As per the Jaswant Singh Commission’s recommendation, the KBK region has a better chance to get a High Court Bench considering the distance and backward factors, opined Prof Digambara Patra of the American University of Beirut (AOB) in Lebanon.
Patra in a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has argued that the demand for establishment of HC Bench at Sambalpur and Brahmapur is illogical given the criteria cited by the Jasawant Singh Commission.
However, Bhawanipatna is a fit case for the HC Bench considering its distance and the strategic location among the western Odisha districts. Bhawanipatna is over 400 km from Cuttack and is well connected by State Highways and National Highways to all the KBK backward districts including Kandhamal, Boudh, Gajapati, Sambalpur and Bargarh. It is also centrally located among all these districts, he said.
“Political demand of two High Court Benches at Sambalpur or Brahmapur as recommended by State Government earlier could be irrational as per Jaswant Singh Commission recommendation, as both Sambalpur and Brahmapur are well connected with Cuttack. People from the regions can return in the same day finishing work in HC in Cuttack by train. Moreover, both these locations are in less than 400 km distance from Cuttack,” Patra said in his letter.
He said that KBK region is considered in the line of special category States due to hilly, tribal and backward region such as North Eastern States, Himachal Pradesh etc by the Planning Commission. The KBK region receives special grant in the line of North Eastern States and Himachal Pradesh for irrigation and other schemes from the Central Government. Earlier, HC benches and educational institutes were established in NE States citing this special category status. Hence, the State Government could bring more success to overcome the present political stalemate during the urban polls.
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