Author Archive

AMG India signs Sniti Mishra on its Artiste Roster for Exclusive management.

Odia music, Odisha personalities 4 Comments »

(Thanks to Satya babu for the pointer.)

Following is from http://amgindia.in/2011/01/17/zee-saregamapas-most-remarkable-voice-winner-sniti-mishra-replaces-neha-bhasin-on-amg-roster/.

AMG India is proud to announce having signed on one of the brightest young singers SNITI MISHRA on its Artiste Roster for Exclusive management.

On the Dec 25th, ’10 grand finale on Zee TV, Sniti was chosen as the winner of the ‘Most Remarkable Voice’ award at the recently concluded SaReGaMaPa Singing Superstar. With her strong Indian classical training and her hauntingly unique voice, Sniti had wowed not only a worldwide TV audience but also the mentors and eminent guests on the program, including AR Rehman, Mahesh Bhatt, Vishal Bhardwaj, Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Some even compared her vocal uniqueness to that of legends such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Janis Joplin.

The “SNITI MISHRA – Classically Unplugged” concert is already mesmerizing audiences worldwide, with it’s unique presentation, where Sniti and her young Acoustic band present Classics, both old and new, in a ‘simply-fresh’ style of their own.

Her typical set-list includes her own unique version of :

Iktara (Film: Wake Up Sid), Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samjha (Film: Anpadh), Sapnon Se Bhare Naina (Luck By Chance), Mora Saiyan (Band: Fuzon), Masakkali (Delhi 6), Chandni Raatein (Noorjahan), Mitwaa (Film: Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna), Jiya Jale (Dil Se), In Aankhon Ki Masti Ke (Umrao Jaan), Yeh Haunsla (Dor), Sajnaa Tere Bin Jiya Mora (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan), Ay Hairathe Aashiqui (Film: Guru)

Sniti has starred in extremely popular live shows for in several Indian cities , where she has continued to use her classical training to popularize traditional music as well as to innovate musically.

With this latest addition to it’s Artiste Roster, Sniti Mishra replaces popstar Neha Bhasin, who was successfully managed by AMG for almost 6 years, helping her become into a ‘brand’ that today she has become. This is continuing with AMG’s commitment to nurturing upcoming talent !

Demand for an ECOR rail division in Rourkela grows

Baripada - Bangiriposi (under constr.), Bhadrakh - Dhamara (port conn. planned), Buramara - Chakulia, CKP ... Bhalulata - Rourkela - Jharsuguda Jn - Daghora , ECOR, Jaleshwar-Digha, Rourkela - Biramitrapur, Rourkela- Kansbahal, Rupsa Jn - Baripada, Sundergarh 15 Comments »

Following is an excerpt from a report in expressbuzz.com.

How justified is the demand to carve out a separate railway division at Rourkela under the East Coast Railway (ECoR)? Given the continuing neglect towards the infrastructure and passenger amenities over decades, the demand is gaining momentum.

With apolitical and political outfits jumping on the bandwagon to seek separation of Rourkela from the Chakradharpur division of the South Eastern Railway (SER), the Railway Ministry is likely to feel the heat ahead.

Train Passenger Steering Committee convener and Rourkela Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Subrat Patnaik in tandem with the members of the Rourkela Development Forum (RDF) and Rourkela Railfanning Association (RRA) are vociferous in their demand. The local BJD unit has gone a step ahead to threaten disruption of mineral transportation by rail if the issue was not sorted out.

Locals feel, in the changed scenario, the triangular districts of Sundargarh, Jharsuguda and Keonjhar – high on industrial and mining activities – would no longer tolerate further neglect as Sundargarh alone annually contributes ` 800 crore to SER.

… Inadequate train services and infrastructure apart, the lingering of the proposed Bimlagarh-Talcher rail link is a stark pointer of neglect, they stated.

Even 10 per cent of the revenue generated from the regions is not spent to benefit a population of over 50 lakh.

RDF and RRA members Dilip Mohanty, Mahendra Mishra, Mihir Swain and Supratik Mishra sent a memorandum to the Railway Ministry over the demand claiming the combined revenue share from these three districts is anything over ` 2,200 crore.  …

The fact that there is an ECOR division in Sambalpur (147 kms from Rourkela) and Chakradharpur (101 kms from Rourkela) should not be a concern as there are many railway divisions that are much closer. In http://www.rourkelacity.com/top-news/rourkelare-rela-division/ it is mentioned that there are separate rail divisions in Varanasi and Mughalsarai that are only 17 kms apart, Guntur and Vijaywada that are 34 kms apart and so on. 

The petition at http://www.petitionodisha.in/transportation/creating-a-new-east-coast-railway-division-at-rourkela/ lists various reasons why a ECOR rail division in Rourkela is needed. Please visit it and sign it.


There is also a similar need for a railway division in Rayagada or Kesinga/Lanjigarh Rd/Bhawanipatna to cater to existing lines and to the many new lines that are coming up there. The new lines include Naupada-Gunupur and its extension to Therubali and Lanjigarh Rd – Junagarh and its extension to Nabarangpur and Jeypore.  With many people in Viskhapatnam demanding that the VSKP division be split from ECOR, if that happens the Odisha part of the current VSKP division as well the above mentioned new lines should be moved to the proposed division at  Rayagada or Kesinga/Lanjigarh Rd/Bhawanipatna.

In North Odisha with several new lines coming up (Bhadrakk – Dhamara, Chakulia – Buramara, Jaleswar – Digha, ) and with the commencement of broad gauge service in the Rupsa-Baripada-Bangiriposi line a new division in Balasore or Bhadrak is warranted. SER greatly meshed up the Rupsa-Baripada-Bangiriposi line costing Indian Railways significantly. See page 8-9 of 2006-may-CAG report. These parts should also be taken away from SER.

