Seminar on 'Internal Security' organised in Berhampur University

Solution to security problems linked to development

In present era, internal and external securities of a nation are interlinked, according to R. Baral, Special Secretary to Home Department of Manipur.

Speaking at a seminar on internal security organised on the campus of Berhampur University by the Centre for Canadian Studies of the university and Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute, New Delhi, on Wednesday, Mr. Baral said that apart from security measures, development was the panacea for most security-related problems. It may be noted that Mr. Baral also held the post of Director-General of Police (DGP) in Manipur in the past.

The seminar also had former chief secretary of Odisha, S.B. Mishra, former director of Institute of Mathematics, Bhubaneswar, Swadhin Patnaik, and Vice-Chancellor of Berhampur University, Deeepak Kumar Behera, as guests. The seminar was attended by experts and students from the university and outside.

During his address in the inaugural session, Mr. Baral elaborated causes and effects of insurgency and its impact on internal security in the north eastern region of the country, especially in Manipur. He spoke on various aspects of internal security in the region including the ethnic rivalry.

Citing examples of north eastern States which have international border with countries like Bangladesh and Myanmar, the DGP of Manipur said it was observed that political and socio-economic turmoil in adjoining countries had a great impact on the internal security of the region.

Prof. Patnaik opined that there had been a shift of paradigm regarding internal security at present juncture. “At preset we have to discuss the problems of internal security in connection with the issues related to socio-economic security of citizens.” Mr. Mishra pointed out that although our country was secular as per the constitution, the citizens of the country were yet to become real secular, which was also a major threat of internal security.

Prof. Behera cited examples of tribal community living in remote areas and advocated growth with equity to be a major factor behind enhancement of internal security. Source: The Hindu

Tata Steel again revises Gopalpur plan

Drops plan to establish hot rolling mill 

Why Odisha government & political leaders are silent?

Jamshedpur: Stuck amid demand by locals for jobs in the company, Tata Steel which in early 2011 had decided to put up a 50,000 tonne per annum (tpa) ferroalloy plant and a 0.5 million tonne per annum (mtpa) hot rolling mill (HRM) at Gopalpur in coastal Ganjam of south Orissa, has now decided to pursue only the ferroalloy plant, provided it receives cooperation of the locals.

Tata Steel had in the 1990s thought of putting up a steel plant at Gopalpur and had acquired more than 4,000 acres for the project but lack of infrastructure, including availability of water at the location, had later dissuaded it to go for it.

Instead, it had in early 2011 thought of investing Rs 1,000 crore in a 50,000 tpa ferroalloy plant and a 0.5 mtpa hot rolling mill (HRM).

“When we go somewhere, expectation always is jobs; now if it is a very big project, you can take care of everyone; if it is a small project then you can take care of some people; so that is what is happening; we have to manage expectations (of the locals for jobs), we are in discussion,” said managing director TV Narendran.

Narendran, who spoke exclusively to FE recently at the inauguration of the “At-in-Industry Camp 2014” here, said the company was in the process of requesting the local community to allow it build the ferroalloy plant so that the company could internally make a case or justification to build “something bigger” at a future date. Source: financialexpress

Commissionerate of Police may alleviate law and order problems in Berhampur

The proposal to create a police commissionerate at Berhampur is hoped to solve the problem of dearth of adequate police staff for this crime-prone area. It may be noted that a few days ago Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had declared that the State government had decided to create three police commissionerates -- in Berhampur, Sambalpur and Rourkela. But no gazette notification for the purpose has been made. It is hoped that the new government formed after the elections would implement this proposal. At present, Odisha has only one commissionerate of police which has Bhubaneswar and Cuttack under its jurisdiction.

As per the detailed proposal regarding this proposal of commissionerate police system for Berhampur, it would have 1,796 posts for police personnel. It means it would need creation of 733 new posts for police personnel for the proposed commissionerate of police for Berhampur.

During an informal chat, city Superintendent of Police (SP) Aniruddha Singh said it would surely enhance policing as the staff would be properly divided and deployed for different jobs. In place of single SP heading the Berhampur police district, there would be two DCPs of SP rank who would be headed by a commissioner of DIG or IG rank. The DCP for the headquarters would deal with different official works like granting of licences, intelligence gathering, issues related to human rights, accounts etc while the other DCP would be totally involved in policing.

