As the first municipal council in Odisha, the soul center of South Odisha, Berhampur, celebrated its 158th Autonomous Administration Day. In his speech, Minister of Mines and Steel Shri Bibhuti Bhushan Jena, who was the chief guest at the awards and cultural program organized by BeMC to celebrate Local Self Government Day at Khallikote University Sports Complex, said that “Berhampur soil has its uniqueness. The foundation of the Utkal Conference was laid here, the first printing factory was established here and the first newspaper was published here. The contribution of Berhampur city in state politics is also not less. Ganjam district, which conducts state politics, always depends on Berhampur.
For the rapid development of the city, Greater Berhampur was formed by including Chhatrapur and Gopalpur to accelerate the development trend. Despite the grants from the Central and State Governments, it was not possible due to lack of space in the city. “The development potential of the city has to be enhanced by including the urban slums in the BeMC,” said Minister Shri Jena. He said that we all need to have a moral responsibility towards overall development, not just limited to basic problems.
Mayor Sanghmitra Dalai, presiding over the event, sought everyone’s cooperation for the development of the city, while Commissioner Pratishtha Arvind Rajshirke delivered the welcome speech. As the guest of honor, MLA K. Anil Kumar, Southern Revenue Commissioner, Sabzhav Mohapatra gave his views on the history of the city and Ganjam district has always guided the state. He said that there is truth in what those who used to say that when Ganjam district becomes weak, it is time for the state. As one of the guests, Berhampur Deputy Commissioner Avinash Kumar spoke about the theme of the festival. On this occasion, the guests inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various projects worth about Rs. 15 crore for the development of the city.
Professor Vishnucharan Chowdhury, Dr. Manmath Padhi, Dr. Nihar Ranjan Sahu, Dr. Zora Padhi Dr. Bidhuprabha Rath, Sarat Chandra Swain, Satyanarayan Patra, Sukant Patra, Chitrasen Barik were honored by BeMC for their outstanding contribution in various fields. Apart from this, trophies were given to the winners and runners-up of various competitions held earlier and the working staff were honored for their outstanding contribution. Among others, MLA Representative Ashok Shukla, MP Representative Maulikrushna Samantara, Urban Bank President R. Murali Mohan and all the corporate members were present at the program while Deputy Mayor E. Vivek Retti proposed the vote of thanks. On the other hand, a fascinating cultural program ” Jaga Tate Mo Rana ” was presented by the members of the Press Club which captivated the audience.
