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The following is from http://jcdl.in/about.htm.

JCDL is a unique public-private partnership between IDCO and Industries supported by Government of India & Government of Orissa. JCDL has been formed with the objective of undertaking infrastructure development of Steel & Metallurgical Cluster, Jajpur under Industrial Infrastructure Up-gradation Scheme of the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Government of India.

JCDL was incorporated on 9.3.2004 as 100% IDCO owned. Pursuant to the restructuring proposal approved by the Industries Department, Government of Orissa vide their letter vide No. 22474 dated 24.12.2004, Kalinganagar Industries Association (KIA), an Association of industries in the Kalinganagar Industrial Complex. Jajpur has subscribed to the equity capital of JCDL. Now, KIA holds 51% equity capital in JCDL whereas the equity held by IDCO is 49%.

Current approved sub-projects (from http://jcdl.in/app_proj.htm):

Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Government of India had approved Steel & Metallurgical Cluster development project with outlay of Rs.62.50 crores vide their letter No. 5/23/2004/DBA-1 dated 4.8.2004, which was further revised to Rs.80.60 crores vide their letter No. 5/23/1/2004/DBA-I dated 3.4.2006. 

The source of funding includes GOI grant of Rs. 47 crores, Rs. 15.50 crores to be contributed by the stakeholders, and Rs.18.10 crores by IDCO.

The sub-projects sanctioned for implementation with;

Sl. No.	Project	Project Cost (Rs. in crores)
1.	Augmentation of water supply scheme	14.00
2.	Strengthening and up-gradation of Old Military road	26.00
3 .	Road development in Utility corridors	30.60
4 .	Setting up of Central Tool Room	3.00
5.	Up-gradation of power distribution infrastructure	4.50
6.	Development of common facilities centre including Information & Communication infrastructure	2.50
	TOTAL	80.60

 

Following is an excerpt from Statesman on this.

State tourism and excise minister Mr Debi Prasad Mishra today declared that Talasari beach, one of the most famous tourist spots of Balasore district will be developed as a special tourism zone.  ..

… The infrastructure will be developed for the middle and high-middle class tourists in mind, the official sources maintained.

The minister informed that a ‘Sea Festival’ will be organized in third week of April for publicity and creation of awareness on the tourist spot. For the maiden year, the festival will be organized for about three or five days, the minister said adding that tourism and excise department will support it. The sports and youth affairs department will organize a beach sports competition on the occasion.

See also the article and the pictures in tathya.in.

Ecotourism plan for Balianta and Balipatna near Bhubaneswar:

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

The Tatas were provided 3,088 acres at Gopalpur in Ganjam district to set up a mega steel plant in the mid 1990s.

However, the company later shelved the project. The stretch included 2,295.95 acres of private land and 792.65 acres of government land.

The minister, however, pointed out that the company has deposited the revenue for the allotted land for 25 years at the rate fixed for the concerned villages.

Replying to questions in the state assembly, the minister said, "Out of the leased land, the company has set up a technical training centre over 10.2 acres. The surplus land, which was acquired for setting up of the steel plant, is lying vacant since 1997.

Similarly, the Tatas were provided 252.17 acres in Keonjhar district by the former king of Keonjhar.

It was given for the purpose of setting up a workshop (3 acres), rent-free houses (90 acres), roads (10 acres), tram ways (11.25 acres), temple or church (3 acres) and a malaria prevention programme (134.92 acres).

This lease was renewed till 31st March 1997 and the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (northern range) sent the proposal for the second renewal to the revenue department on 19th September 2007.

Out of the land leased Keonjhar, the company is using 48.772 acres for buildings, 85.415 acres for a ferro-manganese complex, 10.874 acres for roads, 1.074 acres for a tramline, 11.539 acres for a temple, church, mosque and hospital.

There is 69.689 acres of vacant land. Samal stated that the use of 85.415 acres by the company for the ferro-manganese industry violates the objectives of the original lease.

The Top 7 in its list are:

1. Bangalore (population: 6.37 million )
2. Hyderabad (population: 6.2 million)
3. Chennai (population: 7.2 million)
4. Pune (population: 5.07 million)
5. Kolkata (population: 15.18 million)
6. Delhi (population: 18.36 million)
7. Bhubaneswar (population: 1.636 million)

About Bhubaneswar, it says:

Once famed for its Sun Temple, the capital of Orissa is fast emerging as a major player in the outsourcing industry. The city accounts for almost all of the IT revenue of Orissa and is one of the fastest growing regions in India in this sector.

The city is home to more than 30 engineering colleges. Although Orissa has a planned investment of $90 billion for the IT sector, the road to success is fraught with hindrances. Land acquisitions for some of these projects have been opposed by the local people as well as by environmentalists.

From Today’s TOI Editorial:

Along with policing, however, other arms of the state machinery need to act and reach out to India’s tribal areas where Maoist insurgents are based. That means schools, roads, health care, easy credit, market access and other social welfare measures needed to mainstream India’s tribals and poor.

