By SANTOSH MOHANTY
The issue of bonded labourers in Nuapada seems to have gone out of reckoning. As the D-day approaches for Nuapada by-poll in Odisha, parties are more inclined to woo voters by allegedly rewarding or paying them to cast votes in favour of their candidates than concerned about the issue of migrant labourers and their fate. The heavyweights of ruling BJP, BJD and Congress have already descended on the campaign trail but the issue of bonded labourers or migrant workers is out of view.
The by-election is believed to be a three-cornered contest between BJP, BJD and Congress. Political analysts are of the opinion that the parties in the fray might experience a roller coaster ride. The situation is evenly balanced, they opined. But, the candidates contesting from Nuapada constituency seem to be little bothered about why over 30000 families from the district have gone out of the state to work in brick kilns and construction sites in Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Tamilnadu, Maharashtra and Gujarat to earn their livelihood. They try their best to dodge any question relating to unemployment crisis in the district.
Nuapada district in Odisha has a population of over 6 lakh according to 2011 census. The literacy rate in the district is nearly 49 percent. Statistics say that nearly 40 percent of agriculture land is irrigated although over 80 percent of the population depend on agriculture. The Upper Jonk irrigation project is in limbo as this has made little progress over the years. The political representatives have allegedly not cared for early completion of the irrigation project. They severely lack political will and more concerned about how to nurture their vote bank to be in the saddle, social activists working at the grassroots in Nuapada alleged.
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