Latest news with #RathYatra
New Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
BJD to raise growing crime against women in Odisha in Parliament session: MP Patra
BHUBANESWAR: The BJD is set to raise the issue of deteriorating law and order situation in Odisha, especially the growing crime against women, during the monsoon session of Parliament beginning Monday. After attending the all-party meeting ahead of the Parliament session in New Delhi on Sunday, BJD Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra told mediapersons that there seems to be a complete collapse of law and order situation in the state. There has also been an alarming rise in heinous crimes against women and girl children in Odisha. Patra said the recent incident of self-immolation of a girl student of FM (Autonomous) College in Balasore has shaken the conscience of the nation. He highlighted that the victim had reached out to the BJP MP in Balasore and also to the local administration. 'She had also brought her plight to the notice of the chief minister and the Higher Education minister, but everyone turned their back. She was a student as well as an active member of ABVP,' he said. Soon after the Balasore incident, a 15-year-old girl in Puri district was set ablaze by miscreants. 'This clearly shows how the Odisha BJP government is ruling the state in utter lawlessness and anarchy,' Patra said. The BJD MP said death of three devotees outside the Gundicha temple during Rath Yatra in Puri due to a stampede and other issues focused on the state's interest will also be raised by the party during the session. BJD leaders and workers earlier gheraoed Balanga police station demanding immediate arrest of the culprits in the incident. A large number of party leaders and workers lit lamps in front of the Lingaraj temple in the evening praying for the early recovery of the victim.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Kolkata tourists help Digha earn Rs 100 crore during first Rath Yatra Season, boosting local economy
KOLKATA/DIGHA: The first season of Rath Yatra in Digha has yielded a net cash inflow of Rs 100 crore for the coastal town, a final count by various trade bodies and the Jagannath temple management has revealed. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The business boost has been felt across sectors — hotel and hospitality, transport and local commerce — and stakeholders say the temple is paving the way for a churn in Digha's economy. They expect the annual festival to be a major driver of growth. The temple itself received about Rs 17 lakh as pranami during the two-week festival, which will be used for 'maintenance and further development work', said Radharaman Das, a trustee of the Digha Jagannath Dham and vice-president of Iskcon Kolkata. According to his estimate, over 12 lakh devotees visited Digha for Rath Yatra. Local businesses say the chariot festival turned the post-summer vacation period into another 'peak tourist season'. 'We get maximum tourists during summer and winter vacations when schools and colleges are closed. The Rath Yatra came just after the summer vacation and we saw a steady inflow of new groups of tourists from the last week of June to the first week of this month. For us, the festival turned out to be a source of additional revenue during a period that was considered off-season till last year,' said Ashok Samanta, president of New Digha Saikatshree Market Traders' Association. The 1,100-odd stalls on Saikat Sarani along the beach selling local merchandise together earned an estimated of Rs 5 crore, he said. Of the Rs 100-crore revenue that Rath Yatra generated, a significant portion went to the hotel and hospitality industry and allied sectors. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now There are about 850 hotels with more than 25,000 rooms in the seaside town and daily tariffs range from Rs 1,000 for a non-AC room to about Rs 4,000 for a premium AC one. Bipradas Chatterjee, joint Secretary of Digha Sankarpur Hoteliers Association told TOI that during the Rath Yatra season, on average, 12 rooms per hotel were rented out for anything between Rs 2,000 and Rs 4,000 per room. 'Based on this, the income from hotel room rentals in Digha over the past 10 days stands at around Rs 30 crore. The average hotel bookings per day stood at around 22,000,' said Chatterjee. Besides, there were about 10,000 flying tourists who came in for a few hours each day and returned by night. Somnath Ghosh, an official in charge of the Digha bus depot, said revenue from buses stood at about Rs 50 crore during the festival. 'Tourists came from different parts of the state, especially Kolkata. Besides, some tourists reserved buses. Each reserved bus fetched us Rs 35,000 per day,' he added. According to restaurant owners in the town, transactions worth nearly Rs 15 crore took place over the past 10 days for snacks and meals. The Rail Coach Restaurant, a train compartment turned into an AC restaurant adjacent to Digha railway station was a top draw for tourists. Biplab Senapati, who runs this restaurant, said, 'The crowd started pouring in about two days before Rath and their number swelled gradually over the next 10 days. Our daily transactions surged and we had to roped in 10 additional workers to attend to customers.' Murtaza Shah, a resident of Jatimati village near Digha's helipad ground, who has been selling conch and shell products for over three decades, says the new temple has come as a blessing and will set them off on the road to prosperity. 'Digha saw a lot of development in the past five years and now the Jagannath temple is drawing devotees throughout the week,' he said.