Tavleen Singh on irresponsible activism of N C Saxena that greatly harms Odisha

CENTER & ODISHA, ENVIRONMENT, EXPOSING ANTI-ODISHA-GROWTH SCHEMES 4 Comments »

Following is from Tavleen Singh’s article in Indian Express.

Last week in the Idea Exchange page opposite was the interview of a man who has been responsible for terminating a project that could have turned India into a hub for aluminum production and brought enormous prosperity to Orissa. I read the interview with N C Saxena carefully to try and understand what he did and was astounded to discover his reason. He said that if Vedanta had provided 500 jobs to local people, the environmental inquiry committee that destroyed its bauxite refinery in the Niyamgiri hills would have taken quite a different view.

The reason why this was so astounding an admission was because it is impossible to believe that someone prepared to invest more than Rs 11,000 crores in a project should not have been able to take care of 500 jobs. Mr Saxena admits that the adivasis of Niyamgiri were as keen on improving their lives as anyone else. “They also want to see TV and own cell phones, because now they have seen that some of them who are lucky enough to get a job in the factory have a cell phone. They also want to have that kind of life. No one has given a thought to what can be done to improve the lives of the 100 or 500 families there.”

So, we have a situation in which because 500 people did not manage to get jobs in the refinery, an investment of Rs 11,000 crores will go waste and a project that could have helped double the revenue of Orissa stands terminated. Even more worrying is that a member of the committee that recommended the closure of Vedanta’s refinery should admit that they did this despite noticing that the adivasis would have benefited if the project had not been closed. It is important here to note that Mr Saxena is on Sonia Gandhi’s National Advisory Council (NAC) so we must assume that he represents a wider consensus at the top.

As someone who visited Koraput and Kalahandi during the drought in 1987 when adivasi women were selling their babies for as little as Rs 40, may I say that the poverty I saw was hideous. The sight of small children dying slowly of hunger on the dirt floor of mud huts is one of the worst things I have ever seen. Things have improved since then but only barely as most adivasis in most parts of India continue to live off what they can make from marginal farming. Their lives are so devoid of even minimum comforts that nobody can hope that they should continue to live forever off their small scraps of land. And, yet there are mighty NGO crusaders these days who want to ‘preserve’ what they call ‘tribal culture’.

They see the hideous poverty and the mud huts of ‘forest dwellers’ as charming and romantic without noticing that the adivasis do not agree with them. This is evident from the fact that it is from the ranks of adivasi forest dwellers that the Maoists recruit their troops. This is evident from the eagerness with which adivasis embrace modernity and the benefits of the 21st century any chance they get. The young adivasi girls who greeted Rahul Gandhi when he went to Niyamgiri to tell them that he was their ‘sipahi’ in Delhi had hairpins in their hair that could only have come from a modern shop.

This brings me to another interesting aspect of the closure of Vedanta’s refinery. Nobody seems sure why it happened. Rahul Gandhi in his speech the day after the refinery was closed said he was happy that the adivasis had managed to save their land. The Environment Minister announced that he was closing the refinery down because it violated forest laws and now we hear from a member of the ministry’s inquiry committee that the problem was 500 jobs. What is really going on?

Whatever it is, the only people who are winning are those who would like to see India’s poorest people remain poor forever and ever. If Vedanta’s project had not been closed and if Posco manages somehow to go ahead with its steel plant, the revenue of one of our poorest states could double. How can this be a bad thing?

Only massive private investment can bring the schools, hospitals and basic living standards that India’s poorest citizens desperately need. For more than sixty years, taxpayers’ money has been poured into government schemes that have served mostly to make some officials very rich. So when a major private investment is delayed or cancelled on flimsy grounds, it is an act of extreme irresponsibility. It is India’s misfortune that this kind of arbitrary action is becoming the leitmotif of Dr Manmohan Singh’s government. As an economist, he knows the irreparable damage being caused. Why does he not stop it?

Swapan Dasgupta on Jairam Ramesh’s arbitariness and malevolent political calculations; Odisha is the worst affected

CENTER & ODISHA, ENVIRONMENT, EXPOSING ANTI-ODISHA-GROWTH SCHEMES 9 Comments »

Following is an excerpt from Swapan Dasgupta’s article in the Telegraph.

… The last occasion Singh spoke publicly on the unending growth versus environment controversy was at a media interaction on September 6 last year. Asked about industry’s fear of the rampaging minister for environment, Jairam Ramesh, the PM proffered what seemed a tangential answer. We have, he said, no intention of reverting to the licence-permit raj.

The answer was revealing. Having played a part in blunting the jagged edges of over-regulation, Singh was able to see the headline-grabbing actions of Ramesh for what they really are: a resuscitation of controls, using a ‘green’ cover.

… The rise and rise of Jairam Ramesh has been one of the most astonishing stories of 2010. An apparatchik with not even a hint of a mass base, he is today arguably the most powerful minister in the UPA-II government. He has become to economic policy what Pranab Mukherjee is to political management. His reputation isn’t based on his success in making India a more green and pleasant land but on his penchant for saying ‘no’. In a polity where real power lies with the states, he has made his ministry the instrument of the Centre’s intrusiveness, with devastating consequences.

Ramesh’s ‘achievements’ are awesome. He has blocked the largest foreign direct investment of Rs 51,000 crore by Posco in Orissa, stymied the emergence of India as the largest aluminium producing hub in the world, disrupted the Rs 2,000 crore initial public offering of the first private sector-created hill station of Lavasa in Maharashtra, and put a spanner in the works of two Jindal-promoted steel plants in Orissa and Chhattisgarh. The opportunity costs of his veto may well equal the Mahatma Gandhi national rural employment guarantee scheme budget!

