Govt.Pushing a Cultural Divide through OPELIP: District Administration Indifferent
Badal Tah,Odishabarta
Rayagada, August 24: Generally Dangaria Kandha community, one of the most underdeveloped Primarily Vulnerable Tribal Groups(PVTG) of Odisha, is shy to interact with the Govt personnel and outside world because of the history of injustices meted out to them. Last Saturday, hundreds of Dangaria Kandhas assembled in Sanadenginali village of Niyamagiri hills range under the leadership of leadership of Niyamagiri Surakhya Samiti’s(NSS) prominent leader Sri Lada Sikaka to resist against Odisha PVTG Empowerment & Livelihood Improvement Programme(OPELIP) , which is a flagship programme under the Tribal Welfare Deptt of Govt of Odisha. OPELIP is funded by International Fund for Agriculture Development(IFAD), Rome as a part of UN agencies.
“Around a month back some of us from NSS came to meet the present District Collector Sri Saroj Mishra to apparaise him about how OPELIP is distrupting harmony amongst the communities living in Niyamagiri gills; but unfortunately Collector said that he has series of meetings and he could not discuss with them. They felt ashamed and returned back”, said the youth president of NSS. The predecessors of Mishra called the leaders of the tribal group to the collectorate and interacted with them on their different issues. Even one Collector went to one of the most interior Tribal village called Manda to conduct a public hearing. They were even called to events like independence days, ratha yatras, etc to to integrate them into the main stream. Once these tribal youths also met the earlier SP as the Collector was non-responsive. “It is a matter of great regret that Mishra did not give them time to listen to their grievance. He could have told them to meet after the meetings, if they were so important. Let’s not use this PVTG members as show pieces”, rued Sri Rabindra Patakhandal, State Convenor of Odisha Suchana Adhikar Mancha.
The members of NSS are anguished over the implementation of OPELIP, which boasts of spending cores for their development. A miniscule amount actually reaches the tribals. As it exclusively works for the PVTG, no assistance is provided to the underprivileged communities like SCs and OBCs. According to the leaders assembled, Govt is consciously creating a cultural divide and disharmony among the communities inhabiting on 112 villages of Niyamagiri hills for centuries. As the collector did not listen to them when they approached him in the district headquarters on the plea of paucity of time, they have decided to call the Collector, Sub-Collector and other senior Govt officials to their village to resolve on this issue or otherwise they will be compelled to lock the OPELIP office, warned Lada.
“The development of Dangaria Kandha is really an eye-wash and has an ulterior motive. During eighties, same IFAD supported the Tribal Welfare Department of Odisha to take up a multi-crores project in Kashipur block of Odisha. Hardly have they done any upliftment of local people which is presently reflected through impoverished condition of poor people. Hundreds of villages still have no roads and the people are using ass to transport goods availed through PDS systems. Drinking water & health are a burning issues. People still eat mango kernels and wild greens, roots & tubers. And the land is open for plundering resorces like mines, forest and water. Similar providence is in the process to be written of Niyamagiri hills ”, lamented Sri Sibaram Nayak of Jana Jagarana Manch, Kashipur . Sibaram comes from Maikanch village where three tribals resisting a mining company got massacred through police bullets.
It is high time that Mishra & his senior colleagues pay a patient hearing to the still shy Dangaria Kandha and other communities of Niyamagiri to avoid a law & order situation in the area.
