Truth in true form

RNI Regd NO:-ODIENG/2019/77780 BHUBANESWAR www.aroundodisha.com VOLUME- 1 ISSUE- 140 PRICPE- Rs.2/- FRIDAY 20 MARCH 2020

Former SBI chief 2 Assessment of Class X 3
Arundhati Bhattacharya
quits Crisil board, to join
as Salesforce CEO
India shuts down international flights from Sunday as coronavirus claims 4th victim 84 more trains cancelled due to COVID-
New Delhi,Mar 19: No in-
ternational flights will be al-
lowed to land in India from
March 22 for a week, the
Centre announced Thurs-
day. This is one measure
taken by the government to
fight coronavirus which
claimed its fourth victim in
the country Thursday. India
had already suspended visas
for the vast majority of for-
eigners seeking to enter the
country. In a notice hours,
before Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s address to
the nation, the government
has also advised citizens
above 65 to stay at home
unless they are public rep-
resentatives or doctors or
government employees.
People also have been ad-
vised to keep children be-
low 10 at home. Railways
and airlines have been asked
to suspend all concessional
travel except for students,
patients and persons with
disabilities. All states have
been asked to enforce work
from home for the private
examination papers
starts Thursday
19 spread; 155 cancelled till March 31
sector, except for emer-
gency and essential services.
The total number of
coronavirus cases in the
country rose to 173 Thurs-
day after 18 fresh cases
were reported from various
parts of India said a state-
ment from the Union Health
Ministry. A fourth death
from coronavirus, that of a
70-year-old man who had
travelled to Germany, was
reported from Punjab. As
part of its efforts to detect
and prevent the spread of
Only village in the 6
world where it never
rains
coronavirus, which has
claimed over 8,000 lives
globally and infected more
than two lakh, the Centre has
asked 50 per cent of its em-
ployees to work from home
besides staggering working
hours for its staff. India re-
mains at Stage 2 of the out-
break, which means the
spread is through local trans-
mission, which can be
traced. The Union Health
Ministry has said that till
now there is no evidence of
community transmission yet,
in which it is hard to tell how
the patient contracted the vi-
rus. Across the country,
schools, colleges, theatres,
malls and shopping areas
have been shut down in large
parts. Religious gatherings
and weddings have been put
off. In cities like Gurgaon and
Mumbai, gatherings of more
than 50 have been banned.
The coronavirus cases in In-
dia include 25 foreign na-
tionals – 17 from Italy, three
from.....0....p the Philip-
pines, two from the United
Kingdom, one each from
Canada, Indonesia and
Singapore.
New Delhi: The railways
Thursday cancelled 84
trains, which will not oper-
ate between March 20 and
March 31, taking the num-
ber of trains cancelled in
view of low occupancy
and coronavirus pandemic
to 155, officials said. Rail-
way officials said the trains
were identified Wednesday
night and the decision
would be effective from
March 20 to March 31.
These include IRCTC op-
erated two Tejas Express
trains and one Humsafar
Express train. “All passen-
gers having tickets in these
IOC says no ‘ideal’ so-7
lution for Olympics as
athletes voice virus
concerns
155 trains are being in-
formed about it individu-
ally. No cancellation fee will
be taken for these trains.
Passengers will get 100
per cent refund,” an offi-
cial said. Tourist specials
like Maharaja, Buddhist,
Bharat Darshan, and state
specials have already
been cancelled. The de-
cision to cancel the Tejas
service between
Mumbai-Ahmedabad
and New Delhi-Lucknow
and the recently launched
Humsafar service be-
tween Indore-Varanasi
was taken Wednesday
night, officials said. The
national transporters has
also issued a set of guide-
lines to zonal headquar-
ters for its catering staff,
saying no employee hav-
ing fever, cough, runny
nose or difficulty in
breathing “should be de-
ployed in the business of
food handling on the In-
dian Railways”. The novel
coronavirus cases in In-
dia rose to 169 on Thurs-
day after 18 fresh cases
were reported from vari-
ous parts of the country,
according to the Health
Ministry. The cases in-
clude 25 foreign nationals
— 17 from Italy, 3 from
the Philippines, two from
the UK, one each belong-
ing to Canada, Indonesia
and Singapore. The fig-
ure also includes three
deaths reported from
Delhi, Karnataka and
Maharashtra so far.

Former CJI Ranjan Gogoi takes oath as Rajya Sabha member All hurdles removed, Tihar prepares for Nirbhaya convicts’ execution
New Delhi: Former Chief New Delhi,Mar 19: With Officer certifies that their
Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi hours left for the execution ‘life is extinct. The body of
Thursday took oath as mem- of four men convicted of executed convicts will then
ber of Rajya Sabha amid rape and murder of a 23- be disposed of according
uproar by opposition mem- year-old physiotherapy stu- to the requirements of the
bers. As Gogoi reached the dent, the preparation to hang religion to which they be-
designated spot to take the them by the noose is in full longed. According to the
swing in Tihar Jail. Pawan rules, a municipal hearse or
oath, opposition members
Jallad, the hangman from ambulance would be used
raised slogans prompting
Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut dis- to take the bodies to the
Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu trict, has been tasked with cremation ground with ‘so-
to say that it was unbecom- the duty to hang the four to the scaffold with their handed over to the execu- lemnity’. “If the executed
ing of members. convicts — Vinay, Akshay, hands pinioned behind their tioner,” as per the prison prisoner’s relatives make a

Centre orders work from home for 50% staf ers, staggered timings for others
New Delhi,Mar 19: To con-
trol the spread of coronavirus,
Centre on Thursday ordered
all departments and state-run
firms to get 50 percent of its
middle and junior-rank offi-
cials to work from home till
April 4. While half of the
middle and lower-level em-
ployees of the central govern-
ment will be working from
home, the timing for those at-
tending offices will be stag-
gered. According to the or-
der issued by the Union Min-
istry of Personnel, Public
Grievances and Pensions: (i)
Heads of Department (HoDs)
may ensure that 50 per cent
of Group B and C employ-
ees are required to attend of-
fice every day, and the remain-
ing 50 per cent staff should be
instructed to work from home.
All HoDs are advised to draft
a weekly roster of duty for
Group B and C staff and ask
them to attend office on alter-
nate weeks. While deciding
the roster for ‘the first week,
HoDs are advised to include
officials who are residing in
close proximity to their office
or use their own transport to
travel to the offices. (ii) Fur-
ther, the working hours for all
employees who attend office
on a particular day should be
staggered. It is suggested that
three groups of employees
may be formed and asked to
attend office as per the follow-
ing timings:-
(a) 9 AM to 5.30 PM
(b) 9.30 AM to 6 PM
(c) 10 AM to 6.30 PM
(iii) The officials who are
working from home on a
particular day as per the ros-
ter drawn up should be
available on telephone and
electronic means of commu-
nication at all times. They
should attend office, if called
for any exigency of work.
Man killed in light-
ning strike in Bolangir
BolangirMar 19: A 31-year-
old man was killed after he
was struck by lightning at
Sargul village under Turokela
block of Bolangir district this
afternoon. The deceased has
been identified as Yugay
Parabhoi(31) According to
reports, Parbhoi was work-
ing on the field when a thun-
derbolt hit him at around 2
pm. On being informed, his
family member rushed him to
Kantabanji Community
Health Centre, where doc-
tors declared him ‘brought
dead’. According to informa-
tion, Parabhoi’s father Sura
Parabhoi had died before, so
he was the only bread
earner of his family consist-
ing of three members in-
cluding a divyang girl.
Pawan and Mukesh — back. A cotton cap with a rules. The executioner will written application for per-
March 20 at 5:30 am. It will flap will then be put on their next strap their legs tightly forming the last rites, the
be carried out as per the face just before they enter together and adjust the government may, allow
guidelines prescribed under the gallows enclosures. The rope tightly round their such request, provided that
the Delhi Prison Rules, 2018. Jail Superintendent, Dis- neck. “The Superintendent the relatives give an under-
Tihar Jail Additional Inspec- trict Magistrate and Medi- shall give a signal, on see- taking that they will not
tor General Raj Kumar told cal Officer will also be ing which the executioner make a public demonstra-
IANS that as shown in mov- present there. “The pris- will push the lever to re- tion of the cremation.”This
ies, no food is offered to the oner will not be allowed to lease the trap-door,” ac- is how the whole saga, for
convicts or last wish asked see the gallows. The pris- cording to the rules. After which the entire country
for on the day of the execu- oner will then mount the the execution, bodies of the awaited with bated breath,
tion. As per the prison rules, scaffold and placed directly four men will remain sus- is projected to come to an
on the day of the execution, under the beam to which pended for half an hour be- end and justice would be
the four prisoners sentenced the rope is attached. The fore being taken down or imparted to India’s daugh-
to death will be first marched prisoner shall than be until the Resident Medical ter, Nirbhaya.
Indian rupee touches new low; Rs SJTA closes temple for pilgrims
75/$ for the first time
from Friday till March 31
Mumbai,Mar 19: The Indian rupee touched a record low
against the dollar on Thursday, trading at over Rs 75 per Bhubaneswar,Mar 19: The Shree Jagannath Temple
Administration (SJTA) decided Thursday to stop pil-
dollar against its previous close of Rs 74.26 a dollar.
Around 12.45 pm, it was trading at Rs 75.14, or 1.24 grims from entering the premises for darshan of the
deities from March 20 to March 31. SJTA said the
per cent weaker than its previous close. The recent de-
situation will be reviewed after this lockdown period.
preciation in the Indian currency has been on the back of
Chief administrator, SJTA, Krishan Kumar informed
persistent pressure of coronavirus fears on global mar-
kets along with a free fall in oil prices. The dollar also that the rituals of the deities would continue as usual
and for this the servitors will only be allowed inside the
strengthened against other Asian currencies. Stock mar-
temple. The SJTA had enforced March 16 some rules
kets also plunged Thursday as Sensex fell below the
for entry of devotees within the temple. All devotees
27,000-mark and Nifty50 breached the 8,000 mark had to wear masks while they had to maintain a gap of
for the first time in over three years during the initial
one-and-half metres. In these three days however,
trade. In a bid to increase liquidity and enhance confi- the temple has witnessed a drastic fall in the number of
dence in the market amid the coronavirus crisis, the visitors. Collections from the donation box have also
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Wednesday announced been very poor during the last few days. However,
it would purchase government securities worth Rs
with the new mandate Thursday, footfalls around the
10,000 crore through open market operations. Jagannath Temple are expected to come down to zero.

