MLAs make strong case for NODC

BHUBANESWAR: The years of neglect and backwardness of the area have given rise to the demand for formation of the North Orissa Development Council (NODC) on the lines of the Western Orissa Dev
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BHUBANESWAR: The years of neglect and backwardness of the area have given rise to the demand for formation of the North Orissa Development Council (NODC) on the lines of the Western Orissa Development Council (WODC).

The demand this time has come from the MLAs of Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts, cutting across party lines, who met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today and submitted a memorandum to him. Though the two districts have 10 per cent population of the State and home to 24 per cent tribals of Orissa, the region has not seen any development activities worth the name, the MLAs said.

The two districts remain behind other areas of the State in parameters of development, agriculture, irrigation, education, roads, health, tourism and drinking water availability.

Besides, the area is still affected by malaria and records highest number of deaths in the country. While only 27 per cent of the land of the two districts is utilised for agricultural activities, only 25 per cent of farmland has irrigation facilities.

The MLAs included Sananda Marandi, Hrushikesh Nayak, Srinath Soren, Subarna Naik, Ramchandra Hansdah, Bhagirathi Sethi, Bijay Kumar Nayak, Premanand Nayak, Kamalakanta Naik, Jitu Patnaik, Manoranjan Sethi, Sarojini Hembrum and Shyam Charan Hansdah.

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