Jharkhand experiences ups and downs in 2012

The calendar year 2012 passed away with ups and downs in Jharkhand.

Chief minister Arjun Munda had been admitted in intensive care unit (ICU) of a local nursing home for a long period after surviving the chopper crash on May 9, 2012, resulting in inordinate delay in accelerating the pace of development work in the state.

The Rs 1,600 crore most important project to ensure uninterrupted power supply in the state to be entrusted to the state-run Power Grid Corporation of India had been delayed around a year because of the chopper crash incident. Chief minister Arjunda Munda also holds the portfolio of the energy department finally placed it before the cabinet and got its approval. The confusion thrown among the alliance partners of the ruling party by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) in the middle of December, 2012 over power-sharing pact with the BJP also disturbed the chief minister in carrying out his official works.

The state also faced a setback last year when the Election Commission decided to countermand the biennial Rajya Sabha election after recovery of Rs 2.15 crore from a close aide of Rajya Sabha candidate R K Agarwal on March 30 last year. The recovery was made from an SUV coming to Ranchi from Jamshedpur hours before the voting started in the state assembly.

The case was later handed over to the CBI under orders of the Jharkhand High Court. The agency till date carried out raids on the houses and offices of around two dozen MLAs, including Agarwal and another candidate Pawan Dhoot.

The anti-displacement movement launched by several outfits across the state last year also suffered development work. The agitation had launched by the local villagers with the patronage of some local outfits against acquisition of agricultural land for construction of Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and National University for Study and Research in Law on 227 acres of land near the state capital resulting in shifting of the proposed institutes to another location in the capital.

Another agitation that placed national headlines last year was the economic blockade against loadings of coal by Panem Coal Mines Limited from Pakur district for three power plants of Punjab State Electricity Board. The economic blockade launched by the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha Prajatantrik led by former state chief minister Babulal Marandi and the Congress leader and a former minister of the state Stephen Marandi. However, the economic blockade was withdrawn after the Panem Coal Mines Limited agreed to execute the MoU signed in 2006 by Panem Coalmines with the displaced villagers in 2006. A breakthrough came to light that fresh offensive – Anaconda- 11 launched by joint security forces in the first week of December, 2012 in Saranda forest had been effective in reducing Naxal strikes on security forces, civilians and construction agencies.

Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh said the media on the New Year day on January 1, thatcompared to Malkangiri in Odisha and Gadchiroi in Maharastra, Naxal violence in Jharkhand in the 2012 had by and large declined. The central minister informed that he would unfurl the tri-colour at Saranda forest on the Republic Day.