Ahead Of Gurupriya Bridge Inauguration, Police Pick Up 5 Cong Workers

Malkangiri: To prevent any untoward incident during Chitrakonda Bandh call given by the state Congress, opposing inauguration of Gurupriya bridge by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday, the police on Wednesday picked up five workers from the District Congress Office.

Protesting against the Chief Minister’s, senior Congress leader and former MP Pradip Majhi had said that the BJD, during its 18-year rule, had done nothing for the people, especially the tribals of Malkangiri district.

Terming the inauguration of the Gurupriya bridge a political gimmick, he had said that the people of Malkangiri district are aware of the BJD government’s double standards.

Meanwhile, the district administration is busy making the necessary arrangements for the inauguration of the bridge at about 11 am.

Works minister Prafulla Mallick and secretary Nalinikanta Pradhan reviewed the arrangements on Wednesday while District Collector and SP assessed the security situation.

Six battalions of security personnel, including the BSF and the Black Cat commandos, have been deployed in the area in view of Maoist threat.

“The Gurupriya bridge built at a cost of Rs 472 crore would facilitate road connectivity to about 30,000 people of two panchayats in the cut-off area of Chitrakonda block. Besides, the bridge would expedite development works in this remote area,” the minister told mediapersons here.