The fate of a proposed Kendriya Vidyalaya in Champua subdivision of Keonjhar district now hangs in balance due to failure to hand over land to the project.

The KV authorities have asked the district administration to allot land before August 31 or else the project may

be diverted to some other States as per rule.

Sources said that in the year 2016- 17, the then HRD Minister Smriti Irani had sanctioned three KVs in Odisha, including two meant for Keonjhar district and one for Gunupur in Rayagada district. If sources are to be believed, then it was Shakuntala Laguri, the then BJD MP from Keonjhar, for whose untiring efforts, the two KVs had been approved for Keonjhar. At that time, it was discussed to be a distinguished achievement for Laguri as an MP.

As per prevailing procedure, after notification of the HRD ministry, it is the

lookout of the concerned district Collector who is the Chairman of Kendriya Vidyalaya to see how to set up the school after allotting the land and other infrastructure facilities to the KV.

Accordingly, the KV at Gunupur has already started and the one in Anandapur in Keonjhar district will start very soon. But the KV at Champua has taken a rather uncertain course.

Sources further said that there has been no development in the KV project since the transfer of Dr Tirumala Naik ,DM, Keonjhar, on January 18, 2018.

Naik had taken special interest to complete the project during his tenure but couldn’t do it due demarcation of wrong kissam of land by the then Tehsildar, Champua. However, in the later stage, steps were taken to covert  the category of the land  by depositing the required fees for the same. Only it is required to make a deed of the land in the name of KV organisation by the district administration after making necessary changes in the record of the Tehsil.

Chita Ranjan Kar, a social worker of Barbil, alleged that  the influence of a coterie of owners of private schools who are doing business in the name of education are behind the obstacles in setting up the KV in Champua.

The private school owners fear that their business will be hampered in the mining rich Subdivision of Champua if the KV comes up.

Meanwhile, the locals have demanded that administration should show utmost  interest in handing over land to the concerned authorities as they are doing in case of conversation of the land for the mining of the forest land.

When contacted, Keonjhar MP Chandrani Murmu told that she would talk to the Collector, Keonjhar in this regard very soon.