Raising questions on the development works in Maoist affected Malkangiri district, Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said the complaints and demands raised by the local elected representatives are genuine.
“I have been to Malkangiri myself, stayed there and have met the elected representatives. Their complaints and demands are genuine,” Ramesh said in a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The Union Minister requested the personal intervention of the Chief Minister to address the concerns raised by the local body representatives. He also referred to the Gurupriya bridge in the district which is yet to be started. “I have written to you on more than one occasion on the issue of Gurupriya bridge in Malkangiri,” Ramesh said and asked, “any progress there?”
The Union Minister said in February last year, the Union Home Ministry had expressed grave concern over the fact that large number of ward members, sarpanches and panchayat samiti members in eight districts of Odisha were elected unopposed in the panchayat elections.
“I had, however, taken the view that these gram panchayats, where elections were not contested thereby leading to fears of intimidation or coercion, would continue to get rural development funds,” Ramesh said and added, “My belief has always been that local body elections are an essential first step in the progress of political dialogue, reconciliation and settlement as far as the Maoist issue is concerned.”