The extra staff needed when the city has a police commissionerate will include one more official of SP rank, two of additional SP rank, three of DSP rank, 12 more inspectors, 70 sub-inspectors, 120 Assistant sub-inspectors, 91 constables etc. There would be need for more than 50 new ministerial staff to relieve pressure on police officials related to office work so that there would be more time for policing.

Three police stations which are now under Berhampur police district like those at Jarada, Digapahandi and K.Nuagaon would be under Ganjam police district after this transformation. The Chamakhandi and Arjyapalli marine police stations which are now under Ganjam police district, would come under Berhampur police commissionerate.

Long-pending demand

It may be noted that since long there was demand for creation of a police commssionerate in Berhampur. Several organisations of the city as well as South Odisha Students Association (SOSA) had made this demand. “Although a woman like me does know the intricacies that this change would bring in, we hope it would enhance policing in the city and reduce menace of criminals,” said Pranita Das, a housewife of the city. Former secretary of Berhampur Bar Association, Manoj Patnaik is of the opinion that commissionerate for Berhampur should not become only a change for name sake. It should bring in real changes in policing which will benefit the general public, he added.  Source: The Hindu

Lilium cultivation goes commercial in Odisha

Lilium plants being grown by farmers in Ganjam district

Lilium, an exotic flower, is being commercially cultivated for the first time in the State by the flower cultivators of Ganjam and Kandhamal districts.

Till now lilium was being brought to the State from Bangalore and New Delhi. But now those cultivating the lilium flower are planning to send their produce to Bangalore for a good price. Each stick of lilium costs around Rs. 25. In peak marketing season, its price may raise up to Rs. 50 per stick, say the flower growers.

First stock of the produce of lilium in Ganjam district was sent to Bangalore on Tuesday. It was produced in the poly-house of Sridhar Verma, the president of Ganjam District Flower Growers’ Association.

According to him, till now demand for lilium is not high in the State, but it is a sought-after flower in metropolitan cities. So, lilium produce of Ganjam and Kandhamal district would have a ready-made market outside the State, he says.

More than 40 flower growers in Ganjam district have started commercial cultivation of lilium for the first time this winter. Some of them have selected poly-houses for its cultivation like Mr. Verma, while others are cultivating it in the open.

The Horticulture Department in the State has decided to promote cultivation of lilium for the first time during the current winter. “Its cultivation was first tested in the centre of excellence of the Horticulture Department in Bhubaneswar. Ganjam has been chosen for launch of its commercial cultivation as flower cultivation continues to be done on commercial basis in an organised manner in the area. Kandhamal has been chosen as its climate suits cultivation of this exotic flower,” says Mr. Verma. The selected flower growers of the districts have been provided training regarding its cultivation at the centre of excellence in Bhubaneswar.

Three colours

Lilium is mostly cultivated in Netherlands. Each year new breeds that bear flowers of new colours of lilium get introduced by horticulturists. But in the State, three colours of lilium have been introduced for cultivation. These breeds are most sturdy and have ready made market. Liliums of yellow, pink and white are being cultivated in Ganjam and Kandhamal districts now.

As per botanists, lilium can be cultivated where average temperature does not exceed 25 degree C. So, this exotic flower can only be cultivated during the winter months providing a source of good income to flower growers. Source: The Hindu

BJP national general secretary (organisation) Ram Lal urged the public to vote for BJP in general election to see Modi as PM

SOUTH ODISHA BJP CADRE GEAR UP FOR 2014 ELECTIONS

A meeting of MLAs, ex-MLAs, office-bearers and senior party workers of the BJP from 10 organisational districts of south Odisha such as Koraput, Rayagada, Malkanagiri, Nabarangpur, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Boudh, Chhatrapur, Bhanjanagar and Brahmapur was held in Berhampur city on Wednesday under the chairmanship of former MP Prasuram Majhi.

Speaking on the occasion, BJP national general secretary (organisation) Ram Lal urged the public, especially youths, to vote for the party in the ensuing general election to see Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister. He recalled that Modi, after becoming chairman of the party’s Campaigning Committee, first visited Puri to seek Lord Jagannath’s blessings before embarking on a countrywide tour. He urged party workers to make Modi’s February 11 rally in Bhubaneswar a great success.

Lal said the BJP has decided to knock at every citizen’s door with an appeal to cast their votes to make Modi the next Prime Minister. He discussed how to effectively manage booths. Odisha is crucial for the BJP as elections for both State Assembly and Parliament are to be held simultaneously here, he said.

BJP State observer Arun Singh said the BJD is responsible for the poverty of Odisha and its Government cannot escape from its liability in the coal and chit fund scams.

