Kendrapara

Kendrapara, Aug 6 (LocalWire): Post offices in rural areas of Kendrapara district are working through dilapidated buildings, and one such post office at Gagua village is on the verge of collapse after being damaged by the recent incessant rain.

The post office has no almirah or safe to keep the money.

It boasts of a broken table and two wooden benches. Rain water seeps even during a drizzle.

When contacted, Harishchandra Samal, the post master of the post office at Gagua said, “The postal department pays only Rs. 500 for the rent, which makes it difficult for me to rent any pucca house.

The post office has been functioning in this one roomed thatched house for more than four decades.

The post office has the accounts of around 1200 villagers. Due to shortage of a proper and safe room, I keep all the money and documents in my house.”

“A rural post office in Bijayanagar village that holds the accounts of more than 500 clients has not even been white washed for at least 20 years.

This thatched mud-walled extra department branch post office (EDBO) is on the verge of collapse due to lack of maintenance,” said Adhir Rout, a villager.

Village post offices in village Kochila, Malianch, Gamu, Sasinapada and other areas are also functioning in small thatched houses.

When contacted, Dilip Kumar Samal, Superintendent of the postal department, Cuttack (North Division) said, “Almost all 243 rural post offices in the district have no permanent houses.

In many villages, post masters run the Extra Departmental Branch Post Offices (EDPOs) in their houses.

In many villages, post masters also work on the premises of Gram Panchayat offices, Bharat Nirman Rajiv Gandhi Seva Kendras and schools. Some post offices are functioning in thatched houses.

We have decided to shift all the thatched post offices to Pucca houses within this year.

In this internet and mobile phone age, post offices have not lost any importance as large numbers of people depend on post offices to deposit their money and for other purposes.

The importance of the post office is also rising after the postal department launched banking service.”

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Kendrapara, August 5 (LocalWire): After 28 long years, Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader from Kendrapara today wore chappals to celebrate the laying of the foundation stone for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

Nakul Mallick, 66, from Nanatara village, the Vice-President of Mahakalapada VHP unit had been moving barefoot even under the scorching sun since 6th December 1992 when he along with many VHP supporters from Kendrapara district had taken part in the Ayodhya movement.

“I stopped wearing footwear to protest against the non-construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya the day the Babri mosque was demolished by hundreds of Kar Sevaks in my presence.

I had taken a vow that I will start wearing chappals, only when the Bhumi Puja for the temple will be held.

I suffered numerous injuries to my foot and a lot of pain over the years.

But all the past wounds got cured after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation- stone for the Ram Temple.

I faced a lot of criticism from people and my close relatives for going barefoot for 28 years. But I never even thought of breaking my vow.

Now I am happy that the day has come and my dream has come true, although it was a long wait,” said Nakul Mallick.

“My husband is an ardent Ram Bhakta. I am happy that after 28 years, he decided to wear chappals on his feet,” said Sabita, the wife of Nakul Mallick.

Wednesday was the happiest day in Nakul’s life. His house was packed with family members and neighbours, all huddled in front of the TV to watch the foundation- stone ceremony in Ayodhya.

Joyful tears were rolling on the cheeks of Nakul while watching the live telecast of the event in Ayodhya on Wednesday.

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Kendrapara, August 3 (LocalWire): 24 Primary Health Centers (PHCs) in Kendrapara district are functioning without any doctors for which the local people are at risk, especially as COVID-19 spreads its outreach.

Primary Health Centers (PHCs) in many villages under Rajkanika, Derabishi, Mahakalapada, Marsaghai, Rajnagar, Aul, and Pattamundai blocks are functioning without even a single doctor.

Rural health service has reached its nadir in the district due to non-appointment of doctors in many Primary Health Centers in the district.

The health department has yet to wake up from the deep slumber to fill up the vacancy posts, said Ganeswar Behera, a senior Congress leader and former minister of the district.

Due to non-availability of doctors in the PHCs, many villagers are dependent on quacks. At least 100 quacks have virtually sidelined allopathic treatment in many villages of the district, said Amarbara Biswal, a social worker of the district.

Contrary to the tall claims of the government, the health sector in rural areas is facing a shortage of doctors. Due to non-appointment of doctors, the helpless residents have learnt to live with the situation.

“Babies are born before their mothers can reach the hospital and the critically ill or the injured die on the way to hospitals in the remote villages of the district,” said Ilarani Sardar, the former Sarpanch of Kharinashi Gram Panchayat.

