Gold ingots found in Seashore locker

BHUBANESWAR: The Crime Branch, inquisitive the alleged multi-crore misappropriation of public deposits by the Seashore Group, here on Friday unearthed a huge cache of gold and silver, stashed in a private bank's locker in the name of the firm.
           Altogether 212 pieces of gold ingots, weighing 1.385 kg and 1,000 silver coins, weighing one quintal, were found in several bags inside the locker. The market value of the seizure could be estimated over Rs 90 lakh.
         "The gold bars weighed between 5 and 10 grams whereas each silver coin weighed 100 grams. The company's name was engraved on the silver coins. The gold bars contained the name of the bank. Name of a Switzerland company was also embossed on the gold," said ADG (Crime Branch) B K Sharma.
         The major haul came close on the heels of seizure of one quintal of silver (1,000 coins), belonging to Seashore Group, from another bank's locker here on June 29.
          Asked why the investigating agency took so much time in tracing the latest locker, Sharma said: "We had information about the locker earlier. But the locker was sealed off by the Income Tax department which had raided the company in February last year. We opened the locker after getting permission from the I-T".
        CB authorities said they are trying to dig out more such Seashore treasures. The company ran into trouble earlier this year after it failed to return the investments of thousands of depositors across the state.
        CB suspects that Dash embezzled over Rs 1,500 crore public deposits and diverted most of the money in gold trading and other business. The business conglomerate executed several projects in partnership with the state government, raising eyebrows about possible patronage by some ruling party politicians to the firm. The CB so far identified over 156 acre land, some industrial units, farmhouses and buildings, belonging to Seashore Group for confiscation. The company's CMD Prashanta Kumar Dash, arrested from Mumbai on June 19, is still behind the bar. As many as 37 cases were registered against him by the police in different districts.
       "Since the Odisha Protection of Interests of Depositors (in Financial Establishment) Bill -2011 already got Presidential assent, we will start the process to attach the property so that it can be liquidated and returned to the duped investors," Sharma said.

Journalists harassed by SEASORE Company in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Engaged over 170 “direct” employees, including journalists, and another 100 “partial” or “indirect employees” across Odisha have harassed by SEASORE Company.

There is sad news for television viewers in Odisha.The management of News unit, a Bhubaneswar-based 24x7 privately-owned (SEASORE) TV channel, notifies its employees indirectly that it had decided to shut down because of heavy losses and others cause.

The decision comes as a jolt to the Odisha media fraternity because only last April 2013 the other news channel and privet companies in Odisha had stopped publication. Prime News Unit(S Tv samachar) was started by a chit fund company called SESORE Group about three years ago.

Teacher set afire for not withdrawing complaint of sexual assault in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: A woman teacher in Odisha sustained critical injuries when an unidentified assailant set her on fire for allegedly refusing to withdraw a sexual assault complaint against an official earlier this year.
         The incident occurred on Sunday night at a residential government school at Tikiri of Rayagada district, about 420 km from the state capital Bhubaneswar, when she was watching television along with some children, a police official told reporters.
       The assailant allegedly entered the school room, threatened the woman to withdraw the complaint and poured kerosene on her before setting her ablaze, he said.
    The 28-year-old victim sustained more than 90 percent burns. She was rushed to a hospital in Visakhapatnam where her condition was stated to be critical, he added. Police say, she had filed a molestation complaint against school inspector Netrananda Dandsena in July. The accused is absconding since then.
     Early this month, a committee against sexual harassment at work place found Dandsena guilty and recommended action against him. "The district administration suspended the school inspector, a district inspector of school and a police officer investigating the molestation case," the official said.
     Police have formed a special team to nab Dandsena and the man who set her afire, he added.Describing the incident as barbaric and inhuman, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said strong action would be taken against the culprits. He also announced that the state government would bear the victim's medical expenses.

Civic poll impasse breaks in Odisha

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 28: Odisha government has finally succeeded in breaking the deadlock in western Odisha where the process of filing nominations for elections to 22 civic bodies began today notwithstanding the “no court, no vote” stand adopted by lawyers who are demanding a permanent high court bench in the region.

