Many cyber cafes which have mushroomed throughout the state and are offering lowcost internet surfing with privacy have become sleazy joints in stead of formation kiosks where the lovestruck couple mostly teenagers come to explore the forbidden charm of intimacy and are closetted for hours together without any apprehension of being watched or rebuked.Some unscrupulous cafe owners are taking fullest advantage of the situation by charging a higher price for the couple,running pornographic movies in the computers through CDs and are providing secured and closed cubicles for the purpose.As it transpired,a few more enterprising owners have gone a step ahead,put hidden webcams inside the cubicles and have shot the picture of these unsuspecting couples and either sell these clippings or blackmail these boys and girls. The town of Balasore was shocked when recently police arrested an internet cafe owner and seized a few CDs containing clippings of 12 love struck youths in compromising positions and had intended to use these to blackmail them.Police also seized 3 cameras and computer from the cafe.Such cases are rampant in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack and Cuttack police had nearly a fortnight back had arrested 14 persons including six couples from a cyber cafe in Petinsahi area.IT minister Surya Narayan Patro advocates a definite law to police these cafes and initiate a registration process. Cuttack Mayor Nibedita Pradhan is in the eye of a storm ever since she adored the post. First there was strong opposition from her own party colleagues who were upset over her selection.As time rolled by,opposition to her continuance grew with BJD and Congress corporators joining the chorus to move her out.At one point,the matter became so explosive that everybody thought Nivedita's days were numbered.But thanks to her own manoeveuring with her party bigwigs,The BJP corporators have been told to stand by Nivedita in case of any confrontation.Added to this,the BJD corporators are instructed to maintain silence over the issue.With the above patch up, no -confidence motion against the mayor that will come up on 18th of this month seems to be defeated. Congress leaders who wanted to create a chasm in the ruling coalition through ouster of Nivedita are a unhappy lot over the development.Man proposes,God disposes. Sudarshan Patnaik, a renowned sand artist and has winner of many a national and international competitions was never felicitated by the state government until last Tuesday when his long cherished dream of being recognised by the State Government was fulfilled when Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik felicitated him during the inaugural ceremony of the historic Kalinga Bali Yatra at Cuttack. Though he earned recognition throughout the world,Sudarshan always regretted that his native state was not doing enough to promote sand art. Sudarshan's sand arts portray a variety of themes and have been widely appreciated by art lovers. From the theme of "Sadahavapuas"(early Oriya traders) to current topics like extinction of Olive Ridley turtles or arrest of Saddam Hussain,his works have been very diverse. However one work which he put close to his heart was the "Black Taj Mahal" that he erected in front of the original structure in Agra. Sudarsan's work has not only drawn admiration,it has inspired a whole genre of budding young sand artists to experiment on this newly dicovered medium. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday once again reiterated his government's commitment to transform Orissa from a poor and debt ridden state to a developed and prosperous one. Speaking in the inaugural ceremony of the Annual Kalinga Bali Yatra on the banks of river Mahanadi,Chief Minister asserted that Orissa was well on the path of develoment and shall achieve a conspicuous stature among all the states in the coming years. Citing example of the large number of industries that are in various stages of commissioning in the state,Mr Patnaik said that Orissa had already become one of the major industrial hotspots in the country with many international and national companies vying with one another to set up their enterprises here. He also said that Orissa had achieved remarkable development in the IT and agriculuture sector.He promised to make sincere attempt to give the common man of Orissa a clean and transparent administration.The inaugural ceremony was attended by Revenue minister Manmohan Samal,Higher Education Minister Sameer Dey and Mayor Nibedita Pradhan alongwith many other dignitaries. State units of all central trade unions have urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to intervene and stop the government from privatising PSUs.In a memorandum to the Prime Minister,leaders of the trade unions referred to the decision of the state government to privatise the ferro chrome plant at Jajpur road,spinning mills in the cooperative sector and Kalinga Studio without taking steps to revive these ailing units. As regards the ferrochrome plant,the leaders informed that the unit had made cash profit since 2002-03 and there was no need to dispose it off.They also contested the valuation done in each case and maintained that the assets were worth much more than what they were touted to be and government was selling them at throwaway prices. Protesting the apathy of the administration towards improving condition of the Barmunda bus terminus in Bhubaneswar,private bus operators have decided not to pay the parking fee at the terminal from 17th.Convenor of the Bus Owners' Association of Bhubaneswar,Debasis Nayak alleged that despite collecting Rs 4 lakh as parking fees daily,the authorities had done little to develop the terminus and its periphery. Baramunda bus stand has a daily flow of around one lakh people and over 600 vehicles.However there is no supply of safe drinking water and public toilets are in shambles.The information counter has been rendered dysfunctional.Unless administration takes concrete steps to improve the situation,bus operators would not pay the parking fees,Mr Nayak said.