Odisha HRD

Hope Vedanta University does not become Orissa’s Nano: Rinkesh Pati in Orissadiary

September 13th, 2010

Following is an updated version of http://www.orissadiary.com/ShowOriyaColumn.asp?id=21178 with permission from the author Rinkesh Pati.

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It’s not been long since the major automobile giant Tata moved out of West Bengal and relocated its new Nano plant to Gujarat after facing stiff opposition from the Trinamool congress party in the Bengal state. Whatever be the stand of the Trinamool party on this matter, the final outcome was that West Bengal lost a great opportunity of aggrandizing its industrial growth that could have brought several benefits to the Singur locality and the state in terms of jobs, per capita income, infrastructure development, etc. The vested interests of few political leaders forced the Tata company to ultimately move out of the state and look for other favored locations. I fear Orissa doesn’t face the same fate with the Vedanta University project.

It is quite obvious that whenever a new industry or any other major construction is going to be set up in a place, there will be issues like displacement, rehabilitation, fertile land acquisition, environmental issues, and concerns of indigenous tribal communities and farmers, followed by opposition to such developments. This is quite natural and it happens everywhere. But these are not issues which cannot be addressed and resolved amicably. The real problem arises when political parties jump into the matter and leave no stone unturned to gain every bit of political mileage out of the issue. They mislead innocent villagers with false stories and try to give them an impression that the development work is going to affect the area’s cultural values and environment.

Their stories may be partially true, but such concerns can be resolved amicably by peaceful and constructive discussions among the concerned parties. In this fight, everyone forgets the bigger picture, i.e. the greater objective behind the development plan. An institution like Vedanta University will definitely change Orissa’s image in the world. Not only will it help Orissa prosper in the field of education and research, it will also bring plenty of opportunities for the state and its people. A big university spreading across 4000 acres of land will bring unimaginable benefits to the economy of Orissa. It will create plenty of job opportunities, scope for new businesses and infrastructure development, and will help improve the living standards of the people of the adjoining localities. This will also help alleviate problems like poverty, unemployment, illiteracy in the state. If Vedanta University turns up the way it has been planned, Orissa will definitely be able to pride for decades and centuries for housing a university of such magnificent stature.

Despite being announced several years back the university project has witnessed only zero progress as it has always been surrounded by controversies. Initially, it was the stiff opposition by the local political parties and the misled villagers who started displaying vehemence against the project staff. Then there were environmental concerns over the proposed project. The project was first granted the environmental nod as well as the CRZ (Coastal Regulatory Zone) clearance by the MoEF (Union Ministry of Environment and Forest) in April this year. However, the clearance was suspended just one month later. Now the MoEF alleges the OCZMA (Orissa Coastal Zone Management Authority) of not producing sufficient information. I am not overruling the possibility of valid environmental concerns, but I believe these concerns can be addressed if all the political parties and government agencies adopt a balanced developmental approach.

My apprehension is that, the continuous hurdles before the university project in Orissa have opened doors of hopes for other states. Chief Ministers of states like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have already started wooing the Anil Agarwal Foundation for shifting the project to their states. Other states will very soon line up in the race and will offer guarantee of facilitating favorable environment for the giant project. The irony is that major political parties like Congress and BJP, which are running their governments in AP and Karnataka respectively, have been strongly protesting the Vedanta project in Orissa since the very beginning. If the circumstances in Orissa do not change, Vedanta may one day shift the university to some other state.

My views are not pro-vedanta, they are rather pro-development. This is the need of the time that all political parties rise above politics and take steps forward to ensure that the gridlock created before the university project gets cleared soon. With Bhubaneswar being a fast developing city and an upcoming industrial and educational hub, a gargantuan project like Vedanta University will definitely accelerate the momentum and will help in the progress of the state.

[Writer Rinkesh Kumar Pati, from Bhubaneswar, currently staying in Arkansas, USA, users can contact him by adding comments here.]

Entry Filed under: Appeal to readers,Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri- Khurda area (1),BJP attempt to steal it to Karnataka,Congress attempt to steal it to Andhra,Congress ruled Andhra's overture,Environment minister Jairam Ramesh, Congress MP from Andhra, creates hurdles,Vedanta University, Puri