BHUBANESWAR
Former SBI chief Arundhati Bhattacharya quits Crisil board, to join as Salesforce CEO Supreme Court suggests Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker to
New Delhi,Mar 19: Crisil
Thursday said Arundhati
Bhattacharya, the past
chairman of State Bank of
India, has submitted her res-
ignation as independent di-
rector of the company ef-
fective April 15. In her res-
ignation, Bhattacharya has
indicated that the reason for
her resignation is her deci-
sion to accept a full time
role as chairperson and
CEO in another company,
the filing said.
No. of coronavirus cases reaches 13 in Telangana, 7 Indonesians test positive CBI files chargesheet against Rose Valley chairman Gautam Kundu in Assam
Hyderabad,Mar 19: The
number of coronavirus cases
in Telangana reached 13
with a group of seven Indo-
nesians and a youth, who
returned from Scotland, test-
ing positive for the virus
Wednesday. The number of
COVID-19 cases in the
state stood at six after the
Scotland-returned youth
tested positive for the virus.
However, it went up to 13
after a special media bulle-
tin on COVID-19 issued by
the state government late
Wednesday night stated that
seven Indonesians, who
came for religious activity,
tested positive. An Indone-
sian citizen, who is part of
the group, had already posi-
tive for the virus Tuesday.
The Indonesians have been
kept in isolation since March
16, the bulletin said. The
Indonesians visited
Karimnagar in the state and
Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed’s ‘fatwa’ ICSE Class X, XII board exams postponed till March 31
pamphlet circulated in UP, FIR lodged
Aligarh,Mar 19: The Uttar
Pradesh Police in Aligarh
have registered an FIR
against an unidentified per-
son who allegedly circulated
pamphlets of a ‘fatwa’ is-
sued by Mumbai attack
mastermind and Jamat-ud-
Second COVID-19 case reported in Andhra Pradesh
Amaravati,Mar 19:
Andhra Pradesh Thurs-
day reported second
“Bhattacharya, an Indepen-
dent Director of the com-
pany, has submitted her res-
ignation as a director of the
company, which will take
effect on April 15, 2020,”
Crisil Ltd said in a filing to
BSE. She has confirmed
that there is no other mate-
rial reason, other than the
reason stated in her resig-
nation, it added. “I wish to
advise that I have decided
to accept a full time execu-
tive role as chairperson and
the administration has initi-
ated measures to identify
those who came in contact
with them. With the number
of positive cases climbing to
13, the state health depart-
ment, led by the health min-
ister, is preparing a plan of
action to deal with the situa-
tion, official sources said.
The 13 cases include the first
positive case of a techie who
has been discharged from
hospital after recovery.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister
K Chandrasekhar Rao con-
Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed in
the city. The FIR has been
registered under section 505
(1) (b) (with intent to cause
fear or alarm to the public)
and 188 (disobedience to
order duly promulgated by
public servant) of IPC at
COVID-19 positive case
with a man who recently
returned from London
interact with rebel MLAs via video link; he refuses
CEO for the India opera-
tions of Salesforce, USA.
Accordingly, I need to dis-
continue my existing non-
executive assignments,”
Bhattacharya said in her
resignation letter to the
board of directors. I sincerely
regret that I will have to step
down as non-executive Inde-
pendent Director from the
board as well as from the com-
mittees of Crisil board, from
April 16, 2020,” the letter
said. Bhattacharya was the
first woman to lead the more
than two centuries-old State
Bank of India, which controls
over a quarter of the nation’s
banking system. She retired in
2017 after a one-year exten-
sion, spending four decades
in various roles and then
moved onto the international
payment platform Swift In-
dia as its chairman, a posi-
tion she still occupies.
vened a ‘high-level, emer-
gency meeting’ Thursday to
discuss the measures to be
taken to prevent the spread
of the virus in the state, a
release from his office said.
The state government has
already announced closure
of all educational institutions
(from primary school to uni-
versity) till March 31 and
the closure of cinema halls,
bars, pubs for a week (from
March 14), among other
measures. All district col-
lectors, police commission-
Kotwali police station. Hafiz
Saeed is a UN-designated
terrorist. The US has an-
nounced 10-million-dollar
bounty on him. Superinten-
dent of Police (crime)
Arvind Kumar said that the
matter is being probed in
detail. He disclosed that the
content of the four-page
pamphlet was objectionable
and could have created
communal tension. Accord-
ing to the FIR, the pamphlets
were found in large numbers
and it seems that there was
an attempt to vitiate the at-
mosphere in the city.
was found infected, health
officials said. The man,
who had returned from
London March 15, was
admitted to a government-
run hospital in Ongole
town with suspected
symptoms of coronavirus.
Officials said his samples
were sent to the virology
lab in Tirupati. They were
tested positive for
COVID-19 With the
state recording second
positive case, the health
department went on alert.
New Delhi,Mar 19: The
Supreme Court Thurs-
day suggested that
Madhya Pradesh As-
sembly Speaker NP
Prajapati should interact
with the rebel Congress
MLAs through video
link or the court can ap-
point an observer to al-
lay the fear that the leg-
islators are in captivity.
However, the Speaker
refused to accept the
top court’s proposal. A
bench comprising Jus-
tices DY Chandrachud
and Hemant Gupta said
it can create conditions
to ensure exercise of
volition of the rebel
MLAs is truly voluntary.
“We can appoint an ob-
server to Bengaluru or
ers, superintendents of po-
lice are invited for the meet-
ing convened by Rao. Rao
urged people to be alert as
the person who travelled
from Indonesia to
Karimnagar has tested
positive for the virus, it said.
Against this backdrop, pre-
ventive measures to be
taken and regulations to be
followed would be dis-
cussed in the meeting on
Thursday, it said. Observ-
ing that the state government
is already implementing one-
week and 15-day action
plan (comprising closure of
educational institutions and
others) to prevent spread of
the virus, it said some more
preventive measures would
be declared in the Thursday
meeting. The CM has urged
the people to stay away from
festivals and celebrations
which witness participation
of people in groups.
20-year-old girl killed in blaze outside Shah Rukh Khan’s bungalow ‘Mannat’
Mumbai,Mar 19: A 20-
year-old girl was killed and
another woman seriously
injured in a fire that broke
out on the top floor of a
residential building oppo-
site Hindi cinema actor
Shah Rukh Khans bunga-
low, officials said here
Thursday. The blaze was
noticed on the sixth floor of
the six-storied Sea Spring
Apartment, opposite
SRK’s ‘Mannat’ Bunga-
low at Bandra Bandstand,
around 7.30 a.m.
Firefighters battled the
blaze and retrieved the
body of Evana Morrece,
who was pronounced dead
some other place so that
the rebel MLAs can con-
nect with the Speaker
through video
conferencing after which
he can decide,” the
bench said. It also
asked the Speaker
whether any inquiry was
made on the resignation
of the rebel MLAs and
what decision has he
New Delhi,Mar 19: The
Central Bureau of Investi-
gation (CBI) has filed a
chargesheet in an Assam
court against Rose Valley
group chairman Gautam
Kundu and others for al-
legedly misappropriating
Rs 180 crore belonging to
depositors from the state
who were lured to invest in
ponzi schemes, officials
said Wednesday. The
chargesheet against
at a hospital. A 38-year-
old woman, Sifra Jafri, was
also rushed to the Bhabha
20 MARCH 2020 2
FRIDAY
FRIDA
ter Kamal Nath was “sit-
ting aside” in the turn of
events and it is the
Speaker who is “leading
the political battle” in
court. The bench asked
all the parties how does
the decision of a
Speaker in matters of
resignation and disquali-
fication of MLAs affect
the floor test. It said the
taken on them. Senior constitutional principle
advocate AM Singhvi, that emerges is that
appearing for the there is no restraint on
Speaker, said the day trust vote because of
court begins to give resignation or disqualifi-
time-bound direction to cation being pending be-
the Speaker, it will be fore the Speaker. It said,
constitutionally prob- therefore, the court will
lematic. The counsel ap- have to flip around and
pearing for Governor see whether the Gover-
Lalji Tandon told the nor acted beyond the
bench that Chief Minis- powers vested in him.
chargesheeted for alleged
conspiracy, cheating and
other charges under under
the IPC, the officials said.
This is first chargesheet re-
garding activities of Rose
Valley in Assam. “During
investigation it was estab-
lished that Kundu and other
Kundu, company’s man- accused collected huge
aging director Shibamoy public fund of Rs 592.48
crore in the form of depos-
Dutta and directors Ashok
Kumar Saha and Ram Lal its by issuing certificates in
Goswami was filed in the the name of plot bookings,
court of special judicial providing hotel accommo-
magistrate, Kamrup dation facilities etc. from a
Metro, Guwahati. Besides large number of investors
the individuals, three com- from Jorhat division of
panies – Rose Valley Real Assam,” an official said.
Estate and Construction, “The company cheated the
Rose Valley Hotels and investors by not returning
Entertainment and Land their funds and interest on
Bank India – were also their deposits,” he added.
New Delhi,Mar 19: The
ICSE board Thursday post-
poned class 10 and 12 ex-
aminations due to the novel
coronavirus threat, officials
said. The Council for the
Indian School Certificate
Examinations (CISCE)
Chief Executive Gerry
Arathoon said the exams
have been postponed till
March 31. Wednesday, he
had said the exams will be
conducted as per the sched-
ule after the CBSE an-
nounced it has postponed
exams till March 31.
Hospital in a critical state the fire, which has been
with more than 90 per cent brought under control, is
burn injuries. The cause of not yet known.
 20 MARCH 2020 3
BHUBANESWAR FRIDAY
FRIDA

Assessment of Class X examination papers starts Thursday Yes Bank Remits Rs 397 Crore Of Srimandir Funds
(A.O.BUREAU)
Cuttack,Mar 19: The as-
sessment of Class X exami-
nation papers by the Coun-
cil of Secondary Education,
Odisha will start from
Thursday. Around 16,000
examiners are deployed in as
many as 61 centres. Exam-
iners reached the centres by
Wednesday evening to as-
sess the examination papers.
All sorts of arrangements
have been made at the as-
sessment centres as per
guidelines of the health de-
partment due to the
coronavirus scare, said
Ramashish Hazra, president
of the Council for Second-
ary Education. According to
health department guide-
lines, a distance of one metre
will be kept between each
examiner. All chairs and its of Rs 389 crore and Rs
tables will be cleaned using 156 crore parked in Yes
disinfectant before the pa- Bank. Notably, the contro-
pers are assessed. In addi- versy surrounding
tion to that, adequate sani- Srimandir funds being
tation and soap will be pro- parked with Yes Bank
vided at the centres. To con- which was gradually sub-
trol the crowd, examiners siding after the Odisha gov-
will be divided into three ernment announced to
groups and will enter and transfer the deposits to a
nationalised bank in Febru-
leave the centre in three ary 2020, suddenly blown
stages separately. The first out of proportions after
group will enter at 8:30 am (A.O.BUREAU) Jagannath Temple Corpus Reserve Bank Of India
and leave at 2:30 pm. The Bhubaneswar,Mar 19: In a Fund at Puri main branch placed the cash strapped
second group will enter at major relief to Odisha Gov- through e-transfer. This was bank under Central
9:30 am and leave at 3:30 pm, ernment and Shree informed by Yes Bank Se- Government’s Moratorium.
and the third group will arrive Jagannath Temple Adminis- nior Vice-President Jaydev Earlier, a team of BJD MPs
at 10:30 am and leave at 4:30 tration (SJTA), crisis-ridden Das. The remaining Rs 156 led by Prasanna Acharya
pm. In addition to these pro- Yes Bank remitted a part of crore will be returned after met Union Finance Minis-
visions, if anyone feels ill or deposits of Puri Srimandir maturity on March 30. Ajay ter Nirmala Sitharaman to
uneasy, he or she will be today. Reportedly, amount Kumar Jena, Development discuss the funds belonging
rushed to a health care centre of Rs 397 crore (Principal Administrator of Sri to Puri Srimandir deposited
Jagannath Temple Adminis- in crisis-hit Yes Bank. In re-
for treatment. It is worth men- amount of Rs 389 crore tration (SJTA) had earlier sponse, the Union Minister
and interest Rs
tioning that, a number of 8,23,27,636) to the desig- informed that there were had assured that Srimandir
5,60,905 students have given nated SBI account of two separate fixed depos- funds were safe.
the examination this year.

