Archive for August, 2016
Naveen announces medical college for Kalahandi
Following report is from http://www.telegraphindia.com:
Bhubaneswar, Aug. 30: The Odisha government will set up a medical college in Kalahandi with the help of the Vedanta Group that will extend infrastructure support of Rs 100 crore, chief minister Naveen Patnaik announced today.
The announcement, which followed a meeting between the chief minister and Vedanta chief Anil Agarwal here, came close on the heels of outrage over a tribal having to carry his wife’s body on his shoulders from a hospital in the district for 16km.
“The proposed medical college will be run by the government,” Patnaik said. A medical college will also ensure a mandatory 500-bed hospital.
Kalahandi, known for acute backwardness and poverty, does not have a medical college. The Sardar Rajas Medical College Hospital & Research Centre, set up by a private promoter in 2013, was shut down last year as the Medical Council of India withdrew recognition, citing lack of infrastructure.
“A medical college and hospital is needed in Kalahandi. We will provide infrastructure support worth Rs 100 crore,” Agarwal said.
The government will provide the required land and manage the medical college and the hospital.
Vedanta, which has been running a 1-million-tonne alumina refinery in Lanjigarh in the district, has been assured by the state government of raw material through the state-run Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC).
The refinery has been running only at 40 per cent of its capacity because of non-availability of bauxite ore. “We have been assured by the state government that we will be provided long-term raw material linkage through the OMC,” Agarwal said.
Steel and mines minister Prafulla Mallick said: “We will provide raw materials to the Vedanta from Kodingamali bauxite reserve in Koraput district.”
Kosal Vs Hirakhand: clash of identity
Following is a report from the http://odishawatch.in:
Recently a tug of war surfaced in western part of Odisha. The struggle is for identifying the land and naming the language of the region. It is an identity issue backed by political parties.
The present western part of Odisha, comprising ten and half districts has a homogeneous culture; Shakta cult. Worshiping mother is prevailing since time immoral in this part. Maa Samaleswari, Maa Patneswari, Maa Sureswari, Maa Manikeswari, Maa Kosaleswari etc are prominent deities worshiped in this part.
This contiguous geographical area was gifted with deep jungles and affluent with adivasi. And still today Sundergarh and Kalahandi regions are affluent with Adivasis. Visit history and sacred text, you will find Kosal, Kalinga, Oddra, Utkal mentioned in Ramayan , Mahabharat, Bayu Puran etc. If you donot believe purana as a reference to our ancient history, no issue. Just turn the pages of travelogue of Hiuen Tsang. You will found mention of Kosal state with capital at Mayaguha or Maraguda; a submerged civilization in present Nuapada district. Hiuen Tsang belongs to 6th century.
The boundary of a state changed from time to time like an amoeba; and so the capitals. Maraguda (Nuapada), Sirpur (Chattisgarh), and Patnagarh (Balangir district) were capitals of Kosal. And this region was ruled by Nala, Naga, Sarabhapuriya, Chola, Ganga, Somavansi, Kalachuri, Chouhan, Maratha, and Britishers. The Somavansi used to known as Sakala Kosaladhipati (the king of Kosal), Chouhans Kings used to known as Kosaleswar (the God/King of Kosal). Two historical poems, Kosalananda Mahakavyam (Sanskrit) written by Pt Gangadhar Mishra in 16th century and Jaya Chandrika by Prahllad Dubey also uses these terms in their poetries. In Kapil Samhita also Narsinghnath (district Bargarh) has been mentioned as the holy place of Kosal along with Puri, Konark and Bhubaneswar of Utkal. Babu Rewaram Kayasth, the 18th century author, in his Vikram Vilash has mentioned Narsinghnath (district Bargarh) as the holy place of Kosal. In later period, historian Ramchandra Mallick and Purnachandra Rath have also written the history of this region as history of Kosal.
There are so many things named after Kosal; Kosali Danga (boat), Kosala Gour (Jadav Caste), Kosala Maali (a caste engaged in cultivating vegetables), Kosala bhaaji, Kosaleswar Mahadev, Kosaleswari devi, Kosali bahman (Brahmin), and the temple architecture found in this region is also known as Kosali temple architect. These names were not given in a day or a single person. Kosal is not a new term. Up to 18th century Kosal term was signifying the present western Odisha.
The prominence of Hirakhand region upsurge when the Chouhans divided their state for better administrations purpose and campaign at Sambalpur and Sonepur. Sambalpur/ Hirakhand state was established by Balaram Dev, the younger brother of the Kosal King having capital at Patnagarh (Balangir). At a time, even Patnagarh was under Hirakhand when the ruler of Patnagarh was weak. This is part and parcel of administration and politics. This shift of administration and division of land was described as the result of quarrel between the brothers in folklores in a different colour. But the mark of this historical division is so deep in the sentiments of the locals and prominent pages of history that it is not fading away.
However, Balram Dev took the local adivasis into his confidence. He adopted their Goddes Samlei and Sankritize that into Samaleswari. He distributed lands/villages to Brahmins and ruled Sambalpur. Sambalpur evolved as the most prominent city of this region. And an identity also grew up with it. In 19th century, Sambalpuri identity slowly took over the Kosali identity. But the Balangir, Khadial region were still related them with Kosal/Kosali.
Before the Chouhans, adivasis were affluent in both Patnagarh and Sambalpur region. Binjhal, Soura and Gond were major castes then. Slowly many other castes migrated to this region; it becomes the habitats of Brahmins, Kuilta, Bhulia, Aghria etc. All have brought their own culture and language and amalgamated it into the language of the present western part of Odisha.
