continuing neglect towards the infrastructure and passenger amenities over
decades, the demand is gaining momentum.
With apolitical and political outfits jumping on the bandwagon to seek separation of Rourkela from the Chakradharpur division of the South Eastern Railway (SER), the Railway Ministry is likely to feel the heat ahead.
Train Passenger Steering Committee convener and Rourkela Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Subrat Patnaik in tandem with the members of the Rourkela Development Forum (RDF) and Rourkela Railfanning Association (RRA) are vociferous in their demand. The local BJD unit has gone a step ahead to threaten disruption of mineral transportation by rail if the issue was not sorted out.
Locals feel, in the changed scenario, the triangular districts of Sundargarh, Jharsuguda and Keonjhar -
high on industrial and mining activities - would no longer tolerate further neglect as Sundargarh alone annually contributes ` 800 crore to SER.
They claimed even for strategic economic development of Orissa, the proposed new division at Rourkela under the ECoR is the need of the hour.
Inadequate train services and infrastructure apart, the lingering of the proposed Bimlagarh-Talcher rail link is a stark pointer of neglect, they stated.
Even 10 per cent of the revenue generated from the regions is not spent to benefit a population of over 50 lakh.
RDF and RRA members Dillip Kumar Mohanty, Mahendra Mishra, Mihir Swain and Supratik Mishra sent a memorandum to the Railway Ministry over the demand claiming the combined revenue share from these three districts is anything over ` 2,200 crore.
The RDF and RRA blueprint proposes 10 routes under the new division and 63 stations covering mining and tribal belts
Sunday, 9 January 2011
RAY of hope to rid cities of slums
A report from Indian Express
The Orissa Government has started the process to bring about necessary policy changes for implementation of Rajiv Awas Yojna (RAY) which lays down guidelines to free the cities of growing slums.
Six cities have been taken up in the first phase. As part of spadework, the Government has started slum mapping.
Besides Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Berhampur municipal corporations, the Government has included Puri, Sambalpur and Rourkela ULBs. Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) is the nodal agency to carry out the task.
All the six ULBs have been asked to set up technical cells for slum mapping. The cells will have experts on geographic information system (GIS), management information system (MIS), planning and social development. The slum population in these six ULBs stands at over 10.6 lakh.
Under RAY, which has been envisaged as a five-year project with ` 1 lakh crore funding, there would be no ceiling on the number of housing units for the urban areas. However, certain specifications will be put in place. Group housing projects would have to earmark 10 to 15 per cent towards economically weaker sections and LIGs so as to get floor area ratio (FAR) relaxations. Similarly, the allocation of funds for urban poor in the budgets would have to be parked in a separate non-lapsable account so that it adds on to the provisions for the subsequent year instead of lying unused.
However, the beneficiary would be required to invest 25 per cent of the housing cost as his/her share which would raise questions of ownership in future. It is the nature of occupancy and tenancy rights which will require legislative changes and the State Government is already preparing the ground works.
“The State Government may have to come up with an executive order in this regard before validating it through a legislation subsequently. We are already working in this direction,” sources said.
Since the Centre would execute the programme, it wants the State Government to expedite the process. A lengthy process of approval of housing projects leads to at least a 15 per cent rise in project cost, Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation, Kiran Dhingra said addressing a State level workshop on ‘slum-free cities’ here on Friday.
Additional Secretary to the Ministry Prasanna Kumar Mohanty said RAY would be implemented for Bhubaneswar and Cuttack together. Urban areas have to create space for the slum-dwellers as they provide the services but only occupy just about three per cent of the land.
Friday, 31 December 2010
Steel City lacks connectivity to the National Capital
Connectivity to the national capital i.e. New Delhi is an important aspect for every nook and corner of the country. May it be politics, business, job, education, administration or any other issue, the first preference of each citizen of India is the national capital. Hence with the railway budgets, every person aspires for a train to Delhi from his city, town, village or district, may it be any new train or an extension or just a link.
