Transport Min spared only for tribal tag!
According to media report, rejected buses of eastern Odisha are plying in western parts of the State and the RTOs have no time to test their fitness! If they have no time, the RTOs and MVIs should be asked to sit at home and they should be replaced by efficient enforcement authorities. Out of 4,579 buses plying in the 10 districts of western Odisha, if 1,787 buses do not have fitness testimonials, then the Transport Minister should owe the moral responsibility and resign forthwith. It would have happened in any other State but Odisha is an exception as BJD boss and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is shielding his corrupt brigade. That is how the Minister in charge Commerce and Transport Ramesh Majhi is untouched. That he has a tribal tag is his plus point. The recent bus accident near Deogarh in which 29 artists of a Jatra party, including its director, died should have been an eye opener. An instant cleansing drive should have been initiated and all such buses which have no road permit, no fitness, no insurance or those evading taxes should have been rendered off road. Since nothing of the sort has happened, the onus should lie on whomIJ Now that the responsibility is not fixed, the only reason could be attributed to ‘corruption’ and since the Transport Minister is extending an olive branch to the corrupt practices in his ministry, charity should begin at home and the innocent looking Majhi should put his papers down. One rail accident prompted late lal Bahadur Shastri to step down voluntarily and that was perhaps the last incident we remember. Next to him was lK Advani, when charges of corruption were framed against him. Will Majhi be the third to enrol himself in this morally dignified clubIJ
Whither State Archaeology!
Odisha is full of archaeological treasures like temples, Buddhist stupas, chaityas, sculptures and other antiquities. If focused properly, it can draw the attention of foreign tourists which can boost our tourism and economy. But despite getting Rs 300 crore from the Central Government during the last 20 years, the Government of Odisha has indulged in wasteful expenditure in the name of repair of ancient temples and structures. States like Andhra and Chhattisgarh have strengthened their Archaeology Departments with recruitment of huge technical staff. But the Odisha Government is still in the backstage putting the Archaeology Department in its lowest ebb. The department comprises only three subordinate staffs like a curator, a chemist and a photographer, besides a couple of class four employees under an OAS officer, who for the past five years is its superintendent. Odisha has become a place of vandalism for antiquity smugglers who are gradually stealing precious ancient images. Before it is too late, the Government should awake. Even as the Archaeology Department needs 20 to 30 technical staff, the irony Odia youths in greater number, educated in the National School of Archaeology are roaming unemployed.
BJD infighting boon to BJP
Former Minister Mangala Kisan represents the Rajgangpur Assembly constituency. He won the last elections when the voters rejected Gregory Minz of Congress. Apparently, he did nothing for his constituency during his tenure as an MlA. It is natural that people’s expectation rose high when a senior BJD leader made it to the Odisha Assembly. Subsequently he was elected president of Sundargarh district. BJD has representation in 3 out of 7 constituencies of the district and in two of them the present incumbents were former Ministers. The district is divided into two organizational zones out of which Kisan is heading one zone. But five months on, he is unable to choose a full-fledged district committee. Other senior leaders are gradually losing their confidence in him. The infighting leads to creation of more factions in BJD. His close associates Bimay Panda of Badgaon, Janmejaya Mohapatra, Harjendra Singh, Gopi Mohanty, youth president Sumanta Panda and many others are now keeping away from him. Youth leader Binay Toppo from Talsara, Gopal Pradhan and Sukanta Pati from Hemgir are not loyal to the party president. All Assembly seats including the MP seat of Sundargarh are reserved for ST candidates. Young tribal leaders including those from the general category are unhappy with the leadership of Kisan and if political infightings continue unabated then the Jual-Dilip duo will sweep the next elections and Sundargarh will turn into a BJP forte much to the chagrin of the BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik.
Black diamond loot rampant
Coal mafias hand in gloves with the Sundargarh police and some MCl officials are allegedly involved in the smuggling of prime coal from its mines. Police registered 36 cases of theft, seized 24 trucks and 244 tonnes of coal and has arrested 79 persons in this connection. But these figures are miniscule when compared to large number of unreported cases as Sundargarh is fast turning into an industrial hub because of huge quantity of mineral deposits. Mafias and criminals mostly from neighbouring States are leading from the front in this lucrative business of smuggling the precious black pearl and the number of ‘rags to rich’ story is surfacing in regular intervals. Involvement of locals notwithstanding, this business is spreading its tentacles in the coal belt of Hemgir. Over 100 tonnes of coal is unofficially smuggled in various ways on a daily basis. Police are serious enough to check this menace but have failed to put a full stop. Trucks loaded with high quality coal are shown as low quality material and the authorised weigh bridges manipulate the exact quantity with low weight slips. Surprisingly, all sorts of transport like trucks, tractors, motorcycles and cycles are used in this illegal trade. There is a big question mark as to how such nefarious practices are allowed to be carried on in broad day light. Besides the police, the Department of Mines is allegedly inactive in the absence of a foolproof policy to check this illegal business and criminal practice.
Response
With reference to the item ‘Topmost issue for RSP CEO’ in Weekly Roundups on May 23-24, the Rourkela Steel Plant Executives’ Association (RSPEA) has protested “character assassination of a very senior officer in the rank of General Manager, Marketing Department”, for being called “the kingpin of corruption”. The RSPEA says the columnist has maligned the image of one of its members and also the reputation of the Rourkela Steel Plant. The Resident Editor regrets any deliberate attempt in the story to hurt the officer and the plant.
The writer, a public relations expert, is a functional editor of English weekly Kosal Horizon, Email: baidyanathmishra123@rediffmail.com Cell: 94370 83025)