Berhampur Danda Nacha

The State Government will initiate a project to solve water problem in Berhampur town with an investment of Rs 250 crore.

A detailed project report (DPR) is being prepared for this. Under the project 125 million litres water per day will be lifted for the town from the Janivili anicut. Besides, Rs 59 crore will be invested to strengthen the existing water supply infrastructure in the town for ensuring round-the-clock supply.

Apart from strengthening of infrastructure, a storage reservoir and a new distribution network will be put in place while old and useless pipelines will be replaced. The plant for supply of water to Berhampur town at Dhakinpur will be completed by April.

Supply of water to Berhampur was discussed at a high-level meeting at the Secretariat here on Wednesday presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. After the completion of the plant, an additional 20 million litres water per day will be available to the town. The town now gets 37 million litres per day from different sources.

Berhampur MLA Ramesh Chandra Chau Patnaik, Chief Secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik, Development Commissioner RN Senapati, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister AP Padhi and senior officials attended the meeting.

The Berhampur Municipal Corporation council on Wednesday approved a budget of Rs 94.99 crore for the 2012-13 financial year.

The council meeting was chaired by Mayor Siba Sankar Das and Commissioner Akshya Mohanty.

The officials stressed achievement of targets in time for various development projects to be undertaken in the city.

They also recommended development of sanitation system in the city, construction of parking and vending zones, night shelters and mosquito control.

Renovation of various water bodies and beautification drive in the city will also be taken up.

The Olive Ridleys, the rare and endangered marine turtle species of the world, have started arriving for nesting at Rushikulya rookery in Ganjam district. The Ridleys usually start their single mating season every year in the sea near their preferred nesting coast. After the end of the mating season, most male turtles return leaving behind the females to lay their eggs. While the nesting starts

sporadically from January-end, the peak period is February.

This year, however, nesting was delayed by a month, said Berhampur DFO Ajay Kumar Jena, who is monitoring the protection of these turtles during nesting.

The DFO added that over 2,000 turtles had reached the coast in the last two days and the nesting is likely to pick up within a week. The Olive Ridleys nested on a stretch of around 2.5 km near Rushikulya rookery.

Rushikulya is one of the most preferred nesting sites of Olive Ridleys.

Jena said the mass nesting is expected to continue for a few more days as a large number of turtles are still in the sea near the coast waiting to lay their eggs in the night.

Forest Department officials and wildlife experts are monitoring the mass nesting. Data regarding arrival and laying of eggs of Ridleys are also being recorded.

Meanwhile, the fishermen of the area and tourists have been advised not enter the sea to help the mother turtles come onto the coast at night. Forest officials are keeping a vigil on tourists to maintain tranquillity at the beach, a major criterion for mass nesting.

Jena said efforts were also being made to protect the eggs from dogs and foxes which usually dig the area and devour them.

Forest officials apart, youths of nearby villages and Rushikulya sea turtle protection forum are engaged in protection of the turtle eggs.

Fishing has been banned in the area where these turtles are congregating to check turtles’ mortality at the nesting sites on account of trawlers. To check illegal entry of fishing trawlers to this region, regular patrolling is being conducted in the sea. The Government has banned all types of fishing within 10 km off Rushikulya.

A month after the double murder of a retired professor couple in Ramakrushna Nagar here, Baidyanathpur Police claimed to have solved the case. Three persons, including two college students, have been arrested in connection with the murder. On February 3, the couple Gopalkrushna Panigrahy and his wife Kamala Kumari were found dead in their house. While Gopalkrushan (65) had retired as the Zoology Professor in Berhampur University, Kamala (60) was also a retired lecturer from Khallikote Autonomous College.

Informing about the arrests on Monday, SP Saffin Ahmed said the couple were killed for money and the accused belonged to neighbouring areas. One of them is a neighbour of the couple. The SP said since the couple stayed alone and received more than ` 50,000 as pension, the youths plotted to kill them for money to clear their loans.

He refused to divulge names of the accused as the investigation is on. The accused had shot dead the couple and looted cash and gold ornaments from the house.