Odisha To Build Second Bridge Over Brahmani, If Centre Fails: CM

Bhubaneswar: The state government would build a second bridge over
river Brahmani, if the Centre failed to begin its construction work,
said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday.

Following a meeting with a delegation led by senior BJD legislator
Mangala Kisan at secretariat here, the Chief Minister said,
“Construction