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New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Administrative probe begins into Puri Rath Yatra stampede
BHUBANESWAR: A day after three devotees died and several others sustained injuries in a stampede near Gundicha temple in Puri, development commissioner-cumadditional chief secretary Anu Garg on Monday started her investigation into the incident from the spot . Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had on Sunday ordered an administrative inquiry headed by Garg into the incident. She has been asked to submit a report within a month. Garg interacted with the chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA ), Puri collector and SP, besides other officials and temple servitors. The development commissioner said she has been entrusted with the responsibility to find out the reason behind the unfortunate incident and suggest the measures that can be taken so that it doesn't repeat in the future. 'We will speak to everyone involved in the process and review all possible video footages available. What SO Ps were there and what were followed will also be checked. Those who know anything about the incident or have any kind of evidence can also depose. After cross-checking everything, the report will be submitted to the g ove r nment , ' she t o l d mediapersons. The focus is now on the smooth conduct of the remaining part of Rath Yatra like Sandhya Darshan, Bahuda Yatra, Suna Besha, Adhar Pana, and Niladri Bije, she added.
Hindustan Times
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Take a chance where stars dance
One by one, creeping out of cosmic crevices, the stars appear out of nowhere to chandelier our night. Just as the meadows and moors of the mountains are all starred over by tiny flowers in a trice of spring's sun rays. Blood-deep corn poppies love churned up soil. These iconic flowers had sprung virtually overnight from the torn asunder battlefields of Europe in World Wars I and II. The instant poppies had inspired the in situ poem, 'In Flanders Field', and the Polish war song, 'Red Poppies on Monte Cassino'. I was in the foothills of Siswan, stealing in by twilight to watch fireflies by a minor check-dam. As the moon deepened ray by silver ray, one by one the jugnoos came to flicker on bushes as if an invisible hand had lit a thousand diyas out of nowhere. It left the eye bewildered because these insects were invisible during daylight in the same foliage. The pulsating stars of the jungle flew in a choreography of on-off flashes with male jugnoos bidding to attract females who returned the flashes, if allured. It was the love songs of jugnoos translated into flashes, a twinkling fireworks show in miniature, it was the night winking coyly, it was a shimmering and blinking jungle, it was embers drifting from an invisible jungle fire, it was stars who had come down to dance in silence. From the dam unfurled a stream, whose passage was no louder than a beehive's hum. The waters crystal, pure, and in the moonlight I could see slim, moss-green fishes darting and halting. A firefly glided over the water. Its reflection when cast upon the stream bed got refracted and enlarged. Below the flitting fishes, the reflection looked like a diaphanous white moth in flight. For just an interlude in eternity, the firefly had reincarnated into an ethereal spirit dwelling under ripples, a fair mermaid, a passing comet for the fishes. It was a tender night without an artificial light in sight. But disaster looms over the pristine foothills like a moon about to be permanently eclipsed. It is unchecked destruction by colonisers, palatial farmhouses and mining. One day, this stream will see its fish choking with plastics and kingfishers evicted by bobbing bottles of Kingfisher beer. Birding junoon in June June has been an exhilarating month for tricity birders with two new species, the Black-crested bulbul and the Little bittern, added to the formidable avian checklist for the Inter-State Capital Region (ISCR), an area encompassing a radius of 50 km from Chandigarh's centre. Anu Garg, a birder based in Chandigarh, discovered the bulbul in the Thapli jungles of Morni Hills on June 7. It was a pair of these pretty birds with both the male and female sporting an elegant black crest. This is the second solo record for the ISCR by Garg, who had in February 2023 unearthed the migratory Chestnut-crowned bush warbler from Chandigarh's northern sectors. The bittern was discovered by an accomplished nature photographer, Chandan Bhardwaj, in a Zirakpur wetland. Interestingly, while the bulbul is a species whose geographical range is more to the east of the ISCR and then across nations and seas, the bittern is one whose standard range is described to the west, north and south-west of ISCR and across oceans and international borders. The bulbul has been encountered in Himachal Pradesh, such as Kasauli Hills, and the Kalesar National Park in Haryana. But Garg's record is a first for the ISCR. There are no records for Punjab and Chandigarh (UT), as such. 'I caught a glimpse of this beautiful bulbul while birding in Thapli. The pair flew away but I persisted and later got a couple of good photographs to evidence the finding. One braves the heat and dust of June birding for just one such spectacular moment,' Garg told this writer. While the Chandigarh Bird Club lists 444 species for the ISCR, that number suffers from updating issues and is not inclusive. So, the accurate number for the ISCR is higher than 444 species, notwithstanding the two recent additions. vjswild2@
