NRO Prof laments delay in K’handi med college

Astonishingly even after almost two years of announcement of a Government medical college in Kalahandi, building work has not yet begun. Four months ago, about Rs 200 crore were sanctioned for the same and the ruling BJD made a mega fanfare political event for signing the MoU through video conference, but not an inch of progress has been made in the ground since then, non-resident Odia (NRO) Professor Digambara Patra has lamented.

In a letter to CM Naven Patnaik, the Chemistry Professor in The American University of Beirut, Lebanon, Patra, who is a Kalahandi native, said by contrast the Central Government sponsored medical colleges in Balangir and Baleswar were completed in less than two years since their announcement and in their 3rd year, which is this academic year, medical programme is already proceeding.

There is a growing and truthful concern among local population in Kalahandi and Nuapada region that the State Government is not serious for any project in the region. This is clearly visible as Odisha state Government project in higher education is not picking up as expected whereas Central Government projects like IIT, IIM, IISER, NISER etc. and recently established Central Government sponsored medical colleges at Koraput, Baripada, Balangir and Baleswar are being established as per initial schedule.

“It should be noted that Kalahandi people had long before felt lack of commitment of Sardar Raja to establish WODC initiated medical college in Kalahandi and kept conveying you the same through different MoUs and letters since 2008. Sadly, you and your Government did not take this warning sincerely and made it disastrous subsequently. After the unfortunate Dana Majhi incident, the State Government realised its mistake very late and anxiously announced a medical college in Kalahandi in November 2016, which is already running two years late as per your initial announcement,” told Patra.

The Kalahandi people think that instead of getting Rs100 crore aid from Vedanta Alumina Limited for the medical college, the Odisha Government should have included the Government medical college in Kalahandi under Central Government scheme and facilitated Rs 100 crore from Vedanta to establish a university in Kalahandi, which is a long-standing demand in the region, he said.