Keonjhar: Some interesting scenes sprung up during Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s visit to Keonjhar district Sunday.
Ministers, MLAS not on dais
IAS officers Balwant Singh, Kisan Kumar and Collector Asish Thakre were found sharing the dais with the Chief Minister while School and Mass Education Minister Badrinarayan Patra, MP Shakuntala Laguri and all MLAs of the district were found sitting below in front of the dais. This created a buzz among the crowd.
Chairs vacant
When the Chief Minister was delivering his address at the meeting, many chairs were found vacant. A huge number of chairs were still loaded on vehicles near the meeting venue. Scores of people were standing outside the enclosure, but did not sit on chairs. Some BJD leaders explained that after waiting for hours, people had gone out for lunch, leaving the chairs vacant. Others said at that time many people had gone outside to get KALIA branded T-shirts, biscuits and water bottles.
Plastic all over the field
Even as the government has banned use of plastic for clean environment, the meeting venue looked dirty as it was reportedly strewn with polythene pouches containing curd and plastic bottles containing water. The mess had left the environment conscious people fuming. The leaders who were looking after distribution of food and water had not taken care of sanitation.
Tussle for water bottles
Farmers and women who had come to the meeting were seen jostling with one another at the place where water bottles were being distributed. People thronged the vehicles to snatch away water bottles. The women who were carrying kids could not get near the vehicles distributing water and were seen standing helplessly. They had to go thirsty. Those distributing water bottles were throwing the bottles at the people, some of them said to have hit the people.
Road block over conveyance
Scores of women from Kendeipasi village under Patna block could not turn up for the meeting. Angry, they detained a bus and the vehicle of Patna tehsildar. Women on Saharapada faced a similar situation and staged a road blockade. The organisers had asked them to be ready by 8 am, but no vehicles were arranged for them.
PNN