Senior Congress leader and former PCC president Niranjan Patnaik on Wednesday accused the BJD Government of continuously neglecting Cuttack city.
Patnaik in an article said, “When I first became a Minister, I had dreamt of making the Mahanadi riverside as beautiful as the Mumbai Marine drive. But at that point, there was not enough money with the State Governments anywhere in the country. The Central flow of funds was also limited. There was a devastating flood in Odisha in 1982. I was the Irrigation Minister. I managed to get money from the Central Government and build the ring dam for flood protection of the city. The ring dam also created a beautiful riverside and we got nearly 2000 acres of additional land, where Abhinab Bidanashi or CDA area has come up.”
“When I came today, I was aghast to see a grotesque structure coming up by the riverside. In no civilised country, any Government would allow such destruction of natural beauty. Was it absolutely necessary to supply water to an oil company from NarajIJ Was there totally no alternativeIJ Do not people of Cuttack have a right over natural beautyIJ If a pipeline is absolutely to be laid, could not it have been underground so that the river view and the silhouette are not destroyedIJ Mr Naveen Patnaik is supposed to be a londoner. He has visited many countries. Does he know of any country where a Government would let the river view be changed by a grotesque and monstrous pipelineIJ” he asked.
“We are being told that the Hon’ble High Court has permitted the pipelines. The HC has neither given permission nor entered into any agreement with any oil company; the State Government has. The HC has only accepted the decision of the State Government adding a few conditions like dredging sand from a 6.5-km stretch of the river from Naraj to Jobra and construction of the dam. The point is if the State Government had asked the company to build a reservoir downstream, would the HC have said noIJ”
A second issue Niranjan Patnaik raised is the ongoing demolition of temples and monasteries in Cuttack.
“The litigation was going on in the HC for the last three years. What was the State Government doing during that periodIJ Could they not have discussed these people with the people of Cuttack and found a solution. In Rourkela, there is a Hnuman Batika, where all the temples are located in a patch of land. If it was possible in Rourkela, could it not have been possible in CuttackIJ Many temples could have been relocated. I am not in favour of encroachment of Government land. My point is that keeping in mind the religious beliefs and rights of citizens, the Government should make available necessary land for temples, mosques and churches.”
A third issue he raised is the expectation of the State Government that once the JAICA project is implemented, people of Cuttack will forget and forgive the manner in the which the city is being neglected.
“We have a peculiar situation where a town bus under JNURM comes to Cuttack being introduced only under the High Court direction and steps are taken to deal with mosquito menace under court direction. Why should the HC intervene to set right the neglect of Cuttack each timeIJ The JAICA project was sanctioned in 2008, but the foundation-stone was laid in October 2012. Work on the project has still not started. How can it be completed and all the drains made underground by 2014IJ Out of the initial estimate of Rs 754.44 crore, JAICA is to provide Rs 624.65 crore as soft loan. The loan will be repaid in 40 years and the interest rate will be 0.75%, the lowest possible. But because of incompetence and neglect of the Government the project has made no headway. Now, the project cost has increased to Rs 1,500 crore. Who is responsible for all theseIJ”
Patnaik pointed out that a major problem in Cuttack is the lack of job opportunities and scope of businesses growth. “We had started the Jagatpur and Khapuria industrial estates. What has the BJD Government doneIJ It has provided prime land in the bank of Kathjodi to Ravishankar University at throwaway price. What is the progress of the projectIJ How many people for Cuttack will get jobs thereIJ”