Both the Congress and the BJP have come down heavily against the undue haste and timing of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s foundation stone laying for a large number of projects in Dhenkanal district on Monday last.
Patnaik, accompanied by party colleagues and local leaders like MP Tathagata Satpathy, MlAs Nabin Nanda, Prafulla Mallick, Nrusingha Charan Sahu and Anjali Behera etc, had a hectic tour of the district on Monday and laid foundation stones for a large number of projects in various blocks.
The projects included construction of high level bridges over the Ramiala river at Hatuary Road, Khatakhura and Bhairapur road, a bridge over Damsal stream on NH-200, railway over bridge at Ranapasi level crossing, statistical office building at Kamakhyanagar, cyclone shelter centers at Kamakhyanagar, Bhuban, Kankadahad and Parjang, piped water supply at Baruan, 300-bed hostel for ST students at Kantol, a hostel at Kapilash Girls School, bridges over Badjore and lingara and 200 seated boys’ hostel for SC and ST students at Rasol in Hindol. Besides, the Chief Minister distributed cycles and cheques to construction labourers and distributed pattas among the homeless.
Reacting over the development, former Minister and former District Congress president Nabin Chandra Narayandas said Patnaik has all but started a mammoth election campaigning by spending huge amount of money from the Government exchequer and misusing the Government machineries well ahead of the poll dates are to be declared.
Former BJP district president Deepak Prasad Pattnaik also joined the chorus staying that the foundation stones for various projects were laid at undue haste keeping the upcoming polls in mind. He said that two projects, Baji Rout Setu at Bhuban and a railway over bridge at Rameswarpur, for which the Chief Minister had laid foundation stones 10 years and 5 years back respectively, were yet to be completed.
“If the Chief Minister is so keen for the development of Odisha, he should be joining more inauguration ceremonies of various projects than foundation stone laying ceremonies,” said the BJP leader, adding that the Sanskrit Bhawan constructed at around `90 lakh in Dhenkanal district headquarters town was lying unutilised with its inauguration having been delayed for last three years due to political reasons.