Malkangiri: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a final reminder warning of coercive action to the Malkangiri District Collector over his failure to address the plights of the villagers.
Acting on a petition filed by Human Rights Activist and Lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy the NHRC passed the order on May 16 calling for the submission of action taken reports.
The petitioner alleged that despite earlier directions from the NHRC on his petition, more than 20,000 villagers in at least four panchayats—Panasput, Jantri, Gajalmamudi, and Jodamba—in Malkangiri district of Odisha are still deprived of basic human rights.
The villagers are deprived of the benefits of various welfare schemes, including the pucca houses, and other basic amenities and necessities of life.
The petitioner further stated that due to apathy, negligence, and the failure of the state government, hundreds of villagers are languishing in abject poverty without basic human rights.
In the absence of a road, even a medical team trekked through hilly terrains for around 8 km to conduct health check-ups of the residents of Taberu village in Chitrakonda’s Swabhiman Anchal.
The residents of the villages are yet to be ensured with safe drinking water, playgrounds, open-air theatres, all-weather roads, primary health care, education under the RTE Act, playgrounds, and Construction of toilets for each household under the Swachcha Bharat Abhiyan.
The Schools and Anganwadis with toilets, solid waste management, Playgrounds and a post office with ATM, much-needed avenues for physical activity and recreation of village people, animal shelters for cows and sheep, community harvesting facilities should be provided to the small and marginal farmers, the petitioner said.
The right to housing, bare necessities of life, and basic amenities are integral parts of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, he stated.
Tripathy urged the NHRC to recommend the Odisha Chief Secretary and Malkangiri District Collector and also Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India to act on the issue immediately and ensure houses under the PMAY, BKY, all-weather road, health care on a war footing, basic amenities to the poor villagers.
The NHRC in its order stated that no response has been received from the District Magistrate of Malkangiri and issued a final reminder to the District Magistrate, directing him to submit the called-for report within four weeks failing which the Commission will be constrained to issue a coercive process u/s 13 of the PHR Act, 1993.
UNI