Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has alleged that despite the BJP government’s claims of development under a ‘double-engine government’, members of the primitive Juang tribal community in Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s home district of Kendujhar continue to migrate in search of livelihood due to lack of local employment.
The allegation comes in the wake of the death of over a dozen Juang tribal workers from Telkoi, Banspal and Harichandanpur blocks of Kendujhar district in ammonia gas leak at a seafood processing unit in Tamil Nadu, where they had migrated for work. A BJD delegation led by the party’s senior vice-president and former minister Sanjay Das Burma visited the affected villages in Kendujhar to assess the situation and offer condolences to the bereaved families.
The delegation visited Pitanali, Khuntapada, Bimala and Rangamatia villages in Telkoi block; Kodipasa, Talachampei and Talaraidiha in Banspal block; and Kharaba, Sunapen tha and Rebana in Harichan danpur block. The delegates interacted with the victims’ families and gathered information about the circumstances that forced them to migrate.
According to the BJD, the victims had left Odisha after failing to secure employment locally and were working in a shrimp processing company in Tamil Nadu, where they died following an ammonia gas leak. Describing the incident as ‘tragic and shameful’ for the state, Das Burma alleged that repeated incidents involving migrant workers from the CM’s home district exposed the failure of the state government.
Referring to an earlier incident in Kendujhar in which skeletal remains were reportedly carried to a bank, he said the latest tragedy had once again raised serious questions over the government’s functioning. He alleged that no minister had visited the affected families despite the tragedy. Although several employment schemes were in place, Das Burma claimed that members of the primitive tribal community were still being forced to migrate outside the state in search of work.
He further alleged that some daughters of the deceased had also been sent outside the state for employment without their families’ knowledge and accused the district labour administration of ignoring the issue. He claimed that development activities had virtually come to a standstill over the past two years, forcing people to migrate and, in some cases, lose their lives. BJD MLA Badri Narayan Patra termed the incident a matter of concern not only for Odisha but for the entire country.
He alleged that despite the government’s claims on tribal welfare, primitive tribal communities continued to suffer due to inadequate healthcare, education, employment opportunities, livelihood support and social security. The BJD delegation, after reviewing the role of various government departments, alleged administrative lapses and the measures required to prevent such incidents in future, claimed that the deaths reflected the failure of the state’s employment generation and tribal development policies.
The delegation further alleged that while the government remained focused on publicity surrounding its second anniversary in office, it had failed to create adequate employment opportunities or ensure safe and dignified livelihoods in tribal areas. It claimed that if sufficient employment had been available within Odisha, the tribal workers would not have been forced to migrate.
Demanding justice for the victims, the BJD sought adequate compensation, protection and rehabilitation for the af fected families. The delegation said it would submit a detailed report on its findings to BJD president Naveen Patnaik.
