Regional neglect heat on Naveen

The Telegraph, May 19, 2013

SUBRAT DAS

Bhubaneswar, May 18: Opposition parties have accused chief minister Naveen Patnaik of neglecting the backward western part of the state. “While the chief minister is shouting at the top of the voice for giving more central assistance on the ground of backwardness, he is equally neglecting the backward western Odisha,” said Congress leader and former chairman of the Western Odisha Development Council Narasingh Mishra. Mishra said the state government was providing a paltry grant of 100 crore per year to the council as against the state’s annual budget of around Rs 50,000 crore. He also recalled that the council had sought a special central assistance of Rs 300 crore when Naveen was a Union minister under the NDA government at the Centre. But the Centre had rejected the plea when it gave special central assistance to the Gorkha Hill Council. The state government came under criticism from the Opposition parties as the chief minister chose to review the progress of the council today. “Naveen had never thought it proper to review the council’s functioning in the past 13 years. Now, he wakes up at the end of his third term,” said BJP state president K.V. Singh Deo, who also represents western Odisha in the Assembly. “Perhaps western Odisha came to the mind of Naveen after the BJD lost polls to three Notified Area Councils — Atabira, Nuapada and Hindol,” said Kalahandi MP and All India Congress Committee spokesperson Bhakta Charan Das. “The council has not been effective at all in removing the regional imbalance of the backward region for which it was created,” he said, adding that not a single big project had come up there. The review revealed that the council had been able to spend only 74 per cent of funds to the tune of Rs 883.05 crore sanctioned so far since its inception in 1998. Of the sanctioned funds, 1.32 per cent has been spent on agriculture, 4.57 per cent on electrification, 19.92 per cent in social sector and 29.16 per cent in minor and lift irrigation. The main objectives of constitution of the council were reducing regional imbalances and meeting development needs of local people. “Instead of utilising the funds to achieve the purpose for which the council was created, the funds are being spent to achieve narrow political gains of the BJD,” said Mishra. Singh Deo alleged that the council’s funds were being spent on the recommendation of expert members, who were not elected representatives and nominated by the BJD. However, state’s planning and co-ordination minister Maheswar Mohanty refuted the allegations and said funds were being utilised judiciously for the socio-economic development of the region. The council, which was set up for the development of western Odisha, is located in Bhubaneswar, not in any of the eleven districts coming under the region. Mishra accused Naveen of violating the Western Odisha Development Council Act. “Naveen has not only violated the laws mandatory to set up the headquarters in the council area, but also breached the privilege of the Assembly, where he had announced twice and betrayed the people of western Odisha,” said Mishra. It was decided yesterday that the council’s meetings would be held in the headquarters of the 11 districts coming under the council area on rotation basis for its effective functioning.