Lawyers’ strike, parcel bomb case, anti-Maoist operations - 2018 saw Odisha grab headlines for varied reasons. Asish Mehta with the details.
1. Patnagarh parcel bomb
On February 23, software engineer Soumya Sekhar Sahoo and his grandmother were killed in a parcel bomb which was delivered at their Patnagarh residence. Sahoo’s wife was grievously injured. The bomb was sent as a gift for the newlywed. Two months later, the Crime Branch of Odisha Police solved the case in which Punjilal Meher, English teacher of Jyoti Vikash Junior College at Bhainsa, turned out to be the mastermind.
2. Police-lawyers’ spat
The 78-day long strike by lawyers in Odisha brought to standstill court proceedings across the State over a spat between police and a lawyer on August 28. DGP Dr RP Sharma discussed with agitating advocates and senior police officials on November 11 to resolve the conflict amicably.
3. Maoists killed
Odisha Police continued its success against Maoists when five ultras, including two female rebels, were killed in an encounter under Kalimela police limits in Malkangiri district bordering Andhra Pradesh on November 5.
4. 12 die as bus falls off bridge
At least 12 persons died when a Cuttack-bound private bus from Talcher fell off a bridge into Mahanadi river bed near Jagatpur on November 20. As many as seven persons, including three women, died on the spot after the driver lost control as a buffalo came in front of the vehicle.
5. Smooth conduct of Men’s Hockey World Cup
Odisha Police showed it has the wherewithal to secure an international sports event of the scale of Men’s Hockey World Cup which was held from November 28 to December 16. About 75 platoons of police force were deployed for the mega sporting event which continued for 20 days without any glitch.
6. Illegal shelter home
Sexual exploitation of inmates at Good News India Dream Centre in Dhenkanal blew the lid of the sorry state of affairs in shelter homes of the State. The said child care institution was running without registration since 2015.
7. Journalist Abhijit Iyer-Mitra held
Delhi-based journalist Abhijit Iyer-Mitra landed in trouble over disparaging comments on Odisha, Sun Temple and Lord Jagannath during a trip to the State. Trouble mounted when he lampooned the legislators when a House Committee of the State Assembly wanted his personal appearance. Cases were booked against him and after the Supreme Court refused his bail, he was arrested and remanded to judicial custody. Later, he tendered an unconditional apology before the House Committee and the State Government decided to drop charges against Mitra.
8. Violence in Puri
On October 3, a mob went on a rampage in Puri’s Grand Road during a bandh called to protest the introduction of a queue system for darshan at Sri Jagannath Temple.
9. CM orders CB probe into elephant deaths
After seven elephants were electrocuted on the outskirts of Kamalanga village under Sadar forest range in Dhenkanal district on October 26 night, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik handed over the investigation of the case to Crime Branch. The agency arrested Forest and CESU officials or negligence.
10. Illegal firecracker trade
A deadly explosion at an illegal firecracker manufacturing unit on November 1 killed a woman in Balipatna on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. The mutilated body of the woman was recovered from the debris. The incident exposed how the illegal practice was running right under the nose of the police.
The year 2018 will be marked for many achievements in the Industry sector but it has had its share of downs too. Bijoy Pradhan looks back at the year.
1. Make In Odisha Conclave
The second edition of the biennial Make In Odisha Conclave, a global investors’ meet, attracted 183 investment intents worth Rs 4,19,574 crore across 15 sectors, which is twice the first edition in 2016. In all, 37 proposals were inked in fertiliser, chemicals and petrochemicals segment with an investment intent of Rs 1.35 lakh crore.
2. PM launched Rs 14,523 cr Purvodaya projects
PM Narendra Modi flagged off the Rs 14,523 crore Purvodaya projects including two gas pipeline projects worth Rs 7,200 crore. The pipeline projects will benefit Odisha, AP and Telangana. He also launched four NH projects.
3. 38 MoUs signed at Bhubaneswar Steel Conclave
Capital Goods producers from across the globe inked 38 MoUs with Indian steel companies which will reduce imports for the steel sector worth Rs 39,400 crore. The MoUs were signed at a conclave in Bhubaneswar on October 23 organised by Steel Ministry with CII and MECON.
4. Rs 2.36 lakh cr investment intent in minerals, & metals sector
The State received a commitment of Rs 2.36 lakh crore from minerals, metals and downstream companies. The major investments include Rs 41,000 crore for the CapEx plan of RSP and Rs 38,000 crore from Nalco.
5. Tata Steel acquires Bhushan Steel
Tata Steel acquired Bhushan Steel through its wholly-owned subsidiary Bamnipal Steel Ltd under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016. BNPL completed the acquisition of controlling stake of 72.65 per cent in Bhushan Steel in May with the settlement of amounts equivalent to Rs 35,200 crore towards financial creditors.
6. Taiwan’s petrochemical plan in Odisha
Taiwan’s State-owned firm CPC Corporation proposed to invest Rs 43,000 crore (USD 6.6 billion) in the petrochemical sector in Odisha by setting up a greenfield cracker and other downstream units at Paradip. The Taiwan company has identified Paradip as the possible location for its investment as it may source its raw material requirement by using feedstock from Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL).
7. Country’s first ethanol plant at Bargarh dist
India’s first second-generation (2G) Ethanol Bio-refinery of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited will come up in Bargarh district. The plant will produce ethanol from rice straw. The facility is expected to be commissioned in two years time.
8. Leases of 6 defaulting mines cancelled
Odisha Government cancelled mining leases of six mines as the leaseholders failed to pay the penalty imposed on them for excess mining. Mining leases of Arjun Ladha, Mineral Trading, HG Pandya & Others, BD Patnaik, Bhanj Mineral and MR Das Mines were cancelled after they failed to pay the stipulated penalty imposed by the Government for illegal mining.
9. Odisha Govt scraps park of Gitanjali group
Odisha Government scrapped the Rs 636 crore gems, jewellery, lifestyle and luxury goods park of Mehul Choksi-owned Gitanjali Group in the wake of the multi-crore PNB scam. The State in November last year accorded approval to the detailed project reports of Gitanjali Infratech Ltd for setting up the park at Ramdaspur in Cuttack district.
10. Ease of doing business: Odisha slips to No 14
After making significant strides in implementing ease of doing business reforms with the compliance percentage going up from 52.15 per cent in 2015 to 92.09 per cent in 2017, Odisha slipped three places from 11th to 14th in the annual business ranking of States.