Coronavirus: ‘No Orders Issued To Vacate Tenants In Bhubaneswar-Cuttack’ COVID-19: Quarantine facility at 3 hotels in Bhubaneswar state government in the
(A.O.BUREAU) the same. Meanwhile, the
Bhubaneswar,Mar 19: With Bhubaneswar Municipal Cor- country. Each person will
the Odisha government lay- poration today informed that be given a room during
ing utmost emphasis on so- three hotels in the city have their quarantine period of
cial distancing to contain the been declared as quarantine 14 days as per the state
spread of the deadly facilities where people intend- government’s guidelines,
Coronavirus, all establish- ing to stay on self quarantine the official said. They will
ments and places of public can avail the services on a pay be charged Rs 2,500 per
gathering are being ordered and use basis. Citing that day which will cover the
to shut down. From schools large number of quarantine cost of breakfast, lunch,
to shopping malls, Odisha facilities are needed to con- (A.O.BUREAU) tel in Sahid Nagar and Ho- dinner and two water
government has ordered full/ tain the spread of COVID19 Bhubaneswar,Mar 19: tel Kalinga Ashok in bottles. Meanwhile, the
partial shut-down and in for which most government With as many as 2,131 Kalpana Square have state government’s chief
some cases it has signifi- Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, the matter on social media. buildings as per the suitability persons returning from 80 agreed to provide quaran- spokesperson on
cantly regulated the move- Sudhanshu Sarangi clarified Such concerns were re- have already been designated countries registering their tine facilities to persons re- COVID-19 Subrato
ment and congregation of that no such direction has ported by some students as quarantine facilities, the travel details with the state turning from abroad, an Bagchi said of the 2,131
public in such places. How- been given either by the staying on rent in Acharya civic body said that Ginger government’s portal, three official said, adding that a returnees, 20 per cent
ever in the twin cities of Odisha government or po- Vihar area who alleged that Hotel in Jaydev Vihar, Em- hotels here Wednesday few more big hotels will came from the UAE, 9 per
Bhubaneswar and Cuttack lice asking house owners to their house owners have asked pires Hotel in Saheed Nagar came forward to make also be roped in. The of- cent from the US, 5 per
some concerns were raised vacate the tenants to prevent them to vacate their premises and Hotel Kalinga Ashok in quarantine arrangements ficial said the hotel quar- cent from Saudi Arabia, 4
by tenants who alleged that COVID-19 outbreak. “The by producing a letter claiming Kalpana Square can be used for isolation of suspected antine facility for sus- per cent each from the UK
they are being asked by their individual has admitted his that the directives have pur- by people for self-quarantine COVID-19 patients, offi- pected COVID-19 pa- and Malaysia and 1 per
landlords to vacate the mistake. We are looking into portedly been issued by the by paying a sum of Rs 2,500 cials said. Ginger Hotel in tients is possibly the first cent each from Italy, South
houses. After such reports possible legal action,” government and the Police + taxes per day. Jaydev Vihar, Empires Ho- such attempt made by any Korea and France.
surfaced, Police Commis- tweeted Sarangi responding Commissioner has been
sioner of the twin cities of to a person who had flagged strictly instructed to implement
Coronavirus Outbreak: Technical Commit ee Recommends Suspension Of Inter-State Bus Service In Odisha
Brown sugar worth over Rs 2 Cr seized in Balasore, two held (A.O.BUREAU)
Bhubaneswar,Mar 19:
Even as Odisha has re-
ported only one confirmed
case of coronavirus infec-
tion so far, the technical
committee on Wednesday
recommended suspension
of Inter-State bus services
as a precautionary mea-
sure. Chairman of the
technical committee consti-
tuted to combat
coronavirus, Subrat
Acharya said, “There will
be no problem and if we
can contain it for a month,
millions of people in the
State can be protected.”
As per Acharya, the num- fight the disease, coopera- infections as already con- Bagchi while addressing a
(A.O.BUREAU) two persons for their alleged Police during the last 4 years. ber of elderly and persons tion from people at all level firmed cases are on a rise presser yesterday informed
Bhubaneswar,Mar 19: In a involvement in the case. As In 2019, Odisha Police (All suffering from several is a must, he added. The in several States like that out of 47 samples, 46
major success to Special Task per reports, the personnel has agencies of Odisha Police) heart-related ailments and decision to suspend Inter- Kerala and Maharashtra in have tested negative and
Force (STF) of Odisha Crime seized 6.756 Kg of brown had seized 2 Kg 560 gms of diabetes is high and they State bus services can play the country. Odisha the condition of the lone
Branch, the wing has seized sugar from the year 2020 till brown sugar. Similarly, cumu- are most vulnerable to a crucial role in checking government’s COVID-19 person tested positive in
2.729 Kg of brown sugar now. It may be noted that the lative seizure of Odisha Po- coronavirus infection. To spread of the coronavirus spokesperson Subroto the State is stable.
worth nearly Rs 2.70 crore magnitude of such seizure in lice in the year 2018 was 635
following raids under Nilagiri
PS area in Balasore district.
The cops have also arrested
2020 till date by STF alone is
more than that the total cumu-
lative seizure made by Odisha
gms, in the year 2017, 1 Kg
782 gms and in the year
2016 was 541 gms.
Locals seize cattle-laden container in Khurda
2% of foreign returnees screened for COVID-19 in Odisha Khurda: Locals rescued a large number of cattle
and seized the container carrying them in Sadar
Police limits in Khurda district. According to re-
(A.O.BUREAU) RMRC is the lone centre in the state ports, locals intercepted the cattle-laden con-
Bhubaneswar,Mar 19: Even as the state where tests for coronavirus viral load are tainer while it was allegedly smuggling the ani-
government Wednesday claimed that it being carried out. Despite demand for mals. After rescuing the cattle and seizing the
had officially seen registrations of 2,131 another such centre at SCB Medical vehicle, locals informed the local police about
persons who had a recent history of for- College, Cuttack such facility still eluded the same. The locals then handed over the con-
eign trips, data dished out by the govern- the government. Private hospitals in the tainer and the animals to the cops. While it is
ment showed that hardly two per cent of state are still excluded from the testing suspected that the cattle were being sent to
the total arrivals were screened. The state facility. With such a large number of per- neighbouring states without required documents,
has already seen more than 140 suspected sons arriving from abroad including from locals have claimed that the illegal cattle trans-
cases of coronavirus but it has sent vulnerable countries like Italy, testing of port registered an increase. They have de-
samples of only 47 (2% of total registered merely two per cent of arrivals raises manded stringent action against the racketeers
persons) to the Regional Medical Re- questions about the exact status of the who are behind such transports. Meanwhile,
search Centre here for confirmation. corona cases in the state, analysts said. police have started an investigation into the case.

