There has been now a strong demand to set up a Government paper mill in the industrially-backward district of Mayurbhanj. Former JMM State general secretary Kalinga Keshari Jena, leading the front, has written a letter to this effect to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Union Minister Pratap Chandra Sarangi.
He has urged both the Union Government and the State Government to come forward to set up a large paper mill in Suliapada Block of the district.
Jena has pointed out that sufficient quantity of water, bamboo and sabai grass are the preconditions for establishing a paper mill in an area and all these are found in abundance in Suliapada Block throughout the year.
All other infrastructural facilities required for this purpose are also there in this otherwise-neglected Suliapada Block, he said.
Besides Jena, many other well-informed people have also now come out in support of the demand. They stressed that, besides yielding other dividends, it will generate employment opportunities for the youths in the district and thus boost the local economy. This will also partially solve the migrant labourers’ issue in the region, they opined.
Jena and many others, while interacting with this reporter, have clearly and categorically stated that this largely tribal-dominated district has remained backward for long, and hence, definitely now deserves a fair deal. The issue, therefore, must be taken into serious consideration by both the Central and the State Governments, they demanded.