“Each year during the rainy season, many villagers suffer from water-borne diseases. This year has been no different.

At least 500 villagers including many children are now undergoing treatment in the hospitals,” said Biswanath Behera, the general secretary of District Citizen Forum.

The Primary Health Centers at Dangamala, Talachua and Iswarapur within the Bhitarakanika national park have had no doctor for more than a year, for which the patients have to go to the hospitals in the nearby Bhadrak district by crossing the crocodile-infested rivers within the park areas, said Pradip Das of
Dangamala.

The district has 9 Community Health Centers (CHCs) and 46 Primary Health Centers (PHCs) and out of 46 PHCs, 24 PHCs are functioning without any doctor. Para-medical staff is providing health services in the PHCs where doctors are not working.

“We have been sending the request for requisition of doctors and paramedical staff to the higher authorities every month. We hope the government will soon appoint more doctors in the district,” said Dr. M. B. Baig the Additional District Medical Officer of Kendrapara.

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Kendrapara, August 2 (LocalWire): Around 100 families of rakhi makers in Kendrapara district have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Artisans from Badahat, Chatarapatana, Ichapur, Kamakhandi, Bharatapur, and other villages in Kendrapara town make different styles and sizes of rakhis each year.

However, due to COVID-19, their work has been hit severely.

Most of the Rakhi makers of the district used to supply Rakhis to Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and other parts of the state.

“Earlier we used to receive huge orders from Rakhi sellers but this time, I have not received any so far.

It is one of the worst times for our business,” said Santosh Moharana of Chatarapatana.

“We have been making Rakhis for generations. But we have never seen such a situation. Our scope for work is restricted now.

We make Rakhis during Raksha Bandhan, kites for Makar Sankranti festival, paper-boats during Kartika Purnima and sundry items like paper dolls throughout the year. The sale of Rakhis has been severely affected this year,” said Jagannath Sahoo, an artisan from Badahat.

“Many religious people tie Rakhis on the horns of cattle and for them we used to prepare special Rakhis. However, they are also not in a mood to celebrate Rakshya Bandhan due to the deadly virus and shutdown,” said Ratnakar Rana, 63, from Chatarapatana.

“Last year, we made eco-friendly rakhis from golden grass after getting trained for the same by the Odisha Livelihood Mission. This year we couldn’t, as we were unsure about the sales due to COVID-19,” said Swarnalata Swain, a craftsperson of Jajang village.

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Kendrapara, July 31 (LocalWire): The age old Kendera singers, an integral part of the thriving cultural life of the coastal district of Kendrapara, are at the crossroads thanks to the coronavirus.

Kendera singers wander from village to village singing songs for a few rupees or rice.

Through their simple tunes, rudimentary instruments and melodious lyrics, they enchant the lives of the people, singing folk songs through the musical instrument Kendera.

COVID-19 has forced them to stay indoors, as lockdowns continue irregularly in different parts of the state.
This has deeply hampered their livelihood and means of earning money.

“As it is not possible for us to roam villages and sing songs anymore, our means of income is dead. I was only eight years old when I became a singer and began wandering my father.

My Kendera is my constant companion and it shall remain so for the rest of my life,” said Gunanidhi Nath, 68, a Kendera singer of Kasoti village outskirts of Kendrapara town.

“Essentially, Kendera music in its original form was meant for the poor and the uneducated. The simplicity of its form and deliverance makes it easily understandable.

Kendera, which was for long the medium of mass education and rural entertainment with its emphasis on social things and mythological songs is now on its dying bed due to coronavirus,” said Khirod Nath, a noted Kendera singer of Kasoti village.

Around 200 Kendera singers of Kasoti, Biraswati, Noliachakrapur, Nikirei,Chanchnia, Nuagaon, Palei, Pundala, ,Kiarabanka, Bijayanagar, Alabanka and Baghilo villages in Kendrapada district have been associated with Kendera songs to carry forward their traditional occupation.

Many have switched to other work to earn their livelihood as they cannot roam around and sing due to COVID-19.

“We are optimistic that the COVID-19 virus will disappear within a month, and we will wander from village to village to earn our livelihood by singing songs again,” said Natabar Nath, another Kendera singer.

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Kendrapara, July 30 (LocalWire): According to the full report of the All India Tiger census results of 2018 released on 28th July by the Union Minister for Environment and Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar, the number of tigers in Odisha has not increased.

