FINALLY, HIDING BEAR FLEES INTO JUNGLE Sunday, 21 May 2017 | PNS | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar

FINALLY, HIDING BEAR FLEES INTO JUNGLE

Sunday, 21 May 2017 | PNS | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar

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After injuring two persons and keeping forest and police personnel and Raksimunda villagers on tenterhooks for more than 18 hours, the bear finally fled from the bamboo bushes, wherein it was hiding, around 2.30 am on Saturday.

Interestingly, the bear managed to avoid nets spread around the bushes and a cage kept for catching. It may be noted that another bear had fled into a nearby forest after being chased by villagers.

Meanwhile, the injured Gram Rakhi of Bandana Kata village, Tarani Bag, who was undergoing treatment in the VISMAR, Burla has been referred to the SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack in worsening of his condition.

This incident has once again brought the people’s behaviour in dealing with such situations to the fore. They were in a hostile mood and trying to kill the bear, according to sources. However, they were convinced not to do so after talks held between village leaders and forest personnel.

Locals have demanded for a corpus fund at the range level to tackle the situation immediately. They too demanded that a wildlife squad and a tranqualising team be kept at the division level to deal with such incidents.

BEARS ON RAMPAGE IN BALANGIR; 2 INJURED Saturday, 20 May 2017 | PNS | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar 1

BEARS ON RAMPAGE IN BALANGIR; 2 INJURED

Saturday, 20 May 2017 | PNS | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar

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Even as the rising temperature is making the lives of people unbearable in urban areas of Balangir district, the people living in the rural areas are no better. For, they are now reeling under bear menace with little respite, coupled with the scorching heat and water scarcity.

According to reports, two persons, indentified as Tarani Bag, Gram Rakhi of Bandana Kata village and Nitu Pradhan, a minor girl of Raksimunda village, were injured due to attack by two bears which are on a rampage these days.

Bag was going to attend nature's call in the morning on Friday when the bears attacked him. He sustained injuries on face and head and was soon admitted at the District Headquarters Hospital and then shifted to the VIMSAR, Burla, as his condition deteriorated.

As the villagers chased the bears, one fled to a nearby forest and the other entered into Raksimunda village and injured Nitu before hiding itself in a bamboo bush.

According to sources, the bears most likely have strayed from Menda village wherein sugarcane has been grown. To eat sugar cane, the bears and other wild animals might be straying to the areas. To get rid of the animals, the villagers chase them but of little avail.

It would be pertinent to mention here that the Menda village lies on one side of the Suktel river in Sonepur district and these villages now under bear attack scare are located on the opposite bank in Balangir district. Meanwhile, a team of Balangir forest officials led by ACF Goutam Naik and range officer NK Jaysingh is camping at Raksimunda village to nab the bears.

BALANGIR TRIBALS HOLD DHARNA Tuesday, 16 May 2017 | PNS | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar

BALANGIR TRIBALS HOLD DHARNA

Tuesday, 16 May 2017 | PNS | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar

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Members of the Zilla Adivasi Kalyan Sangh led by its president Braja Kishor Singh Bhoi staged a dharna before the district Collectorate here on Monday demanding arrest of the main accused in the Gopinath Majhi murder case and action against the Lathor police station personnel for their laxity.

The Sangha also submitted a memorandum on its five-point charter of demands addressed to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik through the district Collector.

The demands included arrest of the main accused involved in the Gopinath Majhi murder case under the Lathor police station, to provide financial aid to the deceased’s kin, education to their children, provision of Rs 5 lakh to perform his daughter Sanjukta Majhi’s marriage and speedy disposal of fake caste certificate cases.

FACEBOOK POSTING: RTI ACTIVIST GETS DEATH THREAT Sunday, 14 May 2017 | PNS | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar

FACEBOOK POSTING: RTI ACTIVIST GETS DEATH THREAT

Sunday, 14 May 2017 | PNS | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar

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An RTI activist has allegedly got death threat from police for his Facebook posting protesting tainted Balangir SDPO by writing ‘Narayan Naik Go Back’.

He had posted video clippings of protests against the lower Suktel irrigation project in 2013 and assault on protestors by the then Balangir SDPO. He had also posted video of a threat he got allegedly from the SDPO office.

According to sources on May 9, activist Shankar Panigrahi had uploaded a few videos clippings of people's opposition to construction of lower Suktel irrigation project in 2013 wherein then SDPO Narayan Naik was seen assaulting agitating people. Naik was transferred from Bolangir after the postings.

But he was recently again posted as SDPO Bolangir.

“After I uploaded the video protesting the posting of SDPO Naik, I got a phone call from a mobile phone number 7682955014 which threatened me of dire consequences and kill me in encounter,” said Panigrahi, adding, “When I asked him who was speaking to him over the phone, the caller replied that he was speaking  from the SDPO office.”

“Later, I shared the entire discussion and audio clippings on different groups created in Whatsapp,” said Panigrahi further.

However, when contacted, SDPO Naik rubbished the allegation. “It might be the work of some vested interest. SDPO office is not involved in the incident,” he said.

