Bhubaneswar: In a setback to the state government, its flagship programme Integrated Infrastructure Complexes (IICs) for rehabilitation of neglected and vulnerable sections has slowed down as 23 districts have not yet alienated land for the proposed project though they had been told to do so a year back.
The government had asked all the districts to alienate 25 acre land each in their respective headquarters for construction these complexes.
The government move was aimed at providing homes, vocational training, educational facilities, jobs to the neglected sections such as indigent senior citizens, differently-abled persons, drug addicts, transgenders, beggars, leprosy affected persons and other groups suffering destitution.
Accordingly, in July 2016 the department of Social Security & Empowerment of persons with disabilities (SSEPD) had instructed all district collectors to earmark land for construction of IICs in each district comprising one old-age home, one disabilities rehab centre, a drug de-addiction centre, home for persons with mentally ill, socio-vocational rehabilitation centre for transgenders among other facilities.
The district social security officers were also authorized to submit alienation proposals to the competent authority in the local administration.
Except Deogarh, Ganjam, Kandhamal, Khurda, Malkangiri, Puri and Rayagada districts no other district administrations has alienated land for the purpose.
The lackadaisical attitude of authorities and the inability of the department to take appropriate action against delay is evident from the fact that in the last 11 months, the government has sent three reminders but failed to get desired response from the local authorities.
While, the SSEPD department minister could not be reached for his comments, a senior official of the department said secretary of the department Niten Chandra has again asked all concerned districts to submit the alienation report at the earliest to take up the IICs projects.
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