BJP leader and former Deputy Speaker of Assembly Rama Chandra Panda said that interestingly common people are ahead of the BJP in creating public opinion for Narendra Modi as the next Prime Minister since they believe that Modi is the right person to lead the national Government as ‘Bikas Purush’. Among others, the party’s senior leader Prasanna Mishra, Ganjam district president Bijay Swain and Bhrugu Buxipatra also spoke.

A public signature campaign was launched by party town president Rama Patra demanding to expedite the Janibilla-Dakshinpur piped water project. The party aims to collect signatures of 50.000 persons from the district for expeditious water supply to Brahmapur. The movement is spearheaded by senior BJP leader Rama Chandra Panda. Source: The Pioneer

Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC) selected for National Urban Water Award

The Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been selected for the National Urban Water Awards 2011-12.

Ponds before renovation 

The BMC has been declared joint winner in the ‘Citizen services and governance’ category. A communiqué regarding it has reached the BMC commissioner. The Central Minister for Urban Development would hand over the award at the National Urban Water Awards ceremony to be held in Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi in the last week of January.

After Renovation  

The BMC had got nominated for this prestigious award under the theme ‘rebirth of water bodies in Berhampur for its citizens’. It may be noted that this major city of south Odisha happens to be a drinking water scarce city with low groundwater reserve. Through a major project, the BMC has been able to restore and revive 42 major water bodies in the city. This transformation has got it selected for the award. ‘Local Governance Network (LGN)’ was the advisory organisation of the BMC for the project. According to executive director of LGN, Piyush Ranjan Rout, the transformation of dying water bodies in Berhampur would set an example for other urban centres of Odisha, where water bodies are facing a threat of extinction.

Through a major project, the BMC has been able to restore and revive 42 major water bodies Source: The Hindu

Berhampur University (BU) celebrates 48th Foundation Day

Odisha Governor S C Jamir speaks for a better BU

Jamir laments that no Indian university is in the list of top 200 varsities in the world

Odisha Governor and Chancellor of Universities in the State S.C. Jamir called for enhancement of discipline among the faculty as well as students of the Berhampur University for its development and maintenance of ideal study atmosphere. Mr Jamir was the chief guest at the 48th foundation day celebration of Berhampur University on January 02. 

During the foundation day celebration, noted Odia author Amiya Bala Patnaik was honoured with citation and ‘angavastra’. Prizes and certificates were distributed to the students who had displayed excellence in academics and other fields. ‘Bhanja Bihar Reporter’, the house journal of the Journalism and Mass Communication Department of the university was also released by the Governor during the ceremony. Vice-Chancellor of the university Deepak Kumar Behera, chairman of the Post Graduate Council of the university Ashok Kumar Panigrahy and its Registrar Bhabani Prasad Rath were also present .

Mr Jamir also inaugurated the central conference hall and new academic block of the university during his visit to the campus. During the foundation day celebration, he handed over keys of three-wheelers to five Women Self Help Groups (WSHG) of fisherman community. These three-wheelers have been sponsored by the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) for assisting the WSHGs through the National Service Scheme (NSS) unit of the Berhampur University. The V-C, Prof. Behera said with support of the National Instutute of Rural Development (NIRD) with which the Berhampur University has signed an MoU, the NSS unit of the university was going to adopt seven villages in seven districts of south Odisha.

Massive plantation work

Mr Jamir lauded the restoration work on the Berhampur University campus after the devastation caused by the Phailin cyclone. He advised for massive plantation work to be taken up on the campus to restore the environment of the university campus. It may be noted that most large trees on the Berhampur University campus which were giving it a lush green look were uprooted during the cyclone.

He called upon the student, faculty and staff of Berhampur University to make New Year resolution to make it a major university of the country. He lamented that no university of India was in the list of top 200 universities in the world.

Knowledge intensive society

According to him, our society was fast becoming a knowledge intensive society due to which role of centres of higher education like universities has become very crucial. “Unlike natural resources knowledge is inexhaustible,” he said. Increase of quality of education and research as well as better infrastructure were keys of development in knowledge intensive society, he said.

