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Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Govt mulling law amendment to make filming in Puri shrine a punishable offence: Min
Puri: Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan Tuesday said the state govt was contemplating amending the Shree Jagannath Temple Act, 1955, to make provision for carrying spy cameras and taking pictures or video inside the 12th-century shrine in Puri as a cognisable offence with provision of punishment. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The minister made the statement after a devotee from West Bengal was detained on Tuesday for allegedly attempting to enter the shrine with a hidden camera embedded in his spectacles, the third such incident within a week. "There should be a proper law to curb such a situation. It is very difficult to identify the people carrying spy cameras inside the temple. The police could know about the spy camera only when there is a flashlight while taking pictures. Therefore, a law is most essential," Harichandan said. Partish Pal from West Burdwan was caught at the shrine's west gate by cops on Tuesday. A spy camera-equipped spectacle and his mobile phone were seized. Pal is in police custody. The incident comes just a day after Bipul Patel (55), from Gujarat's Surat, was caught filming inside the temple using a spectacles fitted with a concealed camera. He was apprehended near Kirtana Chakada at 5:30pm on Monday. The device was connected to his smartphone, which was later seized from his hotel room. On July 29, a local, Abhijit Kar, was caught taking photographs inside the temple with a hidden camera in his glasses. All three incidents are being investigated by police. The repeated violations prompted the shrine administration to convene a high-level meeting, which was attended by Chhatisa Nijog servitors, Puri district collector Dibya Jyoti Mishra and chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), Arabinda Padhee. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Following the meeting, Padhee said that a proposal will be sent to the state govt seeking amendment of the temple Act. One key proposal is to introduce up to seven years of imprisonment and non-bailable warrant for individuals attempting to damage the sanctity of Jagannath culture, including through unauthorised filming or use of electronic devices. "Anyone caught using spy cams, drones or hidden devices will face strict legal action. Only security personnel will be allowed to use mobile phones inside the temple, and that too in designated zones for official communication," Padhee said. He clarified that no servitor or official would be permitted to carry phones on the temple premises. The meeting also decided that a standard rate chart for Mahaprasad will soon be displayed at Ananda Bazaar, addressing growing concerns about administration also resolved to ensure that only Omfed ghee will be used for all temple rituals to maintain purity and quality.
New Indian Express
31-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
New policy for orderly rituals in old temples soon: Odisha law minister Harichandan
BHUBANESWAR: Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan on Wednesday said the state government will soon come up with a new policy for management and orderly conduct of rituals in old temples of the state. The policy will be in tune with the Odisha Hindu Religious Endowments Act, 1951. The minister, who presided over a meeting here, said the policy will be formulated after examining the management of temples in other states like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Officials of the directorate of endowments will also have to visit different places of Odisha to collect information about the state of old and ancient temples. Repair of the temples will be taken up wherever required, he said and added that steps will also be taken to conduct the rituals in an orderly manner. The meeting dealt with issue of modernisation of the website of endowments commissioner to put up necessary information for the general public's knowledge. Besides, adoption of the correct rituals in temples managed by the endowments directorate as well as those privately-owned was also discussed. Organising festivals, special grants for management of temples, right to worship in temples according to the right of records, responsibilities and duties of the trust board and responsibilities of endowments inspectors were deliberated. It was also decided that steps will be taken for new appointments in the endowments directorate to carry out work in an expeditious manner. The minister advised officers to work together to implement the goals set by the state government for the development of all religious institutions in Odisha.
Time of India
30-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Govt plans geofencing around edu institutions to prevent alcohol delivery
1 2 Bhubaneswar: The state govt has decided to implement geofencing technology around educational institutions to restrict online food delivery services from distributing alcoholic beverages in designated zones around colleges and universities. According to a recent official order seen by TOI, the govt has assigned the Odisha space application centre (ORSAC) to create the geofencing facility. "Work is in progress to develop the geofencing system. We will launch it in Bhubaneswar initially. The system will effectively create virtual barriers around educational institutions to prevent online food delivery aggregators to deliver liquor," ORSAC's chief executive Rashmita Panda told TOI. The initiative is part of a broader campaign to create substance-free educational institutions across Odisha, with geofencing technology serving as a crucial tool in this effort. Under the new framework, major food delivery platforms will integrate geofencing technology into their delivery agent applications. The system will create virtual boundaries around educational institutions, effectively establishing no-delivery zones for alcohol while allowing regular food deliveries to continue unhindered. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Up to 70% off | Libas Purple Days Sale Libas Undo The technology will automatically flag any violations when delivery agents carrying alcoholic beverages enter restricted zones. Real-time alerts will be sent to both the delivery service providers and educational institution administrators for immediate action. Educational institutions have welcomed this technological intervention as a practical solution to a growing concern. "We have been looking for effective ways to prevent alcohol and drugs distribution near our campus. This geofencing solution will provide us with the tools we need to maintain a healthy learning environment while not disrupting legitimate food delivery services," said the principal of a private college. In a recent meeting, excise minister Prithiviraj Harichandan floated the 'geofencing' idea to combat substance abuse in college and university campuses. "There should be a mechanism to curb the reported supply of alcohol/drugs to students. This technology-driven solution will help us ensure the safety and well-being of our student community while maintaining the convenience of food delivery services," minister Harichandan said during the meeting. Higher education secretary Aravind Agrawal said the govt is committed to keep campuses drug-free. "We have been sensitising students, and authorities of colleges and universities about the harmful effects of liquor and drugs," Agarwal said. Commissionerate police said regular raids are being conducted on shops selling ganja and brown sugar near educational institutions. The govt has instructed the special task force and narcotics control bureau to conduct intelligence-based operations against drug peddler near campuses.