That’s not all. He has unilaterally flouted all guidelines and committed India at Cancún to positions that could undermine national sovereignty and jeopardize the country’s future growth. He has shifted the parameters of India’s environment diplomacy at both Copenhagen and Cancún, disregarding the advice of India’s tried-and-tested negotiators. What is particularly striking is the dreary frequency with which he has personally repudiated the inviolable red lines of India’s global positions, much to the amusement of the rest of the world.

In between, he has questioned the government’s approach to national security during a visit to China and batted shamelessly for Chinese companies, presumably in pursuit of his Chindia pipe dream. More astonishing, Ramesh has done all this and more after repeatedly rubbing the PM and senior cabinet colleagues the wrong way.

A lesser politician would have been shown the door and made to cool his heels on the back benches. Shashi Tharoor (before his political hara-kiri) was ticked off by party bigwigs for his harmless displays of public-school humour on Twitter. But Ramesh has emerged unscathed from all the controversies and, indeed, grown from strength to strength. He even considered it prudent to level a blanket accusation at the entire political class, claiming harassment by members of parliament lobbying for corporates that have been stung by his decisions.

There are activists who see Ramesh as the best thing since sliced bread: a doughty ‘green’ crusader who is not afraid of doing what is right and playing by the rule book. He has, they say, put environmental activism on the map of India, not least by heeding Medha Patkar on Lavasa, Bianca Jagger on Vedanta and Greenpeace on Posco, appointing National Advisory Council activists to expert committees, and being influenced by internationally-funded advocacy groups on climate change. If public opinion in India was shaped by earnest graduates of American liberal arts colleges and environmental journalists, Ramesh would have been top dog politically — with the added attribute that he is ‘very close’ to the equally earnest heir apparent.

Unfortunately, life isn’t all black and white. Behind Ramesh’s fearless willingness to kick all polluters in the butt lurk malevolent political calculations. The minister, for example, played with a straight bat on the airport in Navi Mumbai. He made Praful Patel sweat, shed tears for the mangrove swamps and then proceeded to clear the project with token caveats. The stakes were just too high and any non-clearance would have led to him being roasted alive by the state Congress.

Equally, he deemed the Jaitapur nuclear power plant of strategic importance and linked it with the Indo-US nuclear agreement. In a different context, he would have waved a report by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, describing the project as a “social disaster”, to issue an immediate ‘stop work’ notice. This time, the protests didn’t matter because they were, in his view, “politics on the pretext of environment”.

He should know. The stay on Vedanta’s Niyamgiri project was timed to allow Rahul Gandhi his “sipahi” moment. The dispute in Lavasa arose out of a turf battle: should the clearances have come from the Maharashtra government or the Centre? In the case of Posco, Vedanta and Jindal, brownie points were earned by deflating Naveen Patnaik’s aspirational balloon. Additionally, in the case of Posco, there was the delight of undermining the prime minister, who had taken a personal interest in the successful completion of the project. Presumably, from Ramesh’s perspective, these decisions didn’t amount to playing “politics on the pretext of environment”.

There were other sub-texts as well. The Lavasa promoter, it is widely believed, was tarred and made to suffer a huge loss of business credibility for supposedly being ‘close’ to Sharad Pawar. A project which began in 2004 and has more or less completed its first phase was ordered by Ramesh’s ministry to restore status quo ante! The order was subsequently modified but it revealed a mindset. In the case of Vedanta, N.C. Saxena, a member of the inquiry committee, recently admitted to The Indian Express that the decision would have been different if the company had given jobs to 500 local tribals. Posco was asked by Ramesh’s ministry to commit some Rs 3,000 crore to a corporate social responsibility programme as a precondition of clearance. These may be worthwhile political calculations, but they were certainly not “green” considerations.

In a recent interview, Ramesh claimed that “I want to professionalise the system of decision-making. I have proposed the establishment of a National Environmental Assessment and Monitoring Authority — a professional body, independent of the Ministry.” This may well happen in the future but, for the moment, Ramesh has made the ministry of environment a celebration of discretion and arbitrariness. He has merrily set about adding to the scope of his jurisdiction, taking on non-Congress state governments and overturning existing clearances. His ‘green’ norms are breathtakingly simple — “show me the person, I’ll show you the rule.” That, many would say, is what defines governance in India.

Cuttack Development Plan links – draft proposal 2030

Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri, Cuttack, Cuttack 2 Comments »

The links are at http://as1.ori.nic.in/cdacuttack/draft_proposal.html.

(1) Draft Proposal
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
(10)
(11)
(12)
(13)
(14)
(15)
(16)
(17)

The links for the various maps are at http://as1.ori.nic.in/cdacuttack/map.html.

