Phulbani - Berhampur Rail Line 2010 Rail Budget

Bhubaneswar: Breaking News! Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee did not offer much to the people of Orissa in her West Bengal-specific Railway Budget 2010, but people in distant regions such as Malkangiri, Nabarangpur and Phulbani will have something to celebrate.

Several new train routes were announced in the 2010 Railway Budget. The follwing new train lines have been allocated for Orissa:

  • Phulbani-Berhampur
  • Jeypore-Malkangiri
  • Raipur-Jharsuguda
  • Puri-Konark
  • Nabarangpur-Jeypore

In addition, survey will be made for new train lines in Talcher-Phulbani-Lanjigarh and Gunpur-Theruball-Junagarh-Jeypore route. Delang-Puri and Talcher-Sambalpur will have double track rain lines.

The Railway Minister announced 10 Duronto trains in the Railway Budget 2010. There will be one Duronto Express between Howrah-Puri. Not surprisingly, West Bengal got 5 Duronto trains.

Kandhamal visit 'satisfactory': EU diplomats' team

Phulbani (Orissa), Feb 5 2010 The EU delegation of diplomats today termed as "fruitful" and "satisfactory" their two-day visit to riot-hit Kandhamal but said they were "concerned" over sufferings of some people in the district.

"We had a very good meeting with the Kandhamal district administration. It is fruitful. We had open and frank discussion. It helped us in understanding the situation and understanding happenings over the past 15 months," said Gabriele Annis, the first secretary (political and counsellor) from Embassy of Italy.

Annis said during the visit the delegation met all people concerned, communities and stake holders.

Replying to a question on relief and rehabilitation measures undertaken by the state government, he said, "Of course, there is always need for more."

Asked on the EU's observation on the post-riot situation in Kandhamal, Annis said they were still gathering information

Three die in bus accident in Orissa

Berhampur: Three persons were killed and 40 others injured today when the bus they were travelling in fell off a road in Orissa's Ganjam district.The mishap occurred when the Berhampur-bound bus from Baliguda in Kandhamal district was negotiating a turn on the Ghat road near Gajalbadi, about 100 km from here," Ganjam SP Nitinjeet Singh said.
The injured, some of them in serious condition, were being treated at the hospitals at Daringibadi in Kandhamal district and Sorada in Ganjam district.
The police and fire brigade had rushed to the spot even as locals were engaged in rescue operation and helping the passengers moving to hospitals.
The dead persons were yet to be identified and Singh said efforts are on to provide medicine to the passengers.

Kandhamal ku europio sanga deba 15 niuta euro.

EU diplomats begin Kandhamal visit

Phulbani (Orissa), Feb 4 2010 Amidst tight security, a 11-member EU diplomat delegation today began its Kandhamal visit, about 25 months after the large scale ethno-communal violence in the district.

Diplomats belonging to nine European countries of Spain, Hungary, Poland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Finland and Sweden along with two senior officials of the EU's India office, reached Nandagiri rehabilitation camp, about 55 km from here.

The EU diplomats who were earlier denied permission twice to visit the communally-fragile Kandhamal, finally met the riot affected people.

The delegation had, however, met some of the victims earlier in Bhubaneswar.

Nandagiri, the place where at least 52 riot affected families were rehabilitated after violence, was the first choice of the delegation, an official said adding that people from Batikela were provided land and funds to set up their house at the camp.

Kandhamal Violence Had Impact in Europe'

Date : 02 Feb 2010
The communal violence in Orissa's Kandhamal, which claimed 38 lives including Christian Dalits' and Hindu tribals, had its impact on the people of Europe, visiting diplomats from nine European Union countries said today.

"The EU diplomats said people in their countries wanted to know about the ground situation at Kandhamal," a journalist present among the group of mediapersons invited to an informal chat with the diplomats here, said.

The EU diplomats also informed the media persons that they were anxious to know about the condition of the violence-affected people 25 months after the riot in Kandhamal.

Since the EU decided to fund some development activities in Orissa, they wanted to assess the ground situation, especially whether communal harmony prevailed now, said another scribe.

While the diplomats met a select group of scribes from particular media houses at a posh hotel here, a large number of journalists, mostly from local media, expressed their displeasure for being left out by the EU team.

The visiting delegation said it discussed with journalists different issues relating to riot in Kandhamal.

"We collected information from church leaders on how the state government acted after the riot and condition of victims", Christopher Manet, political counsellor in the EU delegation to India, said.

The 11-member delegation met church leaders including Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar diocese Rapheal Cheenath in the evening.

"We have told them that complete normalcy was yet to return to Kandhamal though there had been no violence in the district for the last one year," Cheenath told reporters after the meeting.