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Orissa High Court upholds right to protest, quashes Rayagada DM's order
CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Friday quashed a controversial order issued by the Rayagada collector that barred Bhawanipatna-based doctor Randall Sequeira from entering the district. The June 4 order, which also applied to noted activist Medha Patkar and 22 others, was imposed ahead of a planned protest against proposed bauxite mining at the Sijimali hills. Delivering the verdict, Justice SK Panigrahi held that blanket bans on protest activities are contrary to constitutional values. 'In a constitutional democracy, the government should focus on dialogue and management rather than exclusion,' the court said, emphasising that reasonable regulation and not prohibition is the appropriate response to concerns over law and order. The court took note of the context in which the ban was issued - during the Rath Yatra festivities, when police resources were stretched thin. However, it stated that those constraints were temporary and it was no longer justifiable to continue the restrictions. Dr Sequeira, who has provided free healthcare services to tribal communities in Rayagada and Kalahandi for several years, had challenged the ban as unconstitutional. His counsel, Advocate Afraaz Suhail, argued that the order disrupted essential services and violated his client's fundamental rights. While lifting the restriction on Dr Sequeira, the court laid down operational guidelines for future protests. These include prior notification to authorities, cooperation from organisers, state facilitation of venue and time, and proportionate restrictions to maintain public order. This apart, protesters must ensure peaceful conduct and authorities must avoid arbitrary denial of protest rights. The court stressed that these guidelines are case-specific and do not dilute broader constitutional protections under Article 19. Violations by protesters or unjustified restrictions by authorities will both be subject to legal scrutiny, it said. Dr Sequeira is now free to enter Rayagada district and resume his work. The status of the ban on other activists, including Medha Patkar and Prafulla Samantara, remains unclear as of the judgment by Justice Panigrahi on Friday.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
HC quashes Rayagada admn order curbing entry of doc
Cuttack: Orissa high court on Friday quashed the Rayagada collector's June 4 order prohibiting medical practitioner and activist Dr Randall Sequeira from entering the district. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Justice S K Panigrahi held that while law and order concerns are valid, blanket prohibitions infringe upon constitutional rights and must be balanced with reasonable restrictions. The ban order, which also included noted activist and 22 others, was imposed for two months ahead of a planned protest against proposed bauxite mining at Sijimali hills. Authorities had cited potential disruptions to public peace and administrative functioning for justifying the order. Justice Panigrahi emphasised, "In a constitutional democracy, the govt should focus on dialogue and management rather than exclusion." He reaffirmed that protest rights under Article 19 must be preserved, and restrictions should aim at regulation — not denial. The court took note of the context in which the ban was issued — during Rath Yatra festivities, when police resources were stretched thin. However, it stated that those constraints were temporary and no longer justified continuing restrictions. Sequeira, a Bhawanipatna-based physician known for providing free medical care to tribal communities, challenged the order, arguing that it hindered his ability to deliver essential services. His counsel, advocate Afraaz Suhail, contended that the ban was disproportionate and unconstitutional. The court agreed, allowing Sequeira to re-enter Rayagada immediately, and issued operational guidelines for future protests. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now These include written notice to district authorities, coordination with police, designated protest locations, and lawful restrictions on timing, sound and crowd management. Justice Panigrahi clarified these conditions are specific to the current case and do not override general constitutional protections. He warned that any violation by protesters would invite legal action, while any arbitrary denial of protest rights by the state would face judicial scrutiny. Cuttack: Orissa high court on Friday quashed the Rayagada collector's June 4 order prohibiting medical practitioner and activist Dr Randall Sequeira from entering the district. Justice S K Panigrahi held that while law and order concerns are valid, blanket prohibitions infringe upon constitutional rights and must be balanced with reasonable restrictions. The ban order, which also included noted activist Medha Patkar and 22 others, was imposed for two months ahead of a planned protest against proposed bauxite mining at Sijimali hills. Authorities had cited potential disruptions to public peace and administrative functioning for justifying the order. Justice Panigrahi emphasised, "In a constitutional democracy, the govt should focus on dialogue and management rather than exclusion." He reaffirmed that protest rights under Article 19 must be preserved, and restrictions should aim at regulation — not denial. The court took note of the context in which the ban was issued — during Rath Yatra festivities, when police resources were stretched thin. However, it stated that those constraints were temporary and no longer justified continuing restrictions. Sequeira, a Bhawanipatna-based physician known for providing free medical care to tribal communities, challenged the order, arguing that it hindered his ability to deliver essential services. His counsel, advocate Afraaz Suhail, contended that the ban was disproportionate and unconstitutional. The court agreed, allowing Sequeira to re-enter Rayagada immediately, and issued operational guidelines for future protests. These include written notice to district authorities, coordination with police, designated protest locations, and lawful restrictions on timing, sound and crowd management. Justice Panigrahi clarified these conditions are specific to the current case and do not override general constitutional protections. He warned that any violation by protesters would invite legal action, while any arbitrary denial of protest rights by the state would face judicial scrutiny.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Puri stampede: 147 people record statements before inquiry team
A total of 147 people have so far recorded their statements as part of an administrative inquiry into the June 29 stampede in Odisha's Puri district, where three persons were killed and around 50 others injured during the Rath Yatra festivities, officials said on Thursday (July 17, 2025). These people recorded their statements before Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary Anu Garg, who is leading the administrative inquiry, they said. During the last hearing, held at the Special Circuit House, Puri on Wednesday, 42 people, including police personnel and staffers who were on duty on June 29 and deployed at the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC), recorded their statements, the officials said. Ms. Garg, who has been asked to submit a report by July 30, said, 'We have recorded statements of different stakeholders both in Bhubaneswar and Puri in four different sessions." Seventeen people attended the public hearings in Bhubaneswar, and three other sessions were held in Puri, where many others recorded their statements on the stampede incident which took place near the Shree Gundicha temple, she said. The stampede took place amid a massive rush of devotees early on June 29 when three chariots of sibling deities were parked in front of the Shree Gundicha temple. Ms. Garg started her inquiry the next day and has so far met servitors, police, public and other stakeholders for preparing her final report. She has visited the site where the stampede took place, an official said. Immediately after the tragic incident, the state government had placed the then collector and SP of Puri under suspension. Ms. Garg, during her inquiry, also met both the officers and held discussions with senior officials of Jagannath Temple Police (JTP) and media persons. She sought video recording from media houses and the public, the official added.
