BHUBANESWAR: Even as use of polythene bags of below 40 micron were banned in the city last year, implementation of the ban is far from satisfactory with a large number of shopkeepers still using them. Not just polythene bags, the ban is applicable to gutka sachets as well. As per the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Amendment Rules, 2011, use of polythene bags thinner than 40 micron is banned. For a city that generates over 500 metric tonnes of garbage on a daily basis, a majority of that being plastic waste, these polythene bags result in pollution in many ways.

BHUBANESWAR: After the Central Poultry Development Organisation (CPDO) and OUAT, the culling operations were conducted in the wards under the impact zone demarcated for the bird flu prevention and control measures. Eight teams were fanned out to around eight of the 29 wards, where culling is to be undertaken. They managed to kill around 235 birds and destroy 93,496 eggs. There are an estimated 10,000 poultry birds to be killed.

BHUBANESWAR: Jute cultivation in the State has come down to just 10,000 hectares (ha) from over 40,000 ha in the last 10 years. Participating in the national-level annual meeting of All India Network Project on Jute & Allied Fibres (AINPJAF) here on Tuesday, researchers said climate changes and lack of facilities for post-harvest management and marketability of the crop are the primary reasons behind the declining crop pattern. Currently, it is the small and marginal farmers - particularly in coastal areas - who are taking up jute cultivation.

SALEPUR: There is just one tubewell in Budukunia village under Mahanga gram panchayat to cater to a population of 150 people. However, the tubewell discharges water with high iron content which is unfit for consumption. A long-standing demand for a tubewell has gone unheeded. Under these circumstances, people are forced to drink polluted water from natural water channels.

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has lost its case against Indrani Patnaik in the court of Revision Authority (Tribunal) of Ministry of Mines. The Authority set aside the showcause notice issued to the petitioner for determination (cancellation) of mining lease. ‘’I observe that there is no shred of evidence adduced in any of the allegations/findings. I also observed that the entire exercise of the State Government has been handled in an unprofessional manner,’’ Director of Mines and Revision Authority in the Ministry Suresh Kishnani said in his recent order.

BHUBANESWAR: The two-day seminar on “Emerging trends in food production and safety” that concluded here on Sunday strongly urged the State Government to implement the Food Safety Act and post a senior officer as Food Safety Commissioner. An officer, not less than the rank of Secretary, should be posted as the Food Safety Commissioner, the experts unanimously agreed at the end of the seminar which was addressed by Health Secretary Anu Garg.

BHUBANESWAR: With culling beginning from Sunday, almost half of the City’s central business hub would come under the no-poultry zone for at least three months. Since Central Poultry Development Organisation (CPDO) is the epicentre of the outbreak, a 3-km radius area stretching from Station Square to Baramunda and from Satsang Vihar to Jayadev Vihar, will be off-limits to poultry. According to BMC estimate, at least 29 out of 60 wards would come under the impact zone.

BHUBANESWAR: A two-day national seminar on food safety which aims at creating greater awareness on the Food Safety and Security Act (FSSA) commenced here on Saturday. The topic for the seminar was ‘Emerging trends’ in Food Production and Safety. Food Safety and Security Authority of India CEO VN Gaur spoke on the additional provisions in the Act that make it more powerful than the previous Acts on food safety.

BHUBANESWAR: With the Central advisory in hand, the Odisha Government on Saturday gave a go-ahead to culling of poultry birds in 3-km radius of the Central Poultry Development Organisation (CPDO) here, where the avian influenza was detected yesterday. At the same time, culling will also be taken up at the OUAT bird farm.

Bhubaneswar: Anticipating power shortfall in the upcoming summer months, the Grid Corporation of Odisha (Gridco) is in the process of striking power banking deals with other states to ensure uninterrupted availability of power and tide over the deficit. From April 1, Odisha is set to get 200 MW from northern states like Himachal Pradesh and Haryana through the power banking route. Gridco, the bulk power purchaser, is also in talks with other states like West Bengal and Gujarat to procure power through this mode.