Time of India
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
To reduce backlog of cases, govt to open 56 JMFC courts
Bhubaneswar: With over 19 lakh cases pending in lower courts, the govt on Wednesday decided to open 56 new courts, with the highest number, 13, in the tribal-dominated Mayurbhanj district, for speedy trial of cases and to enhance judicial infrastructure. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Our aim to have courts in every block will be a success soon. We emphasise an easy and quick justice delivery system, allowing people to avail of judicial services close to their homes. The work on new courts will start soon," said law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan. Besides having a civil judge (junior division)-cum-judicial magistrate first class (JMFC) for each court, there will be a bench clerk, stenographers, junior clerks, typists, copyists, house orderlies, peons, and watchmen for the courts to function in a full-fledged manner, a law department letter said. For the courts, 840 new gazetted and non-gazetted posts will be created. The lower courts have a total backlog of 316,057 civil cases and 1,604,768 criminal cases. The previous year witnessed the filing of 418,016 criminal cases, whilst 456,352 were concluded. In the civil category, 81,014 new cases were registered, and 99,776 were resolved. Official records indicated a surge in criminal cases attributed to 42,819 MV Act violations detected through automated CCTV-based challans. The district-wise analysis shows Khurda courts leading with 208,064 unresolved cases, with Cuttack following at 199,154 cases. Balasore and Jajpur districts report 132,003 and 101,294 pending cases respectively. Also, significant case backlogs exist in Ganjam (98,835), Sundargarh (97,696), Bhadrak (96,897), and Angul (90,559) districts. Explaining the significance of having more JMFC courts, Odisha high court lawyer Trilochan Nanda said such courts can take all cases into cognisance, but some big and heinous cases are not triable there. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "The JMFC courts can try and hear cases of theft and sundry offences, although they can remand to judicial custody persons involved in murder too. A murder case can't be tried in a JMFC court. These have to be transferred to a sessions court. In our state, there are additional and session courts at the sub-division level," Nanda said. He further explained that it is a significant development because, for all petty cases, people from remote villages had to frequently attend court for each hearing. Now, theft, minor brawls, misbehaviour, and intimidation can be heard in JMFC courts.
New Indian Express
17-07-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Inter-ministerial committee discusses modalities for Bbsr metro rail project
BHUBANESWAR: The first meeting of the inter-ministerial committee on Bhubaneswar Metro Rail Project held at Lok Seva Bhawan on Wednesday discussed key modalities for implementation of the project which has seen several changes in its plan in the past few months. Chaired by deputy chief minister KV Singh Deo, the meeting discussed on a comprehensive mobility plan to address the increasing traffic congestion in Twin City Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. 'We discussed several issues like inter-departmental coordination, strong and efficient public transport system, comprehensive mobility plan for traffic de-congestion, rail-road integration, e-mobility and other modalities for seamless transition across transport modes,' Works minister Prithiviraj Harichandan told reporters after the meeting. He said, a clear picture on the roadmap of the metro rail project will emerge after another two to three rounds of discussion, taking views of experts into account while keeping in mind the convenience of people and traffic issues in the two cities. As per the direction of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, the committee constituted a sub-committee on the day which will be headed by Singh Deo. A panel of ministers will be members of the sub-committee. The deputy chief minister said the ministerial panel has already held discussions with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation CEO Kalyan Patnaik, Vikas Kumar and Pramit Garg. The metro project has undergone several changes after the BJP government came to power. Ground work for phase-I construction of the project was put on hold as the government decided to revise the DPR to facilitate a flyover on the elevated corridor from Jaydev Vihar to Nandankanan. However last month, Harichandan had said that the government will revisit the project as an elevated corridor is not possible in the city due to logistical and urbanisation issues. Besides, it will severely impact the beautification of the city. 'The project will be an underground metro project,' he had said. Industries minister Sampad Chandra Swain, chief secretary Manoj Ahuja, principal secretary, Finance Saswat Mishra, principal secretary, Housing and Urban Development Usha Padhee and BMC commissioner Rajesh Pravakar Patil attended the meeting and presented their views.
