Naveen seeks aid from Ramesh, Pawar

bhubaneswar: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday demanded special assistance of Rs 3,265 crore from the Centre for repair of rural infrastructure damaged in the recent floods in the state. Naveen met Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh and agriculture minister Sharad Pawar. Naveen asked for assistance of Rs 1,000 crore for providing road connectivity in coastal and non-Naxalite-hit districts while he demanded separate grants of Rs 1,200 crore for undertaking road projects in nine Maoist-hit districts in the state.

Two held

Sambalpur: The Jujomura police of Sambalpur on Thursday arrested two persons for allegedly demanding money and issuing threats over phone. The police have arrested sarpanch of Meghpal gram panchayat Rajiv Jhankar and Satyanarayan Bhoi of Kisinda in this connection. The police said Rajiv Jhankar and Satyanarayan Bhoi were demanding Rs 1 lakh from villager Rabi Kanta.

Croc killed

Kendrapara: People living near the river system of the Bhitarkanika wildlife sanctuary have allegedly hacked a baby crocodile to death. The body of the slain three-foot reptile was spotted on Thursday near Kalamdi village under Aul police station’s jurisdiction. It had marks of injury on the body and it could be conclusively said it was a case of unnatural death, said forest officials.

BJP arrest

Bhubaneswar: Bhadrak police have booked BJP’s Bonth block president and former local panchayat samity chairman Hara Prasad Behera under the National Security Act (NSA). Police took him into custody on October 16 following a complaint by Bonth block development officer P.K. Prusty. Demanding Behera’s immediate release, BJP state unit president Jual Oram, said: “The authorities have arrested him and booked him under NSA on flimsy grounds with political vendetta in mind.”

One dead

Bhubaneswar: Maoists killed a ward member in Badhugaon block of Koraput district on Thursday and triggered a blast at Kiriburu in which a CRPF vehicle was partially damaged. The jawans travelling in the vehicle had a narrow escape. Sources said Puala Sadaram, a ward member from Sanakamara was picked up from his village by a group of armed rebels, who suspected him to be a police informer, on Wednesday.

Leader quits

BHUBANESWAR: Former Puri MLA and senior BJP leader Uma Ballav Rath on Thursday resigned from the party. Rath said he wanted to go beyond the party lines to lead the movement for protection of the Jagannath land. “It will be difficult to lead the movement, staying in a particular party,” he said.