BHUBANESWAR: The year has been as challenging as it could be on the health front with public health concerns coupled with a belligerent medical workforce keeping the Government and the Health Department on their toes for a substantial part of 2011. Dengue raised its ugly head in a disastrous manner for the first time in the State in August claiming over 30 lives and affecting more than 1,300 people across majority of the districts.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has expressed concern over tardy decision-making process that is plaguing coal, environment and power ministries. He says the delay in decisions on proposals has put a question mark on the fate of projects worth Rs 1,74,000 crore which could expose financial institutions to “greater risk”.

The Ministry of coal has urged the Orissa government to constitute specialized committees and build close collaboration with the district authorities to address various issues relating to coal mining projects.

The Odisha government on Thursday announced a Rs 20-crore plan to save elephants from electrocution and poachers. The elephant conservation project would be launched in three districts in the first phase, official sources said. Presiding over a high-level meeting at Naveen Nivas, chief minister Naveen Patnaik, bed-ridden for his ankle injury, expressed grave concern over the growing number of deaths due to electrocution and poaching of jumbos, and asked officials of the energy and forest departments to jointly prepare a comprehensive plan so as to avoid electrocution of elephants.

Bhubaneswar: The National Aluminium Company on Sunday clarified that as there is no paddy field in the vicinity, there is no question of inundation of any paddy field with the ash water.
The company, in a release said that the photograph published in the media was taken from another pipeline, which is meant for carrying treated clear water from the ash pond to the plant for reuse, which was punctured at three points by the villagers themselves to use the water for the purpose of agriculture in their lands.

Indian Metals & Ferro Alloys Ltd has said the Ministry of Environment and Forests has granted final approval for diversion of 149 hectares of forest land in Utkal-C Coal Block in Angul District, Odisha, for coal mining in favour of the company's subsidiary Utkal Coal Ltd.

Bhubaneswar: With 11 districts put on high alert for the possible high floods, particularly in the Mahanadi delta system, chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday took stock of the situation at an emergency meeting at the State Secretariat here.

Expressing grave concern over the situation, Patnaik asked the district collectors of Cuttack, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Puri, Khurda, Angul, Sonepur, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur and Boudh to start relief operations in the vulnerable areas for seven days.

BHUBANESWAR: Exhibiting dry paddy saplings in the Assembly, Opposition Congress and BJP members on Thursday demanded declaration of drought in the State without waiting for eye estimation report on kharif crop status.
Participating in the adjournment motion on drought situation, Congress member from Kantabanji Santosh Singh Saluja showed a bundle of dry paddy saplings to the members. He said the crop situation is very bad in his district due to scanty rainfall and kharif operation has come to a halt.

Bhubaneswar: With one more dengue death on Monday, the toll in the disease rose to three in Odisha, officials said.
Manjulata Sahu (30) died in South Balanda area in coal township of Talcher in Angul district, Chief District Medical Officer R N Behera said.

Earlier on Saturday two persons, both from Angul district, died of dengue.
The number of patients affected by dengue also increased to 37 in the state with the detection of eight fresh cases, officials said.

Most of the dengue cases were reported from Angul district.

Bhubaneswar: Dengue has claimed two lives and affected 29 others in the state, official sources said on Sunday.
While Bunesh Samant (34) of Nuahata village died at a private hospital here, Narahari Pradhan (32) of Langarakata died at Talcher on Saturday, the sources said.

Both the victims were working in the collieries of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd in Angul district.
As more people complained of dengue like symptoms, 50 more blood samples were collected from Angul distrct and sent to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.