Curious Case of Orissa

April 1, 2010 - PRLog -- During the tenure of Mr. Biju Patnaik as the Chief Minister, the state government of Orissa took up steps to make the state industrially developed by investing a portion of the natural resources of the State. The process of industrialization kicked during this period to utilize the iron ores, manganese, chrome ores, limestone, dolomite and coal reserved in the State.

The process still continues with the establishment of many mega and medium scale steel and aluminium industries and thermal power plants. The per capita income of the people of Orissa has also gone up as they have become the stakeholders in the process of development. With this, the infrastructures of the State have been developed and many steps are being taken up towards the development of education, agriculture and forest conservation. With the private business houses being partners in this development process, the lifestyle of the State has started to change. But industrial development of Orissa is not one-sided. The State Government, industrial houses and people of the land are making concerted efforts towards the progress of the State.

Parallel efforts are also on in the field of the development of the tribals and people belonging to backward classes. They have been entitled with the Forest Rights and their productivity is being enhanced through development of education and healthcare facilities. But the process of including the tribals in this stream of development is being delayed due to the democratic nature of the procedure being followed. Taking this delay as an opportunity, some leftist groups, voluntary organizations and people with vested interests have started movement against industrialization in the name of environment and displacement.

It is unfortunate that while some NGOs has taken the lead in this movement, some outfits like Chasi Mulia Sangha in Koraput are continuing agitations against land acquisition and protesting the industries in the name of R&R and land acquisition issues. But in real practice the rehabilitation and peripheral development of different industrial houses have contributed to further the socio-economic development of districts like Kalahandi, Jajpur and Jagatsinghpur.

The locals are being provided with new houses, schools, health centres, nutritious foods and midday meals. But the opponents of this development process are instigating the people by spreading negative information. While the process of change is changing the standard of living of the people, they are, on the other hand, are being misled. The innocent people are being organized against industrialization in the name of environment, traditional way of living and religion. While voluntary organizations are misleading the locals against the proposed Dhamra Port Project, POSCO's steel project, proposed thermal power project and Vedanta’s aluminium project, the leftists are taking the advantage of the situation and creating violence.

Environment campaign organisation, Greenpeace came under severe criticism recently in Orissa for making drastic changes in a report prepared by the North Orissa University and its baffling remarks about the Dhamra port project. Greenpeace was spreading misinformation about the Dhamra port project by making addition and deletions in the findings of a study conducted by the North Orissa University. The North-Orissa university had conducted a study titled `Rapid Biodiversity Assessment of Dhamra Estuary, Orissa-India' with financial assistance from Greenpeace. The organisation, however, had put the same report in their website with the title ‘Biodiversity Assessment of Dhamra Port Site and Surrounding Areas’ by adding some information that was not mentioned in the university's report.