Further, the Kosali speaking region was ruled by Nala, Naga, Sarabhapuriya, Chola, Ganga, Somavansi, Kalachuri, Chouhan, Maratha, and Britishers. Even after the acquisition by Britishers, this region like a football has been once in Bengal, once in Madhya Paradesh (Central Province) again with Bengal and then Bihar and finally settled with Odisha. And in the course of time the present form of Kosali may have evolved with an influence of all these transition. The degree of influence might be varying for each factor; insignificant to significant.
The Binjhals caste was having their own language but they don’t have it today. They unused, forgotten and it is dead now. They have lost their carrier of their identity.
The Odia/Utkaliya Brahmins have tussle with Jhadua/Aranyaka Brahmins since then. The Odia Brahmins migrated to Sambalpur region due to political instability in the eastern/coastal part of present Odisha. They settled at Sambalpur and hijacked the profession of the native Aranyaka barhmins then. At present both groups are engaged in different professions. Sambalpur town and its peripheral politics are also impacted by Brahmins leaders. The old tussle of both groups still reflected in many platforms; may it be politics or culture. It surfaces from time to time.
Apart from this, the present BJD government is more sympathetic to Odia than Kosali; whereas the local unit of BJP is with the sentiment of the people and supports Kosal and Kosali.
The homogeneous identity of the people of ten contiguous districts is assaulted from time to time for political reasons. This refers to the division of the Chouhans, tussle of Jhadua-Udia and presently BJP vs BJD.
Saket Sreebhushan Sahu
saket.sahu@gmail.com
Poor healthcare facilities trigger tension in Balangir
People of Balangir are celebrating their young MP’s participation in a SAARC conference. And, now I read this piece of news from Balangir. Balangir Medical College is a dead issue because of people of Balangir. Why blame only netas?
Following report is from Prameya News7:
Bhubaneswar: Dozens of locals on Friday gheraoed the Bolangir CDMO’s office demanding explanation on negligence in providing healthcare and other problems plaguing the hospital.
Problems always seem to be a part of Balangir District Headquarter Hospital with sometimes issues like improper sanitation facilities and sometimes denigrated healthcare facilities coming to the fore. With shortage of staff in the hospital the problems have only worsened so far.
The aggrieved locals protested that in spite of presence of doctors patients are not treated well.
“Most of the times doctors spend their duty hours at their private clinics rather than hospital while nurses treat patients,” a person said adding “even most of the times serious patients also do not get beds for admission into the hospital while nurses treat their kin badly.”
Amid such scenario, recently a patient named Iswar Chandra Mishra of Barpalli area, who was admitted in the hospital died due to wrong medication from nurses while doctors were absent during their duty hours. This has led to protests in the hospital premises.
While queried on the issue, CDMO Rabi Narayan Tripathy indirectly confessed the mistake on behalf of the hospital authorities saying that protests are very general as it was their mistake.
“I know how it feels. There was wrong dosage during medication. Protests are very normal as we have committed a mistake,” he said.
Telagngana leaders headed by Prof Venkataswamy back Koshal state demand
Following is a report from the Daily Pioneer:
The Telangana Joint Action Committee would extend all support to the agitation in support of formation of s separate State of Kosal in Odisha. This was announced to the media at a Press conference here on Monday at the end of visit of a delegation of Telagngana leaders headed by Prof K Venkataswamy.
The demand for a separate Kosal State is “absolutely justified.” Political representatives of this area should also extend their support for this movement, opined Venkataswamy.
Venkataswamy spoke in brief about the struggle, agitation of people of the Telangana region to get the separate Telangana State.
“There may be differences. You may fight separately to realise the goal of getting a separate Kosal State. But don’t work in opposite ways which would undermine your struggle for a separate Kosal State,” advised Prof Venkataswamy.
It is the duty of Prime Minister Modi to look into the demand of the people of this region for formation a separate Kosal State as the BJP is in support of smaller States for better governance, said Venkataswamy further.
Earlier, Leader of Kosal State Coordination Committee Pramod Mishra spoke in brief about the Kosal movement from the beginning till today and urged people to support the demand for s separate Kosal State wholeheartedly for better growth and development of Kosalanchal.
Development of Jharsuguda airport to be completed by June 2018
Following is a report by IANS published in OTV:
Bhubaneswar: The development of Jharsuguda airport in Odisha will be completed by June 2018, an official said on Tuesday.
Taking a review meeting, Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi directed the Airport Authority of India (AAI), Jharsuguda District Collector and other officials to complete all the defined works within the scheduled time.
Padhi said that Jharsuguda Airport is being developed through joint funding from AAI and the Government of Odisha.
The state government had signed an agreement with AAI on July 30, 2014, to develop the airstrip at an estimated cost of Rs 210 crore to make it the state’s second largest operational airport, after Biju Patnaik International Airport.
While the state government would put in Rs 75 crore, AAI would provide the remaining Rs 135 crore to develop the airport, said an official.
AAI has been handed over 106.23 acres of land out of which 51.8 acres is government land, and 54.43 acres is private land. Stage-1 clearance has been obtained for 9.6 acres of forest land, the official said.
The tender has been awarded for works like construction of pavement, passenger terminal building, service block, ATC tower and staff quarters.
Kosal Discussion and Development Forum 