MINING AND INDUSTRIALISATION UPDATE, ORISSA - Vasundhara

Diarrohea problem escalates,12 dead in industry-richAngulPNS, 20 August, 2008Even though the Government earns anapproximate revenue of Rs 700 crore fromindustry-rich Angul district 12 persons diedand hundreds of people are ailing due todiarrhoea in Angul district since past fivedays. Health Department sources said thepeople were affected due to consumption ofcontaminated water. Allegedly, the basicminimum facilities still elude the people ofthe district and they are dying withoutgetting safe drinking water.In Angul blockalone, seven persons died of diarrohea whilein Talgarh village two persons died and 15persons are hospitalised in the DistrictHeadquarters Hospital. In Badataila villageof Tainsi panchayat three persons died andmany are affected. In Barapada village ofKishore Nagar block a villager KarpuraSethi died and many persons arehospitalised. Dr Abhaya Kumar Patra toldThe Pioneer that 12 persons died ofdiarrohea in Angul district due toconsumption of contaminated water. DrPatra added that many villages are affectedand the task force constituted by the HealthDepartment is providing mobile healthservice to the affected villages.Why motorists dreadNational Highway 215 in JodaregionThe Hindu, 25 August, 2008BHUBANESWAR: Want to visit Joda inOrissa’s Keonjhar district? Carry adequatefood and drinking water, because you neverknow how much time you have to spend onroad to reach the mineral hotbed of theState. Joda is the region from where iron-oreworth over Rs. 40,000 crore has beenexported during past six years. However, ithas been a difficult place to reach by roadfor a fortnight now. Thanks to an unmotorableNational Highway 215, the onlymajor road link to the region. The bad shapeof road has worsened due to rains andmovement of thousands of iron-ore ladentrucks. Ask Priyanath Ray from coastalJagatsinghpur district, he would tell how hemanaged to come out of the “cut-off region”by approaching neighbouring JharkhandState by train and then entered Orissa at adifferent border point. “Vehicles on theNational Highway 215 are virtuallystranded. Hundreds of trucks could bespotted on different sub-roads connectingJoda town. If you are in a four-wheeler, it isreally difficult to gauge the travelling timebetween two places in that region,” Mr. Raysaid. Many people of the district, who don’teven know about the iron-ore export, suffersilently. A letter to Chief Minister NaveenPatnaik dispatched by Keonjhar CitizensForum reads, “ordinary commuters aredenied the access to this highway, most partsof the day due to unending traffic jams. Thestarting of movement of mineral traffic asthe clock strikes 8 am is no less than a warcry.” “The sleepless drivers and helpersspend days in liquor-vending dhabas and arein the most fowl and murderous mood on thesteering wheel at night. About the roadcondition, the less said the better. Roadaccidents claim at least one life per day onthe highway,” forum’s president BhagirathiMohanta said. Should people of Keonjhardeserve this kind of treatment? There are atotal of 109 mines basically of iron ore inthe district with a leased area of over 33330ha. During past the five-year period endingMarch 2007, the total iron-ore mined anddispatched from the district was 162 milliontonnes, whose price would be approximatelyRs 40,000 crore, said Kiran Sahu, a retiredwing commander and resident of the district.Pertaining to forest loss, Joda has alone16260 ha of forest area, of which 6542 hahad been diverted for non-forest use, mainlymining. Despite this loss to local resources,the NH 215 has not been made motorable.32