According to him, there was no dearth of potential to improve our universities but it needs greater dedication of teachers. He stressed upon improvement of discipline among the teachers as he felt discipline to be the key to success. He wanted better relations between the faculty and the students and more dedication of teachers towards their duty. He called upon the teachers to inspire students through quality research in new avenues. He He said that at times students due to their indiscipline behaviour were causing much damage to their institutions. “Fate of your university is in your hands”, he said. Source: The Hindu & ToI

Phailin pat for Berhampur

‘Berhampur model’ would be adopted in Philippines and other places: UN representative Margareta Wahlstrom

A special representative of the UN secretary general for disaster risk reduction, Margareta Wahlstrom, declared the municipal corporation here as a role model for effective co-ordination and preparedness to face a disaster. She handed over a certificate of recognition to Mayor K. Madhaviin Berhampur.

The UN representative congratulated all councillors of the Berhampur Municipal Corporation for restoring normality in the city soon after Phailin. “Disaster is a global problem, and here, the restoration process was very good,” she said. While interacting with the councillors, Wahlstrom particularly wanted to know how the number of casualties was so low as compared to the 1999 super cyclone.

Wahlstrom said the Berhampur model would be adopted in Philippines and other places. The mayor, who received the UN certificate of recognition, said: “The credit for the success of Phailin management goes to all the councillors, commissioner and staff members. It was a team effort.”

Municipal commissioner Ajit Kumar Mishra said: “We requested all the 40 councilors to help evacuate the people from the 254 slum pockets immediately after the meteorological department forecast about the cyclone. The accurate prediction helped us prepare for the cyclone well in advance and the councillors played a key role in disaster management during and after the cyclone,” he said.

Mishra added that 30,000 people had been evacuated in just around 30 hours at that time. Councillor Ashok Shukla, P. Asharani and others apprised Wahlstrom of the steps taken by them during evacuation and restoration.

The UN representative, accompanied by assistant secretary of the Union home ministry Aparna Ganeshan and K.C. Bishoyi of the Odisha Disaster Mitigation Authority, visited a multipurpose cyclone shelter at Matikhal near Chatrapur, Save the Child organisation in Gopalpur, a fishermen’s village called Nua Golabandha and the Berhampur University campus. Source: The Telegraph

Curbs on foreign tourists to tribal villages

Rayagada district admin recommended to State govt. to impose strict restrictions on entry of foreign tourists

The Rayagada district administration has recommended to the State government to impose strict restrictions on entry of foreign tourists to around 29 remote tribal villages in the district.

The district administration has sent a list of these tribal villages to the State Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Department, which would consequently send it to the State Tourism Department for necessary action.

The Stat government, following a controversy over human safari in the tribal areas, decided that no foreign tourist or researcher intending to visit the areas inhabited by tribal people can do so without a valid permission from the district Collector and Magistrate concerned. Besides, no photography and videography of the tribal people would be allowed.

In case of any violation, criminal cases would be registered against the tourist, sponsor, and tour operator under appropriate sections of the law. But, during the past few weeks, foreign tourists were reported to have visited tribal villages in remote Naxalite-hit zones of Rayagada district without proper permission.

The district administration had already recommended to the government to cancel the visa of some foreign tourists who had violated government restrictions to reach tribal villages in Maoist-prone areas. It also recommended to the government to blacklist the tour operator, which had taken these foreign tourists to that area.

To make the restrictions clear to the tour operators, the district administration listed the names of tribal villages where entry of foreigners would not be allowed. Speaking to The Hindu, district Collector Sashi Bhusan Padhi said these were villages which were under the Lanjia Saura Development Project and Kutia Kondh Development Project. Source: The Hindu 

Tourist flow to the ‘Kashmir of Odisha' gains momentum

Night temperature is hovering around four degrees Celsius in Daringbadi 

The flow of tourists to Daringbadi described as the ‘Kashmir of Odisha’, the hill town in Kandhamal district which is around 170 km from the nerve center of South Odisha Berhampur city has gained momentum with experiencing a cold wave.

The night temperature at the picturesque tourist destination is hovering around 4 degrees Celsius. “Several visitors are coming to Daringbadi every day. The flow of visitors has increased with mercury going down steadily,” said Tourist Officer (Kandhamal) Manoranjan Das.

Besides the cold climate, vast extents of coffee plantations, scenic hills, pine jungles and ‘lovers’ waterfall attract tourists to Daringbadi. The Tourism Department has developed the site keeping tourists’ priorities in mind.

Daringbadi, situated at an altitude of 280 metres above sea level, is the only place in the State which witnesses snowfall during peak winter. Around 400 domestic and foreign tourists visited the hill town last month, Tourism Department sources said. “Tourists are not staying in the night due to the fear of Maoists,” said an officer. Last year, two Italian tourists were kidnapped by red rebels near Daringbadi.

