Train shame: Prabhu takes prompt action
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu’s justice for a brave girl of Odisha was no less than a God-desired action against a 50-year-old fellow passenger of the New Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express. The girl was molested by one Bami Prasad Mohanty who was promptly arrested at Tata Nagar station; de-boarded and handed over to the GRP. The East Coast Railways (ECoR) sources said the woman passenger, a student of the Delhi University, was sleeping on her berth when Mohanty tried to grope her. The woman screamed at him on top of her voice till the culprit admitted before others including the GRP that he tried to molest her. The accused was embarrassed enough for being insulted before 10 other men and five women. It was ensured that the lady did not have to go out of the coach to give her statement which was recorded on board. Meanwhile, Chief Public Relations Officer of ECoR JP Mishra has appealed the passengers to use security help line 182 in such situations. But in the absence of a direction right from the horse’s mouth, will the security personnel take such a prompt drastic actionIJ It is because leniency on such matters is better preached than practiced.
S’dwar scam: Judicial probe more befitting
The Puri Swargadwar land encroachment is one of the worst scandals in Odisha with cash worth over Rs100 crore changing hands involving land mafia, hotel owners, officials and politicians. The extent of land that has been illegally encroached is said to be 16 acres out of the total 16.4 acres allotted on the sea beach which means the Swargadwar is now left with only 400 decimals of land and therefore, there is a plan for its expansion. Historically, this was the ‘Amruta Manohi’ land of the lord Jagannath temple under the custody of the ‘Gobardhan Peetha’. The RDC has formed a 9-member committee headed by the Puri district Collector to verify land records of last 100 years. The Revenue officials who have recorded the land in others’ names are on the lookout. But one thing is sure that there are more skeletons in the cupboard and the Collector or the RDC level inquiry is under justified for a scandal of such a big volume. Order for a judicial inquiry is the minimum expectation but the Government is aware of its fallout and therefore, has chosen to tread cautiously to save its skin. Being a sensitive issue, it will be difficult for the Government to absolve itself of the responsibility, but if there is a will the entire scam will be unfolded layer by layer with prescribed punishment to the guilty under the law of the land. At least, in this case, the law can certainly take its own course! All said and done, the Swargadwara scam deserves a high level inquiry.
Rs110-cr licence fee for Rs13-cr road project!
An example of the South Eastern Railway and the Rourkela Steel Plant posing hurdles before the Smart City project in Rourkela has once again come to the fore. The Railways have demanded Rs110 crore licence fees for land and other compensation to allow a road construction under a four-lane road project from Basanti Colony to Door Sanchar Bhawan passing through the Railway Colony. Now caught in a catch-22 situation, the Public Works Department is going ahead with construction of a 70-foot width road in the remaining area leaving the middle patch of 1,200 meters untouched. The road has been envisaged to connect the steel city with the railway station through a second entrance. Not only the 4 lakh population of Rourkela industrial township but also major parts of the Rourkela Municipal Corporation limits, including Chhend Colony, Gopabandhupali, Timber Colony, Madhusudan pali, Malgodam and Nayabazar will benefit. The SER is expected to act in larger public interest keeping the Smart City requirement in view, officials say. The Chakradharpur Divisional office has shot off a letter with conditions asking the PWD to confine the width to 30 feet on the disputed patch of 1,200 meter within the four km stretch.
Promote Odia art, culture, cuisines in Delhi
Odisha cuisines are in great demand not only among the 13 lakh Odia population in Delhi but also among people from other States living in Delhi. A lackadaisical approach by the Department of Odisha Tourism is said to be the principal reason for the miserable state of affairs. Odisha handicrafts, art and artifacts, including the Odisha cuisines, are in great demand according to Kamal Kumar, a Marwari entrepreneur, who hails from Kalahandi and now is settled in Delhi. A management graduate from the Xavier University, Bhubaneswar, he has taken one stall on lease in the Delhi Haat for promotion of Odia cuisines. The Tourism Department has not heeded to a number of his constructive suggestions, he rues. In the national capital, Odisha’s image as a poverty stricken State continues among the Delhites, as there is no effort for a makeover of the image. Odisha’s rich culture, temple arts, handicrafts, art and artifacts should be showcased for public viewing from time to time which will help promote Odias as one fearless commercial tribe in the by-gone eras. The stalls put up by sellers of various commodities must be manned by those with smart communication skills. Will Odia Minister Dharmendra Pradhan engage his teams for a serious exercise while giving a facelift to the proposed Odia Utsav in Delhi sometime in AprilIJ