Unfortunately that does not happen, thanks to the poor political and administrative system of the country. The burning example of this neglect is the steel city of Rourkela, which has the potential to be one of the most advanced regions of the country, however is lagging behind due to neglect, step-motherly attitude and poor leadership on various fronts.
Rourkela is the third largest city of the state both area wise and population wise housing more than 7 lakhs of population, while Greater Rourkela is home to about 9 lakhs people. About 12 lakhs people of East Sundargarh, some parts of Keonjhar district and some parts of Jharkhand state are directly or indirectly dependable on Rourkela Junction, the largest railway station of the region. This station has 14000 footfalls daily which amounts to 51.1 lakhs passengers annually, thus catering to a huge population but unfortunately is neglected in terms of connectivity to other parts of the country, especially the national capital.
The only connectivity to Delhi, Puri-Haridwar Kalinga Utkal Express bears the brunt of any natural calamity or any insurgent activity and is often diverted on Angul-Sambalpur-Jharsuguda route causing a lot of inconvenience to the commuters of Rourkela and surrounding areas.
Puri-Nizamuddin Utkal Express was started during 1960’s in order to connect the holy city of Puri, capital city of Bhubaneswar, Steel city of Rourkela with the national capital of Delhi. This train proved a boon for the people of Rourkela, who were linked with Delhi on one side and Bhubaneswar-Puri on the other side. Also this train benefitted the people of Jajpur, Bhadrak and Balasore who were linked with Rourkela. In due course of time other trains from Puri-Bhubaneswar to New Delhi were introduced e.g. Neelachal, Purusottam, Rajdhani etc. ,but these trains used the shorter route via Mughalsarai-Kanpur instead of taking a long route via Bilaspur-Katni.
During 1990’s another train meant for exclusive connection between Western Odisha and the national capital was launched. This train was scheduled to ply between Sambalpur and Nizamuddin and was named as Hirakud Express after the famous landmark of Sambalpur i.e. Hirakud Dam. A link train to from Jharsuguda, i.e. Rourkela-Jharsuguda-Nizamuddin Link Express connected the steel city with the national capital. So any how Rourkelites enjoyed dual connectivity to Delhi.
Unfortunately that did not last long and this link service from Jharsuguda to Rourkela was withdrawn. Mean while with the opening of Talcher-Sambalpur route this train was extended to Bhubaneswar and finally to Visakhapatnam still retaining the name of Hirakud Express.
Meanwhile the number of trains connecting Bhubaneswar to Delhi has increased to 9, (including one Duronto Express) while the same old train Utkal Express is the only hope to Delhi from Rourkela. It should be noted that luxury trains like Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express have almost zero passengers between Bhubaneswar and Tatanagar and a majority of seats lie vacant between these stations. Similarly Puri-New Delhi Neelachal Express (triweekly) has a large number of passengers from Rourkela itself, who travel either to Tatanagar or Bhubaneswar/Puri to board this train.
This train i.e. Neelachal Express being a triweekly train, is being demanded to ply via Angul, Sambalpur, Rourkela,Jharsuguda,Tatanagar on the remaining 3 days. Similarly Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express which runs 4 days via Tatanagar has almost no passengers between Cuttack and Tatanagar, hence this train can also be diverted on the same route via Angul,Sambalpur,Rourkela which will fetch a number of passengers.
Turning to the other side of the coin, Rourkela seems to be the only steel city in India, which is poorly connected to the national capital. In comparison to other steel cities of India, Rourkela has only one train to Delhi, while Bokaro Steel City and Tatanagar have 6 trains for Delhi. Durgapur, being located on Howrah-Delhi Mainline enjoys the service of 11 trains while another one is available from Asansol , thus totaling the count at 12.
