Keonjhar: Closure of several mines and industries in this district has its adverse impact on the scale of celebrations as well as on the consumer market during this festive season.
Though more than 100 mines operate in Keonjhar district, nearly 70 mines are in defunct state for various reasons. Of rest of the mines which are shown on records to be in operations, 50 per cent have stopped extracting iron ore due to fewer profit margins.
Similarly, more than 20 industries in the district are not in operation and the rest are not functioning to their full capacity. The unexpected closure of mines and industries has affected more than 10 lakh families who used to depend directly and indirectly on them.
The truckers, the truck helpers and drivers, the garage owners, dhabas and other vendors are also in dire strait due to the situation. While the mines closure has left lakhs of people jobless, the festival season has lost its charm as unemployment has severely affected the buying capacity of the people, felt Alekh Chandra Patra, a retired Central government employee.
Earlier, people employed in mining sector used to get bonus and celebrate the festival spending generously. Several companies dealing with household items were seen opening their outlets in mining region and offering attractive gifts to their customers which is not the case now, according to Pratip Barik, a local trader.
Many puja committees have reduced their puja budget and stopped organising cultural programmes like before. The companies didn’t give donation due to the economic slump which has led to the situation. The famous Raavan Podi festival which used to be a major attraction in Keonjhar town has been stopped, said Santosh Mohapatra, the secretary of Keonjhar Yuva Parishad, an outfit of youths.
Meanwhile, people of the district are worried over the prolonged economic slowdown and expect an improvement in the situation. PNN
