Gopalpur beach festival from January 11 to 15

Gopalpur beach festival would be held in January this time rather than in December like earlier years. This five-day beach festival would be held from January 11 to 15. Earlier date of this beach festival used to coincide with Christmas. This decision was taken at the first preparatory meeting for the beach festival held in Berhampur city. This beach festival is organised every year jointly by the Ganjam district administration and Ganjam District Hoteliers' Association (GDHA) to promote tourism at this beach resort and to show case cultural heritage of South Odisha. The preparatory meeting was chaired by Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) southern division, Laxmi Narayan Nayak. It was attended by Ganjam Collector Kishan Kumar, MLAs of Gopalpur and Berhampur and many office bearers.

Decision to shift dates of the beach festival was taken at the request of the GDHA. The GDHA felt holding of beach festival during festive tourist season was putting extra pressure on the small beach resort. Added to it large crowd that gathers up for the beach festival and clogged traffic was also causing problems for the tourists who check in hotels of the beach resort during that time. Holding of this beach festival during January would add up another tourist season for the beach resort, felt GDHA. This famous beach festival had been started during 90s by the GDHA and this famous beach is just 9km away from Berhampur city. Source: The Hindu 

Colourful start to Cuttack Balijatra

Bigger and more spectacular this year, the historic Balijatra kicked off in the midst of huge turnout of visitors here on Thursday. The fair, featuring over 1,300 stalls across three grounds at Killa Maidan and the main fair ground on the Mahanadi river bed, was inaugurated by Revenue Minister Surya Narayan Patro.

The major attraction this year is billed to be the National-level Pallishree Mela, which has brought together textiles and handlooms from all parts of the country under one platform. With the ethnic textiles and handlooms of Orissa, weavers groups from about 25 states have taken part in the exhibition organised by ORMAS in association with KVIC, Department of Textiles, Directorate of Handicrafts and Cottage Industries and Nabard.

The expo, organised to provide exposure to SHG groups and traditional artisans, has over 307 stalls this year. It is also showcasing leather items from Punjab, Rajasthan and UP, wooden craft and furniture from Kalahandi along with Andhra Pradesh and UP, famous carpets of UP, dry flowers of North East, Sandalwood craft and products from Mysore in Karnataka.

 Besides, a special pavilion has been set up to promote and popularise jute products.  From bags, shoes, upholstery, furniture items, rugs, sheets, curtains and other decorative items, the widest variety of jute products have been put on display.  “We are promoting jute not only as an alternative to the harmful polythene but also a very durable, decorative and upmarket product for the fashionable and discernible sections,” Chief Executive of ORMAS, Cuttack, Bipin Behari Rout said.

 The fair also encompasses the Gandhi Shilpa Bazaar on handicraft items with about 150 stalls and the much sought after silver Filigree Pavilion to promote the traditional silver filigree works of Cuttack city.

The amusement section also has added new items to entice and entertain the children this year. The fair is expected to draw more than 3 lakh visitors a day with business transactions running into crores.  The official website www.baliyatracuttack.com was also launched on the occasion. Source: New Indian Express 

Now, BJP targets Minister Surya Narayan Patro on assets issue

After gunning for the head of Law Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha over false affidavit to avail of two BDA houses, the BJP on Friday demanded expulsion of Revenue Minister Surjya Narayan Patro for giving false disclosure as well as undervaluation statement of his and his family members’ properties in the public domain.

BJP State vice-president and spokesperson Asok Sahu alleged at a news conference that Patro, one of the longest-serving Ministers, has concealed his real immovable and movable assets. His entire assets should be probed by the Central Enforcement Directorate, Sahu demanded and urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to show his morality for the sake of transparency and public probity in this matter.

Since almost all Ministers, being public representatives, have undervalued their property statements and also hidden facts, stern and exemplary action must be taken against them, he said. ahu alleged that Patro has shown his entire property worth only `2,43,80,000 whereas his immovable properties alone at Beerhampur, Digapahandi, Chhatrapur and Bhubaneswar would exceed `50 crore. This apart, there are properties not disclosed but owned by his son and wife in and outside Odisha. Besides, Patro has not given the facts on his buildings at Visakhapatnam, Bangalore and Hyderabad, he said.

Sahu further alleged that Patro owna a plot of land with a massive building in Plot-No.N-2/196 measuring 10,920 sqft at Nayapalli, Bhubaneswar. Such a huge Government plot is never given to a single individual. Still, the Minister manipulated the administrative rules to get it through one lot in his favour. He has shown the value of the property as worth merely `55 lakh, which is an understatement and amounts to perjury on oath. Its current market value would be not less than `5.5 crore, Sahu said.

He also said that besides the residential plot, Patro has managed to allot another plot measuring 43,000 sqft in favour of his son Biplab Patro through the General Administration Department near the DAV School, Bhubaneswar. Now, the value of the plot would be around `40 crore, and this was neither mentioned in his affidavit during the 2009 election nor in the recent property statement of the Ministers available in the Government portal. Sahu wanted to know from Patro the source of income of his son to acquire the huge property when he was a fresh MBA. The plot in question is jointly owned by Patro and his son, and this is in gross violation of all rules regarding exercise of discretion power under the provisions of the Odisha Development Authorities Act, 1983.

He also said that during his stint as Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Minister in late Biju Patnaik’s Ministry,Patro had allegedly acquired around 40 acres of land in the Krushnaprasad area bordering Ganjam district for prawn culture, which has no mention in his property statement.

Sahu warned that if the Chief Minister does not take appropriate action against Patro, the BJP would seek legal recourse. Source: The Pioneer