Thanks to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Malkangiri’s Swabhiman Anchal, once known as the ‘cut-off’ area because of its difficult topography, is witnessing a wave of development. Patnaik, who had a virtual interaction with the residents of this tribal hinterland on November 17, is keen to turn the region into a model of development. The area was a Maoist stronghold for nearly five decades. However, two years after changing its face with the inauguration of the Gurupriya bridge, the Chief Minister made several important announcements on the occasion this month.
His most important promise to the people of this once benighted belt with a population of around 32,000 was enhancement of the Rs.100 crore special developmental package he had announced at the time of inauguration of Gurupirya bridge to Rs. 215 crore. The Chief Minister, who laid particular emphasis on the socioeconomic development of the area that got isolated from Malkangiri’s mainland in the 1960s following the construction of Machhkund reservoir, promised specific measures for the benefit of Mission Shakti members. This is a clear indication that the government is going to involve women of the Swabhiman Anchal in income-generating activities through self-help groups (SHGs) in a big way.
Patnaik also talked about the cultivation of high-quality turmeric in the area and assured people that steps were being taken to set up a turmeric processing and branding unit there. The government has also stepped up work on the construction of a 33 x 11 KV power sub-station in the area where concrete roads are being laid in villages at a cost of Rs.100 crore. While work on a mega pipe water project has begun and construction of 82 Anganwadi centres and health sub-centres is under way in the area, the most important development by far has been the erection of four mobile towers providing mobile connectivity to the people for the first time in the past five decades. Patnaik, who announced distribution of mobile phone sets to each family in the Swabhiman Anchal so that people stayed connected with the rest of the district and the state, promised to turn this belt into one of the most developed regions of the state.
This is significant considering the fact that Swabhiman Anchal until recently was among the most underdeveloped areas of the state. Until the inauguration of the 2.5 km long Gurupriya bridge in 2018, it was a Maoist den. Boats were the only means of communication with the mainland for the people of this area which had made international headlines in 2011 when Maoists kidnapped the then Malkangiri collector R. Vineel Krishna from one of its villages. As the bridge connected them with the mainland by road for the first time in the past 50 years, the area was re-christened as Swabhiman Anchal.
Better communication has facilitated development in the area, which is now easily accessible to government officials. The bridge has also facilitated easy movement of security forces who have stepped up their operation against the Maoist radicals. The Chief Minister during his interaction with the residents of this belt recently reiterated his call to the rebels to give up arms and join the mainstream. They will do well to pay heed to the five-time Chief Minister’s call and take advantage of the development that the area is witnessing under his leadership.
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