New Indian Express
14-06-2025
- Science
- New Indian Express
Odisha explores AI use in water resources management
BHUBANESWAR: Odisha government has piloted multiple projects to measure the efficiency of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other advanced computer technologies for optimising use of water resources to help farmers and strengthen disaster preparedness. Addressing a workshop on 'Introduction of Best Practices in Data Management and Digitisation for Water Resources Monitoring using AI', jointly organised by the State Water Informatics Centre (SWIC) and IIT Bhubaneswar, development commissioner and additional chief secretary Water Resources Anu Garg said digitisation, data management and AI are now playing an important role in efficient water management. Garg said while the government has taken up various initiatives in collaboration with different agencies for judicious use of water, it has also given stress to 'good governance and IT initiatives' in its vision document to make the system more robust. Director of ICAR-Indian Institute of Water Management (ICAR-IIWM), Bhubaneswar Arjamadutta Sarangi said the Institute is working with the Water Resources department to bring cutting-edge solutions to water management using AI and other advanced tools and technology. Different water management devices are being tested on a pilot basis in Phulnakhara, Mendhasala and Darpanpur in the Capital region to help farmers deal with the problem of water overuse. 'We are are trying to gather data from sensor-based devices and analyse it using AI and other fusion models. If the test is found to be successful and the farmers find the devices and technology to be useful, the project will be expanded to other areas of the state,' Sarangi said. Associate professor of School of Earth, Ocean and Climate Sciences at IIT Bhubaneswar Sandeep Pattnaik said researchers of the institute have already found effective ways of predicting rainfall at district scale as well as monsoon depression in the Bay of Bengal with more accuracy using AI and other advanced models.
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Workshop on AI solutions to manage water resources
Bhubaneswar: State Water Informatics Centre (SWIC) and IIT Bhubaneswar's Research and Entrepreneurship Park jointly organised a workshop here on Friday, focusing on implementing AI-driven solutions for water resource monitoring and management. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The workshop, 'Introduction of Best Practices in Data Management and Digitisation for Water Resource Monitoring using Artificial Intelligence (AI)', brought together experts, govt officials and stakeholders to explore innovative approaches in water resource management. Development commissioner Anu Garg emphasised the vital role of digital transformation in achieving transparency and efficiency. "Integration of AI and advanced data management systems aligns perfectly with Odisha's vision for good governance and technological advancement," she said. The day-long event included hands-on exposure to AI platforms, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration among participants from various departments. Officials said the initiative will serve as a blueprint for technology-driven reforms in public sector water
Hans India
08-06-2025
- Business
- Hans India
MoU signed for pumped storage project
Bhubaneswar: The State-run Odisha Hydro Power Corporation (OHPC) on Friday signed an MoU with Central enterprise Water and Power Consultancy Services (WAPCOS) Limited for project management for the upper Indravati pumped storage venture. The agreement was signed here in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Development Commissioner Anu Garg for project management consultancy services for the 600 MW upper Indravati pumped storage project (UIPSP) at Mukhiguda in Kalahandi district. The detailed project report of the UIPSP has been prepared through WAPCOS. The upper Indravati pumped storage project is an energy storage system that pumps water from the lower to the upper reservoir during surplus power available in the grid, and the same water is released to generate electricity during peak demand, it said. The OHPC is constructing a 600 MW pumped storage project in the vicinity of its existing upper Indravati hydroelectric project. The collaboration marks a crucial step in advancing Odisha's energy sector while ensuring efficiency and sustainability, Singh Deo said. The proposed pumped storage project will have an underground powerhouse located near the lower reservoir, equipped with four vertical-axis reversible-type Francis Hydroelectric units, having a capacity of 150 MW each and will operate in pumping as well as generating mode at different times of a day, he added.
