Western Odisha being “cheated” in all spheres of development, the Koshal Kranti Dal (KKD) has mooted an idea of running parallel governance in the region through ‘Koshal Panchayats’.
Six such panchayats have already been constituted in Urladani, Shergad, Tulapada, Mandel, Rupra and Teresingha panchayats of Narla in Kalahandi district and 56 more would be formed by the end of January next.
A successful experiment would lead to constitution of Zilla Parishads and urban local bodies, said Koshal Kranti Dal (KKD) working president Baidyanath Mishra here on Monday after visiting the Narla Assembly constituency.
Explaining the concept, which has been approved by the central general council of the Koshal Kranti Dal (KKD) at its last meeting at Jharsuguda, Mishra said these panchayats would work as “watchdogs” over the existing elected panchayats.
They would oversee the work of the elected panchayats and lend their cooperation to the councils in their day-to-day functioning. Public grievances would be registered by these panchayats and remedial measures would be taken to redress them as the present system of governance has deficits and the chasm of distrust between the Government and the public is widening.
Mishra said Odisha has remained poor for centuries because of lopsided development. Emphasis on the development of the coastal region at the expense of the erstwhile Gadjat area would no longer be tolerated and a direct confrontation with the ruling regime is the only alternative left. Because of absolute money power the BJD has swept the elections to the urban bodies, he alleged, adding that this “antidemocratic approach of the ruling party” would no longer hold good.
“Keep them hungry, supply rice in one rupee per kg and pull up the labour class into a state of idleness and buy their votes in elections in exchange of money collected through illicit means cannot be a solution to the problems faced by almost 40 per cent of Odisha’s population residing in the Koshalanchal”, he said.