Durg ,the most important station of Durg-Bhilainagar Urban Complex operates 5 trains to Delhi, while the Southern City of Visakhapatnam has 4 trains to the national capital. What is ridiculous that out of the 6 trains from Tatanagar to Delhi, 5 trains are from Odisha (including Rajdhani and Sampark Kranti)! Instead of catering to the needs of the people of the state, these trains are used to satisfy the neighboring Jharkhand State.
Hence for the benefit of the people of Odisha, new trains can be introduced, old trains can be diverted or extended as follows
•Rourkela-Amritsar Brahmani Mail (Biweekly) via Jharsuguda, Bilaspur ,Katni, Gwalior, H.Nizamuddin, Ambala Cantt.
•Extension of 12877/12878 New Delhi-Ranchi Garib Rath Express to Rourkela
•Diversion of 12875/12876 Puri-New Delhi Garib Rath Express via Angul, Sambalpur, Rourkela,Tatanagar (3 days a week)
•Diversion of 12443/12444 Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express via Naraj, Angul, Sambalpur City, Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Tatanagar (2 days a week)
By implementing the above proposals we can surely improve our connectivity to Delhi to a large extent.
Unfortunately that does not happen, thanks to the poor political and administrative system of the country. The burning example of this neglect is the steel city of Rourkela, which has the potential to be one of the most advanced regions of the country, however is lagging behind due to neglect, step-motherly attitude and poor leadership on various fronts.
Rourkela is the third largest city of the state both area wise and population wise housing more than 7 lakhs of population, while Greater Rourkela is home to about 9 lakhs people. About 12 lakhs people of East Sundargarh, some parts of Keonjhar district and some parts of Jharkhand state are directly or indirectly dependable on Rourkela Junction, the largest railway station of the region. This station has 14000 footfalls daily which amounts to 51.1 lakhs passengers annually, thus catering to a huge population but unfortunately is neglected in terms of connectivity to other parts of the country, especially the national capital.
The only connectivity to Delhi, Puri-Haridwar Kalinga Utkal Express bears the brunt of any natural calamity or any insurgent activity and is often diverted on Angul-Sambalpur-Jharsuguda route causing a lot of inconvenience to the commuters of Rourkela and surrounding areas.
Puri-Nizamuddin Utkal Express was started during 1960’s in order to connect the holy city of Puri, capital city of Bhubaneswar, Steel city of Rourkela with the national capital of Delhi. This train proved a boon for the people of Rourkela, who were linked with Delhi on one side and Bhubaneswar-Puri on the other side. Also this train benefitted the people of Jajpur, Bhadrak and Balasore who were linked with Rourkela. In due course of time other trains from Puri-Bhubaneswar to New Delhi were introduced e.g. Neelachal, Purusottam, Rajdhani etc. ,but these trains used the shorter route via Mughalsarai-Kanpur instead of taking a long route via Bilaspur-Katni.
During 1990’s another train meant for exclusive connection between Western Odisha and the national capital was launched. This train was scheduled to ply between Sambalpur and Nizamuddin and was named as Hirakud Express after the famous landmark of Sambalpur i.e. Hirakud Dam. A link train to from Jharsuguda, i.e. Rourkela-Jharsuguda-Nizamuddin Link Express connected the steel city with the national capital. So any how Rourkelites enjoyed dual connectivity to Delhi.
Unfortunately that did not last long and this link service from Jharsuguda to Rourkela was withdrawn. Mean while with the opening of Talcher-Sambalpur route this train was extended to Bhubaneswar and finally to Visakhapatnam still retaining the name of Hirakud Express.
Meanwhile the number of trains connecting Bhubaneswar to Delhi has increased to 9, (including one Duronto Express) while the same old train Utkal Express is the only hope to Delhi from Rourkela. It should be noted that luxury trains like Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express have almost zero passengers between Bhubaneswar and Tatanagar and a majority of seats lie vacant between these stations. Similarly Puri-New Delhi Neelachal Express (triweekly) has a large number of passengers from Rourkela itself, who travel either to Tatanagar or Bhubaneswar/Puri to board this train.
