Orissa suspends licences of 482 ore traders

November 4th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Hundreds of people sail their miniature boats with lighted earthen lamps in holy Vindusagar pond in Bhubaneswar on the occasion Kartik Purnima or Full Moon Day. During the ceremony, which brings back the memories of the state's glorious maritime past, people float miniature boats with lamps burning inside and with other religious offerings in them.

October 26th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday termed the allotment of 2G spectrum licences to private players by the communication ministry as "the largest scam in Independent India. "It's a monumental scam.

October 22nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Central Bureau of Investigation Thursday conducted searches in the offices of the telecom ministry to probe the alleged criminal conspiracy between some officials and private companies in giving wireless radio spectrum to telecommunication firms. It has been alleged that there had been serious irregularities in the award of Unified Excess Services Licences to private companies, a CBI spokesperson said.

October 2nd, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - The threat of floods loomed over several districts of Orissa Friday as heavy rain continued to lash the state for the fourth day due to a cyclonic disturbance in the Bay of Bengal. Coastal and northern Orissa received maximum rainfall since Thursday, leading to a rise in the water level in several major rivers.

September 21st, 2009 BHOPAL - Sugar traders in Madhya Pradesh have stopped procuring fresh stock from mills and threatened to go on strike from Oct 1 in protest against the state government's move to confiscate the commodity from wholesalers and introducing license for them. "We oppose the state government's auctioning of the seized sugar stocks and introducing a 'licence raj' under the cover of control order," said Ramesh Khandelwal, president of the state sugar merchants' federation.

August 24th, 2009 BHOPAL - Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has received a pat on the back from Congress president Sonia Gandhi for his action against hoarders, official sources said. Chouhan is emboldened by the Congress chief's praise for his measures against sugar hoarders and is now mulling the idea of starting a helpline for people to complain against hoarders and officials.

August 21st, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Maoist rebels have threatened to blow up the residence of Orissa Finance Minister Prafulla Ghadei and kill his son, police said Friday. The letter was received at the office of Orissa Mining Corporation at Jajpur Thursday.

June 10th, 2009 GANDHINAGAR - The Gujarat government has launched a unique pilot project in Ahmedabad city to track habitual traffic offenders by giving policemen Blackberry hand sets which will be connected to the server of the Regional Transport Office (RTO), an official said. "The hand sets have been given to traffic constables of Mithakali, C.G.

April 8th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - The Nationalist Congress Party alliance with the Left parties and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Orissa is 'only Orissa-specific', NCP chief Sharad Pawar said here Wednesday. 'Our arrangement is only Orissa-specific,' Pawar told a press conference, addressed jointly with Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik.

March 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Hong Kong-based telecommunications major Pacnet Tuesday said it has increased its stake in its joint venture with FutureWorld India to 74 percent and will shortly apply for international long-distance (ILD) and national long-distance (NLD) licences. 'Together with our joint venture partner, FutureWorld, we have further capitalised Pacific Internet to support our network roll-out in India after receipt of ILD and NLD licences,' Pacnet chief executive Bill Barney told reporters here.

March 20th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram today assured Orissa Government to provide adequate security for the smooth conduct of polls in the State.

February 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The list of companies that will be granted licences for mobile number portability (MNP) - a technology that enables cellphone users to retain their phone numbers when changing operators - will be announced next month, the government said Thursday. 'The successful bidders for grant of mobile number portability service licences will be announced by March 5,' Communications and Information Technology Minister A.

February 26th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - The Bharatiya Janata Party Wednesday suspended one of its members in the Orissa legislative assembly for making 'anti-party' statements. Brundaban Majhi, the legislator from Laikera assembly constituency in Sambalpur district, has been suspended from the party for misconduct, indiscipline and for making anti-party statements, Orissa BJP President Suresh Pujari told IANS.

February 25th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Power trader PTC India will swap power with Orissa to help it overcome the power shortage it is facing currently, an official said Wednesday. PTC - formerly Power Trading Corp of India - will supply about 150 MW daily to Grid Corp of Orissa (Gridco), the bulk supplier of electricity in the state.

January 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Providers of value-added telecom services (VAS) do not require separate licences, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said Wednesday, a point of view that has come as a big relief to many firms. 'The authority does not envisage any separate category of licence for value-added services,' TRAI said in a recommendation paper.