Letters: The real problems

Apropos the report "In Naxal hotbed, PM initiates projects worth Rs 25,000 crore" (May 9), it was very enterprising of the prime minister to go to Maoist-affected Chhattisgarh and speak so eloquently about exchanging violence for development. It is, however, equally disappointing that we continue to suffer from the misconception that a few mega projects and their trickle-down effect will do the miracle. Even if one overlooks the environmental costs, the announced projects, except may be the railway line, will do nothing for most of the population in any significant, direct and immediate way. The Rs 18,000-crore steel project could take five to six years to come up and might generate 10,000 direct and indirect jobs. Chhattisgarh is Maoist afflicted not because it lacks a steel plant or an iron ore slurry pipeline. It lacks water for irrigation and daily use, agricultural development schemes, schools, medical facilities and medium-sized units that require far less capital per new job.

No one is saying that producing more steel is not good. But if steel plants were the answer to all-round social development, then Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh won't have been in such an under-developed condition.

P Datta Kolkata

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