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Three month-long eco-retreat in Bhitarkanika this year

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Kendrapara, Oct 24 (LocalWire): The state tourism department has decided to organize a three-month-long eco-retreat festival at Bhitarkanika National Park from December 1 – February 28, in order to attract tourism to the country’s second-largest mangrove forest.

The festival will be held on the banks of the river in Nalitiapatia village near the park.

Fifteen luxury tents will be pitched for tourists; furnished with water, electricity, and parking facilities.

A cultural festival, food festival, forest trekking and visits to the nearby Pentha beach will be offered in the package, said Samarth Verma, the collector of Kendrapara.

Last year, the state government had organized a month-long marine drive eco-retreat festival commencing from 14th December at Chandrabhaga beach, near the famous sun temple at Konark.

The state tourism department will soon begin taking online bookings for the festival.

Beautiful water bodies with lush green mangrove forests along with an abundance of wildlife including crocodiles, birds, snakes and other animals are the assets of the national park.

The picturesque beauty and serenity of the park are mesmerizing. The national park attracts travelers from different corners of the country as well as the world.

“We selected Nalitiapatia village (which is 6 km away from the park) for the festival so as not to disturb the wildlife in the park,” said Bikash Ranjan Dash, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the park.

Bhitarkanika National Park is a well-known Ramsar site. It is home to a great variety of wildlife, including spotted deer, saltwater crocodiles, Water Monitors, pythons and Sambars.

It is also the home of large numbers of migratory birds in winter. The festival will generate income for the locals, added the forest officer.

A photo exhibition, seminar exhibition of films on Bhitarkanika and other wildlife will be organized during the three-month-long festival, added the officer.

Gahirmatha marine sanctuary within Bhitarkanika is the world’s largest rookery of Olive Ridley Sea Turtles.

“In an effort to attract more tourists, particularly overseas tourists, the authorities have also built cottages at Habelikothi, Gupti, and Dangamal. We are also giving emphasis to sustainable tourism to generate employment for the locals,” added the officer.

In 1975, the Ministry of Forests and Environment in collaboration with UNDP had started a crocodile breeding and rearing project in Dangamal within the park.

Thanks to the success of the project, the crocodile population started increasing in the creeks, river, and other water bodies of the park and its nearby areas.

As a result, the park is now the home of 1757 crocodiles as per this year’s crocodile census.

Ten years ago, the Guinness Book of World Records had recorded a 23-foot long salt-water crocodile in Bhitarkanika as the largest crocodile in the world.

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The idle idol-makers of Odisha

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“This is the only trade I know, it has been mastered through generations of my family. I have gone through hard times before too, but never did I dream that one day people will not be allowed to celebrate festivals.

This year I am not even thinking of income, just managing to remain alive will be enough,” lamented Dholo Behera, a well-known artisan from the Old Town area of Bhubaneswar.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dampened the spirits of Durga Puja this year.

The confusing SOPs and guidelines issued by the authorities and the courts have made matters worse.

The few orders that the idol makers received were for smaller idols. Puja Committees slashed their budgets as donations became scarce.

Prafulla Swain, organiser of the Puja Pandal at the Dak Bangla Chhak says that the government’s directives restricting the height of all idols this year, and the directive to avoid soliciting donations from devotees unless it is voluntary has hit them hard.

Dholo’s small workshop is strewn with idols of Ganesha, Khudurukuni and Vishwakarma which he had made for earlier festivals. Customers did not come, and the idols still stand in his shed, gathering dust.

Many Durga idols have already been sculpted with only the painting remaining to be done. The unfinished handiwork, straw figurines on bamboo skeletons, can be seen piled up in the corners.

Even the small idols which are usually sold during Diwali have no demand this year. A few of the idol makers also make the Ravana images which are set alight during Dussehra, but the authorities have put a stop even to this.

Any assistance from the government is far from their reach.

Idol makers, whose fine craftsmanship has been the highlight of all religious festivities for centuries, suffer in silence for their daily bread.

