Odisha HRD

15 Writeup

• 1. Chitta Baral  |  September 11th, 2009 at 8:24 am

  http://www.dailypioneer.com/201826/Demand-grows-for-ESIC-medical-college-in-Rourkela.html

  Demand grows for ESIC medical college in Rourkela

  Aurobinda Das | Rourkela

  More and more academicians, civil society organisations, trade unions, journalists and members of student communities have joined hands to set up the proposed Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Medical College in Rourkela.

  It may be mentioned here that about half-a-year ago it was heard that the Central Government had a proposal to set up the ESIC Medical College in Orissa by investing Rs 500 crore. It was also declared that the proposed college would be set up in Rourkela as the location is convenient in all ways. But now it is being heard that it would be established in Bhubaneswar and Naveen Patnaik’s Government is taking all initiatives in this direction. When this information spread, demand from different corners to relocate the venue to its original place in Rourkela is being witnessed everywhere.

  It is learnt from sources that people from different walks of life have been sending e-mails to the Orissa Chief Minister requesting him to consider the relocation of the proposed ESIC Medical College. In the latest development, many Non-Resident Oriyas (NROs) are not only writing e-mails to the CM but also they are in regular touch with various civil society organisations of Rourkela to strengthen the drive into a people’s movement.

  Many retired and working professors of NIT and other leading educational institutions of Rourkela like Prof Somanath Mishra, Prof SK Patel, Prof KC Patra, Prof DM Praharaj, Prof P Panda, Prof P Mallick and many others have come out openly to write letters to the CM along with pursuing others to join the movement. Even they have urged the people’s representatives of the district to take up the matter with the CM. Similarly, many civil society organisations like Disha, Envicare, Visstar, Ores, Cause, Sahayata, Basti Unnayan Samiti and many other groups have joined this drive.

  Unlike others, many journalists like Pratap Padhee, Subrat Choudhury, Aurobinda Das, Sanjib Nayak, Mahendra Mishra, AP Biswal, KP Mohapatra and writers and columnists like Narayan Prasad Dash, Bhupen Mohapatra, Debendra Mohanty, KC Badjena, Bishnupriya Mohapatra and Arta Trana Mohapatra have also joined the drive. Similarly, many trade unions like RMS, SETU, RSS, SEAR, KISS, ILU, RWU, SMS and students’ organisations like SFI, AISF, ABVP, DSO and NSUI have also started campaign on their respective level. Even many student leaders have started signature campaign in their respective campuses.

  The intelligentsia of Rourkela feels that the steel city is the most ideal and deserving place for ESIC Medical College from geographical and industrial point of view. Rourkela is not only an industrial hub but also it is a border area which is still neglected in health services. Apart from this, Rourkela in particular and Sundargarh in general have ample contribution to ESIC than other districts of Orissa, feel the intellectuals of the city. Though Rourkela is almost like a metro city, it is grossly neglected in health services. Bhubaneswar is already having three medical colleges, an extension unit of AIIMS and one Apollo hospital while a Railway medical college is going to be set up soon.

  Apart from this, the most prestigious Government Medical College namely SCB Medical College and Hospital is just 25 km from Bhubaneswar, they pointed out. So the Chief Minister should rethink on the issue so that the denizens of Rourkela would not remain deprived of better health services any more, they urged.

  All the MLAs, MPs and political leaders irrespective of their party have also been urged to take up the matter at their level and urge the CM to consider the genuineness of the demand. Last but not the least, it is learnt that many frontline members of the Orissa Society of Americas (OSA), Odisha Development Team, Odia Samaj and many well wishers of Orissa residing in US like Dr Digambar Patra, B Jena, Prasant Sahoo and many more have not only written e-mails to the CM but also they have sent a memorandum through fax justifying the demand. They are also keeping stern vigil on the development of the matter.

  With the movement gaining momentum day by day, the denizens of Rourkela are optimistic that the Chief Minister would keep their genuine request.

