Social worker lawyer Kumuda Prasad Acharya advised the State Government to put up a state-of-the-art shipbuilding industry at Gopalpur in Ganjam which will generate huge employment oppertunities for skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers and unemployed youths of the region.
He said Gopalpur is most appropriate and cost effective place for building ships of both commercial and naval vessels as it is considered by the experts as one of the deepest ports of the entire east-coast region and well connected with the rail link besides close to National Highway, Acharya added.The availability of qualitative steel from steel industries of the State and cheap manpower and surplus energy would be an added advantage for the ship building industries in the region as Odisha is self reliant in the required resources, he pointed out.Citing an example of injustice and irrational placement of industries in different States, Acharya said that out of 20 well acclaimed Indian ship-building units and shipyards in the country, Maharashtra has taken a lion’s share of 5; followed by Gujrat and WB with 4 each and Goa three, where as Odisha is not having one despite all resources and raw materials.
He made the successive elected representatives of the Ganjam district responsible for such lapses.
Acharya made an appeal to the elected representatives of the district and the CM to submit a realistic proposal to the Center and raise the issue in ongoing session of the Parliament for consideration.