Poor Road Connectivity: Athamallik Villagers To Boycott Panchayat Polls

By SANTOSH MOHANTY

People of six villages of Luhasinga gram panchayat in Athamallik sub division in Angul district have decided to boycott the panchayat polls next month protesting lack of road connectivity to their villages.

Aggrieved villagers of Kendupati, Jodapadar, Ranamunda, Dalki and Bankual alleged that years have elapsed, yet neither the elected members nor the authorities cared little to improve the condition of road communication to their villages.

' We are leading a cursed life. During monsoon the condition of patients becomes horrible as ambulances could not reach the villages due to poor road connectivity. There is nothing as existing road. It is interspersed with potholes, boulders and mud', they said.

Villagers of Dalki said they used to carry pregnant women and patients needing immediate treatment on slings to take them to primary health centres situated several kilometers away from their houses as ambulances could not reach due to mud and slippery road condition.   

Most of the villages lying in the interior pockets of Athamallik are inhabited by poor people belonging to tribal communities and they lack basic facilities like motorable road, drinking water supply and electricity. Neither the panchayati raj institution members nor the elected MLAs and MPs are concerned about the condition of poor people living in these villages surrounded by dense forest and hillocks.

NGOs working for the uplift of tribal community in the region alleged that officials are hardly seen visiting these villages. They further alleged that everything is maintained in pen and paper, but in reality no welfare activities are undertaken in the region.

  

Is Similipal Going Satkosia Way?

By SANTOSH MOHANTY

Is Similipal Tiger Reserve going Satkosia way? This apprehension has become evident among nature lovers and environmentalists as well in Odisha following alarming decrease in numbers of Royal Bengal Tigers(RBTs) in Similipal National Park over the years since its inception in 1980.

Media reports said Similipal National Park's number of tigers has come down to 28 from 101 in a decade. While the number of tigers was 101 in 2006, this has declined to 28 in 2019. The reports said that the national park in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha was once reputed for being a home to second largest number of tigers in India after Jim Corbett National Park.

The sorry state of affairs in Similipal has unnerved environmentalists in Odisha who have expressed fear that the national park might face the same fate as Satkosia Tiger Reserve in Angul district where the only tigress living in the sanctuary is missing for over two months triggering apprehensions that the animal has been poached or died of ailment. Although forest officials of Angul Wildlife Division said that the tigress was wounded, the cameras fitted at number of places inside the sanctuary could not have the footage since November 2021.

Sources said the Centre as well as the State have spent nearly Rs 70 cr in the past decade for tiger conservation in Similipal, but to no avail. The national park is spread over 2750 sq km and is recognized as a biosphere by UNESCO.

Environmentalists said this is high time that punitive measures be taken against forest officials responsible for the decline in number of tigers over the years. They must explain the factors that led to the alarming decline and what went wrong when both the Union and State governments are pumping in crores of rupees for conservation of the big cats in the national park.

Recently leopard hide were seized from Betnoti area in Mayurbhanj district. The animals were shot dead by poachers. Sources confided that an inter-state racket has been active in the region hunting animals on a spree.     

Satkosia: Scrapping Of Tiger Reserve Status Gains Momentum As Lone RBT Not Spotted Yet

By SANTOSH MOHANTY

Environmentalists have demanded that the status of Tiger Reserve given to Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary be scrapped immediately as the lone tigress has either been killed or died due to illness.

The tigress was not found in the surveillance cameras fitted in dense forest locality in the sanctuary  since November 23 last year. While officials of Angul Wildlife Division maintained that the female RBT is alive and moving all around the jungle, they however have failed to answer why the powerful camera lenses could not capture its image nearly two months after it has gone missing.

The wildlife officials including Divisional Forest Officer(DFO) have been stressing that there is every possibility that the maimed tigress might have taken shelter under bushes in the interior jungle pockets in the sanctuary for which it has remained out of camera range. They said efforts are on to find out the tigress as forest staff has fanned out to possible hideouts where the big cat might be resting due to illness.

Environmentalists alleged that officials of wildlife forest division in Angul were never concerned about the wellbeing of the lone tigress moving in and around the sanctuary for quite some years. They further alleged that the Government of India has been pouring huge sum amounting to crores of rupees for ensuring safe habitat for RBTs in Satkosia after it was declared a Tiger Reserve 14 years ago, but precious little has been done in this regard. The environmentalists leveled severe allegation that the earmarked sum for conservation of tigers was squandered away and misappropriated.

Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary in Angul district is spread over 795 sq km and was bustling with 18 RBTs in 2004. But, the tiger census conducted in 2018 confirmed that only one tigress was surviving. Nature lovers at Tainsi, Purunakote and other areas in Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary have been alleging that the forest officials never initiated efforts to identify the reason behind the animal's illness and did not try to attend to the ailing animal by qualified Vets.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had twice tried to relocate two RBTs, Mahavir and Sundari, in Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary in 2018 for conservation of big cats, but it was not successful due to several factors. While Mahavir, which was brought from Kanha national park died, Sundari was relocated back to its parent location at Bandhavgarh as it turned man eater. A team from Madhya Pradesh tranquilized Sundari at Purunakote forest after a number of attempts to tame it.  

 

     

Banarpal ZP Poll Analysis: Smooth Ride Neither For BJD Nor For Congress

By SANTOSH MOHANTY

Electioneering is hotting up in Banarpal block in Angul district which will go to polls in February 16 to elect panchayati raj institution members. Political observers maintained that it might not be a smooth ride either for Deputy Speaker of Odisha Assembly and sitting BJD MLA of Angul Rajanikant Singh or for District Congress president Biplab Jena.

