WODC - Rehabilitation centre for defeated BJD politians ?

Jaikosal.com breaking news :-

Today Padmini Sekhar Deo, W/o - Late. Bharatendra Sekher. Deo, Ex- MLA, At –. New. Palace,Sundergarh has been appointed as the chairperson of Western Orissa Development Council (WODC).

Questions are being raised over the relevance of the Western Orissa Development Council (WODC) which was formed to correct the regional imbalance existing in Orissa.

Rather than functioning to assist in the development of the backward Western Orissa districts, its core constituency, the council has now become a rehabilitation centre for defeated ruling party politicians and others whom the powers-that-be want to keep in good humour.

While funding and utilisation system of the Council have come under criticism, the lack of interest on the part of the State Government for further strengthening the organisation has also been disapproved by many. The Council was formed on July 3, 1999. But in 12 years of its existence, no noteworthy project has been implemented.

Three proposed medical colleges by the WODC at Bhawanipatna, Rourkela and Balangir have not progressed beyond the drawing board stage. “The WODC has failed to live up to its expectations during its 12 years of existence so far,” first chairman of the Council and senior Congress leader Narsingh Mishra said.

Funds are being spent on the recommendations of the ruling party MPs, MLAs and leaders, Mishra said and added there is no development agenda before the Council.

The Congress leader said as the Council was formed to bridge regional imbalance, a survey should be undertaken to identify very backward areas where projects should be taken up. But funds are being spent in relatively developed areas because of recommendations of some ruling party leader, MP or MLA, he lamented.

BJP Legislature Party Leader from� Patnagarh KV Singhdeo alleged that the Council had been turned into a platform for also-rans of the ruling party. Attempts are also being made to create a parallel power centre through the Council, he said.

Strongly disapproving the practice of nominating ruling party leaders as expert members, Singhdeo said this had defeated the very purpose of the body. Technical experts should be from a particular field and not politicians, he said.

Defeated BJD candidate in the 2009 Lok Sabha election Hameed Hussein, who is also a member of the Council, also maintained that the funding pattern needs to be changed. The Council should spend in the fields of agriculture and education without wasting money on small projects, he said and added a decision should be taken in this regard soon.

But the importance given to the WODC, or the lack of it, by the powers-that-be can be gauged from the fact that for the last two months the post of chairperson is lying vacant. Sources said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is yet to decide whether to nominate a politician, a bureaucrat or an expert to the post.

(News Source IBNLIVE.com)

No unanimity on WODC headquarters

Courtesy:-Express News Service (TNIE)

The outgoing chairperson of the Western Orissa Development Council (WODC) Dr Niranjan Panda on Friday said there is lack of unanimity among the politicians from the area about the location of the council headquarters.

Addressing a news conference here, Panda said though he convened four meetings during his tenure to try and settle the issue, politicians from different Western Orissa districts differed. He, however, said the Council has no dearth of funds to take up development projects.

The budget of WODC has gone up to Rs 100 crore and it gets additional funds from the State Government for development of the KBK, he said.

Panda announced that perspective plan of Rs 300 crore for the next three years has been drawn up by the Council. This includes Rs 114 crore for irrigation, lift irrigation and rainwater management, Rs 13.5 crore for provision of drinking water, Rs 13.6 crore for electricity, Rs 45 crore for roads and communication, Rs 32 crore for health, Rs 60 crore for education, Rs 5 crore for Centre for Development Studies, Rs 9 crore for Agriculture Machinery Hiring Project and Rs 8 crore for agropolytechnic.

Stating that during the last five years several steps have been initiated to bridge the regional disparity, Panda said steps have been started for establishment of three medical colleges. He hoped that admission into the medical college at Jarring in Kalahandi district would start from the next academic year. Similarly, admission for the medical college at Rourkela, established by WODC, will also start from the next academic year. A decision on establishment of medical college at Balangir will be taken soon, he said.

Panda said steps have been initiated by the Council to improve health infrastructure in the area. Work for establishment of a nursing school at Sundargarh has already started. Funds have been sanctioned for establishment of diagnostic centres at Balangir, Deogarh, Sambalpur and Sonepur, he said.

It has been decided that funds will be provided for increasing the number of beds and cabins in Boudh and Deogarh district hospitals. Besides, 50-bed hospitals will be set up at ThuamulRampur in Kalahandi district, Koida in Sundargarh district and Chantipali in Jharsuguda district with private participation. An eye hospital will be set up by the WODC in partnership with Lepra India, he said and added the site for this will be identified soon.

Panda said steps have also been taken to improve infrastructure in the education sector. Assistance is also being given to private schools for construction of additional classrooms, laboratories, libraries and toilets, he said.

