Gambling is spreading like an epidemic in the interior parts of Mahakalpada and Pattamundai blocks in Kendrapada district, thanks to the apathetic attitude of the district administration and the police.
In fact, the gambling business is thriving under the very nose of the police. Gambling is particularly rampant during Jatra or opera shows. The Jatra committees demand hefty sums from the gamblers to allow them to run their business. A portion of the booty allegedly goes to the local police as protection money.
Each gambling gang consists of seven to eight members, most of whom are having criminal antecedents. Sometimes, local people who oppose such activities in their areas are targeted by these elements. Although gambling takes place within 200 to 300 metres from the Jatra pandals, the police personnel deployed there do not object to it. Poor people with the hope of an immediate profit fall prey to the gambling rackets.
They sell their valuables for gambling and get ruined. Babar, Sanjaria, Kathipada, Patragad and Badhi are the places where gambling is widely prevalent. The local people have urged the authorities to take prompt action to stop gambling and save people for being economically ruined.