State Congress president Niranjan Patnaik has urged Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh to look into grave constitutional and governance crisis in view of the resignation of over 60 Panchayat representatives, mostly adivasis, in Malkangiri.
Patnaik sent a letter to the Union Minister on Tuesday requesting him to depute a central team to visit Malkangiri for an on- the-spot assessment as the State Government is taking the issue casually and no Minister or senior officer has visited the district to take stock of the situation or establish an interface with the representatives.
Notably, the PRI members had called it a day protesting against the failure of the BJD Government to meet their demands over irrigation, drinking water and roads.
Malkangiri district has 81per cent people living below poverty line with 9 per cent households having access to toilets, 16 per cent villages having electricity, besides various other severe problems. The Central Government has been giving funds under various flagship programmes, but even after 14 years of the BJD Governance, the State continues to be one of the three most Maoist affected districts in the country, besides lagging behind on several other issues, Patnaik pointed out.
“After the kidnapping of the then District Collector Vineel Krishna and his subsequent departure, the administration has further deteriorated and is in a State of limbo,” Patnaik said.
The PCC chief further said that during his recent visit to Kalimela and Malkangiri with a party delegation, he found the anger and frustration among people about the apathy and neglect by the State Government. The people of Malkangiri district and Government officials are highly frustrated and deeply demoralised, he added.