Across India, the tiger population increased from 2226 in 2014 to 2967 in 2018.

While most states have done well, adding huge numbers in the four-year period, the number has remained unchanged in Odisha at 28.

A total of 141 camera traps were laid in Similipal and 4,400 trap nights were spent in capturing tiger pictures.

Only 8 tigers were recorded within the Reserve though 12 were found utilizing the Reserve as per data collected during 2018-19.

However, the unique feature is that melanistic black tigers were recorded in Similipal which is the only place in the world that has them.

“Since there were 28 tigers in 2014 in Odisha, what happened to the newborn tigers who are more than 1 year old? (The census ignores tiger cubs less than 1 year old as the survival is uncertain).

The state should have added at least 12 to 15 tigers during the last four years. Odisha has a minimum of 10 tigers as recorded in the camera traps.

The only possible explanation is rampant poaching which is taking a heavy toll on tigers in Odisha,” said Biswajit Mohanty, said the secretary of Wildlife Society of Odisha.

In 2002, Odisha had reported 192 wild tigers which included 60 cubs. Excluding the cubs to bring parity with the current count of 2018, there were 132 wild tigers, of which only 28 remain.

So, in 16 years we have lost 104 adult tigers in Odisha though at least Rs. 60 crores has been spent on their protection and management by the state, added Mohanty.

Odisha is the only state that has reported constant figures revealing failure of tiger protection.

Since tigers are good breeders provided there is sufficient prey base and protection from poaching, the state could have easily doubled the tiger numbers to at least 264 in 16 years.

Odisha has excellent habitat and vast forests for tigers to live and flourish. However, rampant poaching of prey base and tigers is taking a heavy toll.

The forest department has miserably failed to control poaching even in Tiger Reserves like Simlipal and Satkosia, hence tigers suffer from a severe lack of food.

“We are examining the report of the NTCA. After examining the report, the state government will issue a statement on the report, said the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Wildlife, Harisankar Upadhaya”.

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Kendrapara, July 29 (LocalWire): Many COIVD hit migrant returnees are taking to planting coconut trees on their land in Kendrapara, thanks to the MGNREGA scheme of the government.

“We have planned to distribute 17,500 coconut saplings to be planted on 100 hectares of land in the first phase.

7000 saplings have already been distributed; all these trees will bear fruits after five years,” said Kanda Keshari Jena, the Assistant Director of horticulture department of Kendrapara.

“Our department is using the Coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to transform the vacant land into coconut farms.

Farmers can plant 175 coconut saplings per hectare of land,” he added.

“On Monday, we provided 1050 coconut saplings to 40 returnees, which they planted on their land in Korand village under Rajkanika block.

A worker gets Rs 207 for doing plantation work under MGNREGA. The cost of a coconut sapling is Rs 60. But we provide it to them free of cost,” added the officer.

“We also provided them with fertilizers and pesticides and helped them fence the coconut orchards.

The scheme will certainly help small and marginal farmers and returnee workers,” added the officer.

“I planted 80 coconut saplings over my land after the officials provided the saplings to me free of cost.

I hope to earn money after five years by selling coconuts,” said Mahendra Das, a villager of Korand who was working as a plumber in Mumbai.

Two months back he returned from Mumbai due to COVID-19.

Like Mahendra, many farmers are confident of earning good money from their coconut farming.

The officials of the horticulture department provided training to coconut growers, for which many farmers managed to learn methods of coconut farming.

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Kendrapara, July 28 (LocalWire): People of Kendrapara have demanded of a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for “Kendrapara Rasabali”, a mouthwatering sweet originating from the 400-year-old Baladevjew temple at Ichapur on the outskirts of Kendrapara town.

The Rasabali is a sweet dish made out of deep fried flattened reddish-brown patties of cheese that are soaked in thickened and sweetened milk.

“Many people in the district earn their livelihood through selling Rasabali.

A GI tag lends a distinct identity to a product as belonging to a particular area, with particular characteristics attributed to the place as well as the product.

Therefore, we decided to demand the tag for the Rasabali and proper steps for the same from the state government,” said Sourchandra Sahoo, the president of Kendrapara Rasabali Makers Association.

“The GI tag for Kendrapara Rasabali would differentiate it from competing products in the national and international markets.