   
2.1_Administrative_Units 5.4_Proposed_Local_Economy 11.5_Barabati_Special_Area
2.2_Mouza_Map_of_CDPA 6.1_Existing_road_network 11.6_Cantonment_Sp._Area
2.3_Geographical_settings 6.2_Selected_Traffic_Inters 11.7_Judiciary_Complex_Sp. ar
3.1_Existing_LU_BCUC 6.3_Proposed_road_network 11.8_River_Front_Dev.
3.2_Existing_LU_CMC 7.1_Existing_Nature_…_Housing 11.9A_Heritage_Trail_1
3.3_Existing_LU_Choudwar 7.2_Proposed_Housing 11.9B_Heritage_Trail_2
3.4_Existing_LU_Rural 7.3_Slum_Upgradation 11.10_Integrated_Mvment_Ntwk
3.5_Existing_LU 8.1_Location_of_WTP 13.1_Broad_Dev._Zones
3.6_Existing_LU Nirgundi 8.2_Existing_&_Prop_Sewage 14.1_Hubs_of_Sp._Activities
3.7_Existing_LU_Charbatia 8.3_Proposed_STP 14.2_Proposed_LU CDPA
3.8_Existing_LU_Chhatisa 8.4_Existing_Drainage 14.3_Proposed_LU_Nirgundi
3.9_Existing_LU_Choudwar 8.5_Proposed_Drainage 14.4_Proposed_LU Charbatia
3.10_Existing_LU Nimapur 8.6_Proposed_SWTP 14.5_Proposed_LU Chhatitia
3.11_Existing_LU_Bidanasi 9.1_Existing_Social_Infra_Ctc 14.6_Proposed_LU Choudwar
3.12_Existing_LU Old CTC
9.2_Exist._Social_Infra_Choudwar 14.7_Proposed_LU Nimapur
3.13_Existing_LU Sikharpur 9.3_Existing_Social_Infra_Barang 14.8_Proposed_LU Bidanasi
3.14_Existing_LU Mundali 9.4_Proposed_Social_Infra, 14.9_Proposed_LU_Old_Ctc
3.15_Existing_LU Barang 10.1_Major_Tourist_Locations 14.10_Proposed_LU Sikharpur
3.16_Existing_LU_gopalpur 10.2_Prop. Tourist_Travel Ckts 14.11_Proposed_LU Mundali
3.17_Ownership_Pattern
10.3_Prop._for_Major_Ctrs tourist 14.12_Proposed_LU Barang
3.18_Dev_&Govt_Reserved 11.1_Significant_Heritage_Areas 14.13_Proposed Gopalpur
4.1_Conceptual_Plan 11.2_Identified_heritage 14.14_River_Front_Area
5.1_Existing_&_Prop_Ppln 11.2A_Identified_heritage  
5.2_Existing_Density_2001 11.3_Special_Heritage_Zones  
5.3_Proposed_Dens_2030 11.4_Choudwar_Fort_Special_Area

The links for the Mouza-wise maps are at http://as1.ori.nic.in/cdacuttack/mouza.html.

 

Bhubaneswar development plan area expands to 1000 sq km.

Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri, Cuttack, Khordha, Puri, Telegraph Comments Off on Bhubaneswar development plan area expands to 1000 sq km.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Telegraph.

…, the state government has decided to expand the development area of the capital from 419sqkm to over 1,000sqkm.

According to a notification issued by the housing and urban development department, the expanded area would include 367 revenue villages.

With the two-fold increase in its development zone, the capital’s area will now come to be known as the Bhubaneswar Development Plan Area (BDPA), comprising the districts of Cuttack, Khurda and Puri. The new expansion plan would perhaps be the biggest in the history of the city.

The expanded area will have 263 villages from the district of Khurda, 88 from Puri and 16 from Cuttack. With this new proposal, there will be 572 revenue villages under the development zone.

When the capital city area was planned under BDA in 1983, it had only 93 villages from the undivided Puri district. After two decades, the number of revenue villages went up to 205, and now, with the latest move, it would finally be touching a figure of 572.

Sources in the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) said the development of the capital, instead of remaining restricted along the Phulanakhara-Khurda line, would now be spread in all directions stretching from villages in Cuttack district to Delang in Puri.

…“Earlier, the urban expansion focus was restricted. But now with state secretariat as the central point, the entire region will be developed under the BDPA within a 20 to 25km radius so that there is enough scope for land development, effective road connectivity and special housing zones,” said a senior BDA official.

Just to get an idea of how big 1000 sq km is, the area of the NCT (National Capital Territory) of Delhi is 1483 sq km. The National Capital Region is much larger at 33,578 sq km.

Update on the Bhubaneswar ITIR

Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri, Cuttack, ITIR, Khordha Comments Off on Update on the Bhubaneswar ITIR

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard.

The implementation of the proposed Information Technology (IT) investment region in Orissa will involve a cost of Rs 17,883 crore.

"The IT investment region would generate jobs for 0.23 million people and accommodate a population of around 0.54 million. More than 75 per cent of the investment will be made on the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode”, an official source told Business Standard.

The state government has already submitted the final report on the proposed IT investment region prepared by IL&FS-Infrastructure Development Corporation (IL&FS-IDC) to the Government of India …

The IT investment region (ITIR) in Orissa is to be developed on an area of 40 sq km (around 10,000 acres) between Bhubaneswar and Khurda. The ITIR project is expected to be fully operational by 2020.

In the final project report on the ITIR, IL&FS-IDC had included among other things an airport, a global IT training centre, a bio-tech park and a science city spread over 350 acres. …

According to the project plan of IL&FS-IDC, 40 per cent of the area of the ITIR would be earmarked for the processing units of information technology (IT) and ITes sectors (IT enabled services) as well as electronics and hardware manufacturing units.

Following are links to earlier postings on this.

Biju Patnaik Children’s park in Bhanjanagar on 2011 new year day (Samaja).

Ganjam, Lakes, Parks 8 Comments »

Sambalpur – Jharsuguda to have two malls with multiplexes; IBM business development process center proposed for Jharsuguda and a Nikon Collection center proposed for Sambalpur

IBM, IT, Back office, BPO, Jharsugurha, Jharsugurha- Brajarajnagar- Belpahar, Malls, Multinationals, Multiplexes, Sambalpur, Sambaplur- Burla- Bargarh- Chipilima 24 Comments »

Thanks to reader Jitu for the pointers.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Indiainfoline.com.

Nikon India, the 100% subsidiary of Nikon Corporation the leaders in imaging technology has started Nikon Collection Centre (NCC), an initiative taken by Nikon India to cater to the wider base of Nikon customers by floating Camera Collection Points across locations, especially the non metro areas.

The collection centres would act as main contact point for collection of any Nikon Imaging Products ( D-SLR’s, COOLPIX Compact cameras, NIKKOR lenses and accessories) that shall be sent for repair to the nearest Service Facility Centre for necessary correction by NCC. Once repaired, the product will be sent back to NCC from where customer can collect his product. 