• 2. Abhisek  |  September 11th, 2009 at 7:13 pm

  The involvement of Mr Hemananda Biswal as the standing committee chairman of Labour may be of great significance in ESIC Medical college at Rourkela. Other opposition leaders like Mr Jual Oram, Dilip Ray and the local MLA who is a Minister in the Orissa Govt could really tilt the balance in favour of Rourkela for ESIC Medical College. But there is hardly any coverage of this all important issue in the Orissa local media which seems to be the missing link in generating the right atmosphere for ESIC Mediacal College at rourkela.

• 3. Dillip Kumar Mohanty  |  September 11th, 2009 at 11:13 pm

  Labor Minister Mr. Mallikaarjun Kharge shuld also be approached in this issue

  plz hve his contact

• 4. mihir kumar swain  |  September 12th, 2009 at 9:15 am

  Mr Abhisek
  You are right . This demand is limited in local media. I don;t know why ths ? Already I contacted well known media person related this issues .But nobody coverage this isses in their new papers.
  still I try my best.

• 5. Chitta Baral  |  September 12th, 2009 at 6:01 pm

  From: purnamishra@hotmail.com
  To: cmo@ori.nic.in; rckhuntia@gmail.com; rckhuntia007@yahoo.co.in
  Subject: RE: [Ornet] FW: ESI Medical College for Rourkela – let the benefit
  goes to the members
  Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 23:33:45 -0500

  Dear Esteemed Chief Minister Mr. Patnaik and Member of Parliament Mr.
  Khuntia,

  From what I hear you both have been working at the opportunity to bring the
  ESI Medical College to Rourkela and get it funded at the earliest. I thank
  you for your vision and desire to make Orissa one of the leading states.

  Even states with fewer employees in their ESI pool have already started the
  construction project (e.g., Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, etc.). Since the
  employees pay for their medical care, ESI is going to establish a medical
  college in Orissa as this is the ESI mandate.

  In my last email, I mentioned a few benefits it would bring if this medical
  college is established in Rourkela. I found a much bigger benefit to Orissa
  if this medical college is established in Rourkela. The Phase-I
  construction cost alone is close to 500 crores. These are the cost of
  tenders over the last couple of years for the following ESI medical
  colleges:

  1. Patna: 520 Crores
  2. New Delhi: 617.87 Crores
  3. Bangalore: 490 Crores
  4. Dental Medical College, Mumbai: 158 Crores

  The tenders for Kerala, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh will be at least 450
  crores each.

  In this down economy where the central and state governments are giving
  incentives for private and public investments in local economy, let us see
  how an cash investment of 500+ crores in construction alone over a 2 year
  period will jump start the economy of north western Orissa. As most of the
  economists agree, the investment in construction sector brings the most
  help for local economy. Last time Rourkela received a serious investment
  was during the modernization drive where a capitalization of 5000 crores for
  expansion was made. But most of this investment were spent in acquiring
  machineries and did not bring any direct investment to support the local
  economy. Even the second modernization scheme announced in 2005 for RSP was
  only 350 crores and again most of that investment was made to acquire
  machineries. This will be for the first time in several decades that
  Rourkela and the north western Orissa would be receiving a investment of
  500+ crores in local economy. Please do your best to bring this jumbo sized
  investment at your earliest. In this down economy this jumbo investment
  will jump start the local economic growth engine.

  We need to build another city in Orissa that could complement Bhubaneswar as
  we make Orissa one of the leading states in India. The only other city that
  has this potential at this time is Rourkela.

  The people of Orissa who will immensely benefit and will be eternally
  thankful for you standing up to the ESI babus and do what is right for
  Orissa.

  With my best regards,

  — Purna

• 6. Bijoy  |  September 14th, 2009 at 1:07 pm

  Prof Baral, I sincerely wish that the efforts of so many people bear the fruit. North western Orissa needs a superspeciality college/hospital for ESIC covered employees and general public.

  At the worst case Ispat General Hospital (IGH) can be upgraded to a Centrally funded medical college. I do not see any thing wrong in this idea. During my growing up days at Rourkela township I was always hearing that IGH will converted to a Medical College. It did not materialise. Look at the Genorosity of Coal India Limited. They are developing their Hospital at Talcher to a Medical College. Steel Authority of India Limited thet to RSP authority can think in this direction. Land is not a problem for them. Medical college will be a blessing for ESIC covered employees, Steel Plant employees and general public at large.

