Biju Patnaik Took No Time To Create 17 New Dists, Why Naveen Seeking One Year For Padampur? Asks Suresh Pujari

Bhubaneswar: Hours after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik took a jibe at Union Ministers over pre-poll promises during this visit to Padampur, BJP leader Suresh Pujari on Sunday questioned the lack of courtesy on the part of the state government which he claimed ignored the elected representatives during the programme at three places under Bargarh constituency.

“Is he not aware that Padampur is an assembly constituency under Bargarh? Elected representatives are not being invited in aberration to the norms of democracy which advocate the inclusion of MP and MLAs of a particular constituency in all welfare programmes being carried out,” he said.

The Bargarh MP further said that they got to know about the CM’s visit from the media.

“A railway line can propel development in Padampur. The Railway Ministry has accorded in-principle approval to Bargarh-Nuapada new rail line via Padampur but the state government is yet to complete the survey and land acquisition process even after a year. Odisha Rail Infrastructure Development Limited (ORIDL) was assigned the task and it had assured to complete it in six months,” he alleged.

Talking about farmers’ problems, he said that the government has not sent any proposal for setting up irrigation facilities in the region to the Centre in the last 22 years despite repeated reminders.

He questioned the one-year time period to accord district status to Padampur. “It is a matter of two minutes. Biju Patnaik had taken decisions as and when demands were made and created 17 new districts in 1993, taking the number of districts from 13 to 30. It has taken Naveen Patnaik 23 years to take the number to 31. Elections will be held within a year and there is no guarantee that BJD will be back in power, so why give such false assurance to the people of the constituency?” he asked.

Pujari further said that the government is upgrading healthcare facilities but there are no doctors to attend to the patients at PHC and CHC. Schools are also in a deplorable state in the district with no buildings or teachers.

“The Centre is ready to extend help for development of this backward region. I would request the government to prepare concrete proposals for the constituency and I take the responsibility of getting those approved by the Centre and also funds for the same,” he added.