Swine flu toll at 44

Bhubaneswar: Two more persons died of swine flu on Thursday, taking the death toll from the disease to 44 in the state this season. The two died at two city-based private hospitals. The health department has tested 1,136 samples out of which 365 were found to be positive. Four persons were diagnosed with the disease on Thursday from 25 tested samples at the designated laboratory.   

Health care

Bhubaneswar: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking for the Centre's support in setting up a Tata Memorial Centre in the state to provide quality cancer treatment and high-end research facility. He said the centre would be of invaluable service to the poor patients of Odisha and neighbouring states.

Rape charge

Rourkela: Biramitrapur MLA George Tirkey's son, Rajesh, was charged with rape on the pretext of marriage. The incident came to the fore after a girl lodged a complaint with the Rourkela Mahila police. According to reports, the police have registered a case under sections 376 and 294 of the Indian Penal Code and launched an investigation. However, neither the MLA nor his son responded to the allegations.

Baby killed

Nabarangpur: A man hacked his 30-month-old son to death with an axe in Nabarangpur on Thursday. Sonu Gonda of Katualapara village in Bobei panchayat under Raighar block all of a sudden hacked the child with an axe around noon while he was playing in the courtyard of their house, reports said.

Infant found

Kendrapara: A newborn baby was found abandoned at a temple near Chandapur in Kendrapara district on Thursday. Saraswati Sethi, a resident of the village, spotted the infant after hearing her wail while she was plucking flowers on the premises of Sanischara temple in the early hours. She rescued the infant, who was suffering from cold, and rushed her to the district headquarters hospital.

Project protest

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Thursday took exception to the work for construction of a rail line for the National Thermal Power Corporation Limited project at Lara on the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border in Jharsuguda district. The district administration on Thursday rushed to the spot after villagers alleged that the Chhattisgarh government had begun the work without any mandatory public hearing.  Earlier, the Odisha government had raised objection to the Chhattisgarh government’s unilateral construction of barrage on the upper Mahanadi.

Jharsuguda collector Bibhuti Bhusan Patnaik  said: “We made a spot visit and found that they were constructing the rail line on the other side of the pillar post. But, the villagers alleged that the pillar posts were set up on the Odisha border during the construction. I have asked the local tehsildar to conduct a survey and submit report.”

Liquor sale

Balasore: Hundreds of women torched huge stocks of country liquor at Baunsapala village in Balasore on Thursday.