Setting up of folk art centres in Ganjam demanded

Cultural activists feel it is high time for the State government to establish cultural centres in different parts of Ganjam district to save traditional folk dance forms that are on the verge of extinction.

Several folk dance forms of Ganjam district have already died out. According to secretary of Odisha Folk Foundation (OFF) Bighneswar Sahu, Ganjam can be termed a major cradle of folk dance forms in Odisha. According to him historical evidences hint that about a century ago there were around 70 folk dance forms prevalent in Ganjam district. Due to various reasons more than half of them have become extinct. The OFF is of the opinion that at present 32 folk dance forms are existing in Ganjam district. But out of them several are almost at the door steps of extinction.

A folk dance guru Niranjan Sahu, who leads the Maa Samaleswari Lok Nrutya Kala Kendra, said it is an irony that the folk dance forms that are identity of Odisha outside the State are not getting proper promotion. Last month 160 ‘Jodi Sankha' folk dance performers from Ganjam district participated in Republic Day parade in New Delhi.

Phulbani town becomes Boudh-Kandhmal

Large sections of populace in Kandhamal district were astonished by the sudden change of name of Phulbani town, which is the district headquarters town to ‘Boudh-Kandhamal'.

It may be noted that the Central government has recently approved change of names of 25 towns in the country. They include two towns of Odisha. Apart from Phulbani, name of Sonepur town in western Odisha is to be changed to Subarnapur. Although it is claimed that name of Phulbani was changed to ‘Boudh-Kandhamal' according to public demand, residents of Kandhamal district say they are ignorant about this demand and do not know who made this demand. When contacted, Kandhamal district Collector Rajesh Prabhakar Patil also confirmed this Central notification regarding change of name of Phulbani town.

Sasank Sahu, convener of Phulbani Action Group (PAG), a cluster of 38 social organisation of the district said this sudden change of name has come as a shock for him as well as people of the district. “We do not know on what basis this change of name has been made,” he said. According to him the name of Phulbani town is more than a century old. It is related to several folklores.

A senior researcher on culture and tradition of Kandhamal district, Raghunath Padhi of Baliguda is also finding it hard to accept this change of name of Phulbani town. According to him Phulbani town was established in 1904 by the sub-divisional officer of British government AJO Alen Bach. Mr. Padhi said two folk tales are related to naming of this town but there is no historical evidence regarding their authenticity. According to one folktale the British officer Bach had intimate relationship with a local tribal girl named ‘Phula' and the new town was named according to her name.

Source: The Hindu

SOSA demands Police Commissionerate system in Greater Berhampur

Dear Chief Minister Sir,

The present state of lawlessness in Berhampur city and its adjoining areas has become a cause for concern. Owing to total lack of alacrity in the police administration here; violence, loot, extortion, murder and gang war have become the order of the day. The Greater Berhampur Region comprising of Berhampur city and its nearby areas of Chatrapur, Gopalpur and Hinjilicut have turned out to be the safe havens for criminals and anti-social elements. As an upshot of this people here are under panic for the last several months, but the state administration is treating this matter with utter callousness. The rising crime graph in the City in the last few years under your dispensation not only shows the insensitivity and inability of the State Government in maintaining law and order in this major commercial city but points to the virtual collapse of the state machinery in the entire region of South Odisha. As the Home Minister of the State the buck stops with you and we demand concrete measures as silence is certainly not the solution.

To deal with the law and order situation in the capital city region, comprising Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, your government created the Commissionerate Police system there. But in case of Berhampur city, where law and order has completely collapsed the State Government has shown little interest in restoring the rule of law. Berhmapur, being a bordering city of Andhra Pradesh and hence the transit point for the anti-social elements and being surrounded by Maoist infested districts, the need for Commissionerate Police system here cannot be overemphasized. In contrast, the discrimination shown towards the city and the entire region of South Odisha is glaring. To mention just one, the state government has created an IG police range for central Odisha at Cuttack, IG police for Northern range at Sambalpur and IG police for Western range at Rourkela while there is no IG range for the entire region of South Odisha even though the law and order situation here is worse compared to the rest of the state.
Notwithstanding this discriminatory approach of the past we want stern measures from your government to contain the rising criminal activities and deteriorating law and order situation in Greater Berhampur. The blame can’t be entirely laid at the local police administration as the existing police infrastructure and man-power is proving to be grossly inadequate for a fast growing city like Berhampur. The existing system of policing therefore needs to be restructured in keeping with the gravity of the present problem and the future growth of the City. In light of the above, Police Commissionerate system for Greater Berhampur has become inevitable and any delay in this regard will prove costly for the safety and security of the citizens.

To overcome the present situation of lawlessness in Greater Berhampur Region and to clamp down the perpetrators of crime we seek your immediate intervention. The people of the region have seen enough of underdevelopment and deprivation and they can ill-afford such a deteriorating environment arising out of complete lawlessness. We do hope that the State Government will take concrete steps for bringing the situation under control by protecting life and property of the people and ensure lasting peace in this major city of the state. Being the Home Minister of the state and for being in the know of the law and order situation of the region, we request you to consider the genuine demand of the people for Police Commissionerate system in Greater Berhampur comprising Berhampur city, Chatrapur, Gopalpur and Hinjilicut, with all seriousness that it deserves.

Warm Regards,

Ram Prasad Tripathy

President, SOSA, New Delhi

the pioneer

SOSA demanded establishment of a police commissionerate system at Brahmapur

The South Odisha Students’ Association (SOSA) demanded establishment of a police commissionerate system at Brahmapur. In a letter to the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the SOSA president Ram Prasad Tripathy said the Greater Brahmapur Region comprising of Brahmapur city and its nearby areas of Chatrapur, Gopalpur and Hinjilicut have turned out to be the safe havens for criminals and anti-social elements. People are in panic for the last several months with a steep rise in the crime graph, but the State administration is treating this matter with utter callousness.

Justifying the reasons for the establishment of the police commissionerate system, the association said Brahmapur is a bordering city of Andhra Pradesh and hence the transit point for the anti-social elements. It is surrounded by Maoist infested districts and so there is a need for restructuring the existing system of policing.
Lamenting that the State Government has discriminated South Odisha against the rest part of the State, the association said there is an IG police range for Central Odisha at Cuttack, IG police for Northern range at Sambalpur and IG police for western range at Rourkela, while there is no IG range for the entire region of South Odisha even though the law and order situation is worse compared to the rest of the State.

Ram Prasad Tripathy, president of the South Odisha Students’ Association, has demanded a police commissionerate system for the city and nearby areas of Chatrapur, Gopalpur and Hinjilicut.

“The present lawlessness in Berhampur city and its adjoining areas has become a cause for concern. The region has turned out to be a safe haven for criminals and the state administration is treating this matter with utter callousness,” wrote Tripathy in a letter to chief minister Naveen Patnaik on February 6.
“The state government has created an IG police range for central Odisha at Cuttack, IG police for northern range in Sambalpur and IG police for western range in Rourkela. However, there is no IG range for the entire region of south Odisha even though the law and order situation here is worse compared to the rest of the state,” he said.