Korba, November 17
It was a fairly important day in the power hub Korba for two reasons.
One is that two leading leaders of main political parties were in the city, known more for its power-generation plants and adjoining coal mines, to do some last minute electioneering for the Phase-II elections scheduled for November 20.
The second reason is that their presence made people of Korba breathe a more healthier air, at least for the day.
On Monday, the ruling BJP and the Congress pitted its national-level leaders in the election battleground of Korba to woo public.
BJP’s prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani and Congress’ future hope Rahul Gandhi both addressed public rallies within minutes of each other. The only difference was that while Rahul managed to attract larger crowds, Advani gave a longer speech.
Politically speaking, Rahul’s appearance seems to have given the much-needed resuscitation to the Congress in the area, which till now appeared to be gasping to stay afloat in the region. Observers here say that Congress candidate Jaisingh Aggarwal was not in a good position and the Rahul’s rally has brought him back in the reckoning.
More importantly, the presence of the two leaders ensured that residents of Korba city were able to breathe easier.
The city power plants, which generate 3,800 MW, had taken precautions in order to keep pollution caused by fly ash that otherwise envelopes the city in a thick coat, well under control.
People from Korba say that despite strictures, the instructions to keep the pollution level under control are rarely followed, resulting in gross environmental violations that lead to serious health problems. Precautions are taken whenever important leaders come visiting the city.
Korba is well known for being the power hub with the NTPC, Chhattisgarh Electricity Board, besides BALCO operating units here. The reason is the rich presence of coal within the 25-km radius of Korba city, including Rajgamar underground mines, Manikpur open-cast mines, Bankimogra underground mines and Asia’s biggest open-cast mines at Geveradeepka.
The number of constituencies in Korba district has risen from three to four this year with the new addition Korba city. The other three constituencies include Rampur, Katghora and Palitanakhar.
Barring Palitanakhar, in the other three constituencies there is a largely neck-and-neck contest between the BJP and the Congress.
Palintanakhar is an interesting constituency due to the presence of tribals and their party Gonwana Gantantra Party (GPP). GPP leader Hira Singh Markam, who has a definite sway over the tribals, is expected to affect the results and can even swing them in his favour.
