Tag: Odisha News

Casting Couch Slur Rocks Odisha Film Industry As Producer Sanjay Nayak & Actresses Prakruti & Jasmine Trade Charges; Check Chats

Bhubaneswar: Ghost of the casting couch returned to haunt Ollywood after WhatsApp conversations between actresses Prakruti Mishra, Jasmine Rath and other artists, in which they accused producer Sanjay Nayak aka Tutu Nayak of exploiting newcomers, went viral on Friday.

Sharing her experience, Jasmine told the media that she was thrown out of a project for refusing to meet Tutu Nayak at a club in Bhubaneswar. “I had a professional meeting with him about 4-6 months and he was worried how I would be able to manage dates since I was doing a serial and was under contract. They then asked me to join at a club. Since it was already 10 pm and I was shooting for Manoj Mishra’s ‘Hi Krushan’, I declined. My friend, who is also his relative, called to assure him that there would be no problem. He was also the associate producer of the show I was doing and was therefore managing my dates,” she said while responding to the producer’s press brief in which he alleged that she lacked professionalism and asked her boyfriend to contact him on dates.

Jasmine further alleged that this had hurt his ego and he went on a character assassination drive against her because of which she lost some more movies for which discussions were on.

June 9, 2023
Odisha Train Tragedy: School Doubling Up As Morgue To Be Reconstructed Under 5T Initiative

Bhubaneswar: The 65-year-old Bahanaga High School in Odisha’s Balasore district, where bodies of train accident victims were kept, will be completely demolished and reconstructed under the 5T initiative of the Odisha government, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced on Friday.

The decision was taken after Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena, 5T Secretary VK Pandian, and other concerned officials held meeting with Balasore Collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde, members of the school managing committee, panchayat representatives, teachers and students via videoconferencing to seek their opinion in this regard.

The demolition work started this morning in the presence of school managing committee members and Works Department authorities.

Students and teachers had expressed reluctance to attend school, where classrooms and the hall were used to line up the bodies, many of them disfigured, despite those being cleaned and sanitised by Fire Service personnel with memories of nightmarish experience of the tragedy deeply entrenched in their minds. With locals alleging that the rooms still had bloodstains at some places, the authorities feared that the school might see zero attendance once it reopened after summer vacation.

“Considering children’s mental health, a decision was taken in the meeting to demolish Bahanga Bazar High School and the primary and elementary schools in its vicinity. It will be developed into a model school under 5T initiative,” Pandian said.

Awareness programmes will also be conducted for the students to eradicate their fear regarding the building.

Notably, bodies of Bahanaga Bazar train accident victims were shifted to the school immediately after being retrieved from the mangled coaches. Those were later were relocated to a spacious building on the outskirts of Balasore town. Later the unidentified corpses were shifted to morgues in Bhubaneswar-based hospitals.

June 9, 2023
Foul smell at Odisha train accident site was from rotten eggs!

Balasore: The foul smell from the area that was emanating from the site of the Odisha train accident was from rotten eggs.

According to a team that had gone to the site the compartment was emanating foul smell due to rotten eggs, not because of human body.

Three tractors of rotten eggs were retrieved from the parcel van of the train said reliable reports. The foul smell is gone now, informed Aditya Kumar Chaudhary, CPRO, South Eastern Railway.

The people living near the Odisha train accident site are deeply traumatized said reports on June 7 (Wednesday). The scars of the accident are yet to heal.

There seemed to be a new reason for trouble for the local people as the foul smell emanating from the site of the accident was making it difficult for them to live there.

According to the locals, two coaches of the Yesvantpur Howrah Express still remain upturned at the accident spot and the foul smell emanating from them is unbearable.

The locals had further added that the stench from the coaches started after a spell of rain was experienced in Bahanaga, the station where the train crash took place.

The locals had requested the Government and the railway authorities to pick up and take away the coaches as early as possible. The locals say the smell is unbearable. It is difficult for them to live in their house or to eat food.

The locals had further threatened that if the foul smell from accident site continues and the administration fails to take any remedial measures, they will be forced to resort to protests and a strike.

It is worth mentioning that on the ill-fated evening of June 2, 2023 (Friday) three trains were involved in a gut-wrenching crash. In the tragic and one of the worst-ever train accident as many as 288 people died and at least 1000 others were injured.

June 9, 2023
How Did Engineless Rakes Roll Killing 6 Labourers In Odisha? Khurda DRM Begins Probe

Bhubaneswar: Investigation has begun into the death of six labourers, who were crushed to death after a stationary goods train accidentally rolled on them at Jaipur-Keonjhar Road station in Odisha on Wednesday evening.

A railway team headed by Khurda DRM has initiated the probe on how an engine-less train rolled down the tracks and inspected the wagons involved in the mishap on Thursday morning. The safety team is likely to tour the spot later in the day.

