By Satyajit Nayak for Merinews.com
AS THE news of starvation deaths and farmer suicide is coming in, the atmosphere in Western Orissa is getting desperate. As reported by the national media, more than 50 people in Bolangir district alone have died of starvation in the last two years.
Same is case of farmer suicides also. It is reported that more than 60 farmers in western Orissa have committed suicide in the last one year due to crop loss and fault in loan repayment. Even after seven decades of Independence, this region of the Orissa state is yet to develop in all aspects. It seems that the western Orissa region has fallen victim to the criminal negligence of the state government.
It was around 28 years ago that this region caught the attention of national media when an adivasi lady called Phanas Phunji sold her child for Rs.40. Many politicians visited this place after that incidence but nothing much has changed. Now in 2010 also a whole family of five members died of hunger in Chabripali village of Balangir district, yet no one came to their rescue. When the district administration stepped in it was too late as all the members of the Bariha family were already dead except for the youngest member, Jhintu Bariha's son.
These are just few cases of the gross human rights violation that is happening in western Orissa region. Each year 10 lakh people from this region are migrating to neighbouring states to work as bonded labourers. Though under the NREGS scheme 100 days of work has been guaranteed, but in western Orissa districts people are getting less than 30 days of work under various government schemes.
Water meant for farmers are being diverted towards industries from the Hirakud Dam. Tribal people are forcefully displaced to give away their sacred mountains for mining to foreign firms.
Though the people of western Orissa speak Kosli Sambalpuri language, yet the Orissa government has forcefully imposed the Oriya language in schools thus sidelining their local language.
As the Orissa government will be celebrating its foundation day on April 1, 2010, the people of western Orissa have decided to observe this day as a Black Day. All the shops and offices will be closed on this day through out western Orissa to protest against this injustice towards the people of this region. Many youths are protesting in a unique manner on social networking site Orkut.
They have formed a community called Kosal (an alias of western Orissa) and have put black photos on their profile with the slogan "Free Kosal ... Stop Human Rights Violation". Meanwhile Bar Associations and Citizen Forum across western Orissa have supported this Bandh. Kosal Kranti Dal, the political party who is demanding a separate state of Kosal, which includes all the districts of Western Orissa, has called for Quit Kosal Convention on April 1.
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