This train i.e. Neelachal Express being a triweekly train, is being demanded to ply via Angul, Sambalpur, Rourkela,Jharsuguda,Tatanagar on the remaining 3 days. Similarly Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express which runs 4 days via Tatanagar has almost no passengers between Cuttack and Tatanagar, hence this train can also be diverted on the same route via Angul,Sambalpur,Rourkela which will fetch a number of passengers.
Turning to the other side of the coin, Rourkela seems to be the only steel city in India, which is poorly connected to the national capital. In comparison to other steel cities of India, Rourkela has only one train to Delhi, while Bokaro Steel City and Tatanagar have 6 trains for Delhi. Durgapur, being located on Howrah-Delhi Mainline enjoys the service of 11 trains while another one is available from Asansol , thus totaling the count at 12.
Durg ,the most important station of Durg-Bhilainagar Urban Complex operates 5 trains to Delhi, while the Southern City of Visakhapatnam has 4 trains to the national capital. What is ridiculous that out of the 6 trains from Tatanagar to Delhi, 5 trains are from Odisha (including Rajdhani and Sampark Kranti)! Instead of catering to the needs of the people of the state, these trains are used to satisfy the neighboring Jharkhand State.
Hence for the benefit of the people of Odisha, new trains can be introduced, old trains can be diverted or extended as follows
•Rourkela-Amritsar Brahmani Mail (Biweekly) via Jharsuguda, Bilaspur ,Katni, Gwalior, H.Nizamuddin, Ambala Cantt.
•Extension of 12877/12878 New Delhi-Ranchi Garib Rath Express to Rourkela
•Diversion of 12875/12876 Puri-New Delhi Garib Rath Express via Angul, Sambalpur, Rourkela,Tatanagar (3 days a week)
•Diversion of 12443/12444 Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express via Naraj, Angul, Sambalpur City, Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Tatanagar (2 days a week)
By implementing the above proposals we can surely improve our connectivity to Delhi to a large extent.
Tuesday, 28 December 2010
New Train to North-East
As declared in the Railway Budget , this year, a new train between is all set to begin its journey from the North-Eastern hub of Guwahati to the Commercial Capaital of India , Mumbai. 15612 Guwahati(Kamakhya)-Lokmanya Tilak(T) Karmabhoomi Express, an unreserved general class train meant exclusively for labourers and working class will set off on its maiden journey, this Friday. This train will run via Howrah,Tatanagar, Rourkela,Bilaspur,Nagpur etc. hence all these cities will have connectivity to the North Eastern corner of India.
15612 will arrive at Rourkela every Saturday evening at 8:25 pm and leave at 8:45 pm, while 15611 Lokmanya Tilak (T)-Guwahati Karmabhoomi Express will arrive at Rourkela
every Thursday afternoon at 1:20 pm and depart at 1:40 pm.
15612 will arrive at Rourkela every Saturday evening at 8:25 pm and leave at 8:45 pm, while 15611 Lokmanya Tilak (T)-Guwahati Karmabhoomi Express will arrive at Rourkela
every Thursday afternoon at 1:20 pm and depart at 1:40 pm.
Friday, 24 December 2010
Tech institute holds event for toppers
Telegraph reports
Siddharth Tripathy, a Class XI student of Delhi Public School, Rourkela, aims to be a particle physicist and work on nano molecules.
Sarthak Panigrahi of IMS Rourkela also aspires to be a doctor and wants to know more about biomolecules and nano technology.
Unlike many teens of their age, the duo feel that being a scientist or researcher can be as “interesting and cool” as being a software developer working abroad and earning huge bucks!
