Waiting for development after end of Red terror

Chandrapur: Surrounded by hills and dotted with thick forests, Chandrapur block in Odisha seems to have been bypassed by development over the past six decades.

The area, once the cradle of now-jailed top Maoist Sabyasachi Panda, has  virtually remained inaccessible since Independence due to absence or poor condition of motorable roads.

Despite a dip in Red terror in the past three years, people’s cries for better schools, hospitals, banks, houses and employment have failed to move the government. The official apathy appears to have left people frustrated and vulnerable, once again, to poaching by Maoist sympathisers who are allegedly trying to regroup. The block has 218 revenue villages and over 90 hamlets. Of the total 5,885 families, at least 5,450 families (92.60 per cent) are Below Poverty Line (BPL).

“Chandrapur block is perhaps a cursed land where people cannot think of living due to shortage of basic facilities. Around 71.74 per cent of the 28,952 population belongs to tribal communities and another 11.80 per cent belongs to the Scheduled Castes. The block does not have a college, proper healthcare facilities and other utility services,” said Sujeet Bredeka, sarapanch of Chandrapur.

A bridge that caved in soon after its construction at Raibiji in Chandrapur.

Literacy rate in the block stands at 38.95 per cent, one of the lowest in the state and a far cry from the national rate of 74.04 per cent. Hence, people are not aware of their entitlements under government schemes and fall prey to corrupt government employees.

A visitor to the backward area comes across shocking scenes of people, mostly frail tribals, walking barefoot or taking bath in muddy waters of streams and creeks gushing down the hills.

Near the entry points of the block headquarters, a heavy presence of CRPF jawans — armed to the teeth — are a grim reminder of the bloody past of the area which used to be the stronghold of Maoist leader Sabyasachi, Panda who was arrested three years ago.

People’s hopes of a change in fortune after Sabyasachi’s arrest have been dashed.

Bhima Gagarenga, the former chairman of Chandrapur block, said that roads which were built during the British period and in the1960s, have not been improved for decades. Many bridges constructed in recent years caved in due to inferior quality.

“Only five roads have been built in the last 10 years while funds allocated for the purpose have remained unutilised,” he said.

He also complained about a lack of educational institutions. “Unemployment is assuming serious proportions as youths fail to get jobs due to lack of higher education,” said Mr Gagarenga.

The block does not have a single college. Only 22 students are pursuing higher secondary education, that too, at an extension study centre of a private college located 200 km away in Koraput, he complained.

“If the official neglect in the area persists and people continue to battle deprivations and exploitations, the Maoists may again raise their ugly heads,” said Mr Gagarenga.

New block development officer (BDO) George Dungdung said he was committed to change things. “I’m trying to ensure that all the schools have teachers and every hospital in the block gets the required number of staff. Besides, we are preparing action plans for improvement of roads.”

Pramod Kumar Sahukar, the ruling BJD’s Chandrapur unit president, said that  emphasis was being given for corruption-free execution of development works to avoid giving the Maoist sympathisers a chance to  make a comeback by taping discontent over graft.

“Wherever corruption is taking place, we are bringing it to the notice of the authorities,” said Mr Sahukar.

Locals complain that there are no good connecting roads from almost 50 per cent villages to the block headquarters.

“Many people walk 20 to 30 km to reach the block office to collect   wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), old-age and widow pensions, allowances for the handicapped and housing-related assistance under the Indira Awas Yojana (IAY),” said Mr Bredeka.

Very often, the beneficiaries of government welfare schemes spend nights at the block headquarters due to power failure and lack of internet connectivity, he said.

“Since most of the payments are made online, poor internet connectivity cripples work at the block office. The entire block has no private mobile networks as the operators never ventured into the area. Initially, they feared the Maoists and, now, they think the area is not worth operating due to poor economic base,” he said.

“The three BSNL mobile towers in the area fail to serve the people due to frequent power cuts,” he said.

The block does not even have a nationalised bank. Utkal Gramya Bank, a regional bank, does not allow its customers to withdraw more than Rs 2,000 per day. As a result, people requiring more than Rs 2,000 for healthcare and education suffer a lot, said Mr Bredeka.

Three years after Sabyasachi’s arrest, Chandrapur still resembles a war-ravaged zone. During the peak of activities of Sabyasachi, Chandrapur served as a laboratory for the Maoists in Odisha. The rebel leader not only used to conduct the entire Left Wing Extremism (LWE) activities in the state from here, but also trained the cadres and helped top Maoists leaders to take refuge here. What helped the rebels  spread their tentacles here was the poverty which they exploited to the core. They succeeded in recruiting cadres from Chandrapur to replenish the loss of men  they suffered in encounters with police and central security forces. As many as six civilians and a CRPF jawan have been killed in the Maoist-security personnel clashes in the area in recent times.

Cursed Land

• Population: 28,952
• Families: 5,885
• BPL families: 5,450
• Literacy rate: 38.95 per cent
• Chandrapur has no college
• Just 22 students are pursuing higher secondary at an extension study centre of a private college located 200 km away in Koraput
• There is no nationalised bank
• Private mobile phone operators are absent
• Only five roads have been constructed in the last 10 years, while funds allocated for the purpose have remained unutilised