DESPERATE EFFORT: A villager holds on to a telephone post while trying to collect floating sticks to be used for cooking, at the Naraj barrage on the Kathjodi river in Cuttack on Friday.

BHUBANESWAR: Over six lakh people were affected in different parts of Orissa following floods in the Mahanadi and other rivers.

BHUBANESWAR: A division bench of the Orissa High Court (HC) today issued notices to the State Government and Cuttack Municipal Corporation and asked them to file counters on the distribution of BPL ration cards to the identified persons.

The bench, comprising Chief Justice BS Chauhan and Justice BN Mohapatra, was acting upon a writ petition filed by Shesadev Nanda, a corporator of Ward 8 of CMC.

The petitioner had sought a direction from the court to the authorities to take immediate steps for distribution of ration cards to persons who have been identified as BPL beneficiaries.

As floods wreak havoc in the State with an unrelenting frequency every year, the Orissa Government is busy strengthening its search and rescue power. Besides carrying out a boat census across 24 districts, it too is preparing a directory of the vessels so as to be in readiness when the deluge strikes. The recent is addition of 18 aluminium boats, procured from Indian Registrar of Shipping, for increasing the rescue and search efficiency.

CUTTACK: Even as non-inclusion of Hepatitis B in the national immunisation programmes by the Government continues to rankle campaigners against the killer disease, an amazingly low level of awareness or negligent attitude among the medical personnel has emerged as a major concern. Awareness on Hep-B is very poor among the general public but it is appalling that a significant number of doctors is not up to date on prevention measures and actions.

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Wednesday directed the authorities concerned not to fell trees or alienate any land, particularly from sanctuaries, national parks, bio-spheres (reserved area) by issuing pattas or by any other means of alienation.

A division bench of the High Court comprising Justice I.M. Quddushi and Justice B.P. Ray passed the interim order on a PIL challenging the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act.

High food prices have driven inflation to new highs, leading the Centre to clamp down on export of farm commodities. But have the high retail prices in any way benefited the farmers? How has their lot improved from the spiralling food inflation? Business Standard takes stock of the situation in a three-part series.

BHUBANESWAR: The wildlife wing of the Forest department has raised concerns over the setting up of 1,000 mw thermal power plant proposed by Tata Power Company at Naraj.

Its proximity to critical sites, impact of pollution on them as well as on the wildlife are issues the wildlife wing is worried about.