Tribunal seeks affidavit

Bhubaneswar: The National Green Tribunal on Friday asked the Daruthenga villagers to submit an affidavit mentioning their problems pertaining to the Bhuasuni dumping yard issue by January 12. Sources said the tribunal had, a number of times, asked for the affidavit from the petitioners, but they failed to submit the 
document on time. The green body will hold a final hearing on the dumping yard issue on January 12.

Dengue count

Cuttack: Of the 68 patients, whose blood samples were tested on Friday at SCB Medical College and Hospital, 13 were found to be dengue positive and admitted at the dengue ward. With it, the number of dengue patients in the special ward stood at 36 - 30 male and six female, excluding the three dengue patients in the ICU.

National seminar

Cuttack: The Ravenshaw University’s department of economics will organise a national seminar on “Sustainable Natural Resources Management” on November 25. The UGC-sponsored seminar will deliberate on the issues pertaining to the use and management of natural resources.

Raid on ganja cultivation  

Rayagada: A joint squad of Rayagada police and excise officials raided  Ganja cultivation fields near Sata village in Padmapur police limits in the district on Friday . Standing crops of Ganja in about 14 acres were destroyed by the joint team. The team included district additional superintendent of police Patitapaban Choudhury, excise superintendent Prasanna Kumar Acharya and the Gunupur SDPO. Police said raids will also be carried out in other places of the district.

BJP agitation

Bhubaneswar:  BJP workers on Friday staged a jail bharo  agitation in front of the Bargarh district collectorate against state’s failure to check rampant sale of spurious  pesticides in district. They also demanded the resignation of the agriculture minister Damodar Rout. As they tried to push their way into collectorate a minor scuffle ensued between them and the police. 

Body found

Malkangiri: A decapitated and another mutilated body of two middle-aged persons were retrieved on Friday from near an irrigation channel in a far-flung village, regarded as hotbed of Maoists’ activists in Malkangiri district. 

The bodies were spotted at MV 74 canal in Venkatpalam hamlet under Kalimela police station jurisdiction. The recovery of the bodies has triggered panic in the remote villages besides in neighbouring human habitations.  

Farmer  suicide

kendrapada: A 48-year-old farmer who had borrowed money for cultivation, allegedly committed suicide on Friday due to crop failure at Namatara village in Kendrapara district. This is the first instance of a farmer committing suicide in this coastal district. The debt-ridden Bhabagrahi Sutar ended his life by hanging. An unnatural death case has been registered. Investigation is on to ascertain the exact cause of the suicide, police said. 

Electrocution

Balasore: Henda Deuri, 40, died of electrocution after coming in contact with a live wire at a prawn gheri in Chandipur on Friday.

Monkey menace protest

Cuttack: Residents of Nuagada village in Athagarh on Friday blocked the Mundali-Swapneswar Road in protest against violence by a troop of monkeys that had been creating nuisance in the locality. The monkeys had grievously injured one villager on Friday morning. People of Katakia Street in Athagarh have been terrified with frequent monkey attacks that have left many villagers injured.

Funds cuffs

bhubaneswar: Police on Friday arrested three persons, including a panchayat executive officer, on the charge of embezzling funds of public projects in Rahangagorada gram panchayat under Gop block of Puri district. The arrest was made following a complaint lodged by Gop block development officer (BDO). Panchayat executive officer Naba Kishore Nayak, former panchayat samity vice-chairman Niranjan Mohapatra and former sarpanch Sulochana Swain had allegedly entered into a criminal conspiracy in defalcating Rs 12 lakh panchayat development funds, sanctioned under finance commission grants, said police inspector Sushil Kumar Mishra.

Bombs hurled

Jagatsinghpur: Two motorcycle-borne goons hurled two country-made bombs at Singhania village in Balikuda police station jurisdiction of Jagatsingpur district on Friday. The explosives were targeted towards a house in the village. But it missed the target and burst at the roadside. None were injured by the bombs, police said, adding that the country bombs were made of low-intensity explosive substances. The exact motive behind the incident is yet to be ascertained. Investigation is on to identify and arrest the culprits, the police added.

Jumbo death

baripada: The wildlife division of Baripada has begun investigation after the carcass of a male elephant was found in a forest in Podadiha section in Kaptipada range adjacent to Simlipal Wildlife Sanctuary on Thursday. The elephant is of makhna (male elephant having no tusk and wide head and trunk) variety aged around 25 years. The carcass was found by the patrolling staffs of the forest department. The jumbo might have died a natural death as there were no injury marks on it and a decision on the disposal of the carcass will be taken after the visit of the expert team.

Festival

balangir:Sargiphula-2017, the district-level students' festival organised by the department of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes development started on the premise of Government High School in Rampur on Friday. The two-day festival will showcase exhibitions by students in various categories. Chairperson of Agalpur block Sumitra Majhi inaugurated the event.

Loot

bhadrak: Goons have stolen properties worth lakhs from five shops, including two jewellery shops, in the Barikpur market after breaking open the shutters in Dhamnagar police station limits. Police are probing the case.