Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Baripada on Saturday, elected BJD representatives on Friday made a scathing attack on the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre for allegedly befooling the people of Odisha.
State Higher Education Minister Ananta Das and Baleswar Sadar MLA JP Dash told a Press meet here that Odisha is bearing the brunt of the Centre's neglect and step-motherly attitude. They reiterated the BJD's demand for financial autonomy for the State.
They questioned Modi's programme of inaugurating a 20-km double railway line of the Daitari-Bansapani-Keonjhar project, another 180-km doubling of rail lines when the projects had already been commissioned during the UPA Government 2011-12. They said the Tata Nagar-Badampahad rail line is like a lollypop for the State.
They also alleged that the multi-model logistic parks to be inaugurated by the PM are delayed by two years due to the Centre's apathetic attitude. Several ambitious projects of north Baleswar are either kept in cold storage or moving at a snail pace. The projects suffering on account of the Centre's neglect include the Subarnarekha Sanskar Yojana, the Coastal Highway scheme, Jaleswar-Digha rail line, Digha-Haldipada inter-State road connectivity and renovation of British-era airfield at Rasgobindapur (Mayurbhanj).
They further alleged that the Centre had only given Rs 33 crore against the proposal of Rs 1,000 crore for the AIIMS, Baleswar. They questioned why six-lanning of the Baleswar-Bhadrak NH is not taken up when it is being undertaken between Bhadrak and Chandikhol .