Sundargarh: Western Odisha Development Council (WODC) has been urged to ensure that 60 percent of the funds from District Mineral Foundation be spent on various developmental works in mining-affected areas in Sundargarh district.
Zilla Parishad member of Hemagiri Purabi Nayak has submitted a memorandum to Asit Kumar Tripathy, chairperson of the WODC during the latter’s visit to the district Wednesday.
In the memorandum, it was stated that cases of child deaths due to malnutrition and kids in distressed conditions often come to the fore in mining-affected areas.
Hemagiri is a mining-affected area where health, education and drinking water sectors are in a mess and the livelihood of people needs to be improved. The people of this area have the right to live with dignity.
But they are deprived of basic amenities. Ambulance services are still inaccessible to many villages, it was stated. The WODC chairman was informed about the ailing healthcare at Bileimunda hospital.
Despite repeated demands, a digital x-ray machine has not been provided to the hospital. The hospital is plagued by absence of specialist doctors and reeling under severe staff crunch.
The area has been witnessing frequent power cuts while poor mobile network has affected online education of children and emergency communication, it was stated.
Keeping all this in view, the WODC has been requested to allocate 60 percent of the DMF fund to improve infrastructure and development works in the mining-hit areas.
PNN
