The Mahanadi fiasco !

The Mahanadi fiasco (fiasco; hasyaspada bifalata)

issue; The large number of mega projects on Mahanadi have been on the offing and the government at New Delhi has already licensed such to take place in total disregard of the interest of the federal partner, namely the state of Odisha. As much as 88% of the river privilege will now be the monopoly of the state of Chhatishgad.

my nuggets.

1. In a federal structure, no one state has complete right over the resources, just because “it can”. Such as river, forests, cultural heritage, employment, residence etc. The government at New Delhi must ensure there is an egalitarian sharing of all state resources by all citizens of the nation.

Why? What-if Odisha lays claims to its colossal coal and other mineral resources? Lets remember there are only 2 or 3 states in the whole country which has all coal resources of the country in their domicile and Odisha is one. Its simply in our backyards.

Can we apply the same yardstick as Chhatishgad and stop others from having a share of it? Apparently Chhatishgad is bent on exploiting 88% of the river privilege. It has a line up of mega projects already into action, on Mahanadi. Odisha is heavily dependent on the river since ages. the river underlies the agrarian as well as industrial interests of the state of Odisha.

On the other hand coal raw material from Odisha is taken by central government at a very nominal and inexpensive tariff. After value addition the resultant products are immensely profitable which the state does not get back from the government at New Delhi or any other federal partners.

Odisha can begin to chafe against such an arrangement. This will only lead to animosity and anarchy in the Nations functioning.

Shouldn’t therefore the government at New Delhi ensure that the megalomaniac steps of Chhatishgad are interdicted rather than inspired to continue unabated?

2. Its become an emblem of our collective failure that we are being administered by the most inefficient, corrupt and self serving government in Odisha since last 15 years. What was the government doing when the river was being taken from below our nose? How come there were no information before? Or if information was there, no alacrity over the consequences?

The state government itself has been inured to such criticism, in the last decade. Its the most decoyed form of self-aggrandizement that any government exploits its citizen by, that I have personally experienced/witnessed. In the last 1 year the government was mostly struggling against all sort of disorderly debacles it was facing.

3. The ruling party is going for yet another gimmick in showcasing its resolve towards the issue. But how it can hide its own failures. Exactly like this. Through demagoguery. By alluring people through sentiment and baits.

Its yet another blessing in disguise for the state government, to take peoples impugnation for granted, amidst all the scams and corruption the government is facing. This has been the stratagem of the Naveen Pattanaik led government of the state; since a decade.

4. People; Confounded in their own vicious cycles of discomfiture from the lack of basic fulfillment we are accustomed to or rather inured much in the same way our Government is, to forgive and forget and go about our inexpensive cottage made solutions of democracy; while our inebriated ministers are plundering our resources for no gain of ours.