Many of them have started looking for alternative sources of income, some even by selling vegetables.

Earlier this year, the Central Pollution Control Board had banned the use of plastic, thermocol, and Plaster of Paris in making idols of gods and goddesses for their safe and eco-friendly immersion.

As a gesture of relief, the Centre stayed the ban on POP Ganesh idols for a year. The move is too little, too late.

“I wish I had not trained my children in our traditional occupation, they could have picked up something else. Corona has stolen away our future and our identity,” says Behera.

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15 more Corona patients die, toll touches 1229

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Bhubaneswar, Oct 24 (LocalWire) : The state government today said that 15 more Coronavirus patients have succumbed to the viral infection.

With the addition of the new cases, the total deaths due to the pandemic touched 1229 by today.

A total of 13 districts reports the new deaths. The youngest among them to die was a 39-year-old from Bhubaneswar.

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Odisha sees further dip in Corona cases

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Bhubaneswar, Oct 24 (LocalWire): The state government today said that it has added 1695 new cases of Coronavirus in the latest sample testing.

The addition of 1695 new cases hinted towards further dip in the everyday cases. With the addition of the new cases the total cases in the state touched 2.79 lakh.

Khurda district reported the highest of 183 new cases while it was followed by Balasore which saw 128 new cases.

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Villagers accuse forest officials of beating man to death, protest in front of office

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Baripada, Oct 23 (LocalWire): The family of a man who was allegedly beaten to death by forest officials on Friday, demonstrated in front of the Podadiha forest office for several hours, demanding the arrest of the forest personnel involved.

The deceased was identified as Gajendra Naik, 40, of Nachhipur village within Kaptipada police limits.

Binodini Naik, wife of the deceased, said that her husband had gone to the nearby forest to collect leaves three days ago and had not returned since.

A day after he went missing, forest officials had intimated her about her husband who had been admitted in PRM MCH. He was shifted to Cuttack SCB Medical College in Cuttack a day after the incident.

On Thursday, he died under treatment at the hospital. Later, the body was brought to Kaptipada after the autopsy.

Family members and villagers took the mortal remains of the man and placed it at the main entrance of the forest office on a cot, from midnight of Thursday till 2 pm on Friday and demanded the immediate arrest of the culprit officers who had beaten the man to death.

Binodini lodged a complaint on e-Grievance on the day of the accident, following which a UD case was registered.

When contacted, Deputy Director of Similipal Tiger Reserve, Jagyandatta Pati said that forest personnel traced the man to Bhanjabasa, whence they took him to Udala hospital and later shifted him to PRM MCH when his condition deteriorated.

When contacted, IIC of Kaptipada Sanjay Kumar Pradhan informed that the preliminary investigation revealed that more than eight people of Nachhipur village had gone to Bhanjabasa, the core area of Similipal, for poaching.

When the poachers faced the forest personnel on their way home with an elk, they scattered.

Gajendra was injured after falling into a well in the forest.

The tension was dissipated after the forest officials provided a sum of Rs. 5000 to the kin of the deceased for the cremation rituals. The investigation into the incident is underway, said the IIC.

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Hinjili Municipality to fine residents for open defecation

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Berhampur, Oct 23 (LocalWire): Hinjili Municipality in Ganjam district has decided to impose a penalty on residents of the town for urinating and defecating in open.

In a public notice issued on Friday, the civic body authorities said that anyone found urinating in the open will be fined Rs. 50, while Rs. 200 will be charged for defecating in the open.

The penalty will be implemented with immediate effect, the notice said. The fine would be imposed under the Solid Waste Management Rule, sources said.

“We have advised the people not to urinate or defecate in the open. Instead, they should utilize the public or community toilets and public urinals set up by the municipality free of cost,” said the executive officer of the civic body Manoranjan Sahu.

The civic body has set up five urinal points, including one for females. Similarly, it has also set up one public toilet and five community toilets.

Sanitary napkin disposal machines have been installed at one urinal point and at the public toilet meant for females, he said.