FINALLY, ATTACKER BEAR MOVES TO JUNGLE Sunday, 14 May 2017 | PNS | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar

FINALLY, ATTACKER BEAR MOVES TO JUNGLE

Sunday, 14 May 2017 | PNS | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar

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The bear, which climbed atop a tree after injuring two persons in Bechubahali village in the Kantabanji area on Friday morning, finally got down from the tree at around 2.40 am on Saturday and went towards a nearby forest crossing the river.

Meanwhile, the injured woman was shifted to the VIMSAR, Burla as her condition deteriorated.

Nowadays, wild animals are straying into human habitation in search of water as water bodies in forests dry up in summer. The water bodies dug by the Forest Department hardly serves any purpose as they are very swallow.

Lack of foods in the forest is also another reason behind wild animals coming into human habitations.

Besides, increase in temperature and spread of fire in forests forces them to move outside, resulting in man-animal conflict.

Forest Department should take immediate steps to check entry of wild animals to villages soon, demanded locals.

2 INJURED IN BEAR ATTACK IN K’BANJI Saturday, 13 May 2017 | PNS | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar

2 INJURED IN BEAR ATTACK IN K’BANJI

Saturday, 13 May 2017 | PNS | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar

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Two persons were injured in a bear attack near Bechubahali village under the Kantabanji Forest Range on Friday morning.

The bear attacked an old woman, Surubali Majhi while she was going for attending nature’s call. Later, the animal attacked another person.

The bear, which might have strayed from the Gulmi Reserve Forest in search of food, came face-to-face with the victims, said Balangir DFO Rashmi Ranjan Naik. “An irate mob by busting crackers and beating drums scared the bear, which climbed up a tree creating problems for us to catch the animal,” added Naik.  

A bear in tree top in Bolangir;

The beautiful evening sky;by Sudhir Mishra/Bolangir

A man cutting branch of a tree amidst scorching Sun for road widening in Bolangir; by Sudhir Mishra/Bolangir

8 HURT IN BEAR ATTACK IN T’GARH Sunday, 07 May 2017 | PNS | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar

8 HURT IN BEAR ATTACK IN T’GARH

Sunday, 07 May 2017 | PNS | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar

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The total number of people injured in bear attack in Titilagarh has gone up to eight.

A team of forest officials, including Range Officer J Nanda, Dolagovinda Bisi, ACF Goutam Naik, ACF NK Jaysingh, Titilagarh police station in charge BN Karkara and tranqualiser experts from Bhawnipatna tried to nab the bear, but finally failed as the bear went into the forest near Kumudapahad. A member of tranquiliser team, besides a forest guard and a local media person were injured.

In a related development, the villagers of Barkani in Bongomunda Block saw a sloth bear on May 4 which spread panic among villagers. They informed the Bongomunda forest range officer. However, by the time the forest team arrived at the spot, the bear had run into the forest.

FOREST GUARD, SCRIBE AMONG FOUR INJURED IN BEAR ATTACK Saturday, 06 May 2017 | PNS | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar

FOREST GUARD, SCRIBE AMONG FOUR INJURED IN BEAR ATTACK

Saturday, 06 May 2017 | PNS | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar

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Barely a few weeks after a Kantabanji Forest Range Officer was attacked by a leopard, another incident of man-animal conflict was reported in Balangir district on Friday with four persons, including a Forest Guard and a news reporter, getting injured in a bear attack in Titiligarh town.

According to reports, a bear strayed into a mango orchard adjacent to the town in the morning. Soon, people gathered there to see it. The bear attacked and injured Forest Guard Debendra Kumar Parida and another person who were standing nearby.

Being informed, some forest officials rushed to the spot to capture the bear with a net. However, the bear went in other direction and injured a TV channel reporter and another person.

Later, the bear moved into the bushes near the Kalyan Mandap. The forest officials were still trying to capture it by the time of filing of this report.

The bear appeared to have come from the Burni reserve forest and it hid in the mango orchard as it got morning. As people gathered, the bear became furious and attacked people, said some onlookers.

B’NGIR WOMEN SOW SEED TO MARK AKSHAY TRITIYA Monday, 01 May 2017 | PNS | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar 1

bolangir Zilla parishad chairperson ,Bharti Mahananda broadcasting paddy seed  at Bolangir  on Akshya  Tritiya day.

B’NGIR WOMEN SOW SEED TO MARK AKSHAY TRITIYA

Monday, 01 May 2017 | PNS | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar

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Women members led by Balangir Zilla Parisad Chairman Bharati Mahanand on Saturday broadcasted paddy seeds at a formal function of the district level Krushak Dibas held on the occasion of Akshay Tritiya at the Rajendra Krushi Farm at Larkipali.

“A woman prepares everything required for the Akshay Tritiya festival and then the male member joins. To give recognition to the invaluable service of the women folk in agriculture, today I, along with other women, broadcasted seed,” observed ZP Chairman Mahanand.

The indiscriminate use and application of chemical fertiliser and insecticide has polluted soil, water and air. As a result, people after consuming the food are facing many health hazards. Hence, it is time, we began traditional paddy cultivation without use of chemical fertiliser, said Mahanand.

The Ahinsha Club Bhuti Bahal was awarded at a national level function recently for its effort to preserve and promote traditional paddy seed cultivation, Mahanand added.

Among others, Deputy Director of Agriculture Sridhar Das and other officials spoke.