Kashipur Deaths by K.Sudhakar Patnaik

From, K.SUDHAKAR PATNAIK JOURNALIST, KORAPUT. Over 75 people in the age group of 2 to 60 years were died of Gastroenteritis, Dysentery till Monday resulting starvation deaths from the first week of July in Kashipur Block in undivided Koraput district and 60 tribals from Thumal Rampur block of Kalahandi district past 20 days. About 270 people treated in Tikiri and Kashipur hospitals. A facts finding team visiting the Block conformed the death to 270 in Kashipur block alone. Former Chief Minister of Orissa Dr. Giridhar Gomango who is representing the Koraput parliamentary constituency from 1972 said, at Kashipur on Friday, had the Government acted on the letters written to the Government to take steps for preventing the deaths. The Government acted on his letters this would have been averted.

The sub-Collector D. Jagannath said all the 414 villages in the Block were affected. Drinking Contamination Water and eating dried beef stored by the tribals one of the reasons of the Cholera he said. CDMO (public health) Dr. Benudhar Naik saying the awareness is to be created among the tribals, and to change the food habits to prevent the disease. The only organization Integrated Tribal Development for weaker sections in India (WIDA) has sent more than 25 voluntaries who are administrating the medicines and creating awareness said, the Project leader UNDP and also the senior IAS officer Mr. Pradeep Jena.

He stressed the need of a Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to prevent the spreading of the disease. The Collector Rayagada Mr. Bhaskar Jyoti Sarma is playing vanishing tricks to avoid the press to cover up the various deaths due to lack of water, work and food. People living in all most all the villages, are suffering from the killer diseases. A visit to the villages Jhirikal where 3 ½ years male kid died followed Ms. Moina Jhodia 45 years, Ms. Radha Mani Jhodia 21 years, Mr. Sadan Jhodia 65 years similarly another 3 people died in Taripatri under Kashipur Block past ten days.

Their names have not found in the Govt. Official records. They have no work, no food and the prolonged starvation forced them to take roots, leaves, dried meat and gruel made out of mango kernel to kill their hunger, they said. Expecting non availability of work and food during the month of July to September every year, they preserve the dried meat, mango nuts for their consumption to satisfy their hunger. But the Official going on changing the names of the diseases all most every year to confuse the people and media.

This year the deaths reported are due to water contamination, clean less ness and due to consumption of poisonous food leading to Cholera in undivided Koraput district. According to official records 1,20,091 people live in 414 Revenue Villages and 200 Hamlet Villages out of which 73,865 scheduled tribe, 34,037 scheduled Cast. About 24,582 house holds are eligible to get BPL cards, 32,754 house holds register under NREGP out of which 18,229 Job Cards issued by the Block authorities. Armed with blank Job Cards fungus infected mango Kernel the villagers expressed the way they are living. 70 % of the Tube Wells are defect and 80 % of the Primary Schools are not functioning under Kashipur Block. The literacy rate among the tribals 10% of the total population and the female literacy not even touched 3% of the total population.

The free Kitchen to provide food to the helpless people functioning on pen and papers. The tribals living in Kashipur Block learned to live with diseases Mr. Jagnnath Jhodia who lost his 3 ½ years son, Sahadev Jhodia who lost his daughter Radha Moni Jhodia 21 years seemed to be least bothered about the deaths of their family members. They expressed the death dancing is routine every year in our villages during the month of July, August and September. The starvation deaths of 110 kids under Kashipur Block broke by this writer which was printed on 9th August 1987 in all the additions of one of the English national dailies, "with whom I was working" as a correspondent for the undivided Koraput and Kalahandi districts.

When the death toll reached 400 under Kashipur Block alone, the than Prime Minister of India Mr. Rajiv Gandhi with Sonia Gandhi visited Kashipur Block on September 25th 1987. The Prime Minister than after one year released 60 crores of Rupees under International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The funds meant for the development works in Kashipur misappropriated by an IAS officer and his subordinates according to the report submitted by Dr. Rushikesh Panda to the state government (the enquiry report is in the position of this author). Again after 14 years in between 27.7.2001 to 10.09.2001 in 13 villages 33 people died with hunger. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued notice to the state government of Orissa to submit a report in connection with hunger deaths reported under Kashipur Block. This issue was also cropped in Loksobha when leader of opposition and also AICC President Ms. Sonia Gandhi criticised the Vijpayee government for improper handling of food grain distribution, which has caused starvation deaths. But the tribals of Kashipur and the leaders of Congress waiting the visit of Prime Minister of India along with UPA Chairman Ms. Sonia Gandhi with an expectation of getting another project for the survival of the poor in Kashipur.