Dutt, J. - (1.) Writ Petition (Civil) No. 12847 of 1985 has. its origin in a letter written by Shri Kishen Pattnayak and Shri Kapil Narayan Tiwary, two social and political workers, addressed to the HonRs. ble the Chief Justice of India. In this letter, they have brought to the notice of this Court the miserable condition of the inhabitants of the district of Kalahandi in the State of Orissa on account of extreme poverty. It is alleged that the people of Kalahandi in order to save themselves from starvation deaths, are compelled to subject themselves to distress sale of labour on a large scale resulting in exploitation of landless labours by the well-to-do landlords. It is alleged that in view of distress sale of labour and paddy, the small peasants are deprived of the legitimate price of paddy and they somehow eke out their daily existence. Further, their case is that being victims of 'chill penury', the people of Kalahandi are sometimes forced to sell their children. It has been prayed that the State Government should be directed to take immediate steps for the purpose of ameliorating the misery of the people of the district of Kalahandi.
(2.) On receipt of the said letter, this Court directed the same to be treated as a writ petition and it was registered as such.
(3.) Another writ petition being Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1081 of 1987 has been filed by the Indian People's Front. This writ petition not only relates to the misery of the people of Kalahani but also of the people of another district, namely, the district of Koraput. In this writ petition, it has been alleged that the starvation deaths of the inhabitants of the districts of Koraput and Kalahandi are due to utter negligence and callousness of the administration and the Government of Orissa. It is alleged that the starvation deaths, drought, diseases and famine have been the continuing phenomena in the said two districts since 1985. The Government of Orissa has been accused of utter failure to protect the lives of the people of the two districts.;