Road Safety: A de-rigueur requisite in the Industrial city...

VAL spearheads three days Road Safety Campaign...

Industrial Revolution has a profound effect on the socio-economic and cultural conditions of the populace. But as we know, every pro has a con. People in industrial sector are always at a risk of being injured in traffic related accidents. Poor roads, increasing vehicular movements, overloaded carriers and inadequate enforcement of the laws are just a few of the causes that increase the risks for these populations.  As a grooming industrial city, Jharsuguda has certainly opened up a way in for many migrants within it. Increasing people in search for their livelihoods, mounting infrastructures and greater than ever vehicular movements in the locality shows a crystal clear fact. It somehow demands us for the road safety obligations, which need to be implemented and practised efficiently.

Basically I was just all set to start writing concerning the importance of Road Safety Campaign in our city, and guess what... It made me surprised when I read that Vedanta had organized a three days road safety campaign in its plant premises especially for the truck drivers, helpers, labourers. While pondering something odd in the newspaper, I found that the three days campaign was organised near the R&R Colony, Plant I main gate and CPP from 13th April 2011 to 15th April 2011. The drive was ceremoniously inaugurated by Mr. Pramod Suri, CEO VAL and was attended by over one thousand Drivers, helpers, labourers, employees and sheer number of visitors. Mr B K Das, Dy. Director Factory & Boiler, Mr Chittaranjan Beura, Asst Director Factory & Boiler graced the occasion as the dignitaries.

Mr. Das highly appreciated the initiative taken by Vedanta. During the occasion, Documentary Films related to “Road safety measures” and “Driving discipline and habits” were screened. The audience enjoyed the Safety educational skits (drama) those were performed by local artists.

On my behalf I must stress upon the role of Drivers and helpers in particular to inculcate safety habits for the well being of their family and dear ones. Any loss due to an accident gets multiplied many times as it directly affects the dependent family back home. Everybody must care for Safety as Life cannot be compensated by any means. All need to practise Road safety norms in and around the work place and wherever we operate.

Mounting road accident cases has already rang an alarm in the society. So, this trend needs to be reversed now. We must try to imbibe a culture of total safety so that certain facts can be improved a bit.

From a source:

The global traffic statistics are staggering:

      There are 3,200 road deaths every day – 1.2 million deaths per year.

      An estimated 50 million people are injured or disabled annually in traffic-related crashes.

      The World Health Organization estimates that road crashes cost US$518 billion per year.

A trip to Katikela...

*** During my last visit to Jharsuguda, I had been to katikela (A small village near Jharsuguda town). I was going to the village after three years. Really, the sleepy village has turned into an active site. The eye catching greenery, well developed road, improved water facility, and the well groomed public certainly can change the viewpoint of any opinion maker.

But for me, the unforgettable part of my trip was getting an opportunity to have “Desi chicken” in a Dhaba. Please don’t get me wrong because I am a chicken foodie. During the lunch, I had an opportunity to have “Desi chicken” after so long (around after 2-3 yrs). Frankly speaking, in the towns you can have poultry chicken but the taste of “Desi” variety is for one to taste it to believe it. It was so delicious that till now I can feel its fragrance in my hand. I had already finished my work. So I had to return but I planned to take some desi chickens for my family. Some villagers suggested me that to do a visit towards Sabita’s chicken farm where I might get that.

In a village like Katikela, looking at Sabita’s Poultry farm, I was just shocked. It’s not that it was as big as 25-30 thousand chicken in it, but the way she had managed that, she must be appreciated. On a casual talk with her, she explained how her life had emerged with a smile from an unrelenting plight which some day seemed to be everlasting. Her husband, Asok Kisan had been a daily wager and Sheela also used to collect the firewood from the adjacent forest and selling them, both had been earning some pennies. That was not enough to manage such a big family consisting of three kids. Then she opted for joining VIJJY programme which helped her to enhance her standard of living. She had gone through skill development trainings, financial support and group assistance as and when required under this project. Now she is a well known poultry farmer in Katikela. She told about some of her friends, Sumedha Pradhan of Katikela, Bilasini Rohidas at Banjari, Saraswati Kisan etc who have succeeded due to this VIJJY programme. Though I was not lucky enough to get my chicken there, but I was delighted to witness the grooming development of a remote village.

Later, I came to know about VIJJY that it is a livelihood programme running by Vedanta in its periphery villages. The programme Vedanta jana Jivika Yojana (VIJJY) intends to promote the livelihood sustainability among the rural women.

After seeing Sabita, I can feel that the project empowers the rural women not only by providing them a good standard of living but also making them independent and a good decision maker.

Jharsuguda Hockey Cup 2011- A small step to uphold the National Game...

           Hockey is our National game. We had been the unparalleled emperor of the game. In Olympics we won the gold medal consecutively from 1928 to 1956. We defeated USA in Los Angeles Olympics with a record margin of 24-1. But where has the gory gone?

