CHANDRAPUR: As leaders of the Naveen Patnaik-led ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha and the mandarins of the state government in Bhubaneswar go gaga over “reaching out” to the people at the grassroots by adopting 5-T (Transparency, Teamwork, Technology, Time and Transformation) method, the tribal people here in Rayagada district do not understand what exactly the administration is.
Chandrapur which translates into the land of shining moon, continues to rot in official negligence.
A visit to Chandrapur block by this correspondent on August 16, a day after the 73rd Independence Day, revealed the monumental apathy the people are battling with.
Located nearly 120 km from the Rayagada district headquarters, Chandrapur block comprises eight gram panchayats such as Bijapur, Budubali, Chandrapur, Dangasorada, Hanumantapur, Piskapanga, Sarikima and Turiguda. Not so long ago, this area was the hotbed of Maoists led by the fierce rebel leader Sabyasachi Panda. The fact that the rebels still have their presence in the area and they may regroup to build up a strong network again is substantiated by the continuance of two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camps at Dangasorda and Hanumatapur. Sample this apathy of the local administration.
August 16, 2019 – time 12.16 pm. Chandrapur block office building was open. Block development officer George Dung Dung, clerical staff, junior engineers or any of the 15 employees were present in the office. Empty chairs greeted the tribal women and others people who came with their grievances from far-off places, some of them covering 50 km paying a hefty auto-rickshaw rent of '500.
Kumari Bidika of Bundipanka village, who lost her husband Suresh nine months ago, was suggested by the officials to come with death certificate of her husband to avail the benefits of Harischandra Yajana and other death benefits. Mother of four little children, all aged between 3 and 10 years, she came with the document but could not submit it as the office was empty.
“Every time I come to block office, I find no one here to listen to my grievances. My husband has died and I do not know how to support my little children,” she said.
Urmila Bidika, another woman whose little son is a differently-abled child, has been running to the block office for long. She has not been able to submit an application for sanction of monthly allowances for his son.
Damodar Parska, a petty contractor, who builds village roads, toilets and small culverts and bridges, complains that the junior engineer of the block deliberately delays clearance of the bills, thereby obstructing timely execution of various infrastructure projects.
Suna Bidika of Piskapanga said nearly 70 persons in the block whose houses were destroyed in cyclone Titli in October 2018 are yet to get assistance and are living under polythene sheets.
Chandrapur still does not have a full-fledged college or enough high schools. As a result, many students drop out and assist their parents in agricultural and pastoral activities. A lot minors migrate to Kerela and Andhra Pradesh to work as labourers. Lack of stable telephone services in the entire block has also crippled the smooth functioning of governmental works.
What is quite surprising is many people work for a paltry sum of '50 – '100 per day as they are allegedly not provided 100 days of work mandated under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Act (MGNREGA).
“We don’t know what NREGA work is. If somebody offers us to work for Rs 50 a day, we just can’t say no as we have to survive,” says 35-year-old Narish Bidika of Bundipanka village.
Dr Gourang Charan Rout, a noted social worker and researcher on tribal affairs, says lack of monitoring by higher officials about the grassroots organizations of the administration is the root cause of people not benefiting from government schemes.
“Odisha government’s tall claim that the benefits of its good governance has percolated down to the people at the grassroots seems to have never been felt in true sense when it comes to the populace of Chandrapur block in Rayagada district. The people here continue to languish in abject poverty and lack of basic infrastructure, much due to the negligence of the local administration,” said Dr Rout.
Sources said frustrated over the perennial official apathy, the people of the area who had stopped expressing sympathy towards the radicals have started nursing dissatisfaction against the local administration. This dissatisfaction of the people, as the local intellectuals apprehend, could once again be exploited by the radicals for reasserting their position in the area.
When contacted, Rayagada collector and district magistrate Pramod Kumar Behera said, “I’m informed about the state of affairs in Chandrapur. I will personally visit the area and ensure quick development. No administrative laxity will be tolerated.”
