The year 2018 remained a painful one for residents of Sundargarh district in view of rising incidents of human trafficking, torture on migrant labourers and human-elephant conflicts, delay in completion of Brahmani bridge and upgrading of the IGH to a medical college and super speciality hospital and troubles faced by people due to tardy progress in sewerage work and frequent bandh calls given for different purposes.
Many innocent girls, women and men of this tribals-dominated district were lured and trafficked to outside the State where they were engaged as domestic helps or as daily wagers in brick kilns and other factories. They were tortured at workplaces and were not paid for work. Even a girl had been sold at Rs 12, 000 and subsequently raped. Though the girl was rescued; her father, who had gone to make a search, went missing and is still untraceable.
Another person of Sundargarh district, who had allegedly been trafficked to work in Ramgad, has gone missing for a few weeks now.
Similarly, human-elephant conflict reached a new high in 2018 as jumbos killed many persons and destroyed paddy and vegetables in acres of land. The human-animal conflict has become a major challenge for forest officials in the district.
Even as construction work of the much-awaited 2nd bridge over the Brahmani river started at Rourkela in 2018, the work has been stalled due to unavailability of land. While some people are reluctant to hand over land, bad condition of the existing bride has made people suffer a lot.
Political parties, the BJD and the BJP, are blaming each other for stalling of the work. Even Rourkela MLA Dilip Ray resigned from his post and quit the BJP a month back citing delay in construction of second Brahmani bridge and upgrading of the IGH to a super speciality hospital as main reason.
The digging of roadsides in front of houses and shops through the Rourkela city, done for sewerage work, has made its residents’ life miserable. Protruding of barricade sticks and heaping of soil mounds along the city roads have caused accidents and traffic congestion.
During 2018, several bandh calls were witnessed in Sundargarh district. Normal life was thrown out of gear during these periods. Students suffered as schools remained closed, common people faced troubles because of closure of banks, Government and private offices and disruption in transportation system.