“We have also decided to install the disposal machines in at least two community toilets for the safe disposal of the sanitary pads of the females,” he said.

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Three COVID deaths in single day causes panic in Gajapati

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Berhampur, Oct 23 (LocalWire): Panic gripped the residents of Gajapati district with three new COVID-19 deaths being reported in a single day on Friday, when the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border district was on the path of recovery from the deadly virus.

Three male persons having ages between 45 to 60 years have succumbed to the disease while undergoing treatment in different COVID Hospitals, sources said.

One of the deceased was suffering from hypertension, sources said.

With this, the death toll in the district has increased to 27, official sources said.

Rushing to the hospital in a serious condition is one of the main causes of the death of COVID-19 patients, said collector Anupam Saha.

“This is why we urge people to come forward for COVID-19 test if anybody observes any symptom of the coronavirus. Early detection aids treatment and helps save lives,” he said.

Meanwhile, the district’s COVID-19 tally increased to 3801 with the detection of 11 new cases on Friday.

While 3716 patients have been cured of the disease, only 57 patients are undergoing treatment.

The number of active cases in the district was lowest among the districts in the state. Moreover, the condition of most of the active cases is good, sources said.

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Leopard hide seized, two arrested

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Berhampur, Oct 23 (LocalWire): Forest personnel seized a leopard hide and arrested two persons, including the hunter of the animal, from Mallik Sahi under Phulbani forest range in Kandhamal district on Thursday.

The accused were identified as Tirtha Nayak of Janmeni, the poacher of the animal and Arjun Ganda of Jakrehu village, an auto driver, who illegally transported the leopard hide.

The nails of the leopard and a country-made loaded gun were seized from the hunter, while the auto used to transport the skin was also seized by the forest staff, said divisional forest officer (DFO) Phulbani Laxmi Narayan Behera.

A leopard skin measuring 3.9 feet long and 2.1 feet wide was seized from the vehicle, he said.

During interrogation, Nayak confessed to having killed the leopard in Sudrukumpa jungle two months ago. He was sending the hide to the middleman for sale, after processing it.

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COVID-19 casts shadow on 500-year-old Bengali Durga Puja tradition

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Punaga, a small village situated 3 kms from Jagatsinghpur town, is known for its traditional Bengali Durga Puja owing to the Bengali community settled there.

This year, however, the town wears a deserted look on the occasion of Dussehra as neither devotees nor relatives and friends throng the place.

Goddess Durga has been worshipped in Punaga as per Bengali tradition for the last 500 years owing to the nearly 400 Bengali families making up the community there as well as its adjoining village, Badabag.

The festival of Durga Puja, especially sacred to Bengalis and Odias alike, is celebrated with fervour in this village by all communities.

The occasion witnesses a beautiful blend of religious and cultural activities of different communities and as such, the village attracts devotees from far and near every year.

However, this year there is no such multi-cultural crowd celebrating the festival, as the ever-looming threat of COVID-19 haunts people everywhere.

“It feels as if the pandemic has shattered all the joy and happiness in the world.

Every year our uncles, aunts, cousins , in-laws and friends used to gather at our village for the celebrations, but this year COVID-19 has managed to dampen all the festivities.

It is not possible for anybody to come because of the restrictions, and it feels as if a pall of gloom has descended upon the village,” said Ranjit Bhattacharya, a resident.

“Relatives and friends coming from near and afar creates a festive environment and brings new freshness to our mundane lives.

People put on new sarees and ornaments, and children are particularly in the mood for fun and enjoyment.

However, this year there is no such festive environment as the COVID-19 has caused many restrictions to be imposed on us,” said Sumitra Dey, another resident.

The village is known for being the birthplace of former urban and higher education minister cum BJP leader Samir Dey, freedom fighters cum MLA Priyanath Dey, Jatiya Kabi Birakishore Das and MLA Krushna Chandra Mallick.

Dey, who lives in Cuttack with his family, is known to come to his native village for the Durga Puja celebrations every year.

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