Odisha News

Odisha’s lifeline, Mahanadi River struggling for life; accusing finger pointed at Chhattisgarh & Mahanadi Tribunal

Published

2 weeks ago

March 18, 2023

At the very onset of summer, the pictures of Odisha’s longest river Mahanadi emerging in districts like Subarnapur, Boudh and Nayagarh are alarming.

There is sand and sand in the river as far as one can see. The gorges are looking like puddles. It seems that the lifeline of the state is struggling for its own life. The fast-drying up Mahanadi has started leaving its mark on the riparian areas.

Nayagarh town is a case in point.

Even at the beginning of the summer, the town is grappling with acute drinking water problem. The three turbines of a drinking water project at Banapur have been lying defunct for a week now, thanks to the decreasing water level in the river. While drinking water supply has been severely affected because of this, wells are drying up as well. What is more, tube wells are not dispensing water any longer.

With tankers not being able to meet the people’s requirement, resentment is brewing among the people.

“Wells are drying up. Tube wells are not dispensing water. We are facing a lot of trouble,” said Laxmipriya Dash, a Nayagarh town resident.

When contacted Nayagarh district Collector, Rabindra Nath Sahu said over the phone, “Water is not supplied from what you see in the river. For the supply of drinking water, an intake point, or it can be said a well is dug as deep as 30 feet and from this well water is supplied. Yes, the water in the river goes a long way in charging groundwater.”

On the other hand, the people depending on the river to eke out a living are a worried lot. The worst affected are fishing communities and farmers living in riparian villages.

If the river’s water levels of the last year and this year are compared, the gravity of the situation can be well understood.

Last year this time, the water level at Hirakud was 621.58 feet. This year, it is 617.43 feet, a decrease by around 4 feet.

The difference in the inflow of water from Chhattisgarh to Hirakud is also startling. On March 17, 2022, the inflow was recorded as 2695 cusec. On the other hand, on March 17, 2023, it was only 456 cusec.

The convener of Mahanadi Banchao Abhiyan, Sudarshan Dash ascribed the present condition of Mahanadi River to the Mahanadi Tribunal and the inertia of the Odisha government.

“The government had once said it would construct seven barrages on the river Mahanadi. There is no sign of a barrage. The fact is that the government wishes for the river to die like this and for people to get sucked into the vortex of problems,” said Dash.

Water Resources Minister Tukuni Sahu said, “We have set a target to construct 500 check dams under Mukhyamantri Adibandh Tiari Yojana (MATY). Our department has spruced itself up to ensure the beginning and completion of the projects in the right time.”

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Odisha News

Indian-American Richard Verma confirmed for top US State Dept position

Published

54 mins ago

March 31, 2023

ironity

Indian-American Richard Verma has been confirmed as Deputy Secretary of State, Management and Resources by the US Senate by a vote of 67-26.

In his new role, Verma will be responsible for directing, coordinating, and supervising State Department operations such as foreign assistance and civilian response programmes.

Verma previously served as US Ambassador to India (2015-17) during the Obama Administration, becoming the first person of Indian descent to hold that position.

He is presently the Chief Legal Officer and Head of Global Public Policy at Mastercard. He also served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs, where he led the State Department’s efforts on Capitol Hill.

A US Air Force veteran, Verma served on active duty as a Judge Advocate. His military decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal and Air Force Commendation Medal.

Verma is the recipient of the State Department’s Distinguished Service Award, the Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship, and was ranked by India Abroad as one of the 50 most influential Indian Americans.

He holds degrees from the Georgetown University Law Center (LLM), American University’s Washington College of Law (JD), and Lehigh University (BS).

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Odisha News

New Excise policy of Odisha Govt: No ‘ON’ shop liquor license for rural areas

Published

11 hours ago

March 30, 2023

ironity

In the new policy, the application fee for new/renewal of foreign liquor ‘OFF’ shops has been hiked to Rs 1.2 lakh from Rs 1.1 lakh. Similarly, the annual composite Label registration fee for FL OFF shops, FL ON shops for sale of all brands through the shop has been fixed at Rs 50,000.

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Odisha News

Ransom or something else? Mystery shrouds abduction & murder of Jharsuguda businessman’s minor son

Published

11 hours ago

March 30, 2023

ironity

While the abduction and subsequent killing of a 15-year-old boy for a ransom of Rs 50 lakh in Odisha’s mineral-rich Jharsuguda district has sent shockwaves across the State, the involvement of the two persons in the crime, who don’t have any criminal antecedents, has deepened the mystery surrounding the case.

Though police have arrested the two accused- Amit Kumar Sharma of Jharsuguda and Dinesh Kumar Agarwal of Brajrajnagar in connection with the case, the motive behind the crime is yet to be established.

Earlier on March 28, police had recovered the body of Samarth Agarwal, son of a businessman of Sarbahal, Bargarh.

Amit along with his aide Dinesh abducted Samarth on March 27 while the latter was on his way for cricket practice on a scooter.

According to sources, the duo first demanded Rs 50 lakh and later Rs 90 lakh from Samarth’s father even after knowing he is not financially strong.

Interestingly, Amit was the neighbour of Samarth at Jharsuguda’s Brundaban colony. Even Amit’s daughter used to tie Rakhi to Samarth and call him brother.

But what led Amit to hatch the kidnapping plot and kill Samarth for the ransom is still a mystery.

“We are investigating from all angles. As per preliminary investigation, the accused have called Samarth’s father on March 27 night and later on March 28 after killing him,” said Smit Parmar, Jharsuguda SP.

On the other hand, the family members of the deceased have demanded stern action against the accused and restoration of law and order in the district.

“The entire family is broken. After Samarth’s death, common people will not feel safe to send their children outside. The government must take necessary steps to restore the law and order situation,” said Gobinda Agarwal, relative of the deceased.
Meanwhile, friends and the coach have mourned Samarth’s death.

“Samarth was well behaved and we were good friends. We used to practice daily and played many matches,” said the friend of the deceased.

“He (Samarth) was very serious about his game and he had already represented Jharsuguda U-16 team. He could have represented the State team soon. The district has lost a very talented player,” said Sumit Singh, coach of Samarth.

(Reported by Debandra Behera, Bhagirathi Sahoo and Sanjay Jena, OTV)

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