By SANTOSH MOHANTY
People of Bantala in Angul district are confronted with a number issues which have not been resolved over decades. Come elections, be it assembly, parliamentary or panchayati raj, the candidates in the fray promise the moon. As they get elected, they forget their promises and the issues remain there unresolved for years and decades.
Time has come that the voters must take the elected representatives to task for not fulfilling their promises doled out to electorate during campaigning.
Here is the list of issues that confront the common man in Bantala region for decades.
IRRIGATION: Hidisingh irrigation project is yet to see the light of day despite being planned over two decades ago. Lack of political will and an irresponsible bureaucracy are believed to be major hurdles why the ambitious project has not become a reality till date. Like Hidisingh, nearly half a dozen other small and medium irrigation projects are in limbo.
COLD STORAGE: Farmer in Bantala region produce tons of potatoes, onions, tomatoes, brinjals, cabbages and other vegetables all through the year, but they are forced to distress sale of their produces due to lack of storing facility. The elected representatives and officials have promised them over the years that a sophisticated cold storage will be set up at a suitable place in the region for the benefit of the agrarian community, but to no avail. It is a common sight during winter in weekly market places in Bantala region how the farmers sale their produce at throwaway price and at times the worst thing happens when they throw tomatoes in the open incurring huge loss as the stuff becomes rotten due to lack of storing facility.
FIRE STATION: This has become a common trend with the political parties during elections to make a false promise that a fire station will be set up in Bantala as soon as they capture power. However, none cares afterwards. People of Bantala region depend upon Angul and Hindol to get the services of firemen during emergencies. Most of the time the firemen arrive very late at the place of occurrence as they have to come from Angul or Hindol.
LIVELIHOOD: Scores of youth from this region go to cities like Surat, Vapi, Daman-Diu, Mumbai and other mega cities in search of employment as they fail to get livelihood resources here. Agriculture sector in the area neglected by the leaders as well as by the administration over the years. Farmers fail to get seed, fertilizer, financial assistance and other benefits to provide their full time to the agriculture work. Global warming has resulted in change of climatic conditions in the region. Erratic monsoon and seasonal changes have become detrimental to the agriculture sector. This phenomenon has forced the farmers and their wards to migrate to metropolitan cities for search of employment. The administration has never cared to solve their problem.
WASTE MANAGEMENT: A visitor to Bantala will find garbage littered all around. The Nirmala Grampanchayat (Clean Panchayat) slogan has become a misnomer. Pungent smell welcomes visitors to the region as a number of places close to old Cuttack-Sambalpur road have become dumping grounds for garbage.
ENCROACHMENT: The main intersection connecting old Cuttack-Sambalpur and Angul-Tikarpada roads has become accident prone due to encroachment. Business establishments and shopping complexes have encroached upon the space meant for traffic. This act has contributed to traffic bottlenecks during peak hours.
WEEKLY MARKETS UPGRADATION: The Regional Marketing Committee has constantly neglected upgradation of weekly markets in Bantala region. But, the elected representatives have cared little to settle the issue. They have failed to take up the issue with higher officials of RMC. Most of the concrete platforms constructed in the market places have been damaged due to lack of repair.
HEALTH SECTOR: Shortage of doctors in Community Health Centre and Primary Health Centres in Bantala area has put the health sector in a shambles. Most of the staff prefer to stay at urban localities than their place of posting in the rural areas. This has severely affected the health system in the area. Patients alleged that the hospital staff refer the cases to Angul and other places stating that they lack facilities to attend to them.
COMMUNITY POLICING: The much trumpeted 'Ama Police' concept has fallen through as the existing staff has never shown interest to make it a reality. It is alleged that police officers have failed to understand the concept of Ama Police that has been evolved to bridge the gap between the staff and the common man for better administration and banish criminal activities in the region.
ENVIRONMENT & ECOLOGY: Forest officials in Bantala Range have failed to stave off Elephant-Man conflict in the area although they have stressed that efforts are on to tackle the menace. The issue has acquired dangerous proportions as tuskers have a field day in Sarangpur, Bantala, Dhokuta and Pokatunga areas damaging crops and human habitation. The forest staff has remained a mute spectator as marauding jumbos indulge in a spree destroying crop and human habitation. Nature lovers in the district have alleged that the local forest wing has not paid adequate attention to the problem for reasons best known to them.
