BHUBANESWAR: The noise levels near many hospitals — which are silence zones — in major cities of the state have been found to be above the permissible limits during festive seasons, an annual repor

Bhubaneswar: The state government on Saturday decided to take stern action against the encroachers of forest land in the capital city in the first phase in its effort to embark on a massive plantation programme to make the city eco-friendly under the Urban Tree Plantation Initiative.
It also imposed restrictions on felling of trees and cutting of branches in the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation

Discriminatory disease: A leprosy patient cannot contest a civic poll or hold the post of a councillor or chairperson of a municipality, the Supreme Court ruled on September 19. This comes in the wake of patient Dhirendra Pandua challenging his disqualification from the post of councillor and chairperson in Balasore municipality. After winning the elections held on September 19, 2003, he was

BHUBANESWAR: With drinking water supply in rural areas emerging as one of the major challenges, the State Government has decided to cover at least 35 percent rural population under the safe and sustainable piped water scheme (PWS). Official sources maintained that sustainability and water quality have emerged as two problems in rural water supply sector. The ground water estimate made in 1994 identified 43 blocks as hydrologically critical and estimation of 1999 shows two blocks, Bhograi and Baliapal, in Balasore district over-exploited with limited scope for further extraction.