law and order situation apprehended
After the closure of 13 mines in the Koira region in Sundargarh district, the financial conditions of the rural poor, who were engaged as daily labourers in the mines, have worsened.
Now, they are struggling hard to arrange a day’s meals for their family members. The mining activities have been stopped for the last twelve days following a Supreme Court directive.
Due to the closure, nearly one lakh people, both directly and indirectly, have gone jobless. If this situation continues, the people would be starving, feel the intellectuals here.
As the Koira region is a Maoist bastion and there are many examples of the Red rebels attracting villagers to join their fold, the present situation would further provide a positive atmosphere for them.
“The Maoists may attract them by providing certain financial assistances. In such a situation, a daily labourer may find the path more suitable than committing loots and dacaoity to maintain his family,” said a villager.
Similarly due to closure of mines thousand of trucks and tippers have been forced to stay off the road. More than four thousand such vehicles have gone idle and, hence, more than ten thousand drivers, helpers and other workers are jobless now. Besides, the truck owners now find it difficult to repay the loans they had taken from various bank and financial institutions to purchase the vehicles. If the situation persists, about forty thousand people will suffer to arrange minimum food for them.
Similarly the job crisis are seen in railway sidings too. Due to the closure, the supply of raw materials to different units has been curtailed, and the people dependent on are suffering.
Due due to mining activities and industrialisation activities, the fertility of land has decreased over the years and the existing land cannot provide employment to such a big number of people. “If mines don’t start reoperations, the unemployment problem will certainly rise. More number of people can join Maoists and PlFI and, this way, law and order situation may arise in the area,” feel intellectuals.