Jamshedpur : Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Friday attributed lack of basic amenities in rural areas for decades to the rise of Naxalism and said his government would give priority to address the issues.
It was unfortunate that even after over six decades of Independence, poor villagers were deprived of basic amenities, including water, road and electricity, Das said in his maiden press conference as chief minister here.
Holding bureaucrats responsible for such a situation, Das said his government was committed to address the issues on priority basis. Charting out his other important works at hand, Das said the government would create a land bank for attracting industries, but in such pursuit they would not change the much-debated Chotanagarpur and Santal Paragana Tenancy Acts, reports PTI.
“Besides, we want to create the industrial districts of Kolhan region as ‘Industrial hub’ of the state and had already discussed the matter with Tata Steel Managing Director T V Narendran, he said.
On the bad condition of the National Highways, the chief minister said he would soon meet Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and take up the issue. Das also assured to initiate steps to regularise 86 slums and provide basic amenities. “When slum areas could be regularised in Delhi, then why not in Jamshedpur,” he asked adding that it was his responsibility to address the issue.
The government has plan to provide water supply through pipeline in all the six districts of Santal Paragana and Palamu commissionary from rivers Ganga and Sone and develop irrigation facilities for the agriculture sector. About the proposed Jharkhand Development Council, he said the council would consist of cabinet ministers, MPs and experts and would meet every three months to review the ongoing development. Within a month’s time, he announced, the teachers recruitment process would begin and 17,000 policemen would be appointed in a couple of months. As government employment is limited, Das said “we are emphasising to promote self-employment and will hold a meeting with the bankers in this regard.”
Das made it clear that his government would not tolerate laxity even though he had complete trust in each and every government employee’s capability and potentiality to discharge their responsibility. Asked about the state exchequer, Das admitted that it was not sound, but he did not believe in blame game and looked forward to carry out development work fast.
