KEONJHAR | Oct 26, 2015: Closure of mines and industries and a drought-like situation marred Durga Puja festivities in Keonjhar district.
Labourers, truck owners and others involved directly or indirectly in the mining businesses have become jobless because of closure of mines.
According to official sources, around 100 mines and more than 20 industries have been closed down due to different reasons, the major among them being the mining scam.
Anil Kumar Sahu, a Durga Puja committee secretary, said, "Because of the financial crunch, we could not organize our puja with the grandeur of previous years." Many Puja committees gave cultural activities and the ritual of Ravan Podi a miss because of the same reason.
"Many plants have been closed down due to rise in the prices of raw materials and in production cost of sponge and pellets," said Sanjay Sahu, manager of a plant.
(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)