Angul People Up In Arms Over Worsening Condition Of NH-55

By SANTOSH MOHANTY

Senior citizens, social activists as well as intellectuals of the industrial city are up in arms over deteriorating condition of NH-55 which is regarded as the lifeline of Odisha.

Angul Bar Council president Dillip Sahu, advocate Rabi Patnaik, Gopal Nath, Prasanna Behera, Abhay Ray and a number of social activists have taken a vow to urge the government to take action against the construction company which is intentionally delaying four lane work of the highway.       

The 15 km stretch of NH-55 from Panchamahala to Banarpal is a virtual hell interspersed with potholes, ditches and quagmire. The once finest highway is now non-motorable. Most long haul buses have stopped plying on the route due to worsening condition over years. The worst condition of the road has been responsible for killing nearly 15 people so far leaving a large number of people severely injured.

The four lane work that started in 2018  was due to be finished in 2020. But the road construction agency never cared for the deadline nor is it worried over the ultimatum given by no less a person than the Deputy Speaker of Odisha Legislative Assembly Rajanikant Singh to finish the work at the earliest or face action. The private bus owners in undivided Dhenkanal district also staged a token strike snapping bus services for a day three months ago protesting lackadaisical attitude of the road construction company. But, that did not yield any result.

Dhenkanal MP Mahesh Sahoo had taken upon the issue with Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari in December 2021 in New Delhi and urged him to expedite the expansion work of NH-55, but to no avail. The minister had assured him all possible help and cooperation for early completion of four lane work but three months have elapsed since then.

Finding no alternative to tame the adamant road construction agency, Sahoo has now resorted to road blockade and dharna to draw the attention of government and people as well to take on the obstinacy of the construction company.   

Panchayat Poll:People Of Bantala Left To Rot As Issues Galore

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.

 

ZP Poll Zone 4: BJP, BJD Lock Horns, Local Issues To Be Decisive

By SANTOSH MOHANTY

As the D-Day is nearing, Zone-4 Zilla Parishad seat in Bantala region in Angul district is all set to witness a battle royal between BJP candidate Durga Charan Pradhan and BJD's Dhruba Charan Dehury.

Pradhan, who was earlier the Block BJD president, has joined BJP a few days before the announcement of Panchayat poll. The veteran leader of Bantala area was believed to have left BJD after being constantly pushed to the wall by the ruling party leaders.

Political observers in Bantala area said Dehury has mopped up all resources at his command to give a tough fight to Pradhan who is believed to be riding the crest of a wave. They said both Pradhan and Dehury are astute leaders with grass root following and trying their best to showcase Naveen and Modi's welfare schemes for the betterment people particularly those who are in the lower strata of society.

Close followers of panchayat poll campaigning in Zilla Parishad Zone 4 said the general electorate are more concerned with nagging issues of Bantala area such as drinking water and irrigation which are never fulfilled despite promises doled out by the leaders during campaigning. A number of drinking water and irrigation projects are in limbo despite public outcry. A decade has elapsed, yet the people of Bantala are yet to get piped drinking water facility. The standpipes have been damaged since long due to non-functioning of the piped water project.

Political observers maintained that the issues matter most and the general voters are now convinced that the leader who is genuinely concerned over their plight and strive hard to resolved their problem might win their confidence. Therefore, it is premature to come to a conclusion who will hit the jackpot.

Although BJD, BJP seemed to be locked in a battle, the Congress candidate Bhaskar Pradhan is trying his best to be in the reckoning.

 

Republic Day Celebration At Bantala

By SANTOSH MOHANTY

The 73rd Republic Day was celebrated at Bantala in Angul district in Odisha today. The function was attended by BJP Zilla Parishad candidate Durga Pradhan, among others.

Anshuman Mohanty, Class-VI student of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya(JNV), Champatimunda, in Angul district recited the National Anthem Jana Gana Mana Adhinayaka Jaya Hai Bharata Bhagya Bidhata…….Jaya Hai, Jaya Hai, Jaya Hai, Jaya Jaya, Jaya, Jaya Hai.

Others who attended the programme were Shibaram  Choudhury, Mihir Sahu and Pankaj Sahu.

