15% of slum people in Bhubaneswar get regular work: Study

--Unorganised labourers live in miserable condition in slums

BHUBANESWAR: Over 15 per cent of slum people living in the capital city are getting regular work, revealed a study conducted by the Centre for Child and Women Development (CCWD) on the socio-economic condition of the unorganised workers in the urban slums here.

The study report which was released at a meeting here on Saturday also found that 45 per cent of the households are living in rented houses and do not avail minimum basic amenities. Only 20 per cent of the households live in semi pucca houses with asbestos roof while rests of them live in Kucha houses in miserable condition, it added.

Out of the total unorganised labourers, the report said, 70 per cent of them are engaged in construction work and the others in petty vending and domestic work. Open defecation was found to have been widely practiced as 50 per cent of the workers are found to be illiterate, the report said.

The report further stated that no social security and proper livelihood, no insurance, EPF and ESI are available for the unorganised workers. They are denied of minimum wages and compensation due to poor enforcement of available legislation in State, it added.

“Though the welfare board has constituted but it is only for the name sake,” the report said, adding, “The responsibility of registration of unorganised workers, developing effective plan and programme for the welfare of the unorganised sector workers has not been taken shape yet.”

Political parties urged to include basic amenities in election manifesto

BHUBANESWAR: “After 67 years of independence, the people of the country still urge the State and the Central Government to provide at least basic amenities which is very unfortunate,” said the experts at a meeting organised by the Wada Na Todo Abhiyan (WNTA) here on Thursday.

WNTA, a national level campaign for participatory governance through empowering people in the electoral process, has initiated the process of preparing peoples manifesto for the Lok Sabha election 2014. After taking suggestions at the State-level meetings, the WNTA would present it before the political parties to include them in their election manifesto.

Experts like senior journalist Rabi Das, Prashant Patnaik, political leaders like Mahendra Parida and social activists like Jagadananda suggested WNTA to include the issues like violence against women, MGNREGS work, water and sanitation, child rights, education, health, poverty, corruption, farmers’ income security, problems of minorities and other issues in the People’s Manifesto.

Keeping in view of the size of the State, socio-economic, geographic and demographic setting of the State, 12 out of 21 Lok Sabha constituencies in the State have been identified for the preparation of Peoples’ manifesto, said Pradeep Baisakh of WNTA.   

Among others, representatives of different political parties, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and media persons participated and deliberated in the meeting.

Governor urged to intervene in arrest of agitating farmers

BHUBANESWAR: Representatives of different organisations on Thursday urged Governor SC Jamir to intervene in the issue of arrest of agitating farmers, who had blocked Chief Minister’s way to the State Secretariat on Tuesday demanding pension to farmers.

Representatives like Preeti Nayak of Milita Odisha Nisha Nibarana Abhiyan (MONNA), Debiprasad Prusti of Utkal Bikash Juba Parishad, Malaya Tripathy of India Against Corruption (IAC), Dr Avinna Hota of world human rights protection association (WHRPA), Kanhucharan Behura of Adarsha Odisha Foundation and Nishikanta Mohapatra of Aam Admi Party (AAP) condemned the arrest of protesters.

Citing the example of former Governor Assaf Alli and his wife Aruna Assaf Alli, the representatives said how the Governor had dealt the issue when students led by former Lok Sabha speaker Rabi Ray staged demonstration in front of Alli’s car. Surprisingly, Governor’s wife Aruna could come out of Alli’s car and had joined with the protesters shouting slogans. The Governor did not order for arrest of the students, rather discussed the problem in a charming face in a friendly environment.

The activists also gave example of AAP leader and would be Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal, who refused for Government security and VIP culture. “Will the Chief Minister learn from these leaders,” questioned the activists.

“The arrested members of the Naba Nirmana Krushaka Sangathan (NNKS) have been continuing their fight for price, prestige and pension for farmers in the State,” said the representatives, adding, “But the State Government is trying to shut their mouth by attaching criminal sections in the case.”

Anganwadi workers on war path

BHUBANESWAR: Anganwadi workers would restrain them from their duty from January 1 as a mark of protest against delay in salary hike, if the State Government fails to fulfill their demands within the timeframe. It was decided here on Tuesday by the core committee of the All Odisha Anganwadi Ladies Workers Association led by its general secretary Anjali Patel.

Patel said they would stop five main works related to Mamata Yojana, cooking food for children, egg distribution, Gaon Kalyan Samiti, Sabala programme and Self Help Group works. Even they will not prepare any report of their work, she said.

She said that all the Anganwadi Centre (AWC) workers will wear black badges between January 1 and January 15 protesting the Government’s apathy. They would give memorandum to all the MLAs and Ministers to look into the matter. All AWC workers will send postcards to the Governor and Chief Minister demanding hike in their salary, she added.         