 

Under the plan for the business year 2010-2011, Nikon has already started the services in Bhopal, Noida & Mangalore. Going forward Nikon plans to start the services in Siliguri, Dehradun, Kanpur, Nagpur, Mysore and Tiruanantpuram within this month and Dhampur, Sambalpur, Udaipur, Varanasi, Shimla, Aitsar, Jammu, Agra, Coimbatore, Vishakapatnam and Rajkot taking the total to 20 by the end of this financial year.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Hindustantimes.com.

IBM has chalked out plans to expand its business development processes to smaller cities in the country over the next couple of years. The company plans to spread its footprint to 45 cities of India. At present, a large part of the company’s business comes from the metropolitan cities such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.

“Business activities of small and medium business enterprises are increasing at a fast pace in smaller cities of the country and it is logical for us to expand our footprint across the country,” said Nipun Mehrotra, vice president, general business, IBM India and South Asia. He said with the growth of Indian economy, the small and medium enterprises would flourish and opportunities would increasingly come up in cities such as Ranchi, Ludhiana, Tirupur and Jharsuguda, among others.

Following is from http://eylex.co.in/Pages/Sambalpur.aspx. The mall in Sambalpur is promoted by K.K. Homes (a local Developer of Sambalpur) and will have a three screen multiplex with 800 seats. Its target Operational date is March 2011.

Following is the picture from http://eylex.co.in/Pages/Jharsugda.aspx.

 

 

Odisha port connectivity plans

Choumukha-Kirtania, Balasore (Creative ports, Chennai interested), Dhamara port (under constr.), Railways, Roads, highways and Bus stands, Talsari (Bichitrapur) - JSW interested 2 Comments »

Following are excerpts from a report in Business Standard.

"The Government of India has announced a major policy initiative to offer Viability Gap Finding (VGF) for providing road and rail connectivity to the minor ports. As per this policy, the Government of India will bear 50 per cent of the cost for the road and rail infrastructure, the state government will provide 30 per cent while the remaining 20 per cent will be borne by the port developers”, G K Dhal, principal secretary (commerce & transport) said.

For the proposed port at Bichitrapur in Balasore district, the road connectivity would be between Jaleshwar and Bichitrapur while the rail connectivity would be from Digha to Bichitrapur.Similarly, for the port proposed at Subarnarekha mouth, also in Balasore district, the road connectivity is proposed between Basta and Choumukha whereas the rail connectivity would be from Haldipada to Choumukha.

The road connectivity for the Dhamara port in Bhadrak district has been envisaged from Jamujhadi on NH-5 to the port site. The rail link is being developed between Bhadrak and Dhamara.

… "The Orissa government has also proposed an industrial corridor on the Meramandali-Angul-Talcher-Chhendipada belt linking the coal mines, power plants and steel plants. Rail India Technical & Economic Services (Rites), the consultancy arm of Indian Railways, has submitted a draft feasibility report in this regard which is under the scrutiny of the state government. The Orissa government intends to form a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the purpose. This common corridor will be co-habited by multiple players and can be financed by participative funding”, he added.

POSCO gets green signal from EAC of MOEF with many conditions: DNA

ENVIRONMENT, Jagatsinghpur, Paradip - Jatadhari - Kujanga, POSCO, Steel, Thermal 2 Comments »

Update: A DNA report the next day has this to say:

The favourable stand taken by the expert appraisal committee (EAC) on the POSCO steel plant in Orissa does not ensure an automatic green signal to the project, environment minister Jairam Ramesh has said.

EAC’s positive recommendations are seen as a precursor to the ministry’s clearance for a project. Set up under the environment impact assessment notification of 2006, the committee assesses a range of issues related to a proposed project and recommends whether or not to grant approval to it. The ministry generally goes by its recommendation.

Ramesh clarified that a final decision on POSCO would be taken only after two weeks. The response has again put the fate of India’s biggest foreign direct investment project in doubt.


Following is from a report in DNA.

After running into several hurdles, the Rs51,000-crore POSCO steel plant project in Orissa has finally received the green signal from environment minister Jairam Ramesh. The decision comes as a big relief for the Indian industry which has been under tremendous pressure due to objections raised by the ministry over environment issues.

The steel project, being promoted by South Korean steel major POSCO in Jagatsinghpur district of Orissa, is the biggest foreign investment in the country. It was put on hold after the ministry cited violations of environment and forest laws by the company. The decision of the expert appraisal committee (EAC) of the ministry followed several public hearings and meetings with officials of POSCO India limited and the state government.

The EAC, however, has imposed tough conditions — running into 80 clauses — on the promoters. The most important of these is that at least 5% of the total cost of the project should be earmarked for corporate social responsibility. This means, POSCO will need to set aside at least Rs2,000 crore for this purpose only.

The committee also announced the resettlement and rehabilitation policy for tribals and fishermen to be affected by the project. Of 4,004 acres of the project area, 3,566 acres is revenue forest land. The company has acquired nearly 100 acres for resettlement of 418 families. The compensation for betel vine growers has been doubled and fishermen would get Rs2,00,000 per acre of prawn pond. Earlier, there was no compensation norm for fishermen.

The committee agreed that the plant area of 4,000 acres is compact for a 12 MTPA integrated steel plant with a captive power generation capacity and a port. It said construction of the port and development of greenery within the plant on 1,000 acres (25% of plant area) should commence simultaneously with the plant’s construction and be completed within eight years.