No curbs on foreigners

“There is no restriction on foreigners to Daringbadi. Tourists, who want to visit Belaghara, need to take permission of the district administration as people belonging to the Kutia Kondha tribe reside there. There was a restriction on visiting places inhabited by Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups after the ‘human safari’ controversy,” he said.

The district administration has decided to develop infrastructure at Daringbadi to increase tourist footfall. “We propose to construct a coffee house, a children’s park and a 3D theatre at Daringbadi,” said BDO (Daringbadi) S. N. Jena. There are also plans to develop infrastructure facilities at Dasingbadi, another picturesque place with a pine jungle and a waterfall. Dasingbadi is about 17 km from Daringbadi, he said. Similarly, the administration has also decided to develop the scenic spots at Hatimunda and Kirikutisaid the BDO. – PTI

100-foot high brick made British era Chimney withstands two cyclones in Berhampur

A few meters away from this chimney, a major shed of the CWC depot has been completely devastated by Phailin cyclone

A tall brick built chimney of the British era on the campus of the Central Warehouse Corporation (CWC) in the city has withstood the super cyclone of 1999 and the recent Phailin cyclone proving that at times ‘old can also be strong’.

This around 100-foot high chimney stands proudly amid signs of devastation by the Phailin all around it on the campus of the Central Warehouse Corporation (CWC) in goods shed area of the city. The Phailin has also not been able to put any mark of damage on this decades old chimney.

It is quite interesting to note that a few metres away from this chimney, a major shed of the depot of the CWC had been completely devastated by the Phailin cyclone.

This large shed containing 2,000 MT of rice had collapsed under the wrath of the cyclone. Its asbestos roof was blown away and its walls had also collapsed making the rice stock in it exposed to rains that accompanied the cyclone. But the old chimney stood undeterred by the heavy winds of the cyclone as if hinting at a ray of hope.

According to regional manager, Odisha of the CWC, S. Pravin Kumar, this brick made chimney had also not suffered any damage due to the super cyclone of 1999. It only bears the effects of time and nature. At present a large banyan tree has grown at the top of this chimney. Although roots of the tree have reached the ground through the chimney, they have also not been able to bring in cracks on its stone wall. Mr Kumar felt some bird may have dispersed banyan seed at the top of the chimney which has now grown into a mature tree.

Before the CWC took up this patch of land to establish its largest depot in Odisha, it had a rice mill during British-era. This chimney happens to be the only remnant of that rice mill.

Several times in the past, the CWC authorities had tried to demolish this brick made chimney but they were not successful in their effort. It has been made by small sized strong bricks which were joined by traditional joining materials rather than cement. Moreover, metal rings had been provided around the chimney at several places to make it stronger. ‘These factors have till now saved this chimney from vagaries of nature as well as human efforts to break it down”, said Mr Kumar.

The CWC has now decided not to make any more efforts to demolish this old chimney. It would now be renovated and used as a landmark for the CWC depot in Berhampur. As it can be seen from quite a distance, the CWC plans to put up its signboard above the chimney after its renovation. Source: The Hindu 

Phailin changes face of ‘green’ Maa Tara Tarini hill Shrine

Nature’s fury in the form of the Phailin cyclone has devastated everything at the famous Tara Tarini hill shrine except the main temple on the hill top.

The 965 feet high hill, which was proud of its lush green vegetation cover, has become totally naked with the brown rocky base showing up. Most of the large trees on this hill have got uprooted or massively damaged by the cyclonic storm. According to secretary of the Tara Tarini Development Board (TTDB) Pramod Panda, they included several decade old banyan and peepul trees. “Due to its lush green nature, this hill was being called Purnagiri or Kumari parvat. But the cyclone seems to have snatched away that identity from the hill,” he said. A cashew plantation of the hill shrine at Sholaghara near the hill has also been completely devastated.

The ropeway station at the foothills of the famous Tara Tarini
mangled with uprooted trees in the aftermath of Cyclone Phailin 

According to the priests and authorities of the TTDB, this hill shrine had not faced such devastation during the two cyclones that hit Ganjam district in 1999.

Major attraction

A major attraction of this hill shrine was the rope way to the hill top. It is an irony that it was to be restarted recently after renovation. But the cyclone has caused much damage to the ropeway which would surely delay its inception.

Although the towers and cables of the ropeway are in place, they have to be checked up to ascertain whether they are strong enough after the cyclone. The carriages of the ropeway have been damaged.

