Tamil Nadu tragedy shows distress migration from Odisha CM's home district: Congress

Bhubaneswar, Jul 5 (PTI) The opposition Congress in Odisha on Sunday urged the BJP government to create employment opportunities in mineral-rich Keonjhar, alleging that poverty continues to force tribals from Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi's home district to seek work outside the state. The demand came a day after a Congress delegation led by the party's state president Bhakta Charan Das visited villages in Keonjhar's Telkoi block, from where seven of the 14 Odias killed in the June 21 ammonia gas leak at a seafood processing unit in Tamil Nadu's Tiruvallur district hailed. Das, accompanied by former state Congress presidents Niranjan Patnaik and Jaydev Jena and Congress Legislature Party leader Rama Chandra Kadam, said the visit exposed the "extreme misery" prevailing in the tribal-dominated region. "There is no word to describe the misery of the people in Telkoi, where large numbers of tribals are forced to migrate to other states for work. This is despite the fact that Keonjhar is one of Odisha's richest mining districts and generates hundreds of crores of rupees in revenue," he said, addressing a press conference. Das alleged that although the Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) has been operating mines in the area for nearly five decades, local tribals continue to be deprived of employment opportunities. Describing Keonjhar as Odisha's new "hunger zone", he claimed the district lacks basic infrastructure despite its mineral wealth. "There are no proper roads, no clean drinking water and no employment. Industrialists from outside the state come and exploit Keonjhar's mineral resources, while local people struggle to arrange two meals a day. If even 5 per cent of mining operations were carried out manually, unemployment in the district could be eliminated," he claimed. Das said the condition of the Juanga community, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), reflected the government's neglect. "One feels ashamed to see the food, clothing and housing conditions of the Juanga people. The most painful sight is that three buses regularly carry migrant workers from Juanga villages to other states. People now call them 'Dadan Express'. This includes the CM's own block, Banshpal," he alleged. Claiming that around 35,000 of the state's nearly 47,000 Juanga tribals live in Keonjhar, Das alleged that the state government had failed to utilise around Rs 14,000 crore available under the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) for their welfare and development. Drawing parallels with the poverty that once plagued his native Kalahandi district, Das said he witnessed similar conditions during the visit. "In the 1980s, Kalahandi symbolised extreme poverty, where young people died because of hunger and the lack of food, water and healthcare. During our visit, we found the same situation in Telkoi. The only difference is that today this is happening in the home district of Odisha's chief minister," he said. The Congress also demanded that the state government take immediate measures to curb distress migration and create sustainable employment opportunities in mining-affected areas. The party further urged the government to enhance the ex gratia for the families of the 14 Odias who died in the Tamil Nadu gas leak tragedy from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh, arguing that most of the victims were between 15 and 25 years of age and were the primary earning members of their families. No immediate reaction was availbled from either the ruling BJP or the state government. PTI AAM AAM SOM