• 7. Biswajit Mishra  |  September 15th, 2009 at 7:15 am

  At this stage, let’s not propose for upgradation of IGH. Then, the entire effort to bring the ESIC medical college at Roukela will, fizzle out. Let’s first have the ESICMC ar RKL first, which is a logical demand, only based on the large number of ESIC insured people in RKL, apart from other factors.

• 8. Bijoy  |  September 15th, 2009 at 10:15 am

  You are very correct

• 9. Dillip Kumar Mohanty  |  September 20th, 2009 at 12:55 pm

  Again the state government has shown its step-motherly attitude towards Rourkela. It has allocated 25 acres of land near the Institute of Mathematics in Bhubaneswar for the construction of ESIC Medical College. According to the leading daily “Sambad” ,State Labour Minister Pushpendra Singh Deo announced this after a discussion with State Finance Minister Praffulla Chandra Ghadei. These two ministers should also be contacted and a discussion should be held with them . And also ground activity is needed at Rourkela.

• 10. Abhisek  |  September 20th, 2009 at 3:20 pm

  Report in Dharitri: http://www.dharitri.com/200909/story12.asp has a conflicting news on ESIC Medical College location. It seems the message and its justification has not reached the state government.

• 11. preeti  |  September 21st, 2009 at 4:56 pm

  YOU DON’T DO ANYTHING IF A BLIND GOVT. IS FRONT OF YOU.

• 12. Chitta Baral  |  September 21st, 2009 at 11:28 pm

  Preeti, Alok, Mihir:

  You guys kind of vanished. There are a lot of things that is happening in the background and all is not lost. Most of it can not be described openly in this web site.

  I guess there is some reason why you can not come out in the open. If you can and write to me or Prashant babu and be active in the forum then it would help.

  But if you have some compulsion that is ok. We are making progress.

  cheers

• 13. preeti  |  September 22nd, 2009 at 9:55 am

  Mr. chitta sir
  No , Nothing happen. we all are trying to acrchive the goal.You don;t think that we lost the battle. Just it is starting point.we always are with you. You don;t believe we gather max students for this demand. Rourkela municipality college and NIT unions are with us. we are also motivating max rsp peoples with our issues.

• 14. alok  |  September 22nd, 2009 at 2:43 pm

  Hello Chitta sir,
  Appologies for the delay as one of my close friend met with an accident due to which i didnt get enough time to logon to my computer even.I am really shocked whne i got to know about the happenings so far.It seems the letters are not reaching the CM or the CM is simply ignoring.If the latter one is the reason then its time to take one step ahead for our demands.we need to take the issue with the help of media like etv and otv.It will help us to a great extent.even if the land has been allocated we have still a good chance to get this done.but once construction starts nothing can happen.its not that i am hiding but when we are staying abroad and you know just a handful of people to help then it becomes too difficult to survive when you are under situations like this.I am still a member of this and i am with you.In the mean time i have made a rough draft of an email regarding this but do you think we do have time to send an email now.Last but not the least i am really disappointed with our CM as he is doing injustice to the people of Rourkela region.It seems that he got some personal grudge thats why eveytime when there is a good chance for Rourkela he always plays the role of spoil sport..Mr CM please wake up..i dont wanna use these kind of words but at the same time you are not leaving us with any options…Please Stop neglecting Rourkela !!!

• 15. Dr Ramgopal  |  September 23rd, 2009 at 2:38 pm

  CM Sir,

  I have seen Rourkela since my childhood and has seen that the city has always been the last on the list. Similar cities across the country have grown out of proportion and have a recognition across the country. But Rourkela has remained the same. I feel Rourkela has been utterly neglected in all areas with a visibly stepmotherly attitude of the Govt. We all request you to kindly develop Rourkela into a city which every citizen of Orissa will be proud of. I request you to kindly relocate the location of the prestigeous ESI Medical College to Rourkela. Besides that, there is a dire requirement of such medical college at Rourkela as it lacks in the basic facilities.

  With Regards
  Dr Ramgopal