Uproar in Orissa Assembly over appointment of Western Orissa development council members

Courtesy:-Orissadairy

Though normal businesses were conducted in the House on Thursday, it experienced noisy scenes for some time as the Opposition Congress Members created disruptions demanding ouster of expert members of Western Odisha Development Council. The uproar forced the Speaker to adjourn the House for 30 minutes from 11.30 am to 12 noon.

The issue of status of present expert members kept the House hot in the question hour as the both the Opposition Congress and the BJP members expressed their dissatisfaction over reply of Planning and Coordination Minister Ananga Udaya Singh Deo on a question of Santosh Singh Saluja. Sri Saluja had wanted to know whether the nominated expert members of WODC required qualifications or not. He had also asked whether works were being allotted on the recommendation of such member or not.

Other Opposition Members including Subal Sahu, Jayanarayan Mishra, Anup Sai and Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo alleged that the expert members who have been nominated to the WODC have no expertise. Rather, the State Government has nominated BJD’s failed members to the posts. They said as per the WODC guidelines the expert members should have expertise in prescribed fields and should belong to concerned districts for which WODC works.

Alleging that some of the expert members have been nominated from outside the WODC area, the Opposition members said the outsiders are taking huge amount as TA and DA causing economic burden to the WODC.

In his reply, as the Minister said that one of the Members is staying in Delhi and he might be given TA and DA, most of the Congress Members rushed to the well of the House and started slogans demanding ouster of the ‘illegally’ nominated members of the WODC.

Issue of Lawyers agitation was also raised in the House. Members cutting across party lines opined that the protest of the Bar Council and the Bar Associations was justified. “If evening courts work for two hour in the evening, it would pose problems for all including lawyers and witnesses. While lawyers would not get time to meet their clients, the witnesses would face security problems especially in Maoist dominated areas,” they said and demanded the State Government should find some alternative to dispose of the cases.

An adjournment motion on ‘spread of cholera causing human tolls and the State Government has failed to contain the situation’ was also debated in the House. Slamming that the Government had no concern for the people suffering and dying in the Cholera in almost all the districts of the State, the Opposition members raised issues like lack of road communication, scarcity of drinking water and vacancies of doctors’ posts are not being full filled by the Government.

On the other hand, the Health Minister informed that a total of 132 people had died in KBK districts and 60 in other districts. “Government had taken timely steps to contain the health situation of KBK district arose out of spreading of diarrhea,” the Minister said.

In the afternoon session Members participated in a discussion on Odisha Municipal Amendment bill placed three days ego.

Opposition demand removal of chairman and expert members of the Western Orissa Development Council (WODC)

The Congress members on Wednesday stalled the proceedings of the Assembly demanding removal of chairman and expert members of the Western Orissa Development Council (WODC) over the `usurpation’ of powers.

The members rushed into the well demanding a ruling by Speaker Pradip Amat on special mentions leading to several adjournments.

Describing the members as experts in taking percentage and cuts from projects and deciding on tenders, the legislators said they have emerged parallel power centres in their constituencies.

Raising the issue, Santosh Singh Saluja (Cong) alleged that violating all Acts, the expert members have submitted 257 project proposals. These members, who were defeated in the last Assembly and Lok Sabha elections as BJD candidates, are also reviewing the projects at block offices. He also mentioned about two defeated BJD MLA candidates from Atabira and Patnagarh constituencies and one from Bargarh Lok Sabha seat.

Demanding immediate halt to the infringement of power of the MLAs, Saluja demanded that all proposals given by the expert members be cancelled and they be immediately removed.

His party colleague Naba Kishore Das alleged that it is a well thought out plan of the BJD to create trouble for the Opposition MLAs in their constituencies by promoting the expert members through WODC.

Surendra Singh Bhoi announced that he will stage dharna in the House during the next session if the Government did not remove the chairman and the expert members immediately. Gobardhan Das wanted to know details about the expenditure incurred by the chairman and expert members.

Nihar Ranjan Mahanand and Subal Sahu also raised the issue and wanted their dismissal.

Normalcy returned after the Speaker directed Planning and Coordination Minister A U Singhdeo to make a statement. The minister said that the Act does not give preferential treatment to any category of members.

He clarified that 1,737 proposals worth Rs 63.42 cr from MLAs were accepted against 3.97 cr from expert members. While the proposals from MLAs constitute 63.42 percent of the funds, those from the expert members are only half a percent of the accepted proposals.

He said that members can review work anywhere in WODC.

Source:- IndianExpress (18 Mar 2010)