The two were among the 120 meritorious students from the state who reached the capital today to attend a programme on Youth for Leadership in Science organised by the Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (IMMT). The two-day programme witnesses the participation of Class X rank holders of 2010, from CBSE, ICSE and Board of Secondary Education, Orissa. As many as 49 students from CBSE, 20 from ICSE and 51 students from the state board BSE — all those who secured marks between 95 to 97 per cent — accompanied their parents and teachers to attend the interactive session. The event included special lectures, demonstrations and audio visual shows. The programme aimed to encourage young students to discover science as an exciting, rewarding and fulfilling career.
“Our basic aim is to help students get the right direction where they can utilise their skills to the optimum. The effort is to tell them that science can be rewarding,” said senior scientist Srikant Sharma. Speaking at the inaugural session, programme director, IMMT, B.K. Mishra invited the participants to involve themselves in activities of the institute.
While throwing light on important and interesting research programmes being pursued at IMMT, Mishra said the institute would help interested students pursue short-term projects.
While scientist Siddhartha Panda, department of chemical engineering, IIT-Kanpur, gave an introductory lecture on application of sensors, scientists of IMMT spoke on issues involving chemical, physical and biological sciences with specific reference to cutting-edge scientific and technological innovations
“It was very interesting to listen to the experts. Such lectures provide us the stimulus to think,” said Shivani Nanda, a participant.
“Its not that students think science is un cool. The reason is lack of enough encouragement towards research. Most of us remain unaware of the opportunities and advantages research offers and there is none to guide,” said Sritam Patri another participant.
Following the lectures, participants visited various research facilities of IMMT and interacted with the speakers and scientists of IMMT. “ “The students will be felicitated at the end of the two days programme,” Sharma said.
Siddharth Tripathy, a Class XI student of Delhi Public School, Rourkela, aims to be a particle physicist and work on nano molecules.
Sarthak Panigrahi of IMS Rourkela also aspires to be a doctor and wants to know more about biomolecules and nano technology.
Unlike many teens of their age, the duo feel that being a scientist or researcher can be as “interesting and cool” as being a software developer working abroad and earning huge bucks!
The two were among the 120 meritorious students from the state who reached the capital today to attend a programme on Youth for Leadership in Science organised by the Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (IMMT). The two-day programme witnesses the participation of Class X rank holders of 2010, from CBSE, ICSE and Board of Secondary Education, Orissa. As many as 49 students from CBSE, 20 from ICSE and 51 students from the state board BSE — all those who secured marks between 95 to 97 per cent — accompanied their parents and teachers to attend the interactive session. The event included special lectures, demonstrations and audio visual shows. The programme aimed to encourage young students to discover science as an exciting, rewarding and fulfilling career.
“Our basic aim is to help students get the right direction where they can utilise their skills to the optimum. The effort is to tell them that science can be rewarding,” said senior scientist Srikant Sharma. Speaking at the inaugural session, programme director, IMMT, B.K. Mishra invited the participants to involve themselves in activities of the institute.
While throwing light on important and interesting research programmes being pursued at IMMT, Mishra said the institute would help interested students pursue short-term projects.
While scientist Siddhartha Panda, department of chemical engineering, IIT-Kanpur, gave an introductory lecture on application of sensors, scientists of IMMT spoke on issues involving chemical, physical and biological sciences with specific reference to cutting-edge scientific and technological innovations
“It was very interesting to listen to the experts. Such lectures provide us the stimulus to think,” said Shivani Nanda, a participant.
“Its not that students think science is un cool. The reason is lack of enough encouragement towards research. Most of us remain unaware of the opportunities and advantages research offers and there is none to guide,” said Sritam Patri another participant.
Following the lectures, participants visited various research facilities of IMMT and interacted with the speakers and scientists of IMMT. “ “The students will be felicitated at the end of the two days programme,” Sharma said.
Parliamentary body to take up ESIC medical college issue
A report from Daily Pioneer
The Parliament Standing Committee on Labour of Parliament, under the chairmanship of MP Hemanand Biswal, on Wednesday heard the representatives of trade unions, Rourkela Steel Plant, Central Labour Commissioner, Provident Fund Commissioner and Employee's State Insurance Corporation.