All buildings at the hill top and most buildings at the foot of the hill were damaged by the cyclone. No structure has remained at the hill top except the newly-renovated temple which was completed in 2010.

This temple had been built as per traditional Rekha style of Odia temple architecture. It again proved that Rekha style of temple architecture as per which famous Jagannath temple of Puri and Lingaraj temple of Bhubaneswar have been built can with stand major cyclones.

The stairway and the road to the hill top have been cleared up but drinking water supply and power connectivity to the hill top remains snapped.

For providing drinking water to devotees, water is being taken by tanker to the hill top.

Nature’s fury also had its impact on the flow of devotees to the hill shrine. Very few visitors are visiting the hill shrine and their number was not expected to rise even during the Kali Puja, the priests of the temple said.

Pre cyclone image

Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC), southern division, Bikash Mohapatra, who also happens to be president of the TTDB, said all the developmental projects proposed for this hill shrine were also stalled due to the devastation caused by the cyclone.

The TTDB had planned to move around a ‘rath’ in Ganjam district to collect donations for the development of the hill shrine, which cannot be taken up now as the whole district is devastated by the cyclone and the rains and flood that followed.

“We are now planning to start online donation facility for the restoration and reconstruction works at the hill shrine so that devotees living outside could come over to help in rebuilding the hill shrine to its past glory.

Priority

“Our first priority now would be to regenerate the devastated vegetation of the hill shrine in consultation with the forest department,” said the RDC. The aim would be to plant those species of trees on the hill which would sustain cyclonic storms in future and would not get uprooted. But it is for sure for next few years the hill shrine would continue to have a barren look as a memory of wrath of nature which did not spare the hill which was a major centre of faith. Source: The Hindu

Flood situation worsens in Ganjam

Flood situation due to continuing rains has snapped road communication in all the 22 blocks of Phailin cyclone-hit Ganjam district affecting the relief and rescue operations in big way. Thirteen teams of the National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF) and eight teams of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) were busy in rescuing marooned people in Ganjam district. As all road communication link to Shergarh, Dharakote, Polasara and Aska blocks had been snapped the NDRF teams had to be air lifted to these places by helicopter. 

  

According to official reports, six persons have been killed during recent floods in this Phailin-affected district till Friday. They included two persons in Rangeilunda block who died because of collapse of walls. Four persons either drowned or got washed away by flood waters in Kavisuryanagar block. Speaking toThe Hindu , Ganjam district Collector Krishen Kumar said it was still hard to reach Purushottampur, Kavisuryanagar and Polasara blocks. According to him water had started to recede in most flood marooned areas which may improve communication to flood-affected areas on Saturday if no more rains occur. But there are chances of aggravation of flood situation in coastal blocks like Ganjam and Chatrapur which have river mouths on Friday night, he added. By Friday afternoon 384 villages of 159 panchayats in Ganjam district had become cut off or marooned by the flood waters. Situation was grave in nine blocks. As per the administration, as relief of 50 kg. rice and Rs. 500 has already reached to around seven lakh families in the Phailin-hit district there was no dearth of food materials in most areas. Yet all the Block Development Officers (BDO) have been directed to arrange for free kitchens and dry food for flood victims. The Aska town which is situated between Rushikulya and Badanadi rivers has been flood-hit. The danger level of Rushikulya river at this town was 34.75 meters but the water was flowing at 35.37 metres at 6pm on Friday. Similarly the Badanadi river was flowing at 36.30 meters while the danger level was 35.42 meters.

The Phailin-hit Ganjam district received average rainfall of 130.5mm on Friday, which was slightly less than the average rainfall it had received on Thursday which was 175.23mm. It was expected that rainfall may recede tomorrow alleviating the flood situation to some extent. Source: The Hindu 

Ganjam worst hit by Cyclone Phailin, 2.4 lakh houses damaged

Uprooted trees on a road in Berhampur caused by cyclone Phailin (Source: The Hindu)

BERHAMPUR: Hit hardest by Cyclone 'Phailin', the coastal district of Ganjam is estimated to have suffered a loss of at least Rs 3,000 crore in the nature's fury which has deprived lakhs of people of their livelihood and damaged 2.4 lakh houses. Fishermen have suffered massive losses as their nets, boats and catamarans have been damaged. The farming community has also been hit with the standing paddy crop submerged in water. Moved by the tragedy that has struck the hapless people here, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, after a visit to relief camps, has ordered payment of Rs 500 each to the affected even as the administration will begin distribution of ration free of cost for two months.