BHUBANESWAR
EDITORIAL
Gogoi's new run
Ostensibly, there is nothing technically wrong with ex-
Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi accepting a presidential
nomination to become a Rajya Sabha member. Given
his extensive domain knowledge and experience of the
law, he does qualify to be a notable who can contribute
valuably to the Upper House. He is, in the end, some-
body who has excelled in society in his chosen field.
There’s no shortcoming there. Also, he is not the first
retired Chief Justice to have benefitted from the
executive’s munificence; there have been others
propped up by several regimes before him as a reward
for services that were “friendly” to them. If whataboutery
is the logic, he can quote precedence. And we know he
knows his law. There’s enough counter-logic going
around as to how Justice S Fazl Ali was the first Su-
preme Court judge to be made Orissa Governor in 1952
and was the beginning of the Congress’ endorsements
of judicial luminaries that continued till the party was in
power. From Assam itself, there’s the example of Jus-
tice Baharul Islam, who began as an advocate in the
Assam High Court in the early 1950s and went on to
serve a decade-long term as Rajya Sabha member. As
far as controversial rulings go, then the Congress suit-
ably accommodated former Chief Justice Ranganath
Misra, who gave a clean chit to the Rajiv Gandhi-led
Congress in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. After his re-
tirement, he was made the first chairman of the Na-
tional Human Rights Commission and was even elected
to the Rajya Sabha on a Congress ticket in 1998. The
examples are so many that at one time, there was much
debate over how judges should not be encouraged to
take up the offer of the Government’s post-retirement
benefits, like heading commissions of inquiry, simply
because that could cloud their impartial judgments and
colour their opinions in sensitive cases. Why then is there
such deep discomfort about Gogoi’s induction in the
Rajya Sabha, that, too, in a position that is much lower
than the Chief Justice of India? Is it because of the im-
mediacy of the appointment, barely allowing for a cool-
ing off period, one that would not have led to deduc-
tions that he was being rewarded for favourable judg-
ments, be it in Rafale or Ayodhya? Or is it because of a
lack of pretence and propriety in the face of the ruling
BJP’s brazenness in protecting its favourites?
Yet nobody is holding the party to account simply be-
cause it is doing what the Congress did for so long. But
there’s much criticism of Gogoi because he was at one
time considered a “rebel” judge and, therefore, now
looks like a test case of how the institution of the ex-
ecutive superseded that of the judiciary and a one-time
warrior appeared to have fallen in line. Remember the
time when Gogoi — then the seniormost after the then
Chief Justice Dipak Misra – held a press conference in
January 2018 to express concern over the arbitrary
manner in which Misra was running the top court? He
had specifically made a reference to the selective allo-
cation of sensitive files. Therefore, there was a sense of
expectation built around him, one of them being that he
would ensure the independence of the judiciary. There
was faith he would not be coopted by an executive that
was backed by a mammoth electoral verdict and could
heave upon reasoned judgment calls as not being in sync
with the times. Subsequent judgments have replaced
the crusader halo with a shadow. For somebody who
spoke against the roster system of his predecessor, he
was seen as ensuring the Government line held ground
in most politically-sensitive cases. Perhaps, Gogoi could
have got some of his old glow back had he refused
such an offer, knowing full well that he was landing him-
self in another controversy. Nobody better than him
knows that Rajya Sabha nominations are quid pro quo
for services rendered to the regime of the day. He per-
haps could have waited to take up some national-level
commission instead and not seemed so desperate. But
Gogoi justified his acceptance saying, “It would be an
opportunity to project the views of the judiciary before
the legislature and vice versa.” He could argue that this
being a presidential nomination, he was, again techni-
cally speaking, independent of political affiliations and
could act as the “conscience keeper” of the nation.
Perhaps, he wants to retrospectively decide to be
true to his oath and “bear true faith and allegiance
to the Constitution” and perform duties “without fear
or favour.” Only time will tell whether he scores a
moral victory by trying to fight the challenging cir-
cumstances of politically charged times as a re-
spected citizen of India. Or whether we are judging
him too harshly for eroding an institution.
Milking the men in uniform
In participative democracies, the
principle of civilian supremacy
over the military is both mandated
and essential. In democracies like
the US and India, which have ac-
tive combat commitments towards
the armed forces, the orders to
partake, intensify or withdraw
from such roles ultimately come
from the civilian leadership. This
lends itself to strategic and opera-
tional situations where the military
has to abide by civilian orders
even where it disagrees as the lat-
ter has the “right to be wrong.”
Such disagreements have led to
subliminal civilian-military tensions,
which are natural and expected in
the normal course of professional
disagreements.
By constructive design, the
military has a black and white in-
stinct of situational imperatives,
which are supremely effective, ki-
netic and blunt. Whereas by na-
ture, a political decision is more
complex, asymmetric and given to
the “unapparent.” This implies that
the military may pay the price for
partisan politics that comes along
with the decision-making process
in democracies. Yet, the most
compelling argument for persist-
ing with this imperfect civil-mili-
tary equation is the alternative
track record of nations, where the
military has the last word on gov-
ernance matters. The ideal lead-
ership requirement for civilian
politicians is in maintaining profes-
sional respect, mature restraint
and operational independence of
the military so as to ensure that its
apolitical discipline, efficacy and
steel is maintained.
In recent times, unrest and vio-
lence in society has posited the
public faith and trust onto the
“soldier” even higher when all
other arms of governance seem to
have failed. Unfortunately, the In-
dian armed forces, who ought to
Fighting the Covid pandemic
We have perhaps never won-
dered why the distance between
two hospital beds, or two first-
class flight seats is always three
feet. It is a standard distance for
public health safety to prevent
spread of droplet infection by
coughing or sneezing. As the glo-
bal Covid-19 pandemic spreads
with over 2,00,000 affected and
8,200 succumbing to the illness
worldwide, India has seen the
number of cases increasing each
day with multiple states affected.
Various states are initiating a shut-
down as the next two weeks are
crucial for preventing community
transmission of the virus.
Chaos, panic and anxiety are
rampant as people stock up on
food and other daily supplies,
fearing isolation. Hand sanitisers
and face masks have been de-
clared as ‘essential commodities’
by the government, though they
are unavailable almost every-
where. Our own hospital is fac-
ing a shortage of these essentials
for surgeries and other proce-
dures, as patients keep demand-
ing free supplies. Busy roads and
airports stay deserted most of the
time, with people avoiding
crowds and public gatherings.
Further fear has arisen due to the
suspicion that a few suspected
cases have defied quarantine and
travelled to other places.
Each day, the helplines and
laboratories are flooded with calls
and requests for Covid-19 diag-
nostic testing. The sales of anti-
biotics and cough syrups have
spiked over the counter and cer-
EDIT
be the “last recourse” of the Gov-
ernment, are getting increasingly
requisitioned to bail out the be-
leaguered State as it fumbles from
one man-made or natural disas-
ter to another. They have been
doing it all — from fighting insur-
gency in Kashmir to quelling com-
munal riots in Delhi to setting up
Coronavirus-related camps
across country. The “soldier”
seems to epitomise solutions for
all societal, natural or national ur-
gencies.
However, this public imagina-
tion and perception of the “sol-
dier” has not gone unnoticed to
the overzealous politicians, who
are increasingly and unhealthily
co-opting the imagery of the “sol-
dier” onto their own image, poli-
cies and posturings. This situation
could potentially narrow the re-
quired distance and apolitical
bearing of the armed forces as it
risks pushing the “soldier” to-
wards political opinions, prefer-
ences and biases.
Xenophobically nationalistic and
self-obsessed leaders like US
President Donald Trump typify
the sort of political leadership that
milks the image of the “soldier”
as he tries to justify his tenure de-
cisions — for them, populism,
even at the cost of long-term im-
pact on the armed forces, is par
for the course.
The recent case involving the
Special Warfare Operator chief,
Eddie Gallagher of the elite US
Navy SEALs (Sea, Air and Land)
team, is symptomatic of the po-
litical interferences in an institution
that prides itself on discipline,
command and ethos of the
warfighters. These “frogmen” are
the ultimate warriors of covert
operations, who had earlier
“taken out” Osama bin Laden
and conducted many other acts
of daredevilry. The SEALs per-
sonify the finest soldering, train-
tain stocks are likely to get de-
pleted soon. Though the situation
in China’s Wuhan has relatively
stabilised with new cases touch-
ing single digits for the first time
since the outbreak began, the rest
of the world is currently in the ‘vi-
ral’ grip. Amidst all this panic, there
is a plethora of information about
‘Do’s and ‘Don’ts’ related to
Covid-19 that keep circulating
each moment on various social
and digital platforms. A lot of
them are genuine, some specu-
lative and some myths, though at
times of crisis, people tend to fol-
low all of them alike. Consider-
ing the repeated doubts and
questions that I have faced from
my friends, relatives and patients
since India reported its first
Covid-19 case, I chose to put
down the main precautions of
safety. The two main strategies
to prevent and contain Covid-
19 infection are fairly simple:
1. Social distancing: World-
wide, WHO and CDC have been
recommending this for the last two
months, though the world has
started to pay heed to this warn-
ing only of late. This has been the
first precaution mentioned by any
epidemiologist and infectious-dis-
ease expert that I have come
across. Symptomatic (coughing,
sneezing, sore throat, fever) or
not, it’s better to maintain some dis-
tance (at least 2-3 feet) between
individuals during any communica-
tion or interaction. As mentioned
before, the hospital beds, flight
seats or ideal public sitting ar-
rangements are designed based on
ing, culture and compliances that
are required to undertake complex
and dangerous missions.
The SEALs wear a revered pin
called the “trident” or “the bird,”
which is freighted with incalculable
heft and pride on the chest of a
serving officer. It is extremely hard-
earned and easy to lose, should one
fail to live up to its exacting physi-
cal, moral and psychological stan-
dards. Rear Admiral Collin Green,
as the Commander of Naval Spe-
cial Warfare Command (which
oversees SEALs and their special
operations and missions), had
sought to withdraw the symbolic
pin from the errant SEAL, Eddie
Gallagher, as he found his conduct
unbecoming.
Rear Admiral Green was keen
to clear the Augean stable of war
crimes, murder, drug issues and
sexual assaults among others that
had tainted the institution in recent
times. The open-and-shut case of
Eddie Gallagher had been one such
professional dereliction that war-
ranted corrective disciplining.
Unfortunately, this incident of-
fered Trump an opportunity to ex-
hibit his misplaced sense of politi-
cal “muscularity” by defending the
errant SEAL, much against the
professional assessment of his
Commander and the institution of
the armed forces. Amid discon-
certing murmurs, Rear Admiral
Green had to acquiesce to the
presidential and unwarranted po-
litical intervention in a routine dis-
ciplinary case. His professional
concerns of the “ethically mis-
aligned” combatants were
rubbished and the dignified “sol-
dier” was left with no option but to
step down earlier than required.
Military culture lost, politics won.
Creating divisions within the
uniformed fraternity may result in
short-term political benefits for
politicians but it could immeasur-
ably weaken the sword-arm of the
this ‘social distancing’, so that the
infection does not spread. Physi-
cal contact is better avoided. The
Indian greeting of namaste comes
handy in such situations. The other
arm of this precaution is to refrain
from any unnecessary travel, public
gatherings or crowded places. Be
it malls, theatres, airports, cafes,
pubs, etc., all these sites can lead
to overcrowding with the poten-
tial ‘droplet spread’ of the virus.
The states are closing down these
places, mainly due to this reason.
2. Hand and respiratory hy-
giene: There has been a lot of hue
and cry over alcohol-based hand
sanitisers. They are convenient to
carry and use. However simple
soaps that generate more lather
are perhaps the most effective. The
‘fat’ in the lather dissolves the vi-
ral coat, killing it. It’s important that
hands are sanitised on both sides
for some time (at least 30 sec-
onds), with a liberal amount of
sanitiser or soap. Dettol and
Savlon are ineffective. Hands need
to be cleaned before having food,
after touching any exposed exter-
nal surface and especially after
returning from outside.
Hand hygiene also includes not
touching any part of the face (eyes,
nose, mouth, ears), especially
when hands are not cleansed.
Covering the face fully while
coughing or sneezing is vital to pre-
vent the virus from spreading in air.
Though I see literal agitation over
face masks, especially N95 res-
pirator masks, the CDC guidelines
clearly mention that it is not nec-
essary, unless you are working in
20 MARCH 2020 4
FRIDAY
FRIDA
nation. Certain institutions and en-
tities need to be spared the inter-
ferences and appropriations that
are borne out of compulsive
politicisation and partisan one-
upmanship. Such misplaced politi-
cal enthusiasm needs to be nipped
in the bud, else politicians get
emboldened by their own liberties
and recklessness. Trump has
unconvincingly posited his inter-
vention towards “sticking up for
our armed forces” — nothing
could be further from the truth as
command-and-control and unim-
peachable discipline are the back-
bone of military professionalism.
Trump will most probably be re-
placing Green with another two-
star SEAL, Wyman Howard, who
has a questionable past. He is said
to have encouraged his men to
carry hatchets during combat de-
ployments.
Politicians do not understand
the intricacies, sensitivities and tra-
ditions of the armed forces. To
them, the “soldier” serves the lim-
ited utility of contextualising politi-
cal decisions “in the interest of the
soldier” and thereby, “in the best
interest of the nation.” A global
wave of uber nationalistic politics
has accelerated these tendencies
of exclusivism, polarisation and
“divides” that are normally an
anathema to the inclusive, apoliti-
cal and simple moorings of a sol-
dier, who swears by his paltan
(battalion), regiment and to the
nation. Ever-increasing opera-
tional deployments, invocations
and allusions have exposed the
“soldier” to the societal morass
that prevails. The duty to protect
the “soldier” from political mis-
use is one of every serving sol-
dier and veteran. Militaries that
avowedly shun political appro-
priations remain strong and pro-
fessional. Those that don’t, re-
semble political parties.
Bhopinder Singh
a hospital set-up or caring for an
infected/suspected case of Covid-
19. The virus is smaller than the
face mask pores. However, it
might prevent unwanted touching
of our faces. If at all needed, they
can be used in public gatherings,
like airports and in the vicinity of
hospitals. Most importantly, there
is no need to panic. Covid-19 is
not fatal! More than 82,000
people around the world have re-
covered. Extremes of age, pre-ex-
isting ill-health and immune-com-
promised conditions increase the
risk. Also, having a cold is not the
same as Covid-19. The adminis-
tration is doing its best to contain
the outbreak. Unwarranted dis-
cussion and anxiety will only add
to the existing public chaos. Be-
sides public health, Covid-19 has
also hijacked ‘social media’, con-
tinuing its top spot in all forwards,
memes and messages. Please stay
away from misinformation and
senseless forwards.
The WHO and CDC websites
are fairly simple and lucid to fol-
low for authentic information. If
you have breathing trouble, sore
dry throat, fever and cough for
more than 7-10 days, please seek
medical help. Further, if isolation
is advised, please cooperate and
follow the same. It is of prime im-
portance to control the spread.
Testing for Covid-19 has standard
protocols and the physicians will
inform you, if needed. Let us make
others aware of these simple
precautionary measures and fol-
low them for the greater good.
Dr Debanjan Banerjee
 20 MARCH 2020 5
BHUBANESWAR FRIDAY
FRIDA