           

        We all aware of the fact that Orissa has been producing many world class Hockey players. Many of them have been from Sundargarh district, near to Jharsuguda. Still the craze and the passion that should be there for a national game are yet to be seen in this locality. It can easily be seen, there are many companies, but surprisingly none of them have tried their bit to encourage the game. I must appreciate Vedanta for pioneering a step towards this and organizing a two day- “Jharsuguda Hockey Cup” tournament in Jharsuguda.

 Augmenting its endeavour, Vedanta sponsored the Jharsuguda Cup Hockey Tournament 2011. The tournament was held from 12th February to 13th February 2011 here at the Ghanashyama Hemalata Vidyamandir Playground. Six renowned Hockey teams from different parts of Orissa participated in the tournament which was organized by the local Debadihi club in association with Dilip Tirkey Sports & Research Foundation, Orissa.

            Players from across the state participated and took the game to a different level. Along with Vedanta COO Mr. Abhijit Pati, Padmashree Dilip Tirky (Former Captain of the National Hockey Team) also graced the inauguration ceremony on 12^th February to encourage the players. Frankly speaking, it was really a proud moment for me to watch Mr. Dilip Tirky so lively. People of Jharsuguda and the sports lovers appreciated Vedanta for its effort to uphold the national game in the locality.

            We do have budding talents in every corner of the India, especially in Orissa. But they need to be groomed to take on the world again. Yes, we have the potential to show our prominence again in the game. The future of Indian hockey is bright if we prepare ourselves to see it as bright.  I would request Vedanta to organize such Hockey tournaments in the future to support our local talents.

Industrialisation in Jharsuguda and Pollution...

It’s an eminent fact that since the advent of industrial and technological revolutions, economic indicators have been considered as the principal criteria for measuring progress. The industrial and technological progress however, carries with it the germs of negative environmental impact, abetted by both pollution and degradation. Jharsuguda is also no way out of this. We all unanimously agree that Jharsuguda is a much familiar word worldwide only due to its rapid development for industrialisation within a short instance. Since last decade, Jharsuguda has witnessed many small and large scale industries developing in it. Certainly, it would also have felt a raising level of pollution for this. The industries in Jharsuguda how much give precedence to these environmental norms is the concerned topic.

From last few days, I have been going through many local newspapers where I came to know regarding the official visit of Hon’ble House Committee on Environment to sambalpur, Jharsuguda and Sundargarh. The panel led by Debasis Samantary, comprising Arun Sahu and Nabin Narayan Nanda paid the visit to Jharsuguda on 03^rd Feb. The Committee along with JSG MLA Mr. Naba Kishore Das, Rengali MLA and senior Govt. Officials visited various industries in the region. There they reviewed steps taken by the industrial units to contain pollution and protect environment as per norms

While the panel gave a “Go ahead” green signal to Vedanta and Bhusan for their effective measures taken to contain pollution, on the contrary, they took a strong note on few erring industries for violating the norms of pollution control & environment protection act.

Containing emission and pollution level within the permissible limit by the advanced equipments and techniques can easily be accessible and affordable by the large industries. Whereas for small scale industries, it can be a major cause that enhances their Cost of Production (COP). Thus instead of concerning these issues, they have been trying to increase their profit leeway. Being a huge green field project, for Vedanta, these environmental friendly techniques certainly cannot be a big reason which can affect its COP at a large. I think, above all, ‘zeal’ to do something good for the environs around the plant must be there.

“Go ahead” signal by the Hon’ble House committee on environment to Vedanta will definitely indicates the fact that Vedanta (Talking about Jharsuguda) is very much concerned about its environmental aspect. It is a good sign for the people of Jharsuguda where they can enjoy a standard life residing in it. In spite of this, I must tell you that other industries in the region should also gear up to protect the environment with containing the pollution level.

New Year celebration with “Dulduli” in Jharsuguda

  My Jharsuguda friends!!!

Wish you ‘n’ your family a very Happy and Blissful New Year...2011. Sparkling dawn of 2011 has brought many pleasant surprises to me; I wish so to you also...

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When I sought to pen a blog in this New Year, I went through many themes but couldn’t preserve myself writing about “Dulduli Mahotsava”. It is celebrated every year to mark the Jharsuguda Foundation Day on 01st January. This year, the 15th edition of this cultural fair was begun on 01st January, Saturday where Rajyasabha member Mr. Kishore Mohanty had inaugurated the event in the presence of District Collector Mr. S N Mishra. The venue of the event, Manmohan ME School ground was jam packed by the audience throughout the Mahotsav. Pallishree Mela, a book fair and the show case of the household products by the various SHG groups across the state were amongst the added attractions. But seeing the village women in “Subhalaxmi Mahila Samabaya Ltd” stall with their selling products such as phenyl, aquarium and other household things, I was much impressed. For your information, Subhalaxmi Cooperative Ltd is a women empowerment project promoted by “Vedanta Integrated Jana Jivika Yojana”. Under this project, they carry out all their financial and operational transactions autonomously forming independent Self Help Groups. It indeed helps them not only to be independent but also enhances their value in the society.