26 NNKS members held for obstructing CM convoy

BHUBANESWAR: As many as 26 members of the Nab Nirman Krushak Sangthan (NNKS), a farmers’ body fighting for the cause of farmers in the State, were arrested by the Commissionerate Police for blocking Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s car when it was entering into the State Secretariat here on Tuesday.

The agitating members of the organisation suddenly came running in front of the Chief Minister’s convoy and tried to block the road in front of Jaydev Bhavan. The members flaunting placards and shouting slogans lied on the road which took the police for a ride while clearing the road. Later the Chief Minister’s convoy changed the route to reach the Secretariat, said the police sources.

According to the Twin City Police Commissioner Dr RP Sharma they had taken all measures after getting information about the plan of a group of rowdy elements to demonstrate near Naveen Niwas, but unfortunately the agitators created the problem on the way of the Chief Minister to the State Secretariat. “After arresting 26 agitators, we have regiatsred a case against them. This is a criminal incident and we’ll take stringent action against them,” Sharma said.

The same farmers’ body, whose members a few days back had demonstrated in the visitors’ gallery of the State Assembly protesting the Government’s anti-farmer policy, on Monday served a 24-hour ultimatum to the State Government to announce provision of Rs 500 as bonus per quintal of paddy and Rs 2,000 as pension for cyclone Phailin-affected farmers.

Notably, the members of the NNKS had staged a demonstration in front of the Naveen Niwas and tried to gherao it violating prohibitory orders under section 144 Cr PC on December 17 last year. As many as 58 persons were arrested in connection with the case.

Four arrested in palm chopping case

--State provides Rs 4 lakh aid to each victim 

NUAPADA/BHUBANESWAR: Finally, the Nuapada police on Wednesday arrested four persons from Kotamal village under Khariar block in Nuapada district suspecting their involvement in chopping off the right hands of the migrant labourers of Kalahandi district.

The four persons were identified as Arta Dundi, Parabeswar Dundi, Bana Majhi and Baikuntha Rout of Kotamal village under the Khariar police station. “After nabbing the culprits from their villager, we handed them over to the Kalahandi police for further investigation,” said Khariar IIC Sibaram Sahoo.

Meanwhile, the District Press Club of Nuapada conducted a meeting on Wednesday to discuss about the issue of torture and exploitation of migrant labourers in the district. The members of the Press Club submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister of India and the Chief Minister of Odisha to formulate a concrete policy on the serious issue. They also sent letters to MLAs and MPs of the State requesting them to think seriously about a national policy on the migration and migrant labourers.

After two days of the incident, the State Government on Wednesday announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each for the two migrant labourers. Labour and Employment Minister Bijayshree Routray said the State Government would also bear the entire cost towards the treatment of these two labourers, who are presently undergoing treatment at the district headquarters hospital at Bhawanipatna.

Expressing grave concern over the issue, Routray said the Government would soon amend the relevant act to provide greater protection to migrant labourers and to take strong action against unscrupulous labour contractors.

Notably, a contractor and his henchmen had chopped off the right hands of two migrant labourers- Dialu Nial of Pipalguda and Nilambar Dhangda Majhi of Nuaguda villages under Jaipatna police station in Kalahandi district on Sunday night when they expressed their inability to go outside the State for working there.

‘Return used mining areas to villagers’

BHUBANESWAR: During an interface with Revenue Minister Surjya Narayan Patro at a meeting organised by the Development Initiatives here, displaced dalit and adivasi people of mining areas on Tuesday suggested him to take steps to return the lands after finishing of mining in the acquired land.

Patro while releasing a study report on ‘Mining and Land Rights of Dalits and Marginalised communities in Odisha’, hailed the suggestion and said that he would try to induct it in future during signing of memorandum of understanding (MoU) with any corporate houses. “Usually the acquired land lying unused after mining and it is a good idea to reuse the land by the villagers in farming after filling soil and sand within it,” the Minister added.    

The dalit and adivasi leaders said the company should fill the hollows with soil and sand after mining and return it to the displaced people. Which would be a good corporate social responsibility (CSR) for the companies, they added.

Development Initiatives secretary Manas Jena, head of the research team that conducted the study covering ten mining tehsils of eight districts, said that one lakh hectares of land have been given in lease to 600 companies within last 50 years. Out of the total lease land, 50 per cent have been allotted to the Central and the State Government, while the rest of the lands have been given to private companies. Most of the mining areas are situated in the tribal and dalit dominated areas in the State as a result thousands of SC and ST people are migrating every year due to industrialisation. “The State Government didn’t take the problems of displaced people seriously for which reason the landless people are living in miserable condition,” Jena said.

He further said the State Government failed to implement Vasundhara Scheme and the Orissa Government Land Settlement Act, 1962 in true spirit. Different industries have been continuing their business here even encroaching lands of common people, he said, adding, “The companies should restrict their operations within the lease area and in cases where the land is indirectly affected due to mining; it should be compensated and covered under land reclamation programme.”