Iron ore auction

Bhubaneswar: The state government on Monday said it will announce the names of qualified bidders for the Ghorhaburhani-Sagasahi iron ore block, located at Koida mining sector in Sundargarh district on February 25. Mines director Deepak Mohanty informed the media after the first meet of the technical committee.

Suicide bid

Sambalpur: A CRPF official of the 12th battalion allegedly attempted suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle at the paramilitary barrack in Deogarh on Monday. Assistant sub-inspector B.N. Rao’s colleagues rushed to the spot and found him lying in a pool of blood. He was admitted to the Deogarh Government Hospital and later shifted to Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Burla. Rao is a native of West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh.

CBI remand

Bhubaneswar: A CBI court on Monday granted permission to take Shivaji Chauhan, one of the directors of Astha International, a money deposit collection company, in remand till February 22. Chauhan, who was earlier arrested by the police in Gujarat, was produced in the CBI court. The company allegedly swindled crores of rupees from thousands of investors across the state.

Nandankanan

Bhubaneswar: The forest department has decided to raise the entry fee of Nandankanan Zoological Park, which would come in to effect from March 1. The entry fees for adult visitors has been raised from Rs 20 to Rs 25 while for children between three and 12 years, the ticket price will go up from Rs 5 to Rs 10. However, the entry fees for foreigners remained unchanged at Rs 100 per person.

Nalco

Bhubaneswar: Aluminium major Nalco will invest Rs 20,550 crore in expanding its alumina refinery at Damanjodi and setting up an aluminium park at Angul.

Rape cuffs

Baripada: Two persons were arrested on charges of attempting to rape a woman. The accused persons were identified as Bablu Kisku, 20, and Sriram Hembram, 25, of Chandabila.