Sudarsan Maharana
Bijepur: Though the Kunduli tragedy and Mahanadi row are being capatilised by the opposition and the ruling parties to corner one another, voters of poll-bound Bijepur assembly segment have their own set of problems that parties seem to have forgotten to fulfill after coming to power.
For thousands of farmer families in all three blocks of the constituency – Bijepur, Barpali and Gaisilet – issues pertaining to agriculture are of main concerns.
“I cultivated paddy in 20 acres of land but that hardly yielded any profit. In the absence of any assistance from the state government and storage facility farmers are forced into selling paddy to millers at cheaper rates. I have even sold paddy at Rs 800 per bag (75kgs),” said Binod Parida, a farmer from Bijepur block under the constituency. He stated that farmers are still not getting the minimum support price (MSP) for their produce.
His friend Subash Pradhan, another farmer, said around 60 per cent of people in the constituency depend on farming. “Lack of irrigation facility has forced farmers of our block to search for other work,” he said, “Those who seek votes hardly address the issues we face,” he added.
Not just farmers, even weavers – who also constitute a sizable population in the constituency, are also facing a lot of hardship, said Siba Meher, the president of the weavers association in the block.
“There are around 8,000 weavers alone in Bijepur block. Their number may cross 20,000 if Barpali and Gaisilet is taken into consideration. However, there is not a cotton yard in this constituency or even in Bargarh from where weavers can purchase cotton at a cheaper rate.”
“Government benefits would hardly be reaching to 10 per cent of the population,” he said.
Giridhar Meher, a weaver, who has opened a small screen art gallery in the area, also said that many from their community are switching to other profession because of hardship and lack of marketing facility.
Weavers of Pipilipalli under Budhapali panchayat said despite request to government officials and local leaders no specific cost of cotton has been determined forcing weavers into purchasing it at a costlier price from traders.
Migrant labour is another major issue. According to locals, around 12,000 people from the constituency migrate to outside state in search of work.
“No one cares for the poor,” rued Gopal Deep, a local, adding, “Once elected they hardly visit our areas.”
Drinking water is also among the perennial issues that have mostly remained unaddressed in many villages including Pipilipali where a Rs 1crore project has been set up to ensure supply of clean water in fluoride-affected areas but is not functioning properly, locals pointed out. PNN