Both Singh and Jena belong to Kulad village under Banarpal block and carry on the legacy of their fathers who were elected as MLAs from Angul assembly constituency from BJD and Congress parties. Singh's father Adwait Prasad Singh was also one of the important ministers in Odisha ruling party's Cabinet.

Banarpal comes under Angul and Chhendipada assembly constituencies having 35 gram panchayats. Of the 35 seats, Angul and Banarpal blocks have 17 and 18 respectively. In addition to this, it also comes Dhenkanal and Sambalpur Parliamentary constituencies. Therefore, this region is politically more sensitive than other areas in Angul district.

Political analysts are of the view that infighting among the BJD leaders and workers in Chhendipada and Angul assembly constituencies is slowly becoming evident which will be detrimental to the prospects of ruling party in Odisha. This infighting has sent a wrong signal to other political camps such as BJP to take advantage in politics converting the ill-will into votes in favour of the party, the analysts said.

BJP leaders from Garh Santry said time has come for their party to capture as many seats as possible in the three tier panchayati raj election in Banarpal block. They said the political equation will be changed drastically as voters are preferring BJP than Congress or BJD. The undercurrent is there and it is quite evident that this time BJP will call shots, they added. 

Nature Lovers Delighted As Angul Dist Forest Cover Increases

By SANTOSH MOHANTY

Forest cover in the industrial district of Angul in Odisha has increased, according to the latest Forest Survey Of India report. This news has been widely acclaimed by local nature lovers as well as environmentalists.

The report said the forest cover in Angul district has increased from 1004 sq km to 1031.62 sq km in two years. The survey report from the autonomous agency in Dehra Dun, however, indicated that there is a decline in forest cover in the adjoining Dhenkanal district. Nearly 10 sq km forest area has been depleted in the past two years, the report said but added that the reason behind the decrease could not be ascertained.

The latest report from the authoritative organization has surprised nature lovers as well as forest officials that Dhenkanal district which was once vibrating with lush green forest, is no longer a reality.

Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra has approved the annual plan outlay of Rs 1241 cr in CAMPA's steering committee meeting in Bhubaneswar for regeneration of forest in the state. It was decided that nearly ten thousand Self Help Groups (SHGs) and Van Suraksha Samities (VSS) in the state will be engaged in forest management such as afforestation, protection of habitats, soil conservation and prevention of forest fire.

Attending the meeting, Principal Chief Conservator Of Forest Sisir Kumar Rath said afforestation  will be done in 15,000 ha at a cost of Rs 69 cr. He said services of VSS will be roped in for the mammoth task.   

ZP Poll: Two Cornered Contest Likely For BJD-BJP

By SANTOSH MOHANTY

The Zilla Parishad(ZP) poll in Angul district, in all probability, will be a two cornered contest for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Biju Janata Dal(BJD) candidates, poll analysts said.

They said that the saffron party this time has chalked out strategy for an impressive show at the hustings . Top party brasses have asked leaders like Sajib Sahu and Durga Pradhan, who have joined the saffron party after being disgruntled over years with BJD leadership, to lead the show at their respective regions to ensure votes at any cost. While Sahu is the former BJD MLA of Athamallik, Pradhan is the former vice chairman of Angul block. 

The observers said BJP has been trying to give its best performance in the coming exercise. In the last panchayat election, BJP had bagged 12 ZP seats of the total of 28. Party sources said Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is hell bent to win as many seats as possible as this has become a prestige issue for him. He has given strict instructions to the party workers and local leaders to outshine the rival BJD leaders in the poll.

Sources said Union Minister's wife has been meeting BJP leaders and workers in Angul district to discuss about the strategy to garner more support of the people and convert their goodwill to votes at ZP election. Although Angul district is known to be a pocket borough for BJD, infighting among party workers and MLAs not keeping well with Dhenkanal MP Mahesh Sahoo has created chinks in the party's armour. 

Political pundits maintained that the saffron party has been trying to cash in on from the adverse situation BJD is facing when the grampanchayat polls will be held next month.

The Congress in Angul district, like other areas of Odisha, has become a party without rudder, the political analysts said and added it might take the position of a poor third at the hustings.    

Talcher Rani Park Parishad Members Prefer Nalco Deer

By SANTOSH MOHANTY

Even as officials of Angul Forest Division and Wildlife wing are preparing to relocate deer from Nalco Township Deer Park to Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary, office bearers of Rani Park Unnayan Parishad in Talcher have submitted a memorandum to Talcher Sub-Collector that Rani Park will be the safest habitat for the animals.

In the memorandum, the office bearers of the Parishad reasoned that earlier Odisha Government had directed Angul district administration to initiate measures for relocation of nearly 50 deer from Nalco park to Rani Park for enrichment of flora and fauna in the only biosphere in the environmental hotspot. Rani Park provides much needed relief to the denizens of Black Diamond Township who are leading a life of depression following widespread contamination of air and water.

As Rani Park is being developed as place of tourist attraction, relocation of deer from Nalco Township Park will boost its prospects on this score, the Parishad members argued.

Official sources said that Angul DFO(T) has initiated measures for early relocation of deer from Nalco Township to Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary. The animals will be kept in an enclosure in the natural surroundings of the sanctuary for a certain period for acclimatization and providing protection from other wild animals, the sources added. Official sources said enclosure will act as safe captivity for deer as these animals were never accustomed to the life of challenge in the dense forest locality.

The relocation has been necessitated after Central Zoo Authority urged Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) to expedite the process as Nalco authorities have contravened wildlife Act by keeping deer in Township Park over years.