Kendrapara: The Odia language is facing threats of extinction in many localities under Rajnagar and Mahakalapara blocks of Kendrapara district due to the continuous influx of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, sources said Sunday. The issue assumes significance in the backdrop of the House Committee of the Odisha Assembly holding a meeting January 4 and expressing grave concern over the steep decrease in the use of the Odia language in remote parts of the state. The meeting was presided over by Speaker Bikram Keshari Arukha.
Reports said that things have come to such a stage that over 90 per cent of the people residing in Rajnagar and Mahakalapara blocks speak Bengali. Teachers in the schools speak Bengali too instead of Odia. Pratyush Nayak, a resident of Rajnagar, alleged that infiltration of Bangladeshi settlers is responsible for the decline in numbers of Odia-speaking people. He pointed out that 1,237 Bangladeshis were rehabilitated in the Kendrapara district during the Civil war in 1950. However, the numbers since then have grown drastically.
A survey regarding the infiltration was conducted in 2005 following a direction from the Centre. It found 1,551 illegal Bangladeshis residing in Mahakalapara area, 90 in Pattamundai area, and 30 in Rajnagar locality. The illegal immigrants living in Mahakalapara tehsil area were issued deportation orders, but it has still not been carried out. The district administration is yet to take a firm stand despite having information about infiltration by Bangladeshis. Similarly, political leaders also remain silent on the issue fearing that it may affect their vote banks, it was alleged. During the 2011 census, the Bengali-speaking population in the district had increased to over 78,000.
Among them, over 44,000 had voter identity cards. Tapan Kumar Kar of Rajnagar said protests were held in the past against illegal immigrants, but those failed to make an impact in the concerned areas. Houses of Bengali-speaking immigrants have mushroomed in Ramnagar, Suniti, Babar, Dangamala, Talachua, Bhekta, Rangani, Gupti, Bhitarkanika, Gahirmatha, Benakanda, Jambu, Kharinasi, Batighar, Pitapata, Ahirajpur, Baraji Bahakud, Amarabati, Manjulapalli, Daityaprasad, Ranipatna, Birabhanjapur, Bhanjaprasad, Tikayatnagar, Krushnanagar, Rajendranagar and Kanaknagar villages under Rajnagar and Mahakalapara blocks. Maheswar Jena, a local resident said the use of the Odia language is declining fast due to the Bangladeshis. He said that conversations in Odia are rarely heard as most of the people speak Bengali.
Also, books and calendars are available only in Bengali and not in Odia in the shops of these two blocks. He added that even political leaders are speaking in Bengali to woo voters. When contacted, Dasharathi Patnaik, a member of the House Committee and former district collector, confirmed that the use of Odia language is declining fast in remote parts of Kendrapara district. He said that the House Committee members will visit the remote areas to review the situation.