Govt orders opening of quarantine homes in Angul SHGs roped in to make 10K masks
(A.O.BUREAU)
Angul,Mar 19: The State
government has ordered to
open quarantine homes in
different panchayats and
Sadar sub-divisional schools
in Angul district. A total of
235 quarantine homes will
be opened in Angul, District
Collector Manoj Kumar
Mohanty said. Preparations
are underway to open quar-
antine homes in at least one
school in each of the 225
panchayats, while two to
three homes are to be
opened in each urban area.
Arrangements will be made
in the school which can
house hundreds of people
and will have facilities such
as electricity, drinking water,
food and toilets. At first, the
facilities will be set up for
300 people at Adarsh
??Vidyalaya, 100 at Angul
Girls’ High School and an-
other 100 at Angul Town
High School. Foreigners
from abroad or from outside
the state are expected to leave
their homes after 14 days in
the quarantine room. If there
are any coronavirus symp-
toms during the stay, arrange-
ments have been made to
keep them in the isolation
ward opened at the district
headquarter hospital (DHH). (A.O.BUREAU) masks here. Reports said Banadurga (SHG) of
Balasore,Mar 19: Amid the 208 members of eight SHGs Remuna, Jagabalia SHG

Blackbucks flourishing in Ganjam

(A.O.BUREAU)
Buguda,Mar 19: Population
of the endangered
blackbuck in Ganjam district
has increased by 1,191 dur-
ing the last four years, a cen-
sus report of the forest de-
partment said. Notably,
Ganjam is home to a com-
mon species of the Indian
antelope i.e. blackbuck. In
Ganjam district, this kind of
Indian antelope is commonly
found in the areas of Bhetnoi
in Aska block and Balipadar
of Buguda block. Besides,
Aska and Buguda this ani-
mal is also found in Polsara,
Khalikot and
Jagannathprasad blocks. It
may be mentioned here that
this Indian antelope-type
(Antelope Cervicapra) is
also known as ‘Krishnasara’
or ‘Baliharina’ and even
‘Kala Barisia’ in different
pockets of the district. The
lifespan of a blackbuck is
typically 10 to 15 years.
While the males have an av-
erage weight of 34-45 kg,
females weigh around 31-39
kg and are only a little
shorter than the males. The
males at their initial stage are
brown in colour, without
horns. However, with secre-
tion of sexual hormones,
males develop a pair of un-
branched, ‘corkscrew’
horns on each side of head
and change their body colour
to elegant black. The beau-
tiful spiral horns, which
never shed like deer’s ant-
lers, may grow up to 50 cm.
The colour of the body coat
is light yellow for young fe-
males. Both males and fe-
males have white patches
around their eyes, on their
inner legs, mouth, underside,
and on the rump.
Blackbucks live on fresh ten-
der leaves, grass, crops, ce-
reals, vegetables and leaves
of shrubs and trees. They
feed for a long time, and se-
lect succulent grasses, ten-
der shoots of crops and
plants, which help them to
maintain water balance in
their bodies. They can sur-
vive without drinking water
for a day to a week. The
forest departments under
Aska and Buguda ranges
have constructed more than
ten ponds for drinking pur-
poses of the endangered
species. For the approach-
ing summer season, pits have
been arranged for the
blackbucks in the forest
area. Every year, the forest
department cultivates grass
on both government and pri-
vate lands for the
blackbucks to feed on them.
Moreover, the blackbucks in
these areas are protected
religiously by the locals. The
belief that the presence of
blackbucks in the paddy
fields brings prosperity to the
villagers has greatly contrib-
uted to the conservation of
this species. The villagers do
not kill the animal even if it
strays into the fields and
grazes their crop. As the
story goes— more than a
century ago, there was a
long spell of drought in the
area. During this period, a
small group of blackbucks
appeared here after which it
rained and the drought spell
was broken. Since then,
people have started protect-
ing these animals devotedly
coronavirus scourge across received training on mask- (Manipur) and Trishakti
the world and so, the high making. Their products will SHG (Khaira) received
preparedness by the state soon be available in the mar- training. ORMAS will pro-
government, it was reported kets at reasonable price. At vide Rs3.04 lakh for pur-
as they feel that their fate is that shops were running out the Anganwadi centre of chase of necessary machine
linked with these of masks and sanitisers. Gudipada in Sahadevkhunta and raw materials. “SHGs
blackbucks. In 1918, Some unscrupulous traders area, a one-day training of Balasore have been or-
Madeshi Chandramani are hiking prices of masks; camp was held Wednesday. dered to make 5,000
Dora, a British, took an ini- making a hole in the general Around 208 members of masks while those of
tiative for the protection of public’s pockets. Given the Sawang Sidhha SHG Bhadrak were asked to
these species and published mask shortage, the district (Bhograi), Biswakarma Tai- provide the same quantity
a notification in an Odia administration of Balasore loring (SHG) of Jaleswar, of masks in the first phase,”
newspaper for prohibiting has roped in eight SHGs to Krishna Resam SHG said additional chief direc-
killing of blackbucks. Gen- make masks to meet the (Sadar block), Nabikaran tor of ORMAS, Jitendra
erally, blackbucks prefer to ever-growing demand for SHG (Srikona), Maa Kumar Biswal.
remain in groups while graz-
ing. Two or three male
blackbucks lead the group
of 15 to 20 female
Ganjam district administration lifts section 144
blackbucks. Sometimes war as a precautionary measure
takes place among the male to curb the spread of
blackbucks for the females. coronavirus, has lifted the
In the wars, either one of the partial lockdown today.
male blackbucks dies or However, educational insti-
leaves the area. These ani- tutions, cinema halls and
mals reproduce two young malls will remain closed.
ones in a year and carry their Similarly, the administra-
baby for six months. They tion has urged the locals to
prefer bushes and stems to maintain social distancing
give birth to their babies. The in order to protect them-
forest department and 70 vil- selves from the deadly vi-
lagers in the district collectively rus. The restriction, which
formed a committee named as prohibits assembly of four
‘Blackbuck Conservation or more persons in an
Committee’ for the security of (A.O.BUREAU) had imposed section 144 of area, was imposed by
the endangered species. How- Ganjam,Mar 19: The Criminal Procedure Code Collector Vijay Amruta
ever, road accidents have Ganjam administration that (CrPC) across the district Kulange on Sunday.
been a major reason for their
Meeting at block level for Dhenkanal: OSAP’s Deputy Subedar Kil ed, 3
reduced numbers. When
asked, South Ghumusara
Forest Range official, Satya
awareness of corona virus
Constables Injured In Road Mishap
Narayan Behura, said, “We
have been trying to save the (A.O.BUREAU)
blackbucks always. We al- Giridih,Mar 19: A meeting
ways take care that the was held on Thursday at Block
Office Jamua Auditorium for
blackbucks are not be in- awareness related to corona
fected with any disease.” virus. Block Development
Officer Vinod Kumar

Buyers ‘chicken’ out; bird prices drop by 70 pc
(A.O.BUREAU)
Angul,Mar 19: The poultry
businesses in different parts of
the district have been hit hard
amid rumours that the novel
coronavirus can be transmit-
ted through consumption of
chicken. Result: Prices of the
bird have fallen by a whop-
ping 70 percent! Though the
Government of India has been
making an all-out effort to
save the poultry business from
the domino effect of COVID-
19 outbreak, residents here
are in no mood to indulge
themselves with chicken. So-
cial media platforms such as
WhatsApp and YouTube are
rife with rumours and fake
news of chicken being in-
fected with coronavirus. The
impact of rumours is such that
the government had to inter-
vene last week to allay the
fears. The Animal Husbandry
Ministry has said that poultry
was not found to be involved
in the transmission of
coronavirus to humans in any
report globally. The financials
of Angul district poultry farm-
ers is so bad that they are now
resorting to non-conventional
and eerie marketing tactics to
woo buyers. Residents here
said that the farmers are beat-
ing drums and announcing ‘ex-
citing offers’, even doling out
chickens for free as the de-
mand has hit ‘an all-time low’.
However, the residents are
difficult to be lured even with
free offers. Notably, Angul
district has a sizeable poultry
sector; the numbers of
chicken farms are more un-
der Bantal and Kanihan po-
lice station limits. More than
30 families in each block are
involved in poultry business.
The jobs of the families em-
ployed in the poultry industry
across the district have been
impacted. People are avoid-
ing consumption of meat, fish,
chicken, and eggs, and due to
the fall in demand, wholesale
prices of chicken have
dropped by as much as 70 per
cent. As a result, chicken is
now available at Rs 20-60 per
kg in retail compared with Rs
180-200 earlier. More than
ten companies which were pro-
viding chicken feeds, like
Pasupati Feeds, have incurred
a huge loss as the poultry farms
do not have enough liquidity to
purchase the feeds. Sources
said Pasupati Feeds has in-
curred Rs 18 crore loss this
month while other companies
have incurred losses of more
than Rs 10 crore. Pasupati
Feeds’Angul branch manager,
Ramakanta Swain, said, “Due
to the fear of spread of
COVID-19 infection, people in
the district are not ready to buy
the chickens. For which, our
company has been incurring
losses.” Subhas Khalanga, a
poultry businessman, said that
poultry men are getting just
Rs20 per bird in the market,
whereas the cost of production
or maintenance runs beyond
Rs 80. “It is very difficult to feed
our birds after bearing losses,”
added Subhas. A chicken
farmer of Mahidharpur said, “I
reduced the price of chickens
to Rs 20 (per kg), but no one
came to purchase them. Even
when I go out beating the
drums across many villages,
then also it bears no fruit.”
Buyers ‘chicken’ out; bird
prices drop by 70 pc A farmer
beats drums as a marketing
strategytosellchickensinAngul
For the poultry sector, which
reeled under the impact of high
feed costs last year due to
surge in maize prices, the
coronavirus dealt an indirect
blow at the beginning of the
year. This could prolong the
recovery in the poultry sector,
despite the prices of maize, the
key ingredient in poultry feed,
having come down by about a
fourth over last year’s levels.
Karmakar chaired the meet-
ing . On this occasion Dr.
Rajesh Kumar Dubey, Medi-
cal Officer of Jamua was also
present. In the meeting, people
were made aware to make the
public aware. On this occa-
sion, Block Development Of-
ficer Vinod Kumar Karmakar
said that there is a need to be
vigilant about the corona virus. (A.O.BUREAU) speeding truck
He said that people especially
in rural areas, at village, local- Dhenkanal,Mar 19: rammed into their ve-
ity and panchayat level and at A Deputy Subedar of
block level, need to be espe- hicle. While Sethi
cially aware. If a person comes OSAP was killed
was killed on the
from outside in any village, while three con-
Tola, Mohalla, then their health spot, three others
There is a need to motivate the stables were injured sustained grievous in-
investigation and the informa-
in a road mishap near juries. The injured
tion should also be given to the
administration. He made the College Bypass were immediately
people aware of the guidelines Chhak in Dhenkanal.
related to the corona virus. Dr. admitted to a nearby
Rajesh Dubey discussed in The deceased has hospital. However,
detail about action plan for the
said virus. He said that if there been identified as two of them were
is any kind of health related dis-
Bhikari Sethi. Ac- shifted to SCB Medi-
turbance in a person coming
from outside in a village, then cording to sources, cal College and Hos-
inform the block development the incident occurred
officer and health department pital in Cutta c k a s
of Jamua. The Health Depart- while the Odisha their condition dete-
ment is available to treat Special Armed Police
people at all times. It is said riorated. Mean-
that there is no need to panic (OSAP) staffers while, the driver and
with Corona virus, there is a were travelling from
need to remain alert and alert. the helper of the
On this occasion, Mahendra Cuttack in a police truck are reported to
Kumar, head of Harla
Panchayat etc. were present.
vehicle when a be absconding.