Damaged pandals in Berhampur city in the aftermath of Cyclone Phailin (The Hindu)

Official sources have pegged the loss in Ganjam at more than Rs 3,000 crore in this district alone. Power infrastructure has been damaged to a great extent. "There has been extensive damage to the standing paddy crop as a huge area of land covering paddy fields has been submerged in rain water. There has been huge loss to horticulture farming also as an enormous number of mango and coconut trees have been uprooted," District Collector Krishan Kumar told PTI.

Source: MapsofIndia.Com

He said Ganjam is the worst-affected district in Odisha in terms of loss of livelihood and property. "More than 2.4 lakh houses have been damaged which includes fishermen huts and other 'kutcha' houses," Kumar said. A special relief package for fishermen will also be announced by the government. Fishermen have suffered massive losses as their nets, boats and catamarans have been damaged, the Collector said. He said nine people have lost lives due to cyclone in this district alone.]
Source: PTI, Business Standard, The Hindu

Source: The Sambad

 

Deserted Berhampur road post-Phailin (Source: The Hindu)

Source: OrissaPost

First person account of the night Phailin pounded Gopalpur (Rahul Kanwal, Headlines Today)

Gopalpur-on-Sea (Berhampur, Odisha) on a normal day

Now I know what 'lull before the storm' literally means. At 10 pm on Saturday evening, the howling winds and incessant rains lashing Gopalpur suddenly ceased. It seemed the worst was over. Cyclone Phailin had made land fall along the coast of Orissa in Gopalpur around 9:15 pm. For 45 minutes after the cyclone first struck, the wind Gods seemed to have gone crazy, blowing uncontrollably in all directions.

We were perched on a balcony, on the first floor, in a multi-storey building about 25 meters off the beach front of Gopalpur, a popular beach side resort town in Orissa, located about three hours from Bhubaneshwar. This was ground zero for Cylone Phailin, the deadliest storm to have hit India in the last decade and a half. The hotels in the area had all been ordered shut by the district administration, and the local fishermen living in hatched huts had been put up in a cyclone evacuation centre established at a Government run school located on a small hill away from the sea. We were the only journalists left reporting from the eye of the storm.

The other crews had moved away to the nearest town of Behrampur. At 10 pm, we were on Aajtak decribing the sudden silence around us. The winds and rain that had been pounding Gopalpur through the day had vanished. A few youngsters ventured out. They were whistling, singing and dancing. They seemed to be mocking the cyclone and had declared victory.

Then all of a sudden, just as unpredictably as it had ceased, the tempest was back. Twice as agressive, twice as deadly. It was the cyclone's turn to mock the hapless inhabitants of Gopalpur. Dogs in the area started barking in tandem. Children were wailing. The youngsters ran in back to save their lives. Our most reliable companion, the mobile network, crashed. The glass panes of our window were smashed. Water started lashing into our room. There was no where to hide. We went into the kitchen. But that wasn't much respite. The glass panes there too broke. Then the roof started leaking. The cyclone was closing in at us from all sides.

Soon the water was coming upto our knees. Our equipment, our clothes all got drenched. We had no where to go, no where to hide. I sat down on the bed behind the window, hoping to stay away from the fury of the winds and rain that was pounding  our room. But the pressure of the water was too fast. It was difficult to sit still. So we went into the dining room and stood in the only dry part of the house. There we huddled for two hours while the cyclone wrecked havoc outside.Our thoughts were with our OB engineer, Ritesh, who had been inside the OB van at 10 pm, helping us broadcast live from Gopalpur. The winds had struck with such ferocity and with such little notice, that Ritesh was unable to come out of the van. His Tata-407 was exposed to the full force of the cyclone and was being pushed around like a toy.

As the minutes passed, our concern increased. Ritesh was not still back and there was no news from him. Around 3 hours after Phailin made land fall, we heard our door being banged from outside. First we thought it was the cyclone, but when the knocking got louder, we opened the door. It was Ritesh, who had somehow stormed out of the van and made his way to the building. Antennas were strewn around the pathway as also glass shards from broken windows as Ritesh ran back in.

Ritesh was screaming like a man possessed. Widly describing his experience of being tossed around by winds blowing at faster than 200 kilometers per hour. There was no God he did not remember in the first two minutes of entering the flat.

