Tribal Mayurbhanj needs rail links for tourism growth
Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you,” says the Bible. Here is one, who adhered to the words faithfully and was bestowed with the courage and conviction to strive, to seek and not to yield while serving his fellowmen in the Udala Assembly constituency in Mayurbhanj district. He started his career from an humble beginning as a Ward Member of a remote village and became a PS Member. Climbing the hierarchical ladder, he became a Zilla Parishad Member and subsequently was given a BJD ticket in 2009 to contest from Udala. He emerged triumphant defeating his nearest rival by a margin of 12,800 votes and became instrumental in opening floodgates of development in the neglected constituency. During his five year term from 2009 to 2014 he has ushered in an era of tremendous development by toning up of the connectivity of the area in constructing bridges and in changing the economic plight of his people for the better. However he tested his cup of defeat missing his membership to the Assembly by a whisker as he lagged behind by 700 votes in the 2019 general elections. Srinath Soren today has no remorse and exuded an air of confidence as he works for his people round the clock with redoubled energy and vitality. He advocates that if Olchiki could be made compulsory as lingua franca, the rich cultural heritage of the Santali language could be preserved for generations. In an interview to The Pioneer, Soren spoke to Sugyan Choudhury.
What are the developmental works you have undertaken in your constituency during your tenure as its MLA?
My constituency is Udala. I was given BJD ticket by the blessings of my beloved leader Naveen Patnaik in 2009 and I won the electoral fray. You know our constituency consists of three blocks, which are surrounded by rivers, Road connectivity was a farfetched dream that added to the miseries of the people of the area. People were deprived of marketing their commodities. Students were handicapped for their movements. Economy of the area was at an all-time low. With the blessings of Naveen Patnaik, I have been able to provide as many as twenty bridges over the inaccessible rivers and toned up communication in the area. Today, my constituency has marched ahead and the economic backwardness of the people has been addressed considerably. Our Chief Minister constituted a high-power railway committee and selected me as a member of it. The committee was headed by the then Speaker Pradeep Amat. I pleaded with the Chief Minister that since our area comes under the Similipal biosphere, there was no railway system no factories. Our people have not seen trains. I begged before him to connect the area with a railway system and he readily agreed to my proposal and advised me to probe how to arrive at a solution. I consulted various people and railway authorities and informed the CM that Udala could be connected through the Jajpur railway station. The CM took steps and we met the PM at New Delhi in a committee. Now, there is a proposal approved to run trains from Kharagpur to Bhadarachalam via Anandpur, Soro, Kaptipada, Udala and Baripada. The dreams of our people will soon be a reality by the decisive intervention and of Naveen Patnaik.
What steps have you taken for development of agriculture in your area?
Our Gopabandhu Nagar block is a dry area and farmers are deprived of irrigation facilities since there is no barrage, no project. Naveenbabu patiently heard my prayers and the petitions,You will be happy to know that an irrigation project of about Rs 230 crore is going to be tendered very shortly. Eight out of thirteen GPs will have irrigation facility.
Which are the river-bridges constructed in the area during your tenure?
There are many bridges constructed during my tenure. They are over the rivers Sono, Kala, Thakthaki, Kusabhadra, Duimuhani, Deo and Nalu.
What are your plans for the economic amelioration of your people?
You know my constituency is under the Similipal biosphere adjacent to the Similipal National Park. If the Government of India or the State Government has declared it as a national park then how the name ‘national park’ is justified if national or international tourists can never visit the sanctuary. I think the Similipal National Park is robbed of its true meaning. If Mayurbhanj is connected by the proposed and already-surveyed railway line then tourist will flow in. If one tourist spends one hundred rupees per head, there shall be one crore rupees transaction in this zone per every one lakh tourists in a year. The adivasi people shall also get a chance to sell their traditional artistic commodities and certainly benefit under the scheme. A magnificent, unique Siva Linga here at Koliolam is probably going to become the eighth wonder of the world as historians and scholars opine. All that is needed is to connect the outer world to this aesthetic wonder place bristling with the beauty and bounty of pristine nature.
What’s is your vision for uplift of your own tribe, Santhals?
People of Santhal tribe thickly inhabit Mayurbhanj district. They have a culture of their own. Pandit Raghunath Murmu is the inventor of “Olchiki”, the Santali language script. During my MLA tenure, I have built a Pandit Raghunath Murmu Sadan, where hundreds of Santhal children are getting free education in the Santali script. They are taught in their mother language up to MA standard. The Santhal songs music and dance are also very rich culturally. This time, Dr Damayanti Bisra has received Padma Shri award for her contribution to Santali literature. Now, Santali language is taught from primary school. Legendary leader Biju Patnaik looked upon the tribal people as his sons and daughters. He was as much proud of the heroic exploits Samrat Kharavela as he was of the sublime sacrifice of tribal leaders like Birsa Munda in the history of our freedom struggle. If our present CM can follow the footprints of his illustrious father and make Santali language compulsory in schools and colleges along with English, Hindi and Sanskrit, the Santali language very much akin to a sapling may grow into a huge banyan under Naveenbabu’s patronage.