BHUBANESWAR
Only village in the world where it never rains Shahid Kapoor works out in gym, MCGM sends notice to actor
Planet Earth is a mysterious
place that never ceases to
amaze us. You won’t have
to look far to find some
natural peculiarity for which
science sometimes offer a
theory. However, many
places are complete enigma.
There are many amazing
places in the world. Unique
features of these places will
leave you amazed. Like the
village of Mawsynram in
Meghalaya, where it rains
the most in the world, there
is a place where it never
rains. It is not that this place
is a desert; rather it is a vil-
lage where people dwell.
Aishwarya Rai’s lookalike Manasi Naik wows social media
Mumbai: Marathi actress
Manasi Naik has been en-
joying social media attention
for her resemblance to su-
Dolphins, swans return to Venetian canals as
Italy remains in complete lockdown
Venice: Italy,
Europe’s worst
coronavirus-hit
country and the
world’s second after
China, Tuesday re-
ported a further 345
deaths in the past 24
hours. The World
Health Organisation
(WHO) declared
Europe to be the
new epicentre of the
coronavirus pan-
demic. Italy with
27,980 positive
cases is the worst affected
country in the world after
China. The country re-
mained in complete
lockdown amidst the alarm-
ing rise in cases. But the self
isolation has had a silver lin-
ing. With tourists barred and
locals locking themselves up
inside their homes, the
streets and canals of pictur-
esque Venice have been a
sight to behold. New guests
have popped up in Venetian
waters as swans and dol-
phins have returned to their
natural habitats. New im-
ages surfaced on social me-
dia show boards walking the
streets and dolphins and
The name of this village is Al-
Hutaib, located in the San‘a’
Governorate in Jabal Haraz,
a mountain region between
Sana’a and Al-Hudaydah.
The village of Hutaib is built
on a platform of red sand-
stone, facing a view of ter-
raced hills which host a
score of villages. Tourists
often flung her and enjoy
spectacular views. There are
many beautiful houses built
on the top of the mountains
here. The village is located
at an altitude of up to 3,200
meters above the earth’s sur-
face; the atmosphere around
the village is warm and mod-
perstar Aishwarya Rai
Bachchan. Several of
Manasi’s pictures are doing
the rounds on the Internet
swan frolicking in clean blue
waters – a sight that was
previously unseen given the
high tourist footfall in the
city. “Boars in the middle
of my hometown, dolphins
in the port of Cagliari,
ducks in the fountains in
Rome, Venice canals have
now clean water full of
fishes. Air pollution
dropped. Nature is reclaim-
ing its spaces during quar-
antine in Italy. #COVID19
#COVID-19,” wrote one
user on Twitter accompanied
by images. “Here’s an unex-
pected side effect of the pan-
demic – the water’s flowing
through the canals of Venice
erate. The mausoleum of
the third Dawoodi Bohra
Da’i al-Mutlaq Hatim ibn
Ibrahim is located in this vil-
lage. The village also has
two schools and two
mosques named Hatimi
Mosque and Mansoor al
Yemen Mosque. The Cave
of Blessings (called Kahf
un-Naeem in Arabic) is lo-
cated below the fortress of
Hutaib. The most special
thing about this village is
that it never rains here. The
reason for this is that this
village is situated above
the clouds. Clouds form
and rain below.
and, looking at the snap-
shots, many netizens feel
that they are reminded of
Aishwarya in her early days
in the film industry.
“Aishwarya’s duplicate,” a
user commented. Another
user wrote: “Aishwarya’s
carbon copy.” Earlier in
2005, actress Sneha Ullal,
who was paired opposite su-
perstar Salman Khan in
Lucky: No Time For Love,
made similar headlines for her
striking resemblance to
Aishwarya. However, Lucky
fared way below expectations
at the box office, and Sneha
could not quite make her mark
in Bollywood in the years to
come. Will the resemblance
with Aishwarya work for
Manasi? Time will tell.
is clear for the first time in
forever. The fish are visible,
the swans returned,” shared
another user. This was the
third day running that Italy
reported over 300 deaths –
after 368 Sunday, and 349
Monday. While the country’s
toll has gone up to 2,503, a
point of optimism was that the
infection rate had slowed
down, according to the
BBC. The country now has
31,506 cases – with 2,060
people in intensive care, up
from 27,980 earlier. How-
ever, this was the slowest rate
of increase since the country
identified the presence of the
virus last month.
Mumbai: Actor Shahid
Kapoor has been issued a
show cause notice by the
Municipal Corporation of
Greater Mumbai (MCGM)
for training in a gym recently.
The MCGM authorities have
also sealed the gym. It
should be stated here that
the Maharashtra government
had issued orders earlier in
the month that all gymnasi-
ums in the state will remain
closed till further notice due
to the threat of the
coronavirus pandemic.
However, both Shahid and
the gym authorities have
flouted health directives, al-
leged MCGM. Not only
Shahid, his wife Meera
Rajput was also seen at the
gym on that fateful day. Both
were also seen leaving the
gym together and the photo
has gone viral. Owner of the
gym Yudhisthir Jaising, how-
Supermodel Gigi Hadid reveals several interesting facts of her life
Los Angeles: Model Gigi
Hadid was recently inter-
viewed by not one, but four
of famous friends —
Serena Williams, Kendall
Jenner, Blake Lively and
Taylor Swift. In the inter-
view that appears in
Harper’s Bazaar magazine,
Gigi revealed several un-
known facts of her life.
Among interesting things
her fans got to know is that
the highflying model actually
prefers rural tranquillity over
life in the fast lane of the big
cities. She said she enjoys
being at her mother Yolanda
Hadid’s Pennsylvania
property and how it re-
minds her of the “simple
Listening to music is good for the heart
London: Listening to mu-
sic for 30 minutes every
day can be good for your
heart as researchers have
found that patients who
suffered episodes of chest
pain soon after a heart at-
tack, known as early
post-infarction angina,
had significantly lower
levels of anxiety and pain.
The new study suggests
music, combined with
standard therapies such as
medications, could be a
simple, accessible mea-
sure that patients can do
at home to potentially re-
duce these symptoms and
help prevent subsequent
cardiac events. “Based
on our findings, we be-
lieve music therapy can
help all patients after a
heart attack, not only pa-
tients with early post-inf-
ever has said that there has
been a misunderstanding. He
has said that along with a few
friends he was sitting inside
the gym when Shahid ar-
rived. The gym was officially
closed then. “Shahid had suf-
fered a painful injury a few
pleasures” of life. “The farm
has really made me remem-
ber, and bring back to my
life, my most simple plea-
sures. It’s allowed me to fill
my days off with the little
things that make me happy,
like art, gardening, yoga,
arction angina. It’s also
very easy and inexpensive
to implement,” said study
lead author Predrag
Mitrovic, Professor at the
University of Belgrade in
Serbia. For the findings,
the researchers recruited
350 patients diagnosed
with heart attack and
early post-infarction an-
gina at a medical centre in
Serbia. Half were ran-
domly assigned to receive
standard treatment while
half were assigned to
regular music sessions in
addition to standard
treatment. According to
the researchers, patients
receiving music therapy
first underwent a test to
determine which musical
genre their body was
likely to respond to posi-
tively. Participants lis-
days back while shooting for
Jersey in Chandigarh. He had
wanted a few equipment that
would help him recover
quickly. I was just showing
him how to operate those.
Shahid did not train at the
gym on that day,” said
cooking, being outside, and
spending time with my loved
ones and animals without
having to worry about things
like what I’m wearing or
how my hair looks, or be-
ing photographed or seen
that day. Being away from
tened to nine 30-second
samples of music they
found soothing, while re-
searchers assessed each
participant’s body for au-
tomatic, involuntary re-
sponses to the music
samples based on dilation
or narrowing of the pu-
pils. Patients continued
with these daily listening
sessions for seven years,
documenting their ses-
sions in a log. At the end
of seven years, music
therapy was found to be
more effective than stan-
dard treatment alone in
terms of reducing anxiety,
pain sensation and pain
distress. The patients
with music therapy, on
average, had anxiety
scores one-third lower
than those on standard
treatment and reported
20 MARCH 2020 6
FRIDAY
FRIDA
Jaising. Crux of the matter
however, is both Shahid and
his gym owner friend are in a
soup. It remains to be seen
the steps MCGM takes af-
ter it gets the replies from both
to the show cause notices
they have received.
the city and the public eye
makes me feel like a kid
again, and that freedom has
been really healing for me,”
said Gigi, according to a
report in femalefirst.co.uk.
In the interview to the new
issue of Harper’s Bazaar
magazine, Gigi also spoke
about herself. “I give a lot
of credit to the fact that I’m
a Taurus, whether that has
anything to do with it or
not… Haha… but I’ve al-
ways felt a connection to
when people say that a Tau-
rus is at peace with the tim-
ing of the earth. I trust that
everything we go through,
good or bad, is for the
better,” she said.
lower angina symptoms
by about one-quarter.
These patients also had
significantly lower rates of
certain heart conditions,
including an 18 percent
reduction in the rate of
heart failure; 23 percet
lower rate of subsequent
heart attack; 20 percent
lower rate of needing
coronary artery bypass
graft surgery; and 16 per-
cent lower rate of cardiac
death. According to the
researchers, the music
may work by helping to
counteract the activity of the
sympathetic nervous sys-
tem, the part of the nervous
system that drives the “fight-
or-flight” response when a
person faces a stressful situ-
ation. Because it increases
heart rate and blood pres-
sure, a sympathetic re-
sponse can put added strain
on the cardiovascular sys-
tem, the researchers said.
“Unrelieved anxiety can
produce an increase in sym-
pathetic nervous system ac-
tivity, leading to an increase
in cardiac workload,”
Mitrovic said. The research
is scheduled to be pre-
sented at the American
College of Cardiology’s
Annual Scientific Session
Together with World Con-
gress of Cardiology on
March 28-30 in the US.
 20 MARCH 2020 7
BHUBANESWAR FRIDAY
FRIDA

IOC says no ‘ideal’ solution for Olympics as athletes voice virus concerns World Cup winner Blaise Matuidi ‘positive’ despite coronavirus infection
Lausanne,Mar 19: Olympic
chiefs acknowledged
Wednesday there was no
‘ideal’ solution to staging the
Tokyo Olympics in response
to a growing number of ath-
letes expressing concern as
the coronavirus pandemic
swept the globe. Football’s
European Championships
and the Copa America have
been postponed for a year,
but the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) has said
that it is ‘fully committed’ to
holding the Games from July
24 as scheduled. “This is an
exceptional situation which
requires exceptional solu-
tions,” an IOC spokesper-
son said after criticism from
lic health to train every
day?” Stefanidi tweeted.
“You are putting us in dan-
ger right now, today, not in
4 months,” she added.
Tuesday, minutes before the
IOC statement that it was
French swimming federation
president Gilles Sezionale
expressed his disappoint-
ment at the IOC ‘evoking
the possible continuation of
the Games’. “I am devas-
tated by so many inconsis-
current slot, after the outbreak
that first exploded in China
spread to Asia and then
worldwide.An Olympic gym-
nastics qualifier in Tokyo,
doubling as a test event, be-
came the latest competition to
be cancelled Wednesday. A
day earlier, the deputy head
of Japan’s Olympic commit-
tee said he had tested posi-
tive for coronavirus. But the
IOC insisted ‘there is no need
for any drastic decisions at this
stage’, and added that ‘any
speculation at this moment
would be counter-produc-
tive’. France’s 110m hur-
dler Pascal Martinot-
Lagarde, a European cham-
pion and world bronze med-
Milan,Mar 19: France
World Cup winner Blaise
Matuidi insisted Wednes-
day his ‘morale is good’
despite testing positive for
coronavirus. “I am positive,
I am strong, morale is good,
that of my family too,” the
Juventus midfielder said on
Instagram. The 32-year-
old’s club teammate Daniele
Rugani was the first top-
flight footballer to be diag-
nosed with the virus a week
ago, sending the entire team
into quarantine. And Matuidi
used a play on the word
‘positive’ in posts on social
media to describe his mood
at contracting an illness
which has killed over 2,500
in Italy. “I am positive. Usu-
ally I like to think I’m posi-
tive. Someone who tries to
radiate good waves around
him, my family, my friends, my
teammates,” Matuidi said on
Instagram. “Today I remain
positive. I am an asymptom-
atic carrier of the virus,
aware of the privilege of be-
ing a professional footballer
and as such benefit from
regular and excellent medi-
cal monitoring. If it weren’t,
I probably never would
have known,” he added.

