MP Ulaka’s assurance to sustain his advocacy for a Medical College kindles hope in Rayagada
Badal Tah,Odishabarta
Rayagada, March 14: During Zero Hour on 13th February Sri Saptagiri Ulaka, MP, Koraput again raised issue of setting up of Govt Medical College at Rayagada and requested Central Govt to seek response from State Govt on delay in sending detailed project report(DPR) & why it had turned deaf ear to valid demands of people of Rayagada District.
In a written reply to Ulaka on March 5, Sri Harsh Vardhan, Cabinet Health Minister, GOI said that Rayagada did not figure in 75 medical colleges declared by GOI as the state has not sent a proposal to centre and all the 75 colleges have been given to other states, who sent the proposal.
“Lost opportunity. Due to the step motherly attitude of State Government, we missed opportunity of establishment of Government Medical College at Rayagada. Various organizations, Press Unions, NGOs, Civil Societies, etc strongly put forward the demand but these fell to deaf ears of State Government. This would have been approved had the DPR been sent as Congress President Smt Sonia Gandhiji had written to Health Minister, GOI and I have been demanding continuously in Parliament and also met Health Minister. Many states have got 5-6 Medical colleges approved but Odisha got only one in Kalahandi. Will keep on fighting till our just demands for establishment of Government Medical College at Rayagada is fulfilled”, said Saptagiri with lot of anguish.
Earlier twice during 2011 & 2014, the state government floated tenders for establishment of a medical college in public private partnership (PPP) mode. During 2018 Rayagada Nagarika Manch had a widespread campaign in Rayagada being supported by emancipated citizens. Its members even staged a dharna on 7-5-2019 before Tehsildar office and had a dialogue with Sub-Collector and Tehsildar, who assured to forward the demand to concerned authorities. But nothing moved. Then a concerted front with a nomenclature “Joint Action Committee for Govt Medical College in Rayagada” took the campaign forward and conducted a rally of more than thousand people including the local MP Sri Ulaka and submitted a memorandum to CM and PM demanding a govt medical college in Rayagada as an aspiration district identified by NITI ayog. Then a 12 member team, at the far end of year 2019 proceeded to Bhubaneswar and in the presence of Sri Jagannath Saraka, Minister ST-SC-OBC-Minorities, MLA Sri Raghnath Gomango, Ex-MP Sri Jhinna Hikaka, Ex-Minister, MLA Sri Lal Bihari Himirika, Ex-Minister & MLA Sri Sanjay Das Verma and Sri Sudhir Das, Advisor, Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, had an interaction with 5-T Secretary Sri V K Pandian and CM’s chief advisor Sri R Balakrishnan, who assured to promote the District Headquarters Hospital to a Super Specialty hospital at first phase and then to a college afterwards. During the last CHAITI-2019, a cultural extravaganza of Rayagada, Cabinet Minister Sri Prafulla Mallick attended as Chief Guest and announced before the public and media,” Chief Minister is committed to establish a medical college at Rayagada soon and the necessary steps are being taken to implement the decision.” Unfortunately, none of the assurances are adhered till date. Recently Yuba Vikas Parishad staged a 100 hours hunger strike having the same demands and had threatened to broadbase the resistance if the demands are not met in the near future. Thus the chronology of deceit is lengthy without any pro-action.
Rayagada has more than required amount of land for establishment of a medical college, for which 20-25 acres are needed as per the tender document. According to Sri Umashankar Behera, Tehsildar, Rayagada, land for the medical college has been identified near Pitamahal. There is every feasibility of a Medical College in Rayagada which is reflected in the tenders floated by Govt earlier. The people representatives are optimistic and supportive including the local MP. Though 75 medical colleges declared by GOI are exhausted, the commitment of MP Ulaka to sustain the struggle kindles hopes in Rayagada denizens. This is not just end of the road and the concerted effort of the people of Rayagada must continue as before, opined Dr. K Salvaraju, a prominent educationist and legal expert of the region.
