SAMBALPUR: District president of BJD and former minister Rohit Pujari on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the state government, accusing it of failing to provide basic amenities to people of Sambalpur.
Addressing mediapersons here, Pujari said despite repeated appeals to the government over the last 14 months, the city continues to reel under poor drinking water supply, erratic power, bad drainage, damaged roads and solid waste mismanagement.
“Instead of addressing people’s basic needs, the government is busy building ornamental structures like welcome gates. Today, Sambalpur stands among the lowest in cleanliness rankings and has earned the image of a garbage city,” he said.
Pujari further alleged that law and order in the city has deteriorated with an increase surge in illegal activities including gambling, drug peddling and extortion. “Sambalpur is fast becoming the crime capital.”
The BJD leader said the long-standing demands for a high court bench in Sambalpur and official recognition for Sambalpuri language have also been ignored despite assurances during the election.
On industrial front, local youths are being denied employment as companies are outsourcing work to contractors from outside the state who, in turn, rope in their own workers. Graduates from local institutes such as VSSUT, GM University, Sambalpur University, and the ITIs must be given priority during recruitment.
Pujari came down heavily on Vedanta and other companies for ‘rampant pollution and unscientific ash disposal’ in the district. He claimed that fly ash was being dumped illegally in forest areas, farmlands and near human settlements in Rengali block. Besides, contaminated water from Vedanta and JSW plants is being discharged into rivers feeding Hirakud reservoir, he alleged.
“The administration is aware of this menace but remains silent. If immediate action is not taken, people of Sambalpur will be forced to resist expansion of industrial projects including NLC’s proposed thermal power plant,” he warned.