Efforts on to hold IPL-13 between July and September

top athletes that they would
be forced to take health risks
should the Games go ahead.
“The IOC is committed to
finding a solution with the
least negative impact for the
athletes, while protecting the
integrity of the competition
and the athletes’ health. No
solution will be ideal in this
situation, and this is why we
are counting on the respon-
sibility and solidarity of the
athletes,” the spokesperson
added. Olympic pole vault
champion Katerina Stefanidi
and Britain’s World Cham-
pion heptathlete Katarina
Johnson-Thompson both
voiced concerns at the IOC’s
stance. “The IOC wants us
to keep risking our health,
our family’s health and pub-
pressing ahead with its
preparations, Euro 2020
was delayed for a year,
bowing to the crisis that has
paralysed Europe and dras-
tically curtailed international
travel. Olympic qualifying
tournaments are among the
swathe of sports events that
have been cancelled or
postponed. Only 57 per-
cent of athletes have
booked their places so far.
“It’s unbelievable,” said
Stefanidi. “What about
team sports that have to
train together? What about
swimming? What about
gymnastics, that they touch
the same objects? There is
zero consideration of the
risk they are putting us in
right now,” she added.
tencies when we should to-
day devote ourselves solely
to the epidemic to save
lives!” said Sezionale
Johnson-Thompson, who
won her multi-event world
title in Doha in October,
criticised the IOC for telling
athletes to train ‘as best they
can’. She said it was at odds
with stringent government
health measures. “I feel un-
der pressure to train and
keep the same routine which
is impossible,” she wrote on
Twitter. “It’s difficult (to) ap-
proach the season when ev-
erything has changed in the
lead-up apart from the ulti-
mate deadline,” added the
Briton. Doubts are increas-
ingly being expressed about
holding the Olympics in its
allist who finished fourth at the
2016 Rio Olympics, said a
postponement was the only
fair solution. “We’re not all in
the same boat, there are coun-Kolkata,Mar 19: The uncertainty surround- Sources said that as per the Futures Tour
tries which are less affected ing the future of the 13th edition of the In- Programme (FTP) except for England and
than others. In some countriesdian Premier League (IPL) may force the Pakistan none of the other cricket playing
athletes can train normally BCCI to hold it later in the year. The IPL nations is involved in any series in that time
while we can’t even access ourwhich was scheduled to start March 29 frame. It is well-known that Pakistani crick-
with the game between the Chennai Super eters are not allowed in the IPL. So a sec-
training track,” said Martinot-
Lagarde. “We are not on an Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) tion of the BCCI is of the opinion that even
equal footing when it comes has now been postponed to April 15. If the without the participation of England players
to preparation. The Games tournament begins then, it will have to be the IPL will not lose its sheen if it is held
should be postponed until the truncated and that is something the anytime between July and September. The
end of 2020, not next year.” organisers and the broadcasters are not very BCCI and the IPL governing council are also
Germany’s six-time Olympic keen to do. Sources have said that in the ready to host a part of the tournament in a
truncated format the eight teams will be di- different country to ensure that the event
dressage gold medallist Isabell
Werth meanwhile said not vided into two groups of four teams each runs smoothly. It should be stated here that
with the top two from each category quali- in 2009 the IPL was played in South Africa
talking about a potential post-
ponement was ‘an incompre- fying for the semifinals. The BCCI is also and the event lasted for 37 days. So a sec-
hensible and unjustifiable de-not sure whether spectators will be allowed tion of the BCCI is very optimistic of having
laying tactic by the IOC and to watch the games or whether matches will a full and proper IPL if the dates are shifted.
the Japanese’. have to be played in empty stadiums. If the As things stand, the BCCI is also not sure
second happens the franchises will lose a that even if the tournament starts April 15,

French Open officials face flak over change of dates lot of earnings that come from selling of tick- whether foreign players will be allowed. In
ets. In these circumstances, a section of that case again both the organisers and the
the board already has started exploring the broadcasters may face substantial revenue
ited opportunities to adjust option of conducting the tournament with losses. After all which viewer or spectator
to the slower surface. its full quota of 60 matches in a 37 to 40- will want an IPL without a Chris Gayle or
Roland Garros will also now day period between July and September. an AB de Villiers or David Warner?

2020 Tokyo Olympics Chief Attended Meeting with

clash with a number of tour-
naments, including the La-
ver Cup, where Europe’s

Official Who Now has Coronavirus

London,Mar 19: The global
tennis calendar has been
thrown into further chaos af-
ter a decision by French
Open organisers to postpone
the Grand Slam, with play-
ers and rival tournaments
critical of the apparently uni-
lateral move. The event at
Roland Garros, traditionally
the second Major of the sea-
son, was Tuesday moved
from a May 24 start date to
September 20. Organisers
said strict confinement mea-
sures imposed by the French
government to tackle
COVID-19 had made it im-
possible to continue with
preparations. FFT (French
tennis federation) president
Bernard Giudicelli said: “We
have made a difficult yet
brave decision in this unprec-
edented situation, which has
evolved greatly since last
weekend.” But the new
dates mean the tournament
would start just one week
after the US Open, if that
event remained in its origi-
nal slot. Organisers of the
Grand Slam in New York
acknowledged it might
need to be moved but said
they would not go it alone
in a scarcely veiled dig at
French chiefs. The re-
scheduled French Open
would also clash with the
start of the Asian swing and
the Laver Cup team com-
petition, due to take place
in Boston from September
25 to 27. The men’s ATP
tour and the women’s WTA
tour are both currently sus-
pended due to the
coronavirus pandemic.
British doubles player
Jamie Murray queried the
apparent lack of coordina-
tion at the top of the game.
“Strong Move by French
Open/FFT to move to end
of Sept,” Murray tweeted.
“I thought the powers that
be in tennis were supposed
to be all about working to-
gether these days?” he
added. Canada’s Vasek
Pospisil, a member of the
ATP player council, was
strongly critical of the deci-
sion. “This is such a difficult
time,” tweeted Pospisil. “Ev-
eryone is being impacted by
this catastrophe.” Former
US Open and Australian
Open champion Naomi
Osaka also criticised the
move to shift the dates of the
French Open. “Enhancing
communication & working
together to find solutions
should be the priority. Not
going Rogue & making self-
ish/arrogant decisions to fur-
ther impact the tour in a
negative way.
#RolandGarros,” she said
on the micro-blogging site.
The revised dates will leave
players contesting a clay-
court Grand Slam in the
middle of the traditional
hard-court season, with lim-
top players take on a World
team. Roger Federer has al-
ready committed to the
event and Rafael Nadal – organizing
the 12-time French Open
champion – is another key committee.
figure at the tournament. Doubts are
“This announcement came mounting that
as a surprise to us and our the Olympics
partners – Tennis Australia,
the USTA (US Tennis As- can go pro-
sociation) and the ATP,” said ceed as
Laver Cup organisers. “It planned given
raises many questions and disruptions
we are assessing the situa-
caused by the
tion. At this time, we want
our fans, sponsors, broad- coronavirus
casters, staff, volunteers, pandemic but
players and the great city of Tokyo Games
Boston to know that we in- and Japanese
tend to hold Laver Cup Tokyo,Mar 19: Tokyo virus. Mori and JOC
2020 as currently sched- 2020 Olympics chief deputy head Kozo government officials have
uled,” the organisers added. said the event will go
The USTA said it would not Yoshiro Mori attended a Tashima attended a board ahead as scheduled and
determine any new date for meeting on March 10 that meeting regarding the
will not be held behind
the US Open without con- included the deputy head Rugby World Cup.
sulting the other Major of the Japanese Olympic Tashima tested positive closed doors. Hiroshi
championship organisers, Iijima, deputy governor of
Committee (JOC) who for the virus on Tuesday.
the International Tennis Fed- Saitama prefecture, who also
eration (ITF) and the ATP tested positive for the new At meeting, about 60
and WTA tours. “We coronavirus this week, people were in a room attended the meeting decided
recognise that such a deci- officials said. Mori, 82, and Mori was seated to self-quarantine and will not
sion should not be made has not been tested be- about 10 metres away return to work until March
unilaterally,” it said in a
23, Ryoji Hiraiwa, a
statement. The US Open, cause he was not subject from Tashima on the op-
usually the final Grand Slam to testing requirements, posite side of the table, prefecturual official said.
on the calendar, is sched- an official from Mori’s according to Jun Iijima does not have any
uled to run from August 31 office said, adding that he Kusumoto, a spokesman coronavirus-related symp-
to September 13 in Flush-
ing Meadows, New York. had no symptoms of the for the Rugby World Cup toms, the official added .

Players’ safety compromised for financial reasons by continuing All England last week: Saina Nehwal
New Delhi,Mar 19: Indian badminton star Saina Nehwal ac- given more importance. Otherwise there was no other reason for nament had several players competing despite the risk as it was
cused the sport’s administrators of placing money above players’ the #AllEnglandOpen2020 to go on last week,” she tweeted. The crucial to achieving ranking points for Olympic qualification.
safety by continuing last week’s All England Championships de- 30-year-old lost in the opening round of the marquee event, which Saina’s Olympic qualification has been severely jeopardised by
spite the COVID-19 pandemic. “Only thing I can think of is that was among a handful which continued even as the bulk of global the early loss in Birmingham. The Badminton World Federation
rather than the players welfare n feelings, financial reasons were sporting calendar was either postponed or cancelled. The tour- (BWF) put a halt to all its events on the day the event got over.