Huddled in a corner, the night went by slowly. The minutes seemed than on any other other night in my life. It was still raining hard, when day broke the next morning. We ventured out to do a spot check at the fishermen's enclave nearby. A few villagers were milling around assessing the damage to a life time's savings. Relief and fear writ on the faces, relived at having survived but worried about piecing their lives back again.

Source: India Today

Cyclone Phailin set to hit Gopalpur-Berhampur coast in Odisha at a wind speed of 210-220 kmph tomorrow: Administration on tenterhooks

Cyclone Phailin has been predicted to move northwestwards and cross north Andhra Pradesh and Odisha close to Gopalpur-Berhampur coast (Odisha) by Saturday evening as a very severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 205-215 km per hour (kmph), the met department has said. "The very severe cyclonic storm, Phailin, over east central Bay of Bengal moved west-northwestwards with a speed of 15 kmph and lay centred about 520km south-southeast of Paradip, 530km from Gopalpur and 530km east-southeast of Kalingapatnam," the met department said in its latest bulletin. Squally winds speed reaching 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph would commence along Odisha coast from Friday morning. It would increase in intensity with gale wind speed reaching 205-215 kmph along and off coastal districts of south Odisha at the time of landfall. State of the sea along and off Odisha coast will be rough to very rough from Friday morning and will become phenomenal on October 12. The cyclonic storm, Phailin, over east central Bay of Bengal moved westwards and intensified further and lay centred at 230 am on Friday near latitude 15.50N and longitude 89.000E, about 590km south-southeast of Paradip and 600km southeast of Gopalpur.

Similarly, though the met department forecast a storm surge of 1.5 metre to 2 metre in Ganjam, Khurda, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts in the coast on Thursday, on Friday it said the storm surge height will be around 2 metre to 2.5 metre above astronomical tide. This would inundate low lying areas of Ganjam, Khurda, Puri and Jagatsinghpur in Odisha. A worried state government held several meetings and took stock of the situation in the changed circumstances. The state government has already asked the district authorities to start evacuation of people living in low lying areas close to the sea. Fearing high tide, the seaside hotels have been instructed to cancel their bookings. The possibility of a cyclone has prompted the twin city commensurate police to asses safety measures at large puja mandaps and tableaux made of bamboo, wood and other heavy materials.

'Not less than a super cyclone'

Cyclone Phailin with a windspeed of 220 kmph is turning into a super cyclone before making landfall on Saturday evening near Gopalpur in Odisha where the government has galvanised its machinery to deal with its impact and is evacuating people from low-lying areas. “The U.S. Navy has also forecast that the wind speed will be above 240 kmph. Therefore, the cyclone is not less than any super cyclone for us,” Special Relief Commissioner P.K. Mohapatra said.

He said that though the IMD on Thursday indicated that the wind speed would be limited to 185 kmph, it was now forecasting it at 220 kmph. Mr. Mohapatra said the IMD had declared the 1999 calamity as a super cyclone as the wind speed had crossed 220 kmph. “This time around, the wind speed is not much different than the previous super cyclone,” he said. Squalls with a wind speed of 45-55 kmph to 65 kmph have already started along Odisha coast since morning. “It would increase in intensity with gale wind speeds reaching 210-220 kmph along and off south Odisha at the time of landfall,” the IMD said in a bulletin categorised as an Orange Message.

It would make landfall near Gopalpur in Ganjam district on Saturday evening after crossing an area between Paradip in Odisha and Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. The IMD said the cyclone over east central Bay of Bengal remained stationary and lay 520 km south-southeast of Paradip and 530 km southeast of Gopalpur. The IMD forecast a storm surge of 2.5 meter to 3.0 meter in Ganjam, Khurda, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts. A storm surge is a rise of the sea as a result of atmospheric pressure changes and winds associated with a storm.

Local Cautionary (LC-III) has been hoisted in all the ports in the State.The Navy, the Air Force, the National Disaster Response Force and the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force were ready for relief and rescue operations as soon as the cyclone hits the coast, Mr. Mohapatra said. A worried State government held meetings and evaluated the changed circumstances. “At least 28 teams of the National Disaster Response Forces are at the disposal of the Odisha government for evacuation and relief operations,” a senior official said after one such meeting. So far eight teams of NDRF, reaching having 20 personnel, have been deployed in Puri district, the official said. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister S.N. Patro said district collectors have been told to complete evacuation of people by Friday evening. “We do not want to take any chance,” Mr. Patro said, adding that shelters were ready.

Source: Times of India, IBN Live, amp; IMD, The Pioneer &The Hindu