Arrest of Cong leaders marks Naveen's visit to Kalahandi

The Pioneer, March 1, 2011
BIKASH KHEMA | BHAWANIPATNA

Eleven Congress leaders and seven others were arrested by the police here and at Kalampur block simultaneously during the daylong Kalahandi visit of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday.

Besides laying a foundation stone for a 100-seated special SC girls' hostel at the Medinpur Government High School, the Chief Minister also attended the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the Government Autonomous College here after landing at the Police Reserve Ground by chopper.

Addressing the students, the Chief Minister lauded his own Government and said that the district was improving with the establishment of a medical college and hospital at Jaring, engineering college and an agriculture college here at the district headquarters town.

However, the Chief Minister did not assure the college students of upgrading the college to a university despite their repeated demands.

The function was also attended by Mass Education Minister Pratap Jena, Labour and Employment Minister Pushpendu Singh Deo and TDCC chairman Balabhadra Majhi.

The Chief Minister also inaugurated the newly-constructed Tehsil office building at Junagarh and launched Sakhara Bharat at Junagarh Mohatsav ground and addressed the gathering.

He also distributed assets and benefits under various Government schemes and addressed the gathering at Thuamul Rampur, laid the foundation stone for Tehsil office at Kalampur and attended a Vikas Samabesh at the mini stadium ground.

On the other hand, the college function was marked with an unfortunate development.

Odia daily Aromv's editor Chandra Mishra despite being invited as the chief speaker to the college function, got anguished and came down from the dais when he was invited to deliver his speech by the college union president, but the Collector objected.

Later on, again invited by the college president, the editor went onto the stage and came down heavily on the Kalahandi district administration and Naveen Patnaik's Government and said that the State has failed to fulfill all its assurances to the public.

Mishra told the media that when he was not given a chance to deliver his speech as chief speaker by the district administration, it was not his insult, but an insult to education and democracy.