The project proposes establishing an integrated steel plant which will have an initial capacity of four MTPA and final capacity of 12 MTPA. It will have a captive port and a power plant of 400 MW. The EAC agreed with the seasonal basis on which the clearance was recommended in 2007 but insisted that on the basis of comprehensive environment impact assessment (EIA) report placed before it, aspects set out in subsequent paragraphs of these minutes must be revisited during the implementation of the project and conformity to norms verified and reported to the ministry.

The promoters have been asked to take steps to check vehicular pollution during transportation of raw material and finished products as well as dust emission during loading and unloading.

Raw material shall be stacked at earmarked sites in sheds/stockyards with wind breakers/shields and secure of fire hazard.

NTPC operations and plans for Odisha; includes a medical and engineering college

Coal, Dharitri (in Odia), Engineering and MCA Colleges, GRIDCO, Medical, nursing and pharmacy colleges, NTPC, Odisha govt. action, Thermal Comments Off on NTPC operations and plans for Odisha; includes a medical and engineering college

Following is from Dharitri.

Swosti group plans resorts in Puri and Satapada and around Chilika lake

Hotels and resorts, Khordha, Puri 2 Comments »

Following is an excerpt from a report in Hospitality Biz India.

… All the resorts are expected to be operational within the next 30 months. Swosti Group currently operates Hotel Swosti and Swosti Premium in Bhubaneswar and Swosti Palm Resort in Gopalpur-on–sea (Ganjam district).

Speaking with Hospitality Biz, J K Mohanty, Chairman, Swosti Group said, “Rural Tourism is a big source of employment for the rural youth. Looking at the potential of Rural Tourism, Swosti Group plans to open resorts in rural areas around Chilka Lake, Satapada and Puri in Orissa. Targeted to corporates as well as high-end Indian and foreign tourists, these projects will have villas, spas, entertainment activities, cruising service along with convention facilities. Eminent consultants and architects are involved in planning and designing of these projects, which are likely to come up in next two years.”

Swosti Chandan Spa Retreat, which is likely to come up in Puri, will have 106-rooms (including eight suites). “However, we are awaiting an approval from the Coastal Regulatory Zone authorities for the Puri property,” informed Mohanty. The resort near Chilka Lake, which is Asia’s largest brackish water lake famous for migratory birds and dolphins, will have 72 cottages. The resort will have spa, health club, gymnasium, restaurants, conference facilities and a landscape spread across nine acres of land. The luxury resort in Satapada will have 43 rooms. …

Global Hospital’s 300 bed unit in Bhubaneswar to be ready by April 2011

Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri, HEALTHCARE and HOSPITALS, Khordha 1 Comment »

Following is an excerpt from a report in pharmabiz.com.

The Hyderabad-based Global Hospitals Group, one of the fastest growing super specialty care and multi-organ transplantation hospitals in India, is lined up to open three new hospitals in Mumbai, Kolkata and Bhubaneswar respectively by April next year. It is also planning to open one in Delhi

In a major expansion move in its 12-year old history, the group, which already has its presence in Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore, will make a total investment of Rs.700 crore in the upcoming hospitals in Bhubaneswar Mumbai and Kolkata. The Mumbai facility will have a bed capacity of 400 beds, Bhubaneswar and Kolkata 300 each. … All the upcoming facilities will have a special focus on organ transplantation. It will also have facilities for latest technologies such as stem cell therapy. At present the group has strength of total 500 doctors in the existing hospitals in Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad.

In a telephonic conversation with Chronicle Pharmabiz, Dr Ravindranath, CMD, Global Hospitals Group, said, "The new hospitals in Mumbai, Kolkata and Bhubaneswar will be ready by next April. We have already raised funds for the same and construction work is in progress."

Taiwan-based NuLight Corporation plans to invest $200 million on setting up a light emitting diode (LED) manufacturing unit in Odisha

Electronics, Invest Bhubaneswar 3 Comments »

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard on this.

Taiwan-based NuLight Corporation plans to invest $200 million (around Rs 900 crore) on setting up a light emitting diode (LED) manufacturing unit in the state. The unit will manufacture LED street lamps and household bulbs.

“Initially, we will invest $10 million and later scale it up to $900 million on the LED manufacturing unit in the state. Orissa as well as India has a vast market for LED street lamps and household bulbs. It will be cost-effective and energy-efficient”, S S Lin, chairman of NuLight Corporation said at a press meet held on the occasion of ‘Invest Bhubaneswar-Orissa Symposium’.

The company also intends to set up an R&D (Research and Development) centre in the state on LED systems. Lin claimed that LED lighting systems can bring down power consumption by 70-80 per cent.

Daniel Lin, director, NuLight Corporation said, “We also have plans to build a green township in the state but details have not been finalized.”

Following is a excerpt from a report in Orissadiary.

Another senior functionary from Nulight Corporation said that his company is exploring the possibilities to invest and transfer technology to make Bhubaneswar a green city. “We are talking with Indian players to work together on this project.” he said.

This is wonderful news for several reasons. The Odisha government should help in speedy establishment of this and not make any hype about it. The reason this is wonderful is:

  • Taiwan is a country of business owners.
  • Taiwan invests a huge amount in China and other asian countries.
  • Taiwan is a leader in electronics manufacturing and is earning names in semiconductor manufacturing.
  • While there are IT hubs, auto hubs, etc. in India, India still does not have an electronic hub. So if Odisha plays it right it could go from one Taiwaneese electronics company to many and distinguish itself. It needs to be vigilant on the environmental aspects from day 1.

To read more about Taiwan check out this article in moneyweek. Following is an excerpt.

Taiwanese companies such as semiconductor foundry TSMC design and make many of the most advanced components that go into modern electronics. And increasingly, firms such as HTC, Acer and Asus are taking the next step up the value chain and establishing themselves as consumer brands in their own right.

