It is indubitably true that Odisha is emerging a safe hideout and sanctuary of terrorists. The arrest of four hardcore operatives of banned Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) from Rourkela has manifested that the State is vulnerable to terrorist target.
These anti-national outfits stayed more than four months at Nala Road , a stone’s throw distance from the steel plant site. The Nala Road is densely populated area comprising criminals and outlaws. Although these operatives were moving different parts of the States like Bhadrak, Rayagada and Jharsuguda, the Intelligence Wing of the State was unable to track down them. On the intelligence inputs of Telangana police, the Crime Branch was ultimately effective to apprehend the miscreants.
No doubt, the possibility of grand design of terrorist attack on the different sensitive places of Odisha was averted and prevented. Similarly, Abdul Rehman, a suspected of Al -Qaeda affiliate, was arrested on December 16 last year in a midnight operation from his resident at village Paschimakachha village on the outskirts of Cuttack by a joint team of IB and Odisha police. Rehman was reportedly engaged in recruiting members for AQIS. He also travelled to Pakistan, Dubai london and Saudi Arabia with the sole objective of achieving his nefarious design. In India, he had established link with obnoxious elements in Karnataka, Jharkhand and UP. It was reported that he was imparting terrorist training to children of underage daring police action.
It is really pertinent to mention here that why the State police (Crime Branch, Intelligence Wing) were apathetic, careless and callous and could not effectively contain him though his activities were open and well known at his village and adjacent areaIJ
Thousands of Bangladeshi immigrants are infiltrating mostly into Kendrapada district and from there are fanning out to different parts of the State. Their number is increasing day by day. These illegal Bangladeshi emigrants are coming by ferry boats through the sea. Had effective and pre-emptive steps been taken by the district administration of Kendrapada with the active police mobilisation at the source, their flow would have been checked and averted. little wonder that the police forces of the concerned area are taking lackadaisical interest in preventing them. However, if the immigration is not well contained, Odisha may soon face an Assam like situation where in some pockets the Bangladeshis have outnumbered the Indians.
There is little doubt that the Chief Minister who himself is in charge of the Home Department is squarely responsible for the laxity and failure of intelligence for which such fatal events developed threatening the State’s security.
The intractable criminals like Dhalsamant brothers and former Congress MlA Ramesh Jena have acquired hundreds of crores by dint of threat, extortion, murders and tender fixing. Even these criminals wreaked vengeance by killing their previous associates due to conflicting differences. It can be emphatically stated that these criminals who had been carrying on these illegal activities years together were under the tacit knowledge of the police. But the police could not neutralise them
Mining scams and chit fund scams which looted the assets and resources of the State and exploited the poor merit no elaboration. It appears remote to get back the invested money of the poor in the chit fund. Women trafficking from different regions of the State are increasing unabated. The parents of women from the poor families are being tempted by agents assuring them of good jobs but in fact they are being exploited either by sex trade or engaged as domestic helps of rich families of other States.. As per the National Crime Record Bureau, Odisha ranked 7th in the country in rape case. Odisha is number one in providing bonded labourers. It is heart wrenching that thousands of bonded labourers from Odisha, including children, are working in cruel unhygienic and hazardous condition in different brick kilns.
The average daily expenditure of a person in rural regions of Odisha is Rs19 while national average is more than Rs25. Children at the age of 8/9 are working in different places for their livelihood even for their parents.
The farmers are committing suicide, who are backbone of the State. It is really spiteful disgrace and brazen shame. The State Government during 16 years of its rule could not provide clean drinking water to its people while it provides rice at Rs1/per kg to the poor. As per report only 2 per cent population of the State get clean drinking water for their families. Pursuit of vote bank policy for capturing power forgetting real welfare and development of the people and the State is the obvious indication of perverse governance. Dear Chief Minister should abandon it.
(The writer is a columnist and a regular contributor to the letters to Editor section of this paper)