Balancing a bowl of concrete mix on her head at the site of the giant JSW steel plant at Salboni in Paschim Medinipur district, 45-year-old Chhaya Chalak of Kulfeni village says she will vote for the “pro-poor” Left Front in the Assembly election.
“This job has provided financial stability for my family. Earlier, we could barely manage two square meals a day. The State government's industrialisation policy is a blessing for poor people like me and I would like the government to continue,” says Ms. Chalak, who earns Rs.120 a day.
Though its industrialisation drive and the associated land acquisition had put the Left Front government in a tight spot at Singur and Nandigram, it could prove favourable in the Salboni Assembly segment.
Maoist threat
With 40 or more villages dotting its 36-km-long periphery, the upcoming steel plant has generated hopes of a better future for people in this semi-arid region, which supports a single annual crop. The region was prone to the Maoist threat as well, with people forced to flee their homes recently.
The Maoists had announced their presence by triggering a landmine targeted at Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's convoy as he was returning to Kolkata after laying the foundation stone of the JSW plant on November 2, 2008.
“Peace has returned now and the steel plant project is providing us well-paying jobs closer to home.
“Job security will be uppermost in my mind when I vote, and I have full faith in the present government,” says Lakshmikanto Rana, a resident of Ramraydihi village who gave away two acres for the project.
Getting jobs
Questions, however, remain in the minds of voters — especially the young and educated. Perched on his cycle on way to the university where he is pursuing his Master's degree in Sanskrit, 23-year-old Arun Mahato of Jambedia village wonders how his non-technical background can earn him a job at the plant.
“The new government should consider imparting training to local educated youths like me so that we also stand a good chance of benefiting from the project,” he says.
‘Golden period'
Santosh Rana, the Communist Party of India candidate in Salboni, points out that people in the region are aware of the advantages of industrialisation. He is confident about his chances of winning.
“People have witnessed a sea-change in their lives in the last 34 years in the spheres of education, health and employment, but a lot still remains to be done. The steel plant is the harbinger of a golden period in the region,” Mr. Rana says.
But Trinamool Congress candidate Srikanta Mahato claims that the Left Front is trying to “cover up its failure over the years to bring about development in the region” by highlighting the the steel plant project. The electorate is bound to give a fitting reply by voting strongly against the ruling combination, he predicts.