BHUBANESWAR
Vedanta Lanjigarh conducts sensitization programs on COVID-19
(A.O.BUREAU)
Lanjigarh,Mar 19:
Lanjigarh, Kalahandi dis-
trict, Odisha: 18th March,
2020: Vedanta's Lanjigarh
alumina refinery is conduct-
ing awareness and sensitiza-
tion programs in the commu-
nity on account of the
COVID-19 outbreak. The
team has reached out to over
14 villages, with the aim to
connect with the entire re-
gion in raising awareness on
the virus. Mr. Rakesh
Mohan, Chief Operating
Officer, Vedanta Limited,
Lanjigarh unit has urged the
Naveen Jindal-led JSPL takes lead in battling Covid-19
(A.O.BUREAU)
Bhubaneswar / New Delhi,
Mar 19: The Naveen Jindal-
led Jindal Steel and Power
Limited (JSPL) has made
elaborate arrangements to
fight the corona virus spread
and ensure that its employ-
ees, and their loved ones, are
safe, secure, and well-pro-
tected. The company has
ensured that each and every
employee is screened for
body temperatures, and
thermal scanners have been
employed for the same. This
facility is available across all
JSPL centres and facilities in
the country. According to a
press release issued by the
company’s Jindal Centre
head office, hand sanitizers
have been made available in
all its offices and facilities to
make sure that employees
maintain the highest stan-
dards of hygiene. Face
masks have been made
available to all the employ-
ees. A team of specialist
doctors is monitoring and
overseeing the preventive
arrangements being put in
place. JSPL Chairman
Naveen Jindal said that “em-
ployees have a key role in
Adani Dhamra Port ready to prevent Corona Virus
(A.O.BUREAU)
Dhamra, Mar 19: In the
present circumstances as
the whole world is fighting
against Corona Virus, so
Dhamra port is also trying
its best for preventing this
virus. On 28th Jan 2020
port receives Ministry of
Shipping (MoS) guidelines
for Corona Virus pre-
paredness through Com-
merce & Transport De-
partment, Govt of Odisha.
Port takes measure steps
for preventing the possible
importation of nCoV-19.
Trade notice issued to all
Printed, Published & Owned by Bansidhar Das, Plot No. 499/4262, Saktinagar, Shisupalgarh , Bhubaneswar-751002, Dist Khordha(Odisha), Printed At Mahabir Printers, Plot No. 494,
Govinda Prasad, Sarathi Complex, Bomikhal, Bhubaneswar- 751010, Khordha Phone: 9439094123, Email:aroundodisha@gmail.com, Epaper-aroundodisha.com.
team to work dedicatedly
on raising awareness on the
virus, adding: "In these dire
circumstances, Vedanta is
taking a proactive step to
raise awareness on preven-
tive measures against Co-
rona Virus. Our aim is to
ensure that the communities
are aware of the outbreak
and take optimal measures
to prevent contracting it. I
urge the community to stand
strong at these times and
practice basic hygiene, sani-
tation and preventive meth-
ods. We are sensitising our
employees and business
running the business”, and
“their well-being and good
health is a top priority for us”.
“As per the instructions and
guidelines of the Union Gov-
ernment, the JSPL family is
undertaking all possible
measures to contain the
spread of corona virus,” he
added. JSPL CHRO Rahul
Taneja said that to ensure
proper and seamless func-
tioning of the company and
its facilities, it’s imperative
that the employees are fit and
healthy. He said: “The com-
pany management is attach-
ing utmost importance to the
registered shipping agents
on nCoV advisory. Advis-
ing Masters of all vessels
calling port to monitor their
crew members/passengers
for development of symp-
toms suggestive of nCoV
and report to port control
through Maritime Declara-
tion of Health (MDoH).
Port Doctors advised to
check MDoH, last port of
call and crew joining date
of each vessel with regard
to possible nCoV expo-
sure while granting Free
Pratique. Port Pilots being
first point of contact with
partners within the plant as
well." The Community
Health Awareness and Mo-
bile Health Unit teams of
Vedanta Hospital, Lanjigarh
have launched Corona infec-
tion prevention & control
program in the neighbouring
communities. The programs
share measures for one's
protection with pertinent in-
formation from the Informa-
tion, Education and Com-
munication (IEC) materials
shared in the World Health
Organisation (WHO) and
Odisha Govt. websites.
Additionally, informative
wellbeing of its employees
and their families”. He added
that emergency response
teams have been constituted
at all JSPL centres and
plants, who are counselling
the employees. “They are
also well-equipped to handle
all kinds of situations,” he
added. In accordance with
the guidelines issued by the
Ministry of Health and Fam-
ily Welfare, the overall situ-
ation is being closely moni-
tored, said Taneja, adding
that all standard operating
procedures were being fol-
lowed. Among other pre-
vessel are advised to take
preventive measures to
avoid person to person
transmission and issued
with N-95 Masks, dispos-
able hand gloves and hand
sanitizers. Port CEO at-
tended high level meeting
with Secretary, MoS for
review of nCoV prepared-
ness. Port Starts thermal
screening of crew mem-
bers calling at port with
contact from suspected
countries. Till date (16th
Mar 20) Port doctors have
screened 871 crew mem-
bers of 41 vessels. APSEZ
banners and communiques
have been placed in strate-
gic locations in the villages
and panchayat offices. The
importance of social dis-
tancing, personal hygiene,
intake of a healthy and bal-
anced diet, basic sanitation
practices in households
were also emphasised in the
programs. These programs
will be regularly conducted
in the community, informing
them of the transmission
and prevention of the virus.
It may be mentioned that
under the 'Aarogya' pro-
gram at Lanjigarh, the alu-
mina refinery has enabled
transformation in the areas
of health and hygiene. The
initiatives include commu-
nity health awareness
programmes as means to
spread awareness and sen-
sitize on preventive mea-
sures against diseases.
Through these extensive
CSR health initiatives,
Vedanta is committed to
promote a healthy & hy-
gienic lifestyle by providing
global best health facilities.
ventive measures to contain
the corona spread, outsid-
ers entering company facili-
ties and offices are being
scanned for body tempera-
tures. Large gatherings have
been prohibited at JSPL cen-
tres for the time being. A
team of specialist doctors
led by Dr Gurusharan Singh
is also conducting training
and counselling sessions for
the employees. They are
being told how to ward off
the corona virus and stay
safe at the workplace and
home. Local community liv-
ing in the vicinity of business
locations of JSPL across In-
dia are being sensitized, by
JSPL Foundation, on pre-
vention of Covid-19 through
messaging, social media,
postering and audio-visuals
as per government issued
advisory. Social distancing,
hand washing and related
personal hygiene as well as
reporting to the nearest hos-
pital on having symptoms of
flu, cold and fever have been
emphasized in the commu-
nity awareness programmes.
No physical meetings are
being conducted to ensure
social distancing.
has taken necessary ac-
tions to tackle the spread
of COVID-19. This in-
cludes scanning of all cargo
and personnel, adherence
to usage of PPEs (personal
protective equipment),
maintaining temperature logs,
restricting human contact to
the minimal and reporting of
any anomaly to health au-
thorities. At Dhamra port as
a precautionary measure
workmen, who had arrived
at site from Taiwan & Viet-
nam, were put on self-quar-
antine for 14 days prior to
engaging them at work”.
Editor: Bansidhar Das
Gopalpur Port takes precautionary measures to pre-
vent the ingress of COVID – 19 from Port
(A.O.BUREAU)
Gopalpur/ Bhubaneswar,
Mar 19: Gopalpur Ports
Limited (GPL) has taken all
precautionary measures to
prevent the outbreak of
COVID – 19. A detailed
process has been estab-
lished wherein continuous
monitoring and screening all
foreign and domestic ships
and ship’s crew in addition
to the directives and instruc-
tions received from the Di-
rectorate General of Ship-
ping (Union Ministry of
Shipping) and the Ministry of
Health and Family Welfares
of Government of India. Any
vessel that has its port of
origin from Countries listed
by Government of India
such as China, Korea, Ja-
pan, Italy etc are being quar-
antined for 14 days. After 14
day quarantine, the crew of
the vessel is checked for any
symptoms and if required
tested. For vessels other
than the impacted countries,
pre-arrival reporting form
declaring good health of all
crew is sought 24 hours
prior to arrival from the ship-
master to prevent the spread
of the COVID – 19 In ad-
Truck owners hail “first come, first serve”
rule for coal transportation in Talcher
(A.O.BUREAU)
Sambalpur, Mar 19 : Truck
owners have acknowl-
edged with appreciation
the initiative of Angul dis-
trict administration to put
coal transportation from
mines of Mahanadi
Coalfields Limited’s
Talcher coalfields on “first
come, first serve” basis.
The new system, which
was put into practice from
2020 with the help of the
district administration to
help truck owners, particu-
larly local educated youth
in business to work with-
out hindrances and manipu-
lations of transport unions
. With “first come, first
dition the Port has also de-
veloped its ownstandard
operating procedures
(SOP) measures such as
and is complying with Inter-
national Maritime Organiza-
tions (IMO) and World
Health Organization (WHO)
reporting form – “Maritime
Declaration of Health” and
Port of call list that are be-
ing scrutinized by Port health
and marine team on a 24x7
basis. It has also taken an
additional precaution by re-
cording body temperature
of all crew members of the
foreign ship’s inside port
limit on daily twice basis.
(06:00hrs and 18:00hrs) till
the departure of the vessel
from the port.An isolation
wardhas been created and
non-contact infrared tem-
perature guns, N-95 face
masks, disposable gloves &
caps, fully equipped ambu-
lance with 3 paramedics
available round the clock
and spraying of de-contami-
nant liquid (Sodium Hy-
pochlorite) is being done on
ship’s boarding area for em-
barkation/disembarkation of
operation staff. GPL has
undertaken a number of
serve” all the coal mines of
Talcher coalfields have
“disseminated a ray of
hope among in-numerable
defenceless and voiceless
truck operators of Talcher
as hassle-free loading and
genuine freight will act as a
sheet-anchor for their sur-
vival and sustenance,”read
an e-mail received by the
Chairman-cum-Managing
Director. “We have re-
ceived very positive feed-
back on ‘first come, first
serve’ system placed for
road sale of coal,” said the
CMD, adding that the truck
owners, particularly local
youths in transport business,
have become direct benefi-
20 MARCH 2020 8
FRIDAY
FRIDA
measures to educate its em-
ployees and workmen on
hygiene measures to avoid
spread of Corona Virus.
The GPL has put in place all
preventive measures since
the outbreak of the Novel
Corona Virus. The Port car-
ried out mock drills and pre-
paredness drive at port pre-
mises in presence of Ganjam
district health administration
and MKCG Government
Hospital teams on February
05. On March 12, the Indian
Coast Guard Officialsvisited
the port and felt satisfactory
over the port’s readiness to
handle the COVID – 19.
Fully sanitized Marine pilot is
boarding with afull body cov-
ered surgical protection suit
during his operation on a ves-
sel. All port staffs engaged in
any kind of operations at
berth area have been given
face masks and hand-
sanitizers before and after
operations. The Gopalpur
port authority is committed to
providing a safe and con-
tamination-free environment
to its people and peripheral
villages and it is fully prepared
to prevent the spread
COVID – 19.
ciaries due to this system.
With this system in place,
any truck can lift coal for the
consumer on ‘first come,
first serve basis’, breaking
the hegemony of a few
people in the transport union
controlling the coal trans-
portation through road.
Educated youths of Talcher
have entered into coal
transportation as a source
of alternate and all-weather
employment to earn their
livelihood. Creation of sec-
tor associations in each mine
had created situation that a
truck cannot be loaded
from the mine without their
permission and the freight is
kept in their domain.