3-Tier GP Poll: Digital Campaigning In Disarray In Odisha

By SANTOSH MOHANTY

The candidates and political parties relying heavily upon digital poll campaigning in Odisha in the ensuing three tier panchayat poll due in February, have expressed apprehension that their electioneering may fall through due to absence of mobile network in interior villages.

The poll guidelines said that the candidates must not take out election rallies and refrain from congregating supporters in view of surging Omicron in the state. The guidelines issued by the election commission also strictly directed the political parties and their aspirants to embark upon door to door campaign  comprising not more than five people including the candidate.

In this backdrop, most candidates contesting from benighted places in districts like Angul, Dhenkanal, Bolangir, Koraput, Kalahandi and Rayagada of Odisha have expressed fear that they might not put forth their viewpoint before the electorate to garner votes due to lack of mobile and internet connectivity. Candidates in the fray for Sarpanch and Zilla Parishad in Angul district maintained that most parts in the interior pockets in Tikarpada, Jagannathpur, Tulka, Dalki and Labangi areas in Angul district are unreachable through mobiles. The digital campaigning will always remain a dream for them, they added.

Statistics said Kandhamal is worst hit as far as mobile connectivity is concerned. The report said nearly 1000 villages in the above mentioned districts in state do not have connectivity and added that out of 100 nearly sixty persons have access to internet connectivity that to not very often.

 

 

 

  

 

 

False Promise Fallout: Poll Boycott Gains Ground In Athamallik, Pallahara Sub-Divisions In Angul

By SANTOSH MOHANTY

Boycott of three-tier panchayat poll is gaining ground rapidly in Athamallik and Pallahara Sub-Divisions in Angul district as most villages in these regions are beset with problems as their chosen political representatives never cared to solve them.

Latest reports said that people of Taptajharani, Bandabhuin and six villages of Luhasinga gram panchayat in Pallahara and Athamallik Sub-Divisions respectively have declared that they will refrain from voting as their basic problems have not been looked into by the elected candidates.

The villagers said Sarpanches and Zilla Parishad members used to dole out false promises to resolve their problems during campaigning in every five year, but they forget all the assurances given to the villagers after gaining power.

Villagers of Taptajharani alleged that years have gone by but none of their representatives fulfilled their promises to resolve water scarcity issue of their village. The village has one tube well for over 120 families and most often it becomes defunct, the villagers said and added it was set up several decades ago.

'We fetch water from a rivulet which is contaminated with wastes of wild animals. We have no option than to use water from the stream to quench our thirst. Our chosen representatives have betrayed us for decades and the time has come to give them a fitting reply', the villagers reasoned.

Earlier, six villages of Luhasinga gram panchayat in Athamallik Sub-Division have decided to boycott poll protesting negligence by elected representatives who never cared to solve the road connectivity problem for years. The villagers alleged that they are deprived of healthcare facility due to poor road connectivity. Patients and pregnant women die during monsoon as they could not be shifted to hospitals due to absence of road, Luhasinga villagers said and added that officials from the administration never visit their place to understand for themselves how miserably they are living in far off regions.      

Coal Washing Units Contribute To Talcher Pollution

By SANTOSH MOHANTY

Coal washeries have posed severe environmental hazard to the Black Diamond township, Talcher, which is already at the receiving end from twelve open cast mines.

The mining township has been reeling under air, water and sound pollution since excavation of coal mines were under taken on a massive scale. The washeries have now added to the dimension of contamination  in the region which has multiplied the problem for the inhabitants.

Sources alleged that the coal mining authorities prefer private concerns for washing coal on a huge scale who flout environmental norms. The private firms have set up washing plants near educational institutions  and stacking coal close to main thoroughfares in the township that has further compounded the level of pollution.

Coal heaps near the human habitation have contributed to the health hazard as a large chunk of the population of Talcher town suffering from skin ailments and respiratory complications. The groundwater has been contaminated due to excessive digging of coal mines. The water table has also gone down to rock bottom level bringing more miseries to the people.

The regional pollution control officials are allegedly not taking any action against the firms which are responsible for increasing the level of pollution in Talcher.