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Hota demands Special Development Authority for Gandhmardhan hill

Created on : 11/09/2010 5:10:30 PM (NORMAL )

Bhubaneswar, Nov 9 (UNI) Former Lok Sabha member Bhabani Hota, who spearheaded save Gandhmardhan movement in 1980s, today demanded creation of a ''Gandhamardan Development Authority'' to protect the hills, a storehouse of rare medicinal plants.

In a statement here, Mr Hota said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik visiting the site tomorrow must announce the constitution of a special fund and the authority with democratic participation of local people.

Gandhamardhan, he said, is considered as a centre of spiritualism-historical relics-tourism and should be protected at any cost.

The former MP said the Nrusinghnath Ayurved College at the foothill of Gandhamardan should be immediately taken over by the Government and be converted into a University for conducting higher research in Ayurvedic Health Science and use of rare medicinal plants He said on both side of the hill at Harishankar and Nrusinghnath eco-spiritual-health tourism with treatment centre for stress and strain should be set up and a special plan formulated to draw both international and in-land tourists so that local tribals and other people would get employment and the state earned foreign exchange.

Mr Hota said continuing uncertainties with regard to granting of bauxite mining lease to one company or another no tangible development has taken place in the area since long and appealed to the Chief Minister to clearly and unambiguously declare that bauxite mining would not be allowed in Gandhamardan Hill range and all pending application for mining lease would be cancelled forthwith.