Good bye 2011

Hemanta Kumar Pradhan

“Time and tide wait for none,” as the saying goes, but it leaves valuable footprints in history to commemorate the past and plan for a better tomorrow. Odisha from Orissa is now a history written in the diary of 2011. The joyful moments of success and glory in arts, sports and other fields to the painful moment of scams and scandals, law and order situation and common people’s fight for basic rights were much-debated in the departed year. False political hullabaloo to nasty involvement of the leaders in scams had eaten most of the valuable spaces of Print Media and time limit of the Idiot box’s serious format. Lower PMG was teasing us silently, when the common people sit on indefinite dharna to get his rights in the bone-chilling winter night, but no one comes to give them solace though they have sent 147 representatives to heed their voice. At the same time, the Government offers free bicycles for the school kids, helps expecting mothers by Mamta scheme and Janani Sishu Surakhya scheme and inspires the artisans and folk artists for their survival in the State. Opposition stalled the Assembly house over scams and scandals, whereas ruling party avoided them by alleging the same rhyme ‘step-mother attitude’ of the Centre.

Odisha have experienced common people’s grief, anger, reaction throughout the year in almost every part of the State. From Dogria Kondhs of Niyamgiri hill to the border villagers of Odisha who decried for help from Polavaram project, which will submerge the border villages of the State, was a long battle.

There were two contradictory incidents happened in 2011 in Odisha including industrialisation and natural disaster. When the northern coastal part of the State was fiercely opposing for Posco Company, the southern coastal district Ganjam was severely demanding for a mega steel project according to the MOU with the Tata steel. Most of the parties and citizen charters of Ganjam were demanding for Titanium project at Chatrapur and mega steel project at Gopalpur. On the other side, Dhinkia panchayat of Jagatsinghpur had protested Odisha Government throughout the year against the construction of the project. Large number of women and small school kids and tiny tots had joined in the anti-Posco stir at the Posco-site. One killed and many more injured in a scuffle between anti-Posco agitators and Posco supporters while the construction of company boundary wall was going on. This incident stalled the State Assembly house over the involvement of Bapi Sarkhel for creating disturbance in Posco-site. Oppositions along with some MLAs of the ruling party demanded the arrestment of Bapi which was a much debated issue happened in the State.

Another contradictory thing was flood and drought in the State. When north Odisha was engulfed in flood water and several hundreds of villages were under water, south and western part of the State were facing drought situation. Due to erratic and scanty rainfall in the districts like Ganjam, Gajapati and other western part of the State, there was huge crop loss occurred during the Kharif season.

From the beginning of the year 2011, scams like Job scam, PDS scam, Mining scam, Water scam and other scams suffocated Odisha as the ruling BJD faced Justice Saha Commission at the year-end and CBI inquiry into the Job scam or the bungling in MGNREGA work. Justice Saha warned the State to conserve minerals for future generation which was a clearly stated that illegal mining has been taken place in the State.

Kodala violence in the month of July disclosed the law and order situation in Ganjam, where 2 killed and 7 injured in police firing. Political parties played blame game and held the Government responsible for the untoward incident at Kodala. On the other side, the State Government bent down before the Maoists to release Malkangiri Collector R Vineel Krishna, which was a much discussed incident gave a new platform for the negotiators. The Maoists were delighted with this achievement, but later the red rebels had faced major setback due to allegation of sexual harassment by the women Maoist cadres. At the year end, Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda got promotion to the Jangalmahal leader after the death of Kishenji.

Political circus in BJD party had topped the political gossip among the analysts. The horse-trading by BJD for Rajyasabha poll alleged by the Congress and BJP’s allegation against the ruling party over rampant corruption in the State was in lime light in 2011. Damodar Rout lost his minister-ship and formed an organisation ‘Biju Bichara Manch’ to bring the aimless leaders in a visionary way of Biju Babu. He criticised Pyari as the real power centre in Odisha and Naveen is just the executor, which created hue and cry among the political circle of the State.

Kendrapada Municipal elections and Umerkote bypoll were the two much-hyped polls in the departed year. Umerkote bypoll was held after the MLA Jagabandhu Majhi’s murder, where the three major parties including BJD, BJP and Congress had camped there for election campaign with top most leaders of the parties. Finally, BJD proved its mettle and win the celebrity poll. While in Kendrapada Municipal elections, the excitement of wining the seat ended in an allegation against the leaders in Kujang firecracker burst case where four succumbed to their injuries in hospital.

The list is very long….but the highlighted issues of 2011 turned into history. Odisha welcome the year 2012 with Dhamra port, one of the deepest ports in the country, has been inaugurated on December 18, 2011 by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. It will show a new ray of hope in sea link and transportation. Initiative of the Government for the development of tourism with two international festivals and world record of Odissi in the year-end had brought a little time to cheer in the year of scam.