Munda accepts responsibilities; shifts half blame on Centre
VIJAY DEO JHA
Palamu/ Garhwa
After three days of ground searching of the development and deprivation of the Palamu division it is time to make promises and blunt blame game, too.
Before taking chopper ride to Ranchi after completing three day road visit of Palamu division Chief Minister Arjun Munda, on Friday, assured to gush the region with development.
“By the end of March Palamu power grid will be connected with Hatia grid to end power blue. The government will explore the possibility of establishing power plant. All of its pending irrigation projects within the division will be completed top priority basis,” Munda told the media in Garhwa before leaving to Ranchi.
Other than decade long negligence and the lack of robust executive will in bringing development here Munda sprang a third angle if Jharkhand got an unalloyed infamy for its bad roads specially in the Palamu division.
Munda spent two and half days travelling along the roads of Latehar, Palamu and Garhwa. He was clearly in no mood to waste or waffle; his bag of unrequited grouses, in fact, lay unpacked during the journey, old whine in new throttle. “I have seen the condition of two of the National Highways—75 and 98 which don’t deserve to be called as road. The Centre has been prejudicial towards Jharkhand. Our repeated demands have fallen in the deaf ears,” Munda said. The CM was not letting the demands of politeness tone down his thrust or temper.
Sources in the CMO confided that after taking stock of pitiable conditions of two highways the government mulling a PR offensive against the Centre. “Things needed to be brought before people. The Opposition often blames the government even about bad condition national highways whereas state government is nowhere responsible. Best thing is to make video footage of these roads send it to the Centre as a proof and upload it on government websites,” a senior CMO officer said. The Centre on its part has often been heard claiming that the state failed to utilize funds.
Munda held scores of public and party meetings from one stop to another-- Belchampa,Chetna, Meral, Ramna, Nagar Untari and Bhwnathpur in Garhwa. He was ringing signature tune of development; dexterously hemming social development with economic one that pleased many. But that often got distracted amid the chorus of decade long unfulfilled demands of development. Fate of proposed Mandal Dam project Kanhar Dam project (proposed in 1974) and others are in limbo. Scheme of urban water supply in Daltonganj has not fetched even a glass of pure water though the administration is talking about the second phase of its expansion. Roads have lost in potholes and craters. Palmau survives on merely 35 mw of electricity supplied by Bihar; too little to fight the darkness leave talking anything surplus to power any plant or project.
Those who called his visit an expansive political show sans any administrative orientation under elaborate security arrangement; he called their attention towards his dedication for development. “I will make visit after three months once again to see changed ground. It is my responsibility,” Munda told the pioneer.
Sources in the CMO confided that government has already formed a ‘Direct Monitoring Unit,’ for a direct monitoring of the development projects. “He can achieve his target provided he tighten and tame bureaucrats who are critical notch in his fancied delivery mechanism,” a former bureaucrat said. At least Munda was not under any misconception about systematic failure of administration in this naxal hit belt specially to mention Palamu.
Palamu remained on the radar of the government despite pretty polished Palamu DC Puja Singhal tried to cover-up unbrushed realism.