“There are hand-brakes in the wagons to keep them stationary on the tracks. It seems someone might have unlocked them, leading to the mishap,” Khhurda DRM Rinkesh Roy told the media on Wednesday.

The tragic incident occurred when a group of labourers took shelter beneath the rakes during a sudden rain and thunderstorm. While four labourers were killed on the spot, two others succumbed to their injuries during treatment. Two others are undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.

The incident came five days after the horrific triple train accident in Odisha’s Balasore district in which 288 people were killed and over 1,000 others injured.

Expressing deep sorrow over the death of the labourers, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh for each family of the victims. He has also issued direction for immediate treatment of the injured persons.

June 8, 2023
A third of Odisha’s Sundargarh lacks access to banking services

ROURKELA: A vast rural population of the tribal-dominated Sundargarh district continues to be left out of the financial inclusion network with 96 out of the total 279 gram panchayats (GPs) without access to banking services.

Sources said the majority of the residents of these 96 panchayats depend either on agriculture or work as daily wagers for their livelihood. The remaining 183 GPs, despite having banking services, do not possess adequate branches forcing villagers of far-flung areas to travel miles and spend the entire day at the bank to avail of services.

Lead District Manager, Sundargarh, Don Bosco informed that 96 of the 279 GPs in Sundargarh face difficulties in availing financial services including the financial benefits of different Central and state schemes in Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.

“The rest 183 GPs have a total of 273 branches of 32 nationalised and private banks, 145 rural post offices and other financial institutions providing bank services along with several banking correspondents and customer selling points (CSPs) meant for any village unit with population over 500,” he added.

Lack of internet access, poor road connectivity and scattered population are to be blamed, Bosco said adding, the district administration is working towards increasing the rural bank branches. “Rural banks play a significant role in the delivery of cooperative and commercial sector agriculture credits but their limited branches impose suffering on farmers seeking loans,” he added.

As many as 17 rural branches of Sundargarh District Central Cooperative Bank Ltd (SDCCBL) disburse cooperative sector agriculture loans through 44 large and multi-purpose cooperative societies.

SDCCB chief executive officer Bhakteswar Mallick said the district’s cooperative sector agriculture credit target for the 2023 kharif and rabi seasons is Rs 1,250 crore. Besides, the commercial sector agriculture credit disbursement target for the Kharif season alone is Rs 240 crore. This speaks volumes of the suffering faced by farmers in getting agriculture loans.

Sources said as per the 2011 census, the district has about 13.55 lakh rural population of which those 96 unbanked GPs conservatively account for about 4.6 lakh population. The scenario is however, expected to change for the better in less than a year. The Department of Telecommunication (DoT) targets to introduce 4G services through BSNL by January 2024 as 140 towers are getting installed from the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) for 140 pockets of Sundargarh still lacking mobile and internet networks.

June 8, 2023
Odisha train crash: Bengal Teens shared name and tragic fate

BHUBANESWAR: They were in their early 20s and the best buddies in their village. They even shared the same name- Suman Roy. But little did they know they would meet the same fate and leave for the heavenly abode the same day. The two young men from West Bengal’s Arazi Lalchandpur village bordering Bangladesh were among 288 people who lost their lives in the tragic train crash at Bahanaga.

The youth were among five migrant labourers from their village heading for Chennai to work at a construction site. While the body of one Suman has already been identified and dispatched to his native place, the relatives of the other has arrived at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar to identify the body. Three others, who were injured, have been discharged from hospitals.

“We have already identified the body from the photographs displayed near the help desk. But we are unable to find it as the number on the photo and the token number provided to us to receive the body from the stored container is not matching. We are verifying it again with the records available,” said Suman’s brother Jeet Kumar Roy.

“The two friends had boarded the train from Howrah. This was their first journey as migrant labourers to the South Indian city. As some labourers from our village, already working in Chennai, had assured their work, they sounded happy as they were going to earn for the first time. Everything is shattered now,” said Jeet.

Arazi Lalchandpur village in Dakshin Dinajpur district has a population of around 800 and more than 200 among of them work as migrant labourers in different cities across the country. Like the two Sumans, several migrant labourers from West Bengal, Bihar and Odisha who had boarded the general compartment of the Coromandel Express have been killed in the train crash.

“Suman was the only bread earner of the family. He was working as a daily wager back home and as his earning was insufficient to manage the family, he decided to move to Chennai for better income. He is survived by his parents and two other younger siblings. How will they survive,” asked Pradut Roy, his cousin.