Fiscal deficits of various states in India in 2009-2010

CENTER & ODISHA, Odisha govt. action, Odisha govt. Inaction, State of the state Comments Off on Fiscal deficits of various states in India in 2009-2010

The following is from a slideshow in rediff.

 State  Fiscal Deficit 2009-2010 in crores of Rupees
 Maharashtra  26,562
 Uttar Pradesh  23,299
 West Bengal  22,984
 Andhra Pradesh  16,152
 Gujarat  12,148
 Tamil Nadu  11,823
 Punjab  9,660
 Haryana  8,557
 Karnataka  8,493
 Rajasthan  8,420
 Madhya Pradesh  6,436
 Orissa  6,004
 Kerala  5,681
 Jharkhand  4,232
 Bihar  3,696
 Chhatisgarh  2,564
 Goa  1,389
 Special Category states  
 Assam 10,864
Delhi 2,890
J & K 2,205
Uttarakhand 2,071
Himachal Pradesh 1,592
Tripura 1,277
Arunachal Pradesh 1,118
UT of Puducherry 901
Meghalaya 614
Nagaland 591
Sikkim 457
Manipur 407
Mizoram 212

The slideshow in rediff has the following to say about Odisha.

Its capital is Bhubaneswar. Orissa has abundant natural resources and a large coastline.

It contains a fifth of India’s coal, a quarter of its iron ore, a third of its bauxite reserves and most of the chromite.

It receives unprecedented investments in steel, aluminium, power, refineries and ports. India’s topmost IT consulting firms, including Mahindra Satyam, Tata Consultancy Services, MindTree Consulting, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Infosys have large branches in Orissa.

Rushab Ship Consultant plans to run Puri-Kolakta passenger-cum-cargo cruise and establish a ship breaking place

Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri, Invest Bhubaneswar, Puri, Shipyard 2 Comments »

Following is an excerpt from a report in bizodisha.com.

Rushab Ship International Consultant is in talks with the Odisha government to introduce a passenger-cum-cargo cruise from Puri to Kolkatta in next three to six months with an investment of Rs 100 crore.

Addressing on the second day of the Invest Bhubaneswar, Rashmikant Kamdar, president, Rushab Ship International Consultant said, “We are having one or two vessels for this purpose. We are in talks with the state government and expect to finalise the deal soon.”

The  cruise can be used for multi purpose for ferrying passengers and cargo. There will be entertainment facility also for the passenger, he said.

Kamdar said that we are also planning  to have ship breaking place in Odisha. Odia labourers are working as ship breakers in Alang in Gujarat. “They can be employed in the ship breaking place in Odisha”, he said.

The web page of this company is http://www.rushabship.com/index.php. Its current address is given as Edison, NJ.

Address
Rushab Ship Consultant, Inc.
43 Jonathan Drive
Edison, New Jersey 08820
USA

Odisha third during April-September (H1) 2010 in planned investments with a total of Rs. 1,134,716 crore

Investment ranking Comments Off on Odisha third during April-September (H1) 2010 in planned investments with a total of Rs. 1,134,716 crore

Following is an excerpt from a report in orissadiary.com.

As per the Assocham Investment Meter (AIM) assessment report for corporate investments across states and sectors, total investment plans of India Inc. increased significantly from Rs. 7,971,464 crore in 2009 to Rs. 10,097,472 crore during the period of April-September, 2010. Among the 20 major states Gujarat, Maharashtra and Orissa carved out a majority share of 13.2 per cent, 11.4 per cent and 11.2 per cent respectively.

… Among the top investment attracting states, Gujarat remains on the top registering the highest share of 13.2 per cent in domestic investment plans during the period of April-September, 2010. The state witnessed Rs. 1,330,743 crore worth of capex plans which are 17.3 per cent higher as compared to the total investment realized in the state during the past year. Also, the state attracted majority of investment plans in the power, manufacturing and services sectors.

Similarly, Maharashtra stood at second position registering growth of 19.3 per cent (Y-o-Y) and 13.2 per cent share of the total investments made during April-September 2010-11. The state attracted whopping investments plans of Rs. 1,154,197 crore during the said period. The Services and Real Estate were the prominent among the sectors that attracted majority share of the investments.

The availability of rich mineral resources such as coal and iron ore along with cheap availability of manpower helped Orissa to rank amongst the top three states in attracting corporate investments.

The state was ranked third on investment radar with total planned investments stood at Rs. 1,134,716 crore during the H1 period of FY’11. The state recorded a hike of about 20.0 per cent in overall investments over the previous year. Among the sectors Manufacturing and Power companies have received the major proportion of the investments.

Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh stood at fourth and fifth position by attracting investment plans worth Rs. 915,060 crore and Rs. 866,776 crore respectively during in H1 of 2010.

City bus service in Bhubaneswar starts in three more routes

Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack, Khordha 4 Comments »

Following is an excerpt from a report in Telegraph.

The new routes on which the bus service started are KIIT to Uttara, Phulanakhara to Nuagaon and Sai temple to Khandagiri. People have been demanding bus service on these routes for the last two months. The chairman of Dream Team Sahara (DTS), Nishikant Mishra said six buses will ply on each of the new routes. The number of buses plying on the routes would be raised to 10 later, he said.

The city bus service had so far been operational on just two routes —Nandan Kanan to Airport and Dumuduma to VSS Nagar. Officials said the buses would start plying on another route — Master Catneen to Khurda — by the end of this year.

Paralakhemundi to have broad gauge passenger train service from the 18th December 2010; Hirakhand Express extended to Jagdalpur (via Jeypore) from the same day

Gajapati, Koraput, Koraput- Jeypore- Sunabedha- Damanjodi, Naupada - Gunupur (Gauge conversion), Railway Budget 2010, Vizag ..Shimiliguda - Koraput - Dhanapur ..Kirandul 9 Comments »

Following is an excerpt from a report in Orissadiary.

