Other States - Orissa   

Drive with no hitch

The newly-elected chairperson of Berhampur municipality has initiated anti-encroachment drive to widen some municipality-managed major roads of the city. Earlier, similar moves had to be conducted amidst heavy police deployment. But, surprisingly this time it is being done only in the presence of the chairperson and some municipal officials.

The municipality has been able to demolish large number of alleged illegal encroachments by the side of roads without any notice but has not faced any organised protest till date. It is felt that the State public works department and National Highway Authority need to learn the road encroachment demolition management from the new chairperson. Since years State public works managed-major roads passing through the city as well as the NH 217 remain drastically constricted in several parts of the city. The administration despite having police support has failed to remove encroachments since years with the plea of protests of traders and legal hassles etc. But the new municipal council of the city for some reasons has not cared for these pleas.

The authorities of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation seem have become satisfied with the publicity they have received for their efforts to give a better look to some parts of the Capital city. But the authorities seem to be blissfully ignorant of the slaughtering of goats alongside the roads at innumerable places across the city on a regular basis.

The situation turns worse on Sundays when one finds people causing traffic jams on many roads to witness the live slaughtering of goats and buy meat at whatever price that is being sold. It’s true that people don’t seem to be bothered about the pollution that was being caused by slaughtering of goats on the roadside. The Municipal authorities can certainly do a lot if they decide to contain the menace. If they could ensure establishment of well-designed flower shops, why can’t they ensure setting up of proper meat shops at different markets?

Following hue and cry, the Orissa State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation Limited (OMFED) finally rolled back price hike on milk and everybody heaved a sigh of relief that they would not have to spend additional Re. 1 per one cup of tea every morning.

But many OMFED milk vendors who double up as tea vendors in the city had readymade answers as to why they would not toe their supplier’s line.

Milk price may be brought down to its earlier position but in the meantime there is increase in prices of sugar, and cooking gases, most of the vendors now say. Perhaps tea lovers would have to form an association like sweetmeat traders’ and put pressure on the State government to force the vendors to reduce the tea price.

(Sib Kumar Das, Prafulla Das and Satyasundar Barik)

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