Bhubaneshwar, Feb. 27 : Orissa's small-scale iron crushing units are facing severe crisis, as they are not assured of ore lumps supply at reasonable rates from the Oil Mining Corporation.

The 300 crore rupees small units provide employment to 40,000 persons in the district.

Bhubaneshwar, Feb. 21  Trawlers used in illegal fishing have killed hundreds of Olive Ridley turtles at Orissa's coast. Olive Ridley turtles are the smallest of the marine turtle species in the world.

About 2000 dead turtle were spotted at Devi river mouth in Puri district in Orissa, and hundreds of dead turtles have been found in other places like Rusikulya Mouth, Puri beach and Konark beach.

Every year, thousands of the Olive Ridley turtles become prey to the trawlers used in illegal fishing. Trapped in the sharp motor blades, many get ruthlessly butchered or suffocated in fishermen''s gill nets.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 12: Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh will lay the foundation stone of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) here today.

The ceremony will be held at the construction site situated few kilometers south of Bhubaneswar at KANSAPADA ( Khudupur-Taraboi Road ) near Jatni Block Office, Khordha.

This new IIT at Bhubaneswar is part of the eight new IITs that have been established in the country by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Ministry.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 11 : Casual workers at the Nandankanan Biological Park in Orissa have gone on an indefinite cease work agitation over a demand for regularization of their jobs. This has caused hardship to about 1200 animals at the zoo.

The casual workers said that their job involved risks and complained of not receiving any health or social security benefits.

"We do not have any kind of healthcare facilities at all. In case of any mishap, there is no such relief," said Bhaskar Samal, a contractual employee.

The authorities, however, claimed that they have made alternative arrangements.

Bhubaneshwar, Jan 15: The government will begin withdrawal of its Central forces from Orissa''s Kandhamal District in a phased manner from today.

The Central forces had to be deployed in Kandhmal following the communal violence between Hindus and Christians that triggered after murder of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh leader and anti-conversion leader Lakshmananand Saraswathi.

Bhitarkanika (Bhubaneshwar), Dec 29 : As hundreds of migratory birds have started flocking the Bhitarkanika National Park in Bhubaneshwar, authorities have sounded high alert following the outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal.

Several migratory birds and residential avian species like sand piper, plover, duck, goose, heron, spoon bill and egret flock the park every winter.

Many shore bird species like sand piper, plover, duck, goose, heron, spoon bill and egret were seen around the park.

Avocet, which comes from cold places like Siberia and Bar-headed Geese from Ladakh, were also sighted near Raitapatia and Chataka.