There’s a misguided belief that a hands-off policy is best when it comes to tribals. It becomes a handy excuse for not undertaking concerted efforts to bring them within the ambit of modernity and an Indian common market. The problem is that if government institutions don’t make serious efforts to get to India’s 84 million tribals then others will: Christian missionaries, Hindu activists, Maoist proselytisers. And that will end up strengthening the forces of both ideological extremism and regional chauvinism. Instead of ad hoc, panicky responses whenever incidents like Nayagarh happen, a long-term strategy comprising both security and welfare elements needs to be put in place to tackle the Naxalites and tone up governance in the areas that are their strongholds.

The following is from http://envfor.nic.in/fsi/sfr99/sfr.html. The maps below are also copied from there. Both talk about the status in 1999. More info on Orissa forests is at http://www.orissafdc.com/.

India:

The recorded forest area of the country, as reported by the state forest departments, is 76.52 million ha which constitutes 23.28 per cent of the total geographical area of the country.

Orissa:

The recorded forest area is 5.72 million ha, which constitutes 36.73% of the geographic area of the state. The forests are uniformly distributed in the state except in coastal districts where they are scarce. By legal status, the Reserved Forest constitutes 47.37%, Protected Forest 52.60% and Unclassed Forest 0.03%. About 0.503 million ha, constituting 8.8% of total forest area, is affected by shifting cultivation.    

There are four forest types namely Tropical Semi Evergreen, Tropical Moist Deciduous, Tropical Dry Deciduous, and Littoral and Swamp Forests.

Following is an excerpt from a report in New Indian Express.

The public carrier has decided to reintroduce the Kolkata-Bangalore flight via Bhubaneswar and Chennai on February 18. A brand new Airbus 319 would be introduced on this lucrative sector.

… The new flight will boast of business class. It will operate on all the days of the week and would leave Bangalore at 9.30 in the morning and arrive here at 1 pm and in Kolkata at 2.35 pm. It will reach Chennai at 10.15 and take off at 11.05 am.

In the return direction, the flight will take off from Kolkata at 3.25 pm and arrive here at 4.20 pm. It will leave at 5 pm and arrive in Chennai at 6.55 pm and depart at 7.45 pm. The plane will touch down in Bangalore at 8.30 pm.

The first RTP is in Hyderabad. Both RTPs will have a relationship with the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) in Hyderabad. (New indian Express also reports on this.)

Following is an excerpt from a report in Kalinga Times.

The details of the latest report titled `Status of the Tigers, Co-predators, and Prey in India ‘ (2008), published jointly by the National Tiger Conservation Authority and WII, were made public in New Delhi on Tuesday.

According to the report, Orissa has a total forest cover of 27,427 sq km with mapable tiger occupancy reported in 9,144 sq km. Orissa reported mapable leopard presence in 25,516 sq km, dhole presence in 8,215 sq km and Sloth bear presence in 43,236 sq km of forested habitat.

Amongst prey species wild pig were reported from 21,525 sq km, nilgai 711 sq km, chital from 6,040 sq km, Gaur from 2,772 sq km and sambar from 6,112 sq km of forested habitat.

“Tigers were distributed in four larger occupied units, three smaller units and sporadic occurrences largely in Southern and Central part of the State.

“The larger occupied units comprise of:
a) Simlipal Landscape comprising of 3824 sq km patch of forest has recorded tiger presence in 2 units having a total tiger occupancy of 2297 sq km with an estimated tiger population of 20 (17-34) tigers.

b) Sunabeda-Udanti-Indravati Landscape is part of a contiguous forest patch of 34,000 sq km having a tiger occupancy of 570 sq km of about 9 (7-11) tigers.

c) Tiger population in the tehsil of Malakangiri in the district of Koraput comprising the sanctuary of Balimela and Kondakamberu comprises a part of the forested patch of 6254 sq km that extends from East Godavari , Khammam and Vishakapatnam of Andhra Pradesh.

Tiger occupancy in this forest patch in Orissa was reported in 879 sq km. Sporadic tiger presence is recorded in several places within Koraput district.

d) Satkosia Landscape is part of a forest patch of 13,459 sq km and has tiger occupancy in 787 sq km with several smaller pockets reporting tiger presence. The low density population was estimated to about 6 tigers. The area covers the districts of Phulbani, Gangam, and Kalahandi,” the report said.

“The smaller tiger occupied units having between 6-8 tigers were:
a) In the forested area of Raigarha tehsil in Koraput district with a tiger occupancy of 97 sq km.

b) The tiger occupancy of 221 sq km was recorded in Sundergarh tehsil.

c) The Bargarh tehsil having an occupancy of 142 sq km.

“The total tiger population in Orissa was estimated to be 45 (37 to 53) tigers,” according to the report.

According to the recommendations made in the report, the major source population of tigers in Orissa is in Simlipal. Due to its large size and good habitat it can potentially sustain a viable population for long term conservation. It also has the potential to connect with the forests of Saranda in Jharkhand.

This is a tricky issue. If these parts are taken out of SER and put in ECOR then SER will become very small. Also, ECOR then has to give up part of the Vizag division as people in that area of Andhra Pradesh have similar complaints with respect to ECOR.