The Orissa government's decision to split the crowded relief camps in the strife-torn Kandhamal district and shift them to panchayats has been rejected by the camp inmates. The inmates in most of the camps have refused to shift their base, apprehending risk to their lives.
The state government had decided to split those relief camps which had more than 1,000 inmates. The decision to shift the base of the camp from block headquarter town to the panchayat level was aimed at providing better sanitation facilities to the inmates and also to expedite the rehabilitation and reconstruction measures in their respective villages.
The relief camps were set up at different parts of the district to provide shelter to the riot victims. At present 10 relief camps are operating in different locations of the district, providing shelter to around 13,000 people. The relief camps were set up following the outbreak of violence in Kandhamal district in the aftermath of killing of senior VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and his four disciples by some unidentified miscreants on August 23. "We have decided to divide at least five relief camps at Raikia, G Udayagiri and K Nuagaon where the living conditions are very poor", said Kishan Kumar, the district collector.
However, the decision to split the camps is yet to be implemented as most of the camp inmates refused to shift their base. According to sources, the sub collector of Baliguda discussed the state government’s plan with the camp inmates in two relief camps at Raikia. The sub collector also offered alternative sites to the camp inmates but they refused the proposal. The camp inmates informed the sub collector that terror was still haunting them and they were not interested to shift their base.
An activist said that shifting of inmates was necessary due to sanitation problem in these camps. The two relief camps in Raikia block have over 4,000 inmates. Instead of shifting their camp bases and returning to their homes, the victims belonging to the minority community sought rehabilitation in a separate colony. In this connection, they have submitted a memorandum to the state government as well as to the state Opposition leader, JB Patnaik during his visit to Kandhamal district on Tuesday.