Phulbani: An EU delegation from nine
countries were on Thursday informed that fear continued to haunt the
people who escaped the Kandhamal riot in 2008 even as Orissa
government helped them in overcoming the situation.
The state government has given four decimal of land
and money to build house. But we are not getting job to earn a
living," Krishant Mallick, an inhabitant of a resettlement
camp at Nandagiri in G Udaygiri told the visiting diplomats.
Mallick was one among the 52 families who had been
permanently rehabilitated at Nandagiri camp after they refused
to return to their native village at Batikela out of fear.
The 11-member delegation that visited Kandhamal after 25
months of the riot, took the first experience about the
violence from Nandagiri before visiting two other resettlement
camps at Hatapada village and Nilingia in G Udaygiri.
The team comprising diplomats from Spain, Hungary, the
UK, Poland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland and
Sweden along with two senior officials of EU's India office,
were earlier denied permission to visit Kandhamal twice.
Though there was tension at Kandhamal's Tikabali area
over yesterday's clash between two comunities, it had no
impact on the visit with police making elaborate security
arrangements, sources said.
"The visit was smooth. The diplomats interacted with the
people at their camps without any hindrance," Kandhamal
Superintendent of Police Praveen Kumar said.
While the riot victims at Nandagiri were in praise for
the state government, sounds of resentments had been heard at
Hatapada and Nilingia villages where people drew attention of
the diplomats to the sorry state of affairs.
Though the victims were managing to make a living, there
was no school for their children and church to pray, the
sources said.
"About 12 families were not in a mood to return to their
village from Hatapada village even as 25 months had passed
since the riot," Namita Pradhan, sarpanch of Ratingia gram
panchayat told the visiting delegation.
While listening to victims, one of the diplomats said:
"People say that they were given relief. But that was
insufficient. There is no reason to disbelieve them."
The diplomat, however, refused to divulge his name and
nationality.
The EU delegation enquired the living conditions and
other status of the people and wanted to know whether they
were satisfied with the present situation.
While many said that they had somehow managed to cope
with the changed situation, a handful of victims expressed
their displeasure over the relief and rehabilitation measures.
"We feel insecure and unprotected," said a woman.
Before concluding their day's work, the delegation held
discussions with NGO activists and church leaders at K Nuagaon
where a Catholic nun was raped on August 25, 2008, two days
after killing of VHP leader Swami Laxamananda Saraswati.
The ethno-communal violence at Kandhamal claimed at least
38 lives besides damage to houses and churches.
The delegation which was lodged at the government circuit
house here, is scheduled to meet the district
magistrate-cum-collector and officials of Fast Track court
tomorrow morning.
PTI
First Published: Friday, February 05, 2010, 00:19