Berhampur: Industrial development has taken a backseat in Ganjam district as lakhs of labourers continue to migrate to other states in search of work to earn a livelihood, a report said Sunday. What is worrisome is that not a single industry has been set up in the district during the last five decades. Moreover, the existing sick industries have been fighting for their survival during this period. The district has remained neglected during the Congress and non-Congress regime. The Aska Cooperative Sugar Mill that was established during British rule has now turned sick and the cotton mill is lying defunct. Lakhs of residents, failing to get work in the district, still migrate to other states in search of livelihood.
Locals lament that the government has also turned a blind eye to the establishment of agro-based industries in the district where the mainstay of people is agriculture. The proposed rail wagon plant could not be established in the district due to the sheer negligence of the Union government. It is alleged that the Centre has shelved the rail wagon plant project. The Indian Rare Earths Ltd (IREL) is fast turning sick while the Tata Company has withdrawn from the establishment of a mega steel project which it had planned 26 years back. Notably, former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao had contested as a Congress candidate from Berhampur Lok Sabha seat in the 1995 Lok Sabha elections. He lured the people with attractive promises while contesting from Berhampur. To win the trust of the people, he laid the foundation stone of a mega steel plant proposed to be built by Tata group, December 30, 1995. The state was then ruled by Chief Minister Janaki Ballabh Patnaik of the Congress party.
Over 3.5 acre of private land was acquired in the Chhatrapur and Gopalpur areas at throwaway prices. As a result, hundreds of families were displaced from their homeland and farmlands. The promises made to the displaced residents are yet to be fulfilled. They feel let down and neglected as no jobs are given to them. The Gopalpur transit and minor port which was built at a cost of Rs 140 crore by the state government was destroyed during the Super Cyclone-1999. The port was the rice bowl for scores of residents providing them opportunity to earn but the state government instead of rebuilding the port handed it over to a private entity in 2006. Years have passed since then, but the district is yet to witness any development.
An announcement was made for the establishment of a shipbreaking yard near the port around 25 years back. An old foreign ship was brought to the yard but many precious items of the ship were allegedly stolen during the breaking of the ship. A private industry established in Ganjam block is batting on a sticky wicket due to frequent labour unrest. It was hoped that the establishment of Tata Group’s steel plant and the Centre’s rail wagon manufacturing plant would usher in employment for thousands of local residents.
However, people now feel frustrated as the two proposed projects never materialised. With many of the pre-existing industries going sick, Ganjam district has been virtually devoid of industrialisation. Trade unions and labour leaders have demanded the ruling BJD government intervene and take steps for the establishment of industries in the district.