NIST-Berhampur among the top five Engineering colleges in Eastern India; ranked 31st nationally by DataQuest

Beach cleaning system for Gopalpur-on-Sea

The state government has decided to introduce integrated beach cleaning (IBC) system at Gopalpur-on-Sea and its nearby tourist spots such as PatiSonepur and Dhabaleswara. The tourism department has sanctioned around Rs 30 lakh for it, a tourism officer said.

The tender will be floated for this purpose very soon, said Ganjam district culture officer and in-charge tourist officer K C Nishank. A separate tender will also be floated for the cleanliness drive at Tampara, another tourist spot near Chhatrapur, sources said.

At present, the Gopalpur beach is cleaned by Gopalpur NAC, which has limited resources. But Pati Sonepur, Dhabaleswar and Tampara tourist places are not cleaned at all though a large number of tourists visit the area. "Many tourists, particularly foreigners, will flock to the tourist resorts if the beaches are cleaned. Beach tourism will get a boost then," said MLA (Gopalpur) Pradeep Kumar Panigrahi. Under the new beach cleaning initiative, the contractor has to engage sweepers to clean the beach manually. "No machines will be used as these will destroy the fragile eco-system of the beach," he added.

It was also decided that a committee of local people will be formed to ensure that complete cleanness is maintained. "The committee will supervise and advise the contractors, if they find any lacunae," said a tourist officer.

The district administration has also planning to impose the ban on use of polythene bags on Gopalpur beach. "We will ask the NAC of Gopalpur to strictly implement the polythene ban on the beach," said a government officer. Source: ToI 

Interesting Articles/Blogs/Travelogues on Berhampur

• 
  
  Berhampur: Sour,Sweet and smooth as Silk! By Sourav Panda (thebrokenscooter.com)
• From Berhampur to Brahmapur!  (svcberhampur.blogspot.in)
• Drifting Into a Side-Stream! By Hendrik Erasmus
• Gopalpur-on-Sea: An unforgettable memory; By Sugata Sen
• Kashmir of Orissa - Daringbari (avik-besttraveldestinations.blogspot.in)
• Weekend Drive to Ganjam; ByPriyadarshini Sur (www.boloji.com)
• Kolakata to Gopalpur-on-Sea : a Long Weekend; By DriveTrain BHPian (http://www.team-bhp.com)
  

IFC supported Berhampur solid waste management project on fast track

Source: The Sambad

Odisha CM writes to PM and Railway Minister seeking National Project status for Berhampur-Sambalpur (via Phulbani) and Gopalpur-Rayagada railway lines; demands speedy implementation of railway wagon factory in Ganjam

Berhampur Railway Station, Odisha

Demanding justice and proper share to Odisha in the 2013-2014 Railway budget, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has written a letter to the Prime Minister mentioning the needs of the State in view of investment flow, economic growth and industrialisation. Pointing at the apathetic attitude of the Rail Ministry in spite of huge revenue collection from Odisha, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has said that 'the railway route length and all rail density in the state is much below the national average as also substantially lower than that in neighbouring States. In contrast, the gross earnings from various stations in the State of Odisha is estimated to be in excess of 14000 Crore during the year 2012-2013.' Chief Minister has requested the Prime Minister of India, in his letter, to ensure allocation of sizeable part of the revenues generated from Odisha within the State to strengthen and expand rail network.

Citing that the State needs to look for new virgin areas for development and industrialisation as many of the present industrial clusters have attained a stage of saturation in terms of availability of land, water and, also, due to environmental concerns, Naveen has demanded speedy execution of projects such as, Bhadrachalam Road – Talcher Rail Link via Malkangiri, Jeypore, Lanjigarh; Berhampur- Sambalpur new Rail Link via Phulbani; Rayagada – Gopalpur Rail Link via Bhismagiri. Requesting the PM to advise the Ministry of Railways to execute these projects on priority basis, Naveen has also urged that these projects should be treated as “National Projects”. The Chief Minister has demanded the Prime Minister in his letter to expedite the setting up of the Wagon Factory at Sitalapali in Ganjam which was declared in Budget for the year 2011-12 and also take steps to establish a railway apprentice training centre in the backward KBK region to support the skills development and increase employability of the people of this region.

