On relating controversial Vedanta issue with shifting of present Wagon Factory from Kalahandi: Is Tata's industrial park a justification for shifting near to Berhampur?

Some readers try to relate controversial Vedanta issue with shifting of present Wagon Factory from Kalahandi.


We think both the issues are different.

• Vedanta in Kalahandi has been controversial for many reasons.
• Record shows the company has been alleged all over the world for wrong reasons though it is not of our interest.
• People opposing Vedanta in Kalahandi comes from all over the globe.
• It’s the outside force which makes substantial contribution to oppose Vedanta in Kalahandi except one section of local Dongria Kond and a section of political party and NGOs do oppose it.
• A section of district people do advocate industrialization in Kalahandi.
• Total strength of Dongria Kondh tribal group including in Rayagada and Kalahandi districts is about 8000. Population of Kalahandi district could be about 15 lakhs or more by 2011.
• When the oppostion of Vedanta issue is in Lanjigarh, why the people in Kesinga, Jungarh, Dharamgarh, M.Rampur, Naral, Golamunda, Bhawanipatna etc suffer from this. Does it mean in Gopalpur people opposed TATA's Steel Plant, so one should NOT encourage other industries including indusrial park by TATA, Titanium plant and Wagon Facotry in Ganjam? It also means no other industry for opposing POSCO or TATA in Jagatsingpur or Jajipur.
• If few local congress leaders are opposing Vedanta, then local BJD is also supporting Vedanta, why should one read only one party line. In India its not new that opposition party takes a different stand while industrialization and it is being practiced since decades, Srikant Jena, Braja Kishore Tripathy, etc all of them opposed Vedanta University in Puri. Does it mean Braja Babu would not have encoruged Biju Patnaik Steel Institute in Puri or Srikant Babu for Plastic/Polymer park in Balasore?
• Except Vedanta Refinery there is little private investment in Kalahandi.
• Even excluding major private investment climate districts like Jagatsingpur, Angul, Dhenkanal, Jharsuguda, Cuttack, Khordha, Puri, Sundergarh, Sambalpur etc, MoUs signed for total investment in any moderate districts such as Ganjam, Rayagada, Balangir, Sonepur is higher than Kalahandi by March 2011, of course few districts like Nuapada, Kandhamal etc have received negligible private investment by this time.

Another reader related Wagon Factory proposal with proposed TATA industrial park near Berhampur. Below is the reasons why does TATA industrial Park argument also look weak?

• State Govt. initially said no land is available in Kalahandi and 500 acres of land is available in Chhatrapur, Ganjam for Wagon Facotry, this was even discussed in the parliament on March 4, 2011.
• On March 17, 2011 tranport and commerce minister Sanjeev Sahoo said in the state assembly that there is no land availble in Bhubaneswar and Narla in Kalahandi as proposed by central Govt for Wagon Factory
• When we and local people repeatedly appeal that Kalahandi do have 1000 acres of land in Narla (Samja, March 25, 2011) and only 100 acres of land is enough for the Wagon Factory now state Govt. found 101 acres of land near Berhampur and recommended to railway ministry, how?
• When availability of 100 acres of land in many places in Kalahandi (indeed 100 acres of unused land is available with IDCO near to railway track in Kesinga), now some argument is concentrated on location of TATA group's industrial park near the proposed site.
• If we think about availability of raw materials, then why we do not think and visualize in the national level for the convenience of Indian railway, in that case Bhilai, Raipur, Rourkela, Visakhapatnam etc would be more ideal place than Berhampur, because the raw materials requirement could be easily met with the existing steel plants and industrial parks there.
• Secondly, TATA’s proposed industrial park is not yet to start and its Steel Plant proposal in Gopalpur failed and other steel plant in Kalinga Nagar has been struggling since past 8 years. In this circumstance why Indian railway does not prefer where there is already existing infrastructure?
• There is not much difference while transporting raw material from Kalinga Nagar or Rourkela to Berhampur than from Bhilai or Rourkela to Kesinga at this moment.
• Indeed Wagon Factory in Kalahandi would boost the industries in KBK region. Titilagarh do have some steel/iron related industries, it might get boost if Wagon Factory come in Kesinga (13 km from Titialgarh by train).
• Establishment of HAL in Sunabeda, Koraput also disapproved that industry can not come without available of raw materials nearby.
• Compared to Sunabeda in those years, presently Kesinga/Narla has better infrastructure as per railway connectivity and urbanisation.
• When any Govt. is serious any kind of argument could be made. For example if state Govt. were serious it could say they want industry and development to come in a backward place like their argument for Vedanta issue to justify inclusive growth, if Govt does not want here it can make suitability/land/infrastructure an issue, which has changed time to time.
• This is clear that politics is the major criteria and other arguemnts are secondary to eyewash the wrong doing.
• This also exposes state Govt. is interested on Vedanta for other reasons than actual development of Kalahandi.