Accusing Odisha as lawless is insulting people of the State: CM to Oppn

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said in the Legislative Assembly today that by accusing Odisha as lawless, the Opposition parties have been insulting the people of the State. The CM stated this in his reply to the Opposition’s allegation that the law-and-order situation in the State is precarious.

“You are doing injustice to the peace-loving people of Odisha. Anyone who comes to the State or anyone who hears about it, their first impression is ‘what a peaceful and beautiful State!’. Odisha is progressing because it’s a peaceful state. I am proud of the people of Odisha,” the CM expressed.

“I would like to counter the Opposition with the following perspectives,” the CM further said.

1. Investment – Getting investment in a state is a reflection of the law-and-order situation in the state. No investment comes when the Law-and-order situation is poor in a state. Odisha gets one of the highest investments in the country.
2. Industrial production and Agriculture production – If we don’t have a conducive law-and-order situation, we won’t have record industrial production year after year or record agriculture production year after year.
3. Transport and major logistical movements is also an indicator of a law-and-order situation. Our Railways makes one of the highest profits in the country and there is absolutely no problem with the transport situation in the State.
4. Conduct of major Events – Whether it is Hockey World Cup, Ratha Yatra, elections or examinations, we have not had any dislocation in any of these events because of the law-and-order situation.
5. Specific issues like communal harmony, left-wing, extremism or labour-related issues – Odisha has been the best in handling all these issues.
6. Growth and revenue generation are directly proportional to the law-and-order situation of the state. We record the highest growth rates on a continuous basis and our revenue generation is increasing year after year.

So when Opposition talks about lawlessness, they should keep these facts in mind.

“I have attended so many Make in Odisha Conclaves whenever an investor meets me the first remark he makes is what a peaceful state Odisha is. We are happy to come and invest because of the law and order situation and peaceful nature of the State. No investor comes for investing his hard-earned money if the law and order situation is not good. Odisha attracts huge investments because it is a peaceful state. When we host international events like World Cup Hockey our state is specifically appreciated for the law and order situation and peaceful nature of people,” the CM stated.

“In the tragic case of the murder of Late Naba Kishore Das, the only statement made so far is by me in front of this August House. No police officer or any other authority has briefed anyone including the media on the sensitive case so far. The investigation is still under progress and within the time frame given by law for the filing of the chargesheet and the same would be done. Where did Opposition find this point about the government saying that the accused person is mad or the government trying to show that the accused person is mad?” the CM questioned.

“The Opposition is lying for narrow political gains. My government has always stood for justice. In this particular case, we have two objectives: 1. Unveil the truth behind this murder and 2. To ensure the conviction of those involved. We have followed all scientific procedures involving professional agencies, including those from other states and the Central government. The entire investigation is being monitored by a retired High Court judge appointed by Orissa High Court itself. Even then, the Opposition is accusing the State government of hiding something in the probe. This is deplorable and smacks of political opportunism,” the CM asserted.

“I assure the people of my State that in all the sensational cases alleged by the Opposition, justice will be done and the culprits will be convicted and when that happens, people will judge the narrow political mindset of the Opposition. Police Stations are at the cutting-edge level in the delivery of police services to the citizens. My government is committed to further improving the functioning of the police stations in the State. Recently, Aska Police Station in Ganjam has been adjudged as the best police station in India for the year 2022 which is a moment of great pride and honour for all of us,” the CM added.

In order to augment the capacity of the State Police, at least 36 police stations were recently created/upgraded. About 2,200 Police Posts under various ranks have been created for further strengthening of the police force. At present, the recruitment process is going on to fill up more than 6,500 posts in Police, Prisons and Fire Services. Odisha Police has been regularly taking feedback from the public about transparency and quality of police services under ‘Mo Sarkar’. The response from the public has generally been very good, the CM claimed.

General Administration and Public Grievances – I have always believed that citizens are the soul of democracy and their welfare is the very objective of politics. My government is committed to the service and the welfare of the people. Changing aspirations of the modern-day-Citizens call for transformative initiatives to match their expectations.

“5-T and ‘Mo Sarkar’ initiatives launched by my government are such initiatives. They envisage transformative governance for better delivery of public services. I am firm in the view that citizen satisfaction is the benchmark of governance. Keeping that in mind, under Mo Sarkar, we constantly take feedback from the citizens. I am glad to inform you that more than one crore calls have been made so far and actions are taken for grievance redressal and institutional transformation. Around 566 services have been made online …. Thank you Hon’ble Speaker Sir,” the CM concluded.