BJD plans huge rally to counter opposition plan

By Ratikant Mohanty
Bhubaneswar, Dec. 25: Apparently perturbed over the opposition Congress and NCP's effort to make political capital out of the rising discontentment farmers against the allocation of Hirakud reservoir water to industries, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has decided organise a massive rally in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

According to party insiders, at least Rs 10 crore has been earmarked to be spent for the success of rally. Each of the BJD legislators has been asked to bring not less than 10,000 people on their own expenses.

Besides, the party has booked a few trains for carrying people to the capital from distant areas like Nuapara and Koraput.

All open grounds in the city have been taken into possession by the BJD leaders and temporary rest-sheds have been erected in those places to accommodate and serve food to rally comers.

Senior BJD ministers Prafulla Chandra Ghadei, A.U. Singhdeo, Suryanarayan Patra and Surendranath Nayak have been asked by the party president Naveen Patnaik to ensure proper arrangements at Capital High School ground, the venue for the rally.

Party sources said industrial houses have been asked to provide vehicles on their own cost to send people to the rally from their respective areas.

The prices of vegetables and other essential food stuff in Bhubaneswar skyrocketed on Tuesday because of the total lifting of the said commodities by the BJD leaders.

"We hope around five lakh people will assemble in the rally. With this, we will launch our statewide awareness campaign about the progress achieved by the Naveen Patnaik government in the last years of the BJD-BJP rule," party general secretary Narendra Swain said.

Mr Swain, however, refused to disclose about the total budget for the rally.

144 clamped in Kandhamal district

By Akshaya Kumar Sahoo

Bhubanswar, Dec. 25: Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC were on Tuesday clamped in Baliguda, Daringibadi and certain other pockets of Kandhamal (Phulbani) district as activists of two separate religious groups fought pitched battles.

At least 22 platoons of police forces were sent to the district to maintain law and order.

State police director general Gopal Nanda said police had been asked to deal with the communal violence with utmost care and intelligence.

Stating that the situation was under control, Mr Nanda said people indulging in damaging life and property will be seriously dealt with. "We are keeping a close vigil on the development in Kandhamal district. Anybody trying to take law into his own hands, will be punished," he said.

Reports said a few rioters trespassed into the house of state steel and mines minister Padmanabh Behera's house in the district headquarters and set one of the parked vehicles into fire. The minister, however, was not present at home then.

The trouble started in the area on Monday morning at the Christian majority Brahmanigaon village over erection of a gate on the eve of Christmas Day. Some youths belonging another group opposed erection of the gate. This led to a fight between the two groups.

Things blew out of proportions when Hindu seer Swami Laxmananda Saraswati was attacked by some youths during his visit to the area in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, normal traffic in Cuttack, Phulbani and Baliguda towns were temporarily disrupted due to a four-hour bandh call given by Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

IIIT to set to enroll first batch students in January

By Ratikant Mohanty
Bhubaneswar, Dec. 24: International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) is all set to enroll its first batch of students from the coming session beginning January, 2008.
At least 25 students will be selected after a national screening to get admission into the self-financing two-year M.Tech programme in computer and science in engineering.
"All preparations have been made for admission of the students for the first batch of the M.Tech course. Advertisements will be made in national dailies shortly to invite applications from the students," state science and technology minister Suryanaryan Patra said on Monday.
The IIIT – for the time being – will function from the Orissa Computer Application Centre (OCAC) campus near Acharya Vihar in the city. At least 10,000 square feet space has been allotted in the OCAC building for the institute. After completion of its own building at Gothapatna, on the outskirt of the city in a stipulated two years period, admissions will be made for other M.Tech and B.Tech programmes, Mr Patra informed.
Professor Somanth Mohapatra and Anjali Mohapatra have been appointed as the permanent faculty for the course while professor Gopalkrushna Nayak has been the taken as the director.
At least seven eminent Indians working in various universities in the USA have consented to attend the IIIT as guest faculties. The guest faculties are Jaydev Mishra, Chitta Baral, L.N. Bhuyan, Durga Mishra, Prasant Mohapatra, Gautam Das, Rabi Mohapatra.
Besides, Infosys Tehnologies Limited has contributed Rs 1 crore for instituting a chair professor. The minister informed that the state government appealed other major IT players such as Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, MindTree and Satyam to offer for similar chair professors in IIIT.
"The state government has allotted 23.24 acres of prime land free of cost at Gothapatna and committed Rs 10 crore towards start of capital expenses and a recurring annual grant of Rs 2 crore for the three years. The departmentally related standing committee of the Orissa Legislative Assembly has also recommended for a provision of further Rs 40 crore for this institute," Mr Patra informed.

Phulbani tense after attack on Hindu seer

By Priyanka Prashant
Bhubaneswar, Dec. 24: Tension prevailed in Daringibadi region in Phulbani district following alleged attack on a noted Hindu seer by a minority group.
The seer – Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati – was on his way to Brahmnigaon village to see some youths who were injured in the morning as the members of the minority group attacked them.
The minority community youths intercepted the seer's vehicle, dragged him out and attacked him with sharp weapons.
Although police is yet to cite reasons for the tussle between the two communities, sources one group of youths opposed to construction a religious gate by the other group.
According Viswa Hindu Parishad state media cell chief Debasis Tripathy, Laxmananda has sustained serious cut injuries on his shoulders and he has been admitted to Daringibadi hospitals in critical conditions.
Phulbani collector Bhabagrahi Mohapatra and superintendent of police Narasingha Bhol have rushed to the spot to avoid further flare up of communal tension in the area.
VHP state general secretary Pramod Acharya condemned the incident and demanded exemplary punishment to the culprits.
The VHP has called for a one-day Orissa bandh on Tuesday to protest against the assault on the seer.
Meanwhile, unofficial reports from the adjoining Baliguda area said communal riots had broken out at some local villages. Several houses were set on fire by the rival groups.