Reconstituted Dom Samaj places several demands for constitutional entitlements
Dr.Badal Tah,Odishabarta
Associate editor
Rayagada, March 23: During an important meeting of the Dom Samaj representing a major Dalit community of undivided Koraput district was under the chairmanship of the President of the undivided Koraput Dam Samaj Raghuram Machha, MLA Koraput. Several problems and potentialities of the Dom Samaj were discussed and necessary steps to be taken to solve those were explored. The grand observation & celebration of the Constitution Day and the Diwali Parba Bhet Ghat were reviewed.
The participants discussed about how to provide adequate facilities in education, how to give self-recognition to special and unique festivals, culture, music, language, tradition of this particular community.. The population of the Dom community is more than 10 lakhs and they live in a vast area including undivided Koraput, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Gajapati, Phulbani apart from Rayagada. They speak similar language and observe almost same festivals. Till date, no government, no political party or leader has paid any special attention to them.
Steps were suggested to find out how these issues of the society can be presented in the Legislative Assembly and the attention of the government can be drawn. Machha held a press conference on behalf of the undivided Koraput Dom Society and discussed various issues of the Society and announced the names of the new officers of the Rayagada District Dom Samaj. In this press conference, the members of the undivided Koraput Dom Samaj were present, namely General Secretary Janardan Garada, Treasurer Prabhakar Hantal, Vice President Nupendra Bagh, Prakash Nag, Dambarudhar Bagh, Jt.Secretary Arjun Takri, President of Koteshwar Potla and Malkangiri Shaheed Nursing Dom Society Balaram Angulia, President of Koraput Dom Society Bhagwan Khora.
Rayagada District Dom Samaj new committee was announced by MLA Machha such as President Madyaram Naik, General Secretary Janardan Garda, Treasurer Purandar Pani, Vice President Narendra Naik, Ramdas Naik, Brundaban Naik, Piliban Naik, Bhushan Bidika, Chitrasen Suna, Jitendra Khura, Jalandhar Garda, Sunam Samal, Rajesh Gantha, Malay Naik, Somnath Garda, Ramachandra Bagh, Pushti Duriya, Kyarikeshen Bagh, Kishore Palaka, Mahendra Bagh, Working Presidents Bhagirathi Halba, Trinath Bibhor, Ramesh Lima, Ramdas Takri, Chief Advisor Dr. Basudev Sunani. The other advisors nominated are Mohan Mahanandia, Abhimanyu Kandhapani, Ram Garda, Basudev Malbisoyi, Subhash Naik, Gajendra Naik, Lal Bahadur Duriya, Tankadhar Naik, Dambarudhar Garda, Karuna Lima, Dambaru Nimala, Pramod Guru, Chitrasen Naik, Anand Takri, Arun Naik & Jaysen Kaushalya.
Secretaries namely Bishu Khosla, Mahendra Bibhor, Santunu Bag, Karna Bidika, Yudhishthir Naik, Shankar Kaushalya, Hrishikesh Kuldeep, Mangalu Naik, Chaitanya Beniya, Saroj Garada, Salman Kaushalya, Ramesh Bag, Umesh Gantha, Prashant Ganta, Umesh Khosla, Dhanu Chandra Khosla were nominated. Organizing Secretaries are – Pritam Khura, Sudhakar Karkaria, Kamala Naik, Simran Duriya, Suratha Gardia, Benu Khosla, Krishna Naik, Babuni Naik, Varun Deep, Trishant Naik. While Abhi Palaka, Narendra Mishal, Panchanan Bibhor were nominated as legal advisors, Dambarudhar Karkaria, Suman Garadia, Maleshu Kaushalya, Kishore Mahanandia, Akshay Mahanandia, Ramdas Lima were selected as media cell members. Medical Support Team was constituted taking members as Ram Garadia, Anand Beniya, Rajesh Gantha & Police Station and Legal Support Team consisted of Bishu Khosla, Bhagirathi Halwa, Abhi Palaka, Dhanurjay Naik, Panchanan Bibhor. Members in the Culture and Heritage Committee are Dharmendra Naik, Sunil Khura, Sushant Khura, Jyoti Bacheli, Padman Pani, Kishore Bidika, Sameer Bidika, Nirakar Bagh, Janardan Bidika, Buji Khosla, Pratap Bagh, Sagar Khosla, Charan Deep Kaushalya, Kamal Beniya, Purushotam Dangri, Buddhadeb Garada, Rajaram Takri & Malay Takri. Jalandhar Kaushalya was declared as Joint Treasurer.
In the mean time, members of Rayagada Dom Samaj met Rayagada District Collector Ashutosh Kulkarni and submitted a memorandum which included following demands: Protection, propagation and recognition of Dom language, recognition of Dom Baja culture and festival, construction of Dom Bhawan at the district headquarters, additional arrangements above 10% reservation for SC children in schools run by SSD deptt, provision of land patta with houses to residents of Nuasahi, Ambaguda, Sriram Nagar, RK Nagar, Dom Sahi near Rama Talkies, Forest Office Back Side Sahi, Dom Sahi behind Women’s College, Dhepa Sahi and other Dom habitations in Rayagada town and Haldipada, Arvind Nagar, Nuapada, Geti Pada, Kalahandi Pada, Bapuji Nagar, San Chandili, Bada Chandili and other Dom settlements or Pada in JK Pur, reserving Kashipur & K Singhpur MLA constituencies for SCs including a SC women seat during delimitation in future. They have demanded Rayagada to an MP seat during future delimitation of constituencies. Kulkarni has assured the members to look into the demands and work on those.