About 35 troupes from Orissa and other states put up an impressive show with Sankhvadya, Ranpa, Chaau, Odissi and Kuchipudi performances. Folk dances including Ghumura, Suttli and Ghoda Naach left the audience mesmerised. The biggest eye catching performance was the Dasavatar act by “Prince Dance Group” Berhampur, Orissa in the concluding day of the festival. The group witnessed a thunderous applause from the crowd of Jharsuguda. The Wednesday evening also witnessed poetry recital and felicitation of 57 poets. Former Revenue Divisional Commissioner Mr. R K Panda and former vice-chancellor of Berhampur University Mr. AP Padhi attended the closing ceremony of the function. A souvenir was also released during the fête. The event was held under the aegis of the district administration and the Orissa Rural Development & Marketing Society along with the cooperation of many industries in the region.

Certainly, it is so simple to carve but a tough task to let others realize the overwhelming experience of an event. I wish, New Year elation with the festive celebration must have helped the denizens of Jharsuguda in erasing the gloom of the last year....

Developing Jharsuguda..

        

       It had been long time to get a chance to trip my home town Jharsuguda. Finally I stretched to Jharsuguda after a long interval, rather I should thank to the District Athletic meet for which I got a span to go there.

      I must say, District Athletic Meet had been beautifully organized by Jharsuguda Dist Athletic Association from 15^th December to 17^th in the local railway ground. Later I came to know, Vedanta had come forward to sponsor the event. It was really good to hear that.

        Whatever the reason may be, it was a grand occasion for the local athletes to participate. I was very happy to see many athletes in the occasion. From school level, college level and local sports club many athletes participated to make the meet a grand success. On the closing ceremony, MP Rajyasabha Mr. Kishore Kumar Mohanty, Vedanta Sr. VP Mr. DK Singh, Sr. Railway officials and other dignitaries graced the event. They distributed the prizes to the successful athletes. Mr. Mohanty wished the sportsmen to try hard and to do better in future. Mr. DK Singh also assured the ever support of Vedanta in the sports endeavour of Jharsuguda towards the sustainable development. He applauded the participants for their effort in the ground. But the entertainment of the programme rose to its peak cherishing the eye catching stage performance of the local children. Really it was a good experience. Heartily I appraised Vedanta for its effort to support Dist. Athletic association for bringing out many sport talents from the villages. 

           Next morning, I had to go to Bhurkamunda (a small village near Jharsuguda town) for a personal work. It is worth mentioning that the road transportation from Brundamal to Bhurkamunda has really transformed. The day was there, when it was quite difficult to take a cycle to the village. But now, Vedanta has renovated the road and as a result, many small cabs can be seen running in the route. On requirement, you just come out from the home and you will certainly get a cab, like big cities. Though, sometime small jams are seen in the Brundamal- Jharsuguda road but we also have to admit, every progress has its own pros and cons. It can be seen, for the smooth traffic movement in the route, Vedanta has deputed its security personnel.

You must agree, the road transportation in the town has improved a lot. Certainly, we have been witnessing a sound development in Jharsuguda, from a small town to a developed city.

Wish you an Energetic and a Blissful New Year: 2011

New Jharsuguda...

The people of Jharsuguda who are witnessing this fast emerging cosmopolitan town as the new economic hub of Odisha need an uninterrupted blog page to reflect upon their views. This is what many of my friends suggested when I told them about this blog. They are upbeat and so am I.

From Tata refractory Ltd. near Belpahar, Orient Paper mills, Brajrajnagar and Ultratech cement factories, the industrial era was pillared here but mainly in the last decade (2001-2010). Bhushan steel and power Ltd, SPS, JSPL, ESPL and now Vedanta have made Jharsuguda to realize as an industrial city. Vedanta group is moving ahead to establish a 2MTPA Aluminium plant, Captive power plant and an Independent power plant of 2400MW which seems to be a very large project at a single location.

 Certainly, we can feel the dynamic changes in the society may be in terms of infrastructure, shopping centres, education, medical facilities and agricultural process but simultaneously the raising problem of dust, smoke, stealing activities, expensive life style, can also be noticed due to these industries.

We know industrialisation has its own pros and cons. Development has many synonyms but for me from a low cultivating land to a paled paddy field is the real development. From a mud lane to a concrete road in the village is the development. If a drop of tear can be wiped from a mother’s eye resulting treatment of her child that is development. If the education yardstick, its value and importance can be nourished in a child of a remote area, that is development. We all unanimously agree that Jharsuguda is a much familiar word worldwide only for its rapid development due to industrialisation within a short instance.

Now the time is here to reanalyse the scenario; whether the industrialisation is beneficial or not for this vicinity???