Sambalpur: Anticipating trouble, police on Sunday arrested 10 BJP activists hours before the visit of chief minister Naveen Patnaik to Sambalpur city.
Sources said the chief minister arrived at the city in a helicopter. Soon after, he left for IIM, Sambalpur, at Sambalpur University to address at its second convocation ceremony.
From there, he would visit the Hirakud Dam and inaugurate the newly-constructed 2.5 km long Sapne bridge which connects Rengali block in Sambalpur with Lakhanpur block in Jharsuguda running over the Ib river, a tributary of the Mahanadi river, which flows directly into Hirakud Dam Reservoir. The bridge will reduce travel time considerably between Sambalpur and Belpahar and Lakhanpur in Jharsuguda district. This bridge, built at a cost of Rs 117.49 crore, had been a long-standing demand of the people of both the districts.
The bride connections the Sapne village under Salat Panchayat in Sambalpur district with Talabarna village under Rampela Panchayat in Jharsuguda district.
With the construction of the bridge, the people of Jharsuguda district, who used to commute to Sambalpur from Rampela Ghat crossing the reservoir from one side to the other, will now commute easily on the bridge. The Harihar temple situated near the bridge, gives ample evidence of the existence of Rampela, a village known for its ancient heritage, which is now submerged in the Hirakud reservoir.
Besides, the chief minister will lay the foundation stone of Rengali-Sapne by-pass road besides distributing gifts and essential commodities to the beneficiaries under various development schemes. The Chief Minister will also address a public meeting at Jogipali.