The Committee heard the views of the trade union leaders who demanded that the tribals should be given their due share in jobs by the RSP. They demanded that the tribal workers including casuals workers must he granted dignity of labour and extended all statutory benefits for safeguarding their health, safe working environment, social security and equal wages for equal work.
The Committee took note of the demands of the trade union leaders who asserted that the people living in the far-flung areas, away from the State capital, were in dire need for medical colleges and hospitals.
They demanded that the Committee lend their weight and authority on the Union Government so that profit-making public sector units in remote areas of the State accept their social responsibility including the ESIC, so that more hospitals and medical colleges are set up in far-flung areas of the State enabling the poor, the disadvantaged and marginalised groups could reap the benefits of development. The chairman of the Committee Biswal and members shared the views and resolved to take up the matter appropriately with the Government.
The Parliament Standing Committee on Labour of Parliament, under the chairmanship of MP Hemanand Biswal, on Wednesday heard the representatives of trade unions, Rourkela Steel Plant, Central Labour Commissioner, Provident Fund Commissioner and Employee's State Insurance Corporation.
The Committee heard the views of the trade union leaders who demanded that the tribals should be given their due share in jobs by the RSP. They demanded that the tribal workers including casuals workers must he granted dignity of labour and extended all statutory benefits for safeguarding their health, safe working environment, social security and equal wages for equal work.
The Committee took note of the demands of the trade union leaders who asserted that the people living in the far-flung areas, away from the State capital, were in dire need for medical colleges and hospitals.
They demanded that the Committee lend their weight and authority on the Union Government so that profit-making public sector units in remote areas of the State accept their social responsibility including the ESIC, so that more hospitals and medical colleges are set up in far-flung areas of the State enabling the poor, the disadvantaged and marginalised groups could reap the benefits of development. The chairman of the Committee Biswal and members shared the views and resolved to take up the matter appropriately with the Government.
Saturday, 18 December 2010
Positive note for second Brahmani Bridge
Work has started on the expansion of Barkot-Biramitrapur stretch of National Highway(NH)-23, which has paved the way for establishment of second bridge on Brahmani river at Panposh. The initial budget for this project has been estimated at Rs.862 crores by the National Highways Authority of India(NHAI), for which tender process has been initiated and work orders are expected by July 2011.
Several industries have been established between Biramitrapur and Rajamunda in the last decade which includes sponge iron plants and other small and medium industries. Daily thousands of heavy vehicles ply in the mineral rich belt of Koida and Bonai,due to which the expansion of this vital highway has been demanded, a number of times. Also the need for another bridge on Brahmani river at Panposh has increased to a large extent. In the last few years, protests and road blockades have been organized on these vital issues, owing to which the decision to expand this "lifeline of Sundargarh" has been approved.
The highway authority has planned to convert the 75 km. stretch from Biramitrapur to Rajamunda to 4 -lane and the 40 km stretch from Barkot to Rajamunda to 2-lane from existing 2-lane and single lane respectively, which also includes the above mentioned bridge.
Several industries have been established between Biramitrapur and Rajamunda in the last decade which includes sponge iron plants and other small and medium industries. Daily thousands of heavy vehicles ply in the mineral rich belt of Koida and Bonai,due to which the expansion of this vital highway has been demanded, a number of times. Also the need for another bridge on Brahmani river at Panposh has increased to a large extent. In the last few years, protests and road blockades have been organized on these vital issues, owing to which the decision to expand this "lifeline of Sundargarh" has been approved.
The highway authority has planned to convert the 75 km. stretch from Biramitrapur to Rajamunda to 4 -lane and the 40 km stretch from Barkot to Rajamunda to 2-lane from existing 2-lane and single lane respectively, which also includes the above mentioned bridge.
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