At a time when the Chief Minister is demanding more allocation for completion of ongoing railway projects ahead of the Nabakalebar festival, the Assembly Committee headed by the Speaker constituted for pressing State’s demands before the Centre has not submitted the memorandum to it. The Railway Budget will be presented in the Parliament on February 26.
Sources said since the Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not give appointments to meet the committee, it failed to hand over the memorandum to them. Government Chief Whip in the Assembly Ananta Das said had the Union Government given us time to meet them, we would have certainly submitted the memorandum to them. It has already been prepared by us.
However, the Opposition parties have trashed the Government claims. leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Narsingha Mishra said, “The Centre not giving appointments could be one of the reasons. When the State Government has not prepared the report, blaming Centre for this is baseless. The Assembly Committee has met once on Khordha-Balangir railway project. It has not discussed anything regarding the memorandum on Railway Budget.”
If the memorandum had been prepared, he would have come to know. If it was ready then it could have been delivered through postal service despite Centre not giving appointments, Mishra added.
“The State Government has posted three Resident Commissioners in New Delhi. They could have scheduled appointments and met them on behalf of the Assembly Committee. Now the question arises, how many times they have met the Centre on thisIJ’’ BJP state unit President KV Singh deo questioned.