Alleging that the union ministry has bypassed Odisha while implementing ambitious projects like the dedicated freight corridor aligned with mega industrial hubs, national road expressways and high speed train projects, Naveen has demanded that the eastern dedicated freight corridor from Ludhiana to Dankuni should be extended to Vishakhapatnamso as to ensure seamless movement of freight between the ports and the vast northern and central hinterlands of the country. On poor or no rail network in the backward regions of Odisha, the Chief Minister said that lack of infrastructure has been one of the major reasons of impeding socio-economic growth of this region. Mentioning that expansion of rail network in these areas would help minimising the impact of left wing extremism, Naveen adds in his letter to the Prime Minister that ‘delivering rail services in the naxal affected regions is one of the best means to channelise development therein and provide counter active force.’

Source: Hotnhitnews.com & Orissa Diary

Devotees throng gurudwara to view rare editions of Guru Granth Sahib in Berhampur

Three rare and antique versions of Guru Granth Sahib, which are on a tour round the country, were put on display at Gurudwara Singh Sabha premises in the city. Devotees of Sikh community and others of the city thronged the Gurudwara to see these rare Guru Granth Sahib editions and to pay their respect to the most revered scripture of Sikhism.

Devotees paying respect to the Guru Granth Sahib in Berhampur 

The team carrying the three rare versions of Guru Granth Sahib reached Jagannathpur on the outskirts of the city at around 11 a.m. Berhampur Gurudwara Singh Sabha and Sikhs of the city welcomed them there. Then they were taken in a ‘nagar sankirtan’ to the Gurudwara in the city, where the Guru Granth Sahib editions were put on display.

These books are currently on a tour round the country to provide common mass and Sikhs an opportunity to see and learn from the history of Sikh religion and scriptures. This journey had started from Gurdwara Maithan Sahib in Agra on January 21, 2012.

According to the members of Gurudwara Singh Sabha of Berhampur, the three rare displays included a 100-year-old Guru Granth Sahib which was only one inch in size although it contained 1,430 ang or pages, a 225-year-old Guru Granth Sahib prepared by two Muslim brothers of Lahore and a 275-year-old hand written version of the revered scripture.

These books are currently on a nationwide tour to provide common mass and Sikhs an opportunity to see and learn from the history of Sikh religion and scriptures

Bad roads keep tourists away from Koraput in South Odisha

Deplorable roads have put brakes on inflow of tourists to Koraput district of South Odisha that has wowed visitors with its pristine ambience and pleasant weather.

"Bad roads keep tourists away from Koraput, except for Gupteswar, which is a big draw. It is sad because roads in Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are far better," said a Koraput-based social activist Bhabani Mishra.

Some projects such as expansion of NH-26 has been inordinately delayed. The work that started around four years ago is yet to be completed. As a result, people find it difficult to maneuver this road resulting in traffic jams. "The NH-26 from Sunki to Chandili is in a horrible condition and is responsible for defaming the district's tourism sector. It takes hours to cover a distance of 10 km on this road," said social activist Santosh Patro.

The number of foreign tourists visiting this tribal-dominated district has also taken a beating.

Only 20 have come to the district in the past two months. But at the same time 10 tour operaters have cancelled packages of foreign nationals to the district owing to bad roads, in the past two months, officials said.

Admitting to the fact that bad roads have hit tourism, district tourism officer Bhagaban Khora said, "Foreign tourists complain of the awful roads in Koraput district. So tour operators inquire about the roads before bringing foreigners here, while many throng to Arku Valley in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh."

The non-availability of drinking water at tourist spots and places to stay does not augur well for the already fledging tourism sector.

"Tourists flow is unlikely to increase until basic infrastructure and amenities are improved," said Khora.

