Corporate Invasion:

September 03/2012: The corporates are taking over. We have been harping on this for a long while but the invasion is finally becoming evident in every sphere. It’s like the alien invasion in blockbuster Hollywood movies. The difference being the former is fantasy and the latter is turning into reality. Privatisation has become the order of the day and companies are literally being handed over the future of the nation. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report which has accused the UPA government of looting public money worth Rs.3.08 lac crores has pointed out privatisation, apart from indiscriminate allocation of coalfields to private companies and the licensing of ‘ultra-power projects’ as reasons for the ‘windfall’ profits to the private businessmen which necessarily entails losses of equal amount to the nation (read people).

The privatisation of New Delhi airport estimates losses to the government to the tune of Rs 88,337 crores. Hyderabad based corporation GMR was not only awarded the tender but also given the commercial rights to real estate situated near the airport including lucrative parking and shopping plus restaurant concessions. As a result, the Delhi airport with its complex structure which can baffle even the bravest of travellers is soon to become the most expensive airport of the world. Sadly, passengers will have to bear the brunt and shell out more for tickets for flying out of or to Delhi, what with GMR charging ridiculous fees for landings and parking of aircrafts. Not only that the airport will get dated pretty soon and that it is very unfriendly to the physically challenged but unknown to passengers, GMR has been levying a User Fee on every one of them for the past few years. Implying our money has been used to fund the project. Surely enough IGI Delhi will not be the spankiest or the most user friendly facility seen across the globe.

Private companies are being handed over every little space left in this country in a big hurry. Not to be left behind, Orissa has been quick to join the race and has successfully gone a few steps ahead, as seen in the ‘photo finish’ results. The domain of Manmohanomics does not stop outside this state’s boundary. Private companies here have the mines, real estate, fresh water and everything else you can imagine for the taking, without even asking. In a recent development, the ‘much in the news’ Seashore Group has been handed over the Atri hot water spring near Khurda district. Atri is one of the few natural hot water springs of this state and therefore draws visitors and tourists in droves. Some visit the spring for an outing, others for education and many in search of healing as they believe the sulphur water can rid them of various illnesses. Apart from evolving into a tourist spot over the years, Atri also has religious significance for the locals. The government recently spent Rs 3 plus crores for revamping the approach road to Atri and then gave it away to a private player at the blink of an eye. The move has understandably drawn criticism from the locals who had free access before privatisation. Now people would be charged more from a company which has had nothing to do with the natural phenomenon of a hot water spring. At this rate, the Konark, Lingaraj, Samaleswari temples and Taptapani are going abegging for someone to mount them.

Interestingly, while abusing the Central government for its neglect of the State’s development, the State government has very happily jumped at one of its suggestions which other states have not thought fit to follow. Orissa has launched a new police-like force in the line of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) exclusively to give a legal fighting arm to private corporations who will be entitled to hire this force for their private use. While Orissa plays along gleefully with the Centre on such issues, the Centre also gladly and specifically names Orissa as a prime state that opposed ‘competitive bidding’ for allotment of coal blocks. This camera finish win started with gifting away of Nicco Park of Bhubaneswar and many bus stands across the state to private companies and has culminated with the letter of GC Pati, a senior IAS bureaucrat of this state, clearly stating that Orissa opposes bidding for coal.

The day light robbery of Orissa’s mineral wealth has made Kumarmangalam Birla, Rungta, Ahluwalia, Patnaiks and many others so exceedingly rich that they could possibly be considered some of the wealthiest people of the world today.

From telecom to power, banking to education, private players lord over every sector. Importantly, our ‘daily wage earner’ mentality prohibits us from thinking about the larger canvas. Either none has the courage to resist because of fear or our expectations of some benefits or favour from these rich and powerful people stops us from speaking out. Soon enough, our children will be prosecuted for trespassing on ‘private property’ wherever they tread.  In the near future, Oriyas will become tenants in their own homes.

Welcome the dawn of the new era!