The Geographical Indication Registration will help boost exports of Rasabali, along with putting Kendrapara on the global map.

A team has been formed to prepare a dossier in support of our claim for the geographical identification (GI) tag for Kendrapara Rasabali.

We will submit the dossier to the State Government in support of our claim. After examining the dossier, the government will send it to the office of the Geographical Indications Registry in Chennai,” said Dr. Basudev Das, a noted researcher of Kendrapara.

It may be recalled in 2019, “Kandhamal Haldi” and “Odisha Rasagolla” earned the Geographical indication (GI) tag from Intellectual Property India, an organisation functioning under the auspices of the Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

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Kendrapara, July 27 (LocalWire): Nearly a thousand farmers from Kendrapara district, who are reliant on honey trade for their livelihood, have been hit by the COVID-19 juggernaut.

“I have around 15 honey boxes in my village Silipur, from which I collected 30 kilograms of honey last month.

However, we are unable to supply the honey to Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and other areas of the state due to the lockdown, said Rajanikanta Das, 40, an apiculture farmer.

“I used to earn nearly one lakh through apiculture. However, COVID-19 put me into trouble,” added Rajanikanta.

The economy of the honeybee farmers and traders has been suffering due to the ongoing lockdowns in major parts of the state.

Markets remain shut, leaving traders and honeybee farmers in the lurch, said Hemant Kumar Behera, a honey bee farmer of Balisahi.

Hemant was working in the IT sector of Reliance Company in Mumbai. In 2017, he left the job and is now doing apiculture in his village.

Usually, by this time, traders start purchasing honey from the farmers.

However, due to the COVID-19 and lockdown, finding a buyer as well as transportation of honey has become a major issue, said Behera.

“The period between May to July is the harvesting period of the honey.

This year, the fear of COVID-19 has forced traders to postpone their visit to our village,” said Janardan Haldar of Ramanagar village.

As demand crashed, the price of honey in the local market has fallen.

“We used to sell honey at Rs 600 per kg, which is now around Rs 250 to Rs 300,” added Haldar.

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Kendrapara, July 25 (LocalWire): The fate of a large number of riverside villagers in Rajkanika block in Kendrapara district at stake as the river Baitarani has been gulping land piece by piece over the decades.

The peasants have helplessly seen the river devouring their land recently with an accelerated pace in this rainy season.

“In the last four or five years, the river has robbed me of nearly two acres of agricultural land.

If corrective steps are not adopted soon, the river may devour the whole village in a decade or so,” said Baidyanath Behera, a farmer of the village Bandhamala.

The marching river has consumed large tracts of lands in the villages of Jayakunda, Bajapur, Bania, Pandorokoli, Jhadamala, Katana, Bramashsani, Jhadamala, Bandhamala, Baradia and Upulei within three decades. This has triggered a large-scale displacement of people.

“Twenty years ago, the river seemed to be far away.

Now it’s just a few yards away and we fear that it will devour our houses.

We have lost our farmland and more than 200 people have already lost their homes.

In 2010, the river devoured the Tarini temple. We all want to leave, but we have nowhere to go,” asked Harish Chandra Samal of Jayakund village.

Over the past 30 years, Jagannath Behera, 70, of Baradia shifted house four times to save himself from the marching river.

Only two months ago, Jagannath was forced to leave his ancestral village again after the river devoured his house.

“The river Baitarani made us landless five years ago, in our village Jayakunda.

After the river devoured our house, I am residing in my daughter’s house in Jayakunda.

The river is now crawling menacingly towards her house.

My son-in-law works as a plumber in Gujarat,” said Sabitri Behera, 70, while standing in front of the riverside thatched house along with her daughter.

“The river Baitarani is all set to consume Katana Gram Panchayat, but it seems the authorities have lost their eyesight towards the river erosion problem in these areas.

Hundreds of farmers living on the banks of the rivers are struggling to protect their land as their villages are shrinking in size.

Ten years ago, the authorities stone-packed some river embankments to protect the villagers from the onslaught of the marching river.

But due to poor construction work, most of the stones were washed away in the river,” said Nirakar Sethi, the Sarpanch of Katana Gram Panchayat.

“River erosion is a serious problem in the riverside villages.

The authorities have already completed stone-packing works to protect some of the riverside villages from the onslaught of the crawling river.

The authorities will soon stone pack and repair all the river embankments,” said Basant Kumar Rout, the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of Kendrapara.

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