Koraput journalists submit memorandum to Odisha CM
Even after 18 years of the creation of the new district, history has repeated itself is showing that same apathy and indifference and callous attitude shown to the undivided Koraput district.
THE DISTRICT Journalists’ Action Committee of Koraput has submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister through the collector, Siba Brata Das, on Wednesday. They drew the CM’s attention to the various problems of the district in health, higher education, transport, industry, agriculture, irrigation and sports the region is totally neglected. The list for appeal of development is long matching the depth and dimension of our agony which perhaps will never be dispelled by the exhibition of some measure of schemes and projects which get extinguished under the burden of the red-tape-legacy and the well known bureaucratic-political manoeuvers.
Higher education in the areas is neglected and deprived as there is no government college in this district. Grant in aid policy of the govt. of Odisha for the private colleges is affecting this area. As such the govt. should formulate separate grant in aid policies for the backward region to promote higher education in tribal dominated districts. This year about 4000 HSC pass out students (SC,ST, & OBC) were deprived of higher education due to non-availability of seats and lack of technical institutions in the colleges of this district, for which resentment among the students is growing.
There is a dearth of specialists at local health centres and hospitals. Most of the tribals in the remote areas mainly depend on quacks and those who sell indigenous medicines. Agricultural sector in the district is yet to perform, most of the posts are vacant in the department, this region is one of the largest maize and sugarcane growing district in the state and it needs establishment of maize processing unit, sugar factory as well as extensive irrigation facilities to save the overwhelming farmers’ community of the district. Notwithstanding the fact that the biggest hydro-electric project of Asia (Upper Indravati), which is situated in this district has not been able to provide electricity to the adjoining villages of the dam-site, let alone the remote villages. Normally in hydro-electricity projects, the water flowing through the powerhouse is again diverted to the main river, so that river remains to be alive. But in the case of Upper Indravati Project the vast and deep reservoir is being created to divert the entire water through tunnel to the Powerhouse, so that the trail water is diverted to Hatiriver for irrigation purpose is in Kalahandi district.
Though the upper Indravati project came as a boon to Kalahandi and the water of Indravati flows to Mahanadi, it turned out to be a great curse on the people of Nabarangpur as it lead to drying up of the rivers there by greatly hampering the cultivation and agricultural production. Note may also be made that, built at the cost of the so-far neglected Nabarangpur district no amount of the revenue generated by the project is utilised for the peripheral development here. Justice needs to be done in this regard as well if public agitation is to be avoided.
Moreover, development presupposes an eco-friendly industrialisation and tourism which have still remained a dream in the eyes of the tribal brethren and the elite alike of this area. In this age of space-crafts when globe-trotting has become a day-to-day affair to a vast majority elsewhere, the people of the area are yet to board a train. If rail connection could be established from Kesinga to Jeypore via Nabarangpur, and Dhamtri (Chhatisgharh) to Jeypore via Umerkote and Nabarangpur, line an alternative direct access to Gopalpur and Vishakapatnam ports from Raipur (CG) and other mining regions in Chhatisgarh.
Tourism is considered as the fastest growing industry. Nabarangpur, the part of undivided Koraput rightly called as paradise unexplored, though endowed with immense natural wealth, unique cultural heritage, magical beauty and bewildering diversity, is yet to wake up to its enormous tourism prospect and harness it in a sustainable manner. The potentially rich tourism in Nabarangpur is languishing because of the blatant callousness of concerned authorities. Though there are many places in the district which could be designated as natural and cultural heritage sites the government has not initiated any action either to protect or to popularise these sites, for tourism. To attract tourists there must be dissemination of information but only a little effort of information has been taken note of in this regard.
When the globe has contracted due to globalisation and international communication, the contribution of sports in this regard can never be under-stated. This surely opens a window to the world. But there is no facility of sports and games in this area which fact has cornered us away in a way. Therefore sports institutes and hostels, especially for the tribal, youths of this district, need to be established.
Government should take necessary steps to provide justice to all especially the poor and tribals by establishing District Judge court, and Family Court at Nabarangpur (though declared yet to materialise), JMFC, Courts at Dabugam and Kodinga, also a bench of the high court of Orissa.
