Rourkela: Land sharks in the Steel City, it turns out, have grabbed a large part of land allotted by the government for construction of a hostel for tribal students. These gangs, which had put up barbed wires around the encroached land and patronized a slum colony there, are now obstructing the work on construction of the 900-bed hostel, it is learnt.
The state government had launched the Anwesha scheme to offer quality education to SC & ST students in partnership with urban educational institutions. Under this, tribal students will be admitted to well-run English medium schools in the city, and they would be provided with free food and accommodation. Teachers would closely monitor their studies and guide them to perform better.
For setting up a hostel for such students, the district administration had identified land admeasuring five acres near the Biju Patnaik University and Technology (BPUT) University at Chhend on the outskirts of Rourkela in Sundargarh district.
The government had sanctioned Rs 7 crore for the hostel and the plan for the hostel was drawn. It had allotted the land three years back for the purpose and tasked the Orissa small scale industries corporation (OSIC ) with the work on the hostel building. The Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) was to manage the affairs of the hostel and its inmates. While ITDA made a field survey, OSIC floated the tender and placed the work order on a construction firm. However, the mafia is blocking attempts by these agencies to set up the hostel in the allotted land.
The mafia, having temporarily accommodated some poor people in the encroached land, is allegedly planning to sell the land, now under barbed wire. Locals protesting against the encroachment have demanded strong action against the mafia and immediate construction of the tribal hostel. Sundargarh being a tribal district, the economic condition of the families of the students is bad, and this deprives their children of the benefits of good education. Hence the government’s hostel plan under Anwesha scheme to raise the educational standards of tribal children. PNN