ToI

Berhampur Development Authority (BDA) to take up infrastructure work in Greater Berhampur on a war footing

Commuters in greater Berhampur that includes Chatrapur, Gopalpur and villages between them would have city bus service by August. It was stated by Ganjam district Collector Krishen Kumar, who has taken charge as vice-chairman of the Berhampur Development Authority (BDA). Speaking to newsmen on Tuesday, Mr Kumar said city bus service was one of the six major projects that the BDA had decided to start in 2013. Total cost of these projects would be around Rs 100 crore. The city bus service for greater Berhampur would be operated through Private Public Participation (PPP) mode on the lines of similar service inBhubaneswar and Puri. The State government has agreed to provide 28 buses for the city bus service of the BDA. Apart from easing transportation in the city, city bus service would help flow of tourists to Gopalpur beach resort and travel of common mass to district headquarters town, Chatrapur.

The other major proposed project of the BDA was establishment of a new bus stand on the outskirts of the city at Haldiapadar. This new bus stand would be established on a five acres of land. Consultants were appointed for establishment of modern bus stands at Gopalpur and Chatrapur.

Rock garden

To provide recreational facility and zones to the public the BDA has come up with two projects. One of them is establishment of a rock garden in Ambapua area. Two acres of land has been identified for the purpose. Bedabandha, a large water body of the city, would be developed into a water-based recreation centre by the BDA. The Bedabandha project would cost Rs 8-10 crore. “After clearance from State government, tender for the Bedabandha project was expected to be floated in March”, Mr Kumar said. He said the much-awaited Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) for greater Berhampur would be ready this year.

According to him the BDA itself would be revamped. At present the BDA was short-staffed and it did not even have an enforcement officer and secretary. “We have discussed with government to fill key vacancies in the BDA as early as possible,” he said. The vice-chairman of the BDA said in the next four to five months building regulation would be strictly implemented in the city. Lack of enforcement officer in the BDA was a major hindrance to implementation of regulation. There were several multi-storeyed buildings in the city which had used up their parking space fro commercial purpose. Thirty such cases had been identified and 17 had been issued notices.

Source: The Hindu

Berhampur Development Authority to take up many major projects in 2013

Commuters in greater Berhampur that includes Chatrapur, Gopalpur and villages between them would have city bus service by August

It was stated by Ganjam district Collector Krishen Kumar, who has taken charge as vice-chairman of the Berhampur Development Authority (BDA). Speaking to newsmen on Tuesday, Mr Kumar said city bus service was one of the six major projects that the BDA had decided to start in 2013. Total cost of these projects would be around Rs 100 crore.

The city bus service for greater Berhampur would be operated through Private Public Participation (PPP) mode on the lines of similar service in Bhubaneswar and Puri.

The State government has agreed to provide 28 buses for the city bus service of the BDA.

Apart from easing transportation in the city, city bus service would help flow of tourists to Gopalpur beach resort and travel of common mass to district headquarters town, Chatrapur.

Rock garden

The other major proposed project of the BDA was establishment of a new bus stand on the outskirts of the city at Haldiapadar. This new bus stand would be established on a five acres of land. Consultants were appointed for establishment of modern bus stands at Gopalpur and Chatrapur.

To provide recreational facility and zones to the public the BDA has come up with two projects. One of them is establishment of a rock garden in Ambapua area. Two acres of land has been identified for the purpose. Bedabandha, a large water body of the city, would be developed into a water-based recreation centre by the BDA. The Bedabandha project would cost Rs 8-10 crore. “After clearance from State government, tender for the Bedabandha project was expected to be floated in March”, Mr Kumar said. He said the much-awaited Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) for greater Berhampur would be ready this year.

According to him the BDA itself would be revamped. At present the BDA was short-staffed and it did not even have an enforcement officer and secretary.

“We have discussed with government to fill key vacancies in the BDA as early as possible,” he said.

The vice-chairman of the BDA said in the next four to five months building regulation would be strictly implemented in the city. Lack of enforcement officer in the BDA was a major hindrance to implementation of regulation. There were several multi-storeyed buildings in the city which had used up their parking space for commercial purpose. Thirty such cases had been identified and 17 had been issued notices.

Source: The Hindu