Bolangir: Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, ahead of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit here, has set the stage for the political discourse.
Speaking at a public gathering on the outskirts of the city here Tuesday morning, Pradhan has accused the BJD-led state government of blocking the central assistance to Bolangir and western Odisha by creating hurdles. He also accused the state of failing to undertake development work in the area.
“I wanted to ask the CM that in the last 19 years of your tenure how much irrigation facilities you have ensured for Bolangir. It is still not more than 10 per cent. Several irrigation projects have never taken off because of the apathy of the state government,” Pradhan alleged.
Pradhan also accused the state of creating hindrances in railway projects.”We are trying to build the Bolangir-Khurda rail track but it has not got the impetus it should have because the state has not provided land to us,” Pradhan pointed out.
The minister who was joined by other senior BJP leaders like KV Singh Deo, national spokesperson Sambit Patra also attacked the Naveen Patnaik-led government for not facilitating the development of highways in the state.
He said, “The Modi government wanted to construct 3,800 kms of highway roads in Odisha. Out of it 1,760 kms has been proposed and approved by the Centre for western Odisha but the state is yet to give their consent for work to start. Hence roads which would have connected the state in a better manner have not been built.”
The PM is scheduled to address two gatherings in the city. In the first programme he will inaugurate a series of events while in his second meeting he will address the public and the party workers.
The city which has been decked up with BJP flags, posters and huge Modi cutouts is all geared up to host the PM. From early in the morning, people were flocking to different parts of the city to have a glimpse of the PM and if possible attend his meetings.
PNN