June 8, 2023
CHSE Odisha declares +2 Arts & Vocational results, check result here

CHSE Odisha has published the Plus 2 Arts results the pass percentage stands at 78.88%

Earlier on May 31, the Plus Two Science and Commerce results were announced. While the pass percentage of the Science stream was 83.9%, the pass percentage of the Commerce stream was 81.12%. Last year, the pass percentage of the Science stream was 94.12% and the Commerce stream was 89.10%.

It is to be noted here that the Plus-2 exams were held between March 1 and April 5. Around 3.56 lakh students appeared for the examination in a total of 1145 exam centers across the State.

Later, the Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) conducted the evaluation of the answer sheets in two phases. While the first phase of the evaluation was done from April 10 to 22, the second phase was held between April 23 and May 7.

June 8, 2023
Odisha train tragedy: Bahanaga high school to be demolished!

Balasore: The Bahanaga high school in Balasore where bodies of the Odisha train tragedy victims were kept as a transit place is likely to be demolished.

As per reports, since the building had been used as a makeshift morgue sanctification will be done in the Bahanga high school. The Bahanga school near the accident site was turned into a mortuary. The body of the deceased was kept in the school.

Now the villagers have decided to sanctify the place. A saint has been entrusted with this responsibility. This step has been taken so that the children do not get scared after the opening of the school.

It is worth mentioning that, the schools in Odisha area now closed for the summer vacation but, they are scheduled to reopen on June 19, 2023 that is after Raja Sankranti. The students and teachers are sacred to return to the school, said reports.

The Bahanaga High School building where bodies of train accident victims were kept will be demolished if school managing committee deems it fit. The school committee has been asked to intimate its decision following which steps will be taken, said the Balasore Collector.

According the reports, the Balasore Collector had visited the school earlier today and inspected the school premises. Detailed report awaited.

June 8, 2023
World Environment Day: Odisha’s Gopalpur Port Launches Massive Tree Plantation Drive

Following the murder of a toll plaza employee in Bidadi, police have asked the authorities to check the criminal record of toll staff. They have also issued guidelines on the physical appearance of toll plaza staff.

B R Ravikanthe Gowda, Inspector General of Police (Central), said: “Following the murder, I have given instructions to all the superintendents of police (SPs) and inspectors of all the police stations under the Central Range to have a meeting on toll staff about their behaviour. They will be instructed on how to behave with passengers. We will also set guidelines for them on their physical appearance such as hairstyle, dressing, etc. They should look decent and behave decently with the public. The jurisdictional police will give instructions to toll staff. The management will be instructed to get the employees’ antecedents checked by the police.”

The assault on car passengers was the main reason for the murder of a toll plaza employee in Bidadi on Sunday midnight, police investigation shows.

Police verified the CCTV footage of the toll. A mini goods vehicle auto which didn’t have FASTag was passing the toll. The staff were collecting money from the vehicle.

Four men in a car were behind the goods vehicle, all of them were under the influence of alcohol. As the staff was delaying the process of collecting money from the goods vehicle, the car-borne passengers got down from the vehicle and questioned the delay. In the heated argument, the toll staff assaulted the passengers. Since the toll staff numbers were more, the passengers left the place with a warning.

Later, two of the four came near the toll on a two-wheeler. They observed the movements of the deceased toll plaza employee, Pavan Kumar Nayak, who had beaten them more. When he and Manjunatha K left the toll office and went to have liquor near a lake, the duo followed them and attacked them with a wooden log which led to the death of Nayak while undergoing treatment in the hospital.

A senior officer said: “If the toll staff had not assaulted the passengers, the murder wouldn’t have taken place. We have ascertained the details of the killers and traced two others who were in the car but not at the murder spot. Their roles are being verified. All four are residents of Mysuru Road in the city. We are in touch with their family members and have instructed them to alert the police or make the accused surrender. Meanwhile, the efforts are on to nab the duo on the run.”

June 7, 2023
Coromandel Express all set to resume services after Odisha train tragedy

Bhubaneswar: Days after the frightening train accident which claimed lives of at least 275 people and left over 900 people injured the ill-fated Coromandel Express is all set to resume its services on June 7, 2023 as per its scheduled time.

The Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer (CRPO) Aditya Kumar Chaudhary on June 6, 2023 gave this update about the train timings.

In a tragic three way accident, two passenger trains and a good train collided with each other near Bahanaga Railway Station in Balasore on June 2, 2023.

Around 10-12 coaches of Coromandel Express derailed near Bahanaga Railway station and ‘infringed’ into the opposite track. Another train coming on the same track, side crashed into the derailed coaches of Coromandel Express and also got derailed.

It is worth mentioning that as many as 288 people lost their lives in the accident and as many as 1000 were injured.

Reportedly, the the down train from Chennai crossed the accident site at 30 kmph on Tuesday.
As many as 70 trains have passed through the accident site since the taring line was restored. There were a number of people who saw the train pass by.

June 7, 2023