[Letter to Mr Minoo Masani]

Summary

This six-page English archival correspondence packet, dated January 1968, concerns the proposed location of an aluminium plant in Orissa and the alleged discriminatory treatment of Kalahandi district. R. N. Singh Deo, Chief Minister of Orissa, forwards to M. R. Masani a letter from H. H. Maharaja P. K. Deo, Member of Parliament, together with related correspondence. The enclosed letters argue that Kalahandi’s bauxite, forest, and hydro-electric resources justify locating the plant there rather than at Rayagada or Jeypore, where the project would rely on power from Machkund and raw materials from Kalahandi.

Key points

• R. N. Singh Deo asks M. R. Masani to consider correspondence raising important policy and party questions.
• P. K. Deo argues that shifting the aluminium project from Kesinga to Rayagada denied Kalahandi its legitimate claim to industrial development.
• The letters connect the proposed plant’s location to bauxite deposits, hydro-electric power, transmission infrastructure, and regional development.
• The writers criticize what they describe as the continuing exploitation of Kalahandi despite its natural wealth and economic potential.
• The Indravati Project is presented as capable of irrigating land and generating 800 MW of electricity for wider industrial development.
• P. K. Deo objects to the Industries Minister’s position and asks that negotiations with the J. K. Group be suspended pending a decision by the Swatantra Party’s leadership.
• The correspondence frames the dispute as both an economic-development question and a matter of political representation within Orissa.