Further the journalists called a coordination meeting on 2nd January, in which local Minister Science and IT, Ramesh Majhi, MP, Pradeep Manji, MLAs, Monahor Randhri, Jagabandhu Majhi, Bhujabala Majhi, Zilla Parisad President, Bhagarithi Nayak, including Collector, Sibabrata Das and SP, Nitin Kumar, Jayadev Parida,chairman,Bhudan Jayga samiti, and Munna Khan, chairman, OFDC, were invited to attend the meeting and discuss the further course of actions.
Higher education in the areas is neglected and deprived as there is no government college in this district. Grant in aid policy of the govt. of Odisha for the private colleges is affecting this area. As such the govt. should formulate separate grant in aid policies for the backward region to promote higher education in tribal dominated districts. This year about 4000 HSC pass out students (SC,ST, & OBC) were deprived of higher education due to non-availability of seats and lack of technical institutions in the colleges of this district, for which resentment among the students is growing.
There is a dearth of specialists at local health centres and hospitals. Most of the tribals in the remote areas mainly depend on quacks and those who sell indigenous medicines. Agricultural sector in the district is yet to perform, most of the posts are vacant in the department, this region is one of the largest maize and sugarcane growing district in the state and it needs establishment of maize processing unit, sugar factory as well as extensive irrigation facilities to save the overwhelming farmers’ community of the district. Notwithstanding the fact that the biggest hydro-electric project of Asia (Upper Indravati), which is situated in this district has not been able to provide electricity to the adjoining villages of the dam-site, let alone the remote villages. Normally in hydro-electricity projects, the water flowing through the powerhouse is again diverted to the main river, so that river remains to be alive. But in the case of Upper Indravati Project the vast and deep reservoir is being created to divert the entire water through tunnel to the Powerhouse, so that the trail water is diverted to Hatiriver for irrigation purpose is in Kalahandi district.
Though the upper Indravati project came as a boon to Kalahandi and the water of Indravati flows to Mahanadi, it turned out to be a great curse on the people of Nabarangpur as it lead to drying up of the rivers there by greatly hampering the cultivation and agricultural production. Note may also be made that, built at the cost of the so-far neglected Nabarangpur district no amount of the revenue generated by the project is utilised for the peripheral development here. Justice needs to be done in this regard as well if public agitation is to be avoided.
Moreover, development presupposes an eco-friendly industrialisation and tourism which have still remained a dream in the eyes of the tribal brethren and the elite alike of this area. In this age of space-crafts when globe-trotting has become a day-to-day affair to a vast majority elsewhere, the people of the area are yet to board a train. If rail connection could be established from Kesinga to Jeypore via Nabarangpur, and Dhamtri (Chhatisgharh) to Jeypore via Umerkote and Nabarangpur, line an alternative direct access to Gopalpur and Vishakapatnam ports from Raipur (CG) and other mining regions in Chhatisgarh.
Tourism is considered as the fastest growing industry. Nabarangpur, the part of undivided Koraput rightly called as paradise unexplored, though endowed with immense natural wealth, unique cultural heritage, magical beauty and bewildering diversity, is yet to wake up to its enormous tourism prospect and harness it in a sustainable manner. The potentially rich tourism in Nabarangpur is languishing because of the blatant callousness of concerned authorities. Though there are many places in the district which could be designated as natural and cultural heritage sites the government has not initiated any action either to protect or to popularise these sites, for tourism. To attract tourists there must be dissemination of information but only a little effort of information has been taken note of in this regard.
When the globe has contracted due to globalisation and international communication, the contribution of sports in this regard can never be under-stated. This surely opens a window to the world. But there is no facility of sports and games in this area which fact has cornered us away in a way. Therefore sports institutes and hostels, especially for the tribal, youths of this district, need to be established.
Government should take necessary steps to provide justice to all especially the poor and tribals by establishing District Judge court, and Family Court at Nabarangpur (though declared yet to materialise), JMFC, Courts at Dabugam and Kodinga, also a bench of the high court of Orissa.
Further the journalists called a coordination meeting on 2nd January, in which local Minister Science and IT, Ramesh Majhi, MP, Pradeep Manji, MLAs, Monahor Randhri, Jagabandhu Majhi, Bhujabala Majhi, Zilla Parisad President, Bhagarithi Nayak, including Collector, Sibabrata Das and SP, Nitin Kumar, Jayadev Parida,chairman,Bhudan Jayga samiti, and Munna Khan, chairman, OFDC, were invited to attend the meeting and discuss the further course of actions.
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