Odisha Govt should respond to the call of Utkal Sammilani
Ananta Prasad Jena is a lawyer by profession but a social worker by choice. He is secretary of the Utkal Sammilani founded by legendary Utkalgaurav Madhusudan Das. Jena was president of the All Odisha Lawyers’ Association and was also Bhubaneswar Bar Association president for three times. At present, he is president of the All Odisha Stamp Vendors’ Association.
With a backdrop of a freedom fighters’ family, he has been pursuing his endeavour to instil hopes and courage among the Odia populations in the neighbouring States of Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. He breathes fire and brimstone against the lackadaisical attitude of the Odisha Government in solving these Odia people. In an interview to The Pioneer, he spoke to Sugyan Choudhury offering constructive suggestions for an effective resolution to the long-pending imbroglio of the minority Odia populations living outside Odisha.
What are the charges of Utkal Sammilani against the AP Government?
Over the last few months, the AP Government has created anarchy by making inroads into Odisha’s territory in 21 villages of Kotia GP of Patangi block in Koraput district.
It is forcibly establishing Anganwadi schools, replacing Odia signboards with Telugu, constructing pucca roads over roads built by the Odisha Government. The MLA of Salur and the MLA of Palasa of AP’s Srikakulum district along with their police force and goons are unleashing terror in Kotia. Besides, they are doling out largesse with a motive to win over our gullible Odias to their side.
What are the charges against the WB Government?
The WB Government is resorting to expansionistic designs to grab the Udaypur sea beach under Bhograi block. Our Utkal Sammilani respective branch leaders at Kotia, Gajapati, Bhogarai and Jaleswar namely Binod Mahapatra, Dr Bimal Sarangi, Purna Chandra Mahapatra, Dr Goura Chandra Panda, Srikant Patra and Kamal Chakraborty have led various delegations to the concerned Collectors for bringing out a permanent solution on the border disputes.
What are the plans of the Sammilani to contain the misadventure of our neighbours?
The Sammilani after long deliberations have come out with an eight-point programme suggesting to our Government to act accordingly for a permanent solution. At the outset, a competent Odia BDO along with a competent Tehsildar, Superintendent of Police and Odia district Collector should be appointed to preserve, protect and defend Odia national interest. Committees cutting across party lines should be formed in each village and police surveillance teams should keep patrolling in each village to look into the act of trespassing by our unscrupulous neighbours.
Artist troupes should exhibit Odia cultural dramas, dances, music, fine arts, paintings in various Odia festivals in the border areas under the auspices of the State Department of Culture to inculcate strong Odia cultural vibes in the psyche of the Odia people who are feeling estranged from the Odia national cultural mainstream.
Employment opportunities should be generated by giving suitable openings to unemployed Odia youths in the border districts in various Central and State Government establishments. Besides, the youths should be given chances to eke out their living by ginger, tamarind and coffee cultivation.
A permanent pucca road should be immediately constructed from Paralakhemundi to Gangabad covering nine km only to enable buses and other vehicles to ply over the road so that the inhabitants need not unnecessarily travel a distance of 70 km to reach their destinations. An office of a Revenue Supervisor must be at once set up at Gangabad for public benefit. A permanent line of demarcation with fixed poles should be drawn between the border lines of Odisha and West Bengal after finalisation of discussions between the two concerned District Magistrates.
An office for border disputes resolution should be set up in the Odisha Home Department headed by an officer of Special Secretary-status endowed with independent powers to take timely stock of the situations in the border areas through the help of district field officers. A Border Area Development Council in the model of KBK development or western Odisha development should be set up for an integrated development of the border areas.
The Odisha Home Department should negotiate with the Union Home Ministry from time to time till the border disputes are resolved. When the PM has declared One Nation, One Aadhaar Card, how is it that our neighbouring States issue new Aadhaar cards in the border villagers of Odisha! This matter should be taken up with the PM
It must be brought to the notice of the Supreme Court as to how the AP Government is violating its orders for maintaining status quo.
Members of Parliament of Odisha should highlight in Parliament that Kotia belongs to Odisha and Odisha alone.
AP, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and WB are taking a step-motherly attitude to nearly 2.5 crore of Odias by depriving them of teaching in their mother tongue. While the Constitution of India guarantees protection and promotion of teaching in mother tongue to the minority linguistic population, there has been flagrant violation in this regard.
On the contrary, the Odisha Government has made provisions for appointment of Hindi, Telugu, Bengali and Urdu teachers for the respective minority communities in Odisha. Steps should be taken in this regard with the Central Government for doing the needful with immediate effect.
Odia schools built during Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das’ time at Sadheikala, Chainbasa have now been converted to Hindi schools. The Utkal Sammilani has appointed 160 Odia teachers here with our State Government grant and appointed nearly 180 teachers in Chhattisgarh. But in other subjects like science, mathematics, students are taught through Hindi books while it should be in Odia.
Near Kolkata, there are 30 schools where Odia language teachers are not appointed by the WB Government. The WB Government is not giving recognition to these schools. Dialogues should be held with the WB Government in this regard.
What has been the endeavour of the Sammilani in this regard?
You will appreciate that the Sammilani has taken initiatives for appointing 647 Odia teachers in the four neighbouring, AP, WB, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. These teachers are getting a paltry sum of Rs 3,000 a month by the Odisha Government.
It should be enhanced to at least Rs 5,000. But as per the provisions of the Constitution, permanent Odia teachers should be appointed by our neighbouring States. The Odisha Government should rise to the occasion in response to the call given by the Utkal Sammilani.