Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik kicked off the Self-Government Day programmes organised by the Brahmapur Municipal Corporation (BMC) to mark completion of 150 years as an urban body on Thursday.
During his 3-hour-long tour to the silk city, the Chief Minister addressed a public meeting at the Khallikote Cluster University ground where thousands of students, denizens and party workers attended. University Vice-Chancellor Prof Amarendra Prasad Mishra welcomed Patnaik.
Addressing the gathering, Patnaik said Brahmapur is his home city and he is quite proud of myriad development works carried out by the BMC. He expressed best wishes to the people of the city on the occasion of the ‘Swayat Sasan Divas’.
MlA Dr RC Chyaupatnaik said that the Rs 450-crore drinking water supply project undertaken by the larson and Tubro Company would be completed by November 2018 and the drinking water crisis in the city would be resolved. All the MPs, Ministers and MlAs of the district were present.
Before addressing the public meeting, the Chief Minister attended a party programme, “Aam Gaon Ama Vikash”, at Golla Jagannathpur village in Bhavinipur GP under Kukudakhandi block of Gopalpur Assembly constituency.
Patnaik inaugurated more than 50 citizen-friendly welfare projects at different places. He also discussed threadbare on his party BJD’s organisational matters with senior party leaders and workers of the district ahead of urban polls and 2019 general elections.
The inaugurated projects include ODRP Road Package-1, Parks under “Amrut”, a hygienic fish market, street light projects, water supply pipe line, urban PHCs, vending zones and community buildings in Brahampur. Patnaik too laid foundation-stone for “City Commercial Center” at Ambapur.
From BMC office, the Chief Minister went by road to the State Bank Road where he inaugurated the renovated first e-Public library, City livelihood Center building and “Suvidha-One Stop Urbon Solution Center”.
Besides, Patnaik also distributed social security benefits to 671 persons, houses to 682 beneficiaries under Rajiv Awas Yojana, AlF to 64 persons and Street-Vendor ID cards to 51 persons.
His visit also witnessed disruptions as Congress and BJP activists held protest meetings alleging that citizens of the heritage city are neither getting adequate drinking water nor having proper road nor sanitation systems. They too alleged that the Government has failed to provide jobs to lakhs of youths residing in the city.
The BJP said high sounding schemes like modern sewerage system, solid waste management plant, mosquito eradication mechanism to prevent dengue and swine- flue, ring road, Gajapati Plaza, Haladiapadar bus terminal have only remained a myth and they were made for sheer propaganda of the BJD by hoodwinking people.
BJP workers showed black flags to the CM at the City High School Road while the police had taken some BJP workers into custody as preventive a measure.
The district administration had put in place an unprecedented security arrangement by deploying 30 platoons of police force.