The lawyers, who had managed to stall the elections when civic bodies in other parts of the state had gone to polls in September, did offer some resistance at places. But that was not enough to stop the willing candidates from filing nominations. As many as 69 nominations were filed on the first day in the nine districts scheduled to go to polls on November 22.

The largest number of 34 nominations was filed for Jharsuguda Municipality where, incidentally, the lawyers put up maximum resistance.

Jharsuguda superintendent of police Dilip Deo said as many as 54 lawyers, who were picketing in front of the municipality office and obstructing the process of nomination filing, were taken into custody.

Similarly, 20 lawyers were arrested in Brajarajnagar, where 16 nominations were filed for elections to the local municipality.

Although chief minister Naveen Patnaik had on September 28 recommended to the Centre that permanent benches of the state’s apex court be set up in western and southern Odisha, Union law minister Kapil Sibal has tossed the ball back into the state’s court.

In a letter to Patnaik on October 24, Sibal said not only was the consent of the high court chief justice was required in the matter, the state government also ought to identify the exact locations for setting up these benches besides providing land.

While this has made state government’s task difficult as rival groups of lawyers are demanding high court benches in their respective areas, the central action committee of the western Odisha lawyers has decided to stick to its stand of “no court no vote”.

However, for BJD, there is no going back. Sambalpur BJD president Rohit Pujari said: “Our government has already recommended the establishment of a high court bench in Western Odisha. So, there is no point in boycotting the civic poll now.”

State Congress president Jaydev Jena said his party understood and respected the sentiments of people of western Odisha who were determined to have a high court bench in the region. “But, we are watching the situation on the poll front closely. We will take a call on the issue in the next few days,” he added.

The same sentiments were echoed by BJP chief spokesperson Suresh Pujari too

Rain spoiled relief and rescue operations in several areas in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: Rain continued to pour despair on lakhs of flood-hit people in different parts of Odisha on Sunday, but the weatherman predicted a clearer sky from Monday. 
        The state government said since the weather was clearing up schools and colleges would reopen from Monday. In Ganjam, classes will remain suspended till October 30 but teachers and other staff will attend their duties to make the premises fit for the resumption of studies. 
          In Khurda district, breaches were reported from near Patapur, Manikapur, Achutarajpur and Srinibaspur of Banapur after the Salia Dam overflowed. In Ganjam, river Bagi, a tributary of Bahuda, breached at Digapur in Patrapur, leading to nearby villages getting inundated. Breaches were also reported from Aska, Dharakote, Sorada, Sheragada, Bhanjanagar and Digapahandi blocks. 
"The Rushikulya is flowing above the danger mark at Purusottampur," special relief commissioner Pradipta Mohapatra said. "We hope the water level will recede by Monday as the cloud mass due to the low pressure has mostly moved into the Bay of Bengal. We expect there'll be much improvement in weather conditions soon." 
         Rain spoiled relief and rescue operations in several areas, particularly in Ganjam, Gajapati and Nayagarh districts. 
         With the rain gods showing no signs of relenting since the past week, rivers Subarnarekha, Budhabalang in northern Odisha and Rushikulya in the southern district of Ganjam crossed the danger level at some places, sparking fresh apprehensions of flood. 
           Floodwaters from the Budhabalang entered the district headquarters town of Baripada and 50 villages in Mayurbhanj, official sources said. 
           In Ganjam, worst-hit by cyclone Phailin and the subsequent flood, all reservoirs were full and more rain could prove disastrous, said a senior officer. 
           S C Sahu, director of the local meteorological office, said rain could take place till 8.30 am on Monday. "Thereafter, though there could be partly cloudy sky, we aren't predicting rain," he said. 
      Chief minister Naveen Patnaik had to cancel his proposed aerial survey over deluge-ravaged areas in Ganjam, Puri and Khurda because of the inclement weather. 
          On Monday, a central team, led by home ministry joint secretary Rashmi Goel, will visit Odisha to assess the damage caused by cyclone Phailin and the subsequent foods. 
             About 40 lakh people in 13 districts in the state have been affected by the floods, caused by the heavy rain that started on October 21 under the influence of a low pressure over south coastal Andhra Pradesh adjoining west central Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood. 
                The government also revised the death toll in the current round of deluge to 15 after two persons assumed to be dead were found in Ganjam. An estimated four lakh houses have been damaged.