State

Khaira: A bat colony that has thrived for decades in Saradanga village under Khaira block of Balasore district is rapidly declining due to poaching, loss of habitat and alleged inaction by the Forest department, raising serious concerns among villagers and wildlife observers. Once safely roosting...

Chhendipada: Police arrested a man for allegedly hacking a bull with an axe in Kanloi village under Bagadia police station in Angul district Friday. The accused was identified as Padmalochan Palai, a resident of Kanloi village, police said. According to preliminary information, a bull had...

Chandbali: Three back-to-back rape cases reported within just three days have sent shockwaves across Chandbali subdivision in Bhadrak district, sparking public anger, prompting a political slugfest and raising serious questions over law and order. Police have registered three separate rape cases under the Chandbali subdivision...

Malkangiri/Koraput: The Vigilance department Friday launched simultaneous raids on the properties of a junior engineer (JE) of Malkangiri district and a forester of Koraput district. On the allegation of possession of disproportionate assets (DA), Vigilance officers raided the properties of the two government officers at...

Berhampur: A woman from the Soundaryanagar area of Berhampur was allegedly cheated of Rs 80,000 by a contractor on the pretext of undertaking construction work at her house. Following registration of a complaint, Sadar police registered a case and launched an investigation. According to police...

Bissamkatak: In one of the fastest murder trial disposals in Rayagada district, the Bissamkatak Additional District and Sessions Court Friday convicted a man and sentenced him to life imprisonment within 71 days since the crime was committed. The court also slapped a fine on the...

Roulkela: Unidentified miscreants set fire to a private bus late Thursday night near Bali Jodi Chhak under the Tangarpali police station limits in Rourkela, police said Friday. The bus was completely gutted, while another bus parked behind it suffered partial damage. No casualties were reported...

Chhatrapur: Ganjam Collector V Keerthi Vasan has announced that government officials in the district will not receive flower bouquets or gifts of any kind as part of New Year greetings. The directive, issued to all district offices, takes effect immediately. The move aims to discourage...

Phulbani: A day after neutralising four Maoists, including Ganesh Uike, 69, who carried a Rs 1.2-crore bounty on his head, Odisha Police Friday intensified operations in Kandhamal district, hoping to arrest more ultras. Additional DGP (anti-naxal operations) Sanjeeb Panda said security forces were carrying out...

Keonjhar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Friday said that 15 lakh hectares of land will be irrigated during the next three years in the state. Majhi said this while addressing farmers in his home district, Keonjhar, after inaugurating the paddy procurement process. He also...