217 Puri-Palasa passenger which is leaving Puri at 07.50a.m and arriving Palasa at 03.25p.m will leave Palasa at 04.30p.m and will arrive at Paralakhemundi at 06.45p.m in the extended portion. In the return direction, 218 Paralakhemundi-Puri Passenger will leave Paralakhemundi at 07.45a.m and will arrive at Puri at 09.05p.m.

This train will stop at Pundi, Rauthpuram, Naupada, Tekkali, Pedasana, Temburu, Ganguvada, and Pathapatnam between Palasa and Paralakhemundi. The timings of 217/218 Puri-Paralakhemundi-Puri passenger will remain unchanged between Puri & Palasa. The train will run as a special train on the flagging off day of the extended portion and the regular run will be from Puri w.e.f 19th December and from Paralakhemundi w.e.f 20th Dec’2010.

8447 Bhubaneswar-Koraput Hirakhand Express, which is leaving Bhubaneswar at 07.35p.m and arriving Koraput at 09.45a.m on the next day, will leave Koraput at 10.05a.m and will arrive at Jagadalpur at 12.40p.m in the extended portion. In the return direction, 8448 Jagadalpur-Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express will leave Jagadalpur at 03.30p.m and will arrive at Bhubaneswar at 08.25a.m on the next day.

This train will stop at Jeypore and Jagadalpur in the extended portion. The timings of 8447/8448 Bhubaneswar-Jagadalpur-Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express will remain unchanged between Bhubaneswar and Koraput. The train will run as a special train on the day of flagging off of the extended portion and the regular run will be from Bhubaneswar on 18th December and from Jagadalpur from 19th Dec’2010.

Who will pay for the lost 10 crore/year developmental work in the Lanjigarh area

Aluminium, Anil Agarwal, Bauxite, CENTER & ODISHA, EXPOSING ANTI-ODISHA-GROWTH SCHEMES, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Supreme Court 4 Comments »

Following is an excerpt from a report in Economic Times.

After stopping bauxite mining in Orissa the government now finds itself in a bind on the issue of rehabilitation in Lanjigarh. Corporate-backed developmental activities in the tribal region, one of the most backward places in the country, have come to a standstill following the environment ministry’s ban on mining.

The Anil Agarwal-controlled Sterlite Industries had been ordered by the Supreme Court in August 2008 to spend about 5% of its profit for development activity at Lanjigarh.

Since the environment ministry in August 2010 had barred mining, the rehabilitation package which includes about Rs 10 crore of annual development activity including the building of roads, schools and hospitals, has now been stopped.

"If disbursement from the development fund were to continue, it would imply approval of mining which would be contrary to the ministry’s order," said one person directly involved in the developmental work. On August 30, 2010, the ministry of environment and forests issued a notice barring bauxite mining in Niyamgiri on grounds of violation of environmental norms.

According to the same person quoted earlier, if the government asks Sterlite to stop developmental activity it would amount to contempt of court as it would go against the Supreme Court directive.

"Under our order we suggested rehabilitation package under which Sterlite Industries is required to deposit 5% of annual profits before tax and interest from Lanjigarh project or Rs 10 crore per annum whichever is higher," said the Supreme Court order. "The said project covers both mining and refining. The amount is required to be deposited by Sterlite Industries every year commencing from April 1, 2007. For the above reasons, we hereby grant clearance to the forest diversion proposal," read the order dated August 8, 2008.

… Among the projects which have been left uncertain include a Rs 3 crore hospital and a Rs 1.8 crore tribal school upgradation in the Lanjigarh block.

I hope the central government will consider paying this lost amount of 10 crores/year for developmental activities in that area.

 

Sohala Ana Odia restaurants in Bhubaneswar: Ad from Dharitri

Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri, Food joints, Khordha, Odia/Odisha cuisine Comments Off on Sohala Ana Odia restaurants in Bhubaneswar: Ad from Dharitri

(We welcome reviews of this restaurant.)

13th Finance Commission projects Odisha to be number 2 in the country in its growth between 2010-11 and 2014-15

CENTER & ODISHA, EXPOSING ANTI-ODISHA-GROWTH SCHEMES, Investment ranking 3 Comments »

Following is an excerpt from gujaratmoney.com.

… in the GSDP(Gross State Domestic Product) growth projected by the country’s apex finance panel-13th Finance Commission for next five years(from 2010-11 to 2014-15) in the country after Goa(in the first position) and Orissa(2nd position).

The panel has projected that Gujarat’s GSDP will grow in next five years at average 12.46%(projection based on the base year 2007-08) while the highest growth has been projected for Goa(13.06%) and Orisssa(12.63%). While others states to grow at 12% plus are Haryana(12.30%) and Chattisgarh(12.28%). The other states which are projected to grow at 11% plus are Jharkhand(11.5%), Assam(11.32%) and Meghalaya(11.9%).

States with 10% plus growth projections are Karnatka(10.53%), Rajasthan(10.33%), Kerala and Himachal Pradesh(10.30%), Jammu & Kashmir(10.25%), Uttrakhand(10.17%) West Bengal(10.04%) and Andhra Pradesh(10.03%). Maharashtra, Taminadu and others state are expected to grow at 9% or below that.

Though projections have been made for Gujarat in top three GSDP growth states but the incremental growth(year to year improvement) rate has been projected as one of the lowest. For the same period incremental growth of Gujarat has been projected at 2.04% while for Maharashtra, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh its has been projected at 4.57, 4.46, 4.47, 4.24, 4.20 and UP 4.01% respectively.

One needs to worry about the negative impact of the anti-growth and anti-Odisha agenda of the prince of Congress and the environment ministry. The PM is a saving grace; but if the prince takes over then Odisha as well as India are doomed.