By IANS,
Ranchi : At a time when Jharkhand is battling a water crisis and over one lakh people have been affected by a demolition drive here, Chief Minister Arjun Munda’s Germany visit to hunt for fresh investments is generating much heat.
“We have to spend the night under open sky. We face a tough time as our houses have been demolished. Understand our problem… how a woman will answer the nature’s call and where will the children stay in the scorching sun?” said Nagma Khatoon, whose house at Islamnagar here was demolished along with hundreds other.
More than 3,500 illegal structures have been demolished here in the past two weeks on the directives of the Jharkhand High Court.
Munda, his principal secretary D.K. Tiwary and Industries Secretary A.P. Singh are in Germany since April 3 to woo investors. They will return April 10.
The Congress has termed the visit as a cruel joke. “What could be a more cruel joke that people of the state are facing the toughest time due to demolition drive and drinking water crisis and the chief minister is enjoying in Germany,” Congress legislator Chandra Shekhar Dubey told reporters.
A Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader said: “Munda is wasting public money for self interest by visiting foreign countries. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar stays in Bihar and he created an environment which attracted Bill Gates and others to Bihar land.”
In the past, Munda has visited London, the US and other countries to woo investors. This is his third stint as the chief minister but not a single Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed during his regime in steel, power and other sectors has ever seen the light of the day.
Besides opposition, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party also spoke against Munda.
“Jharkhand is burning and Munda is like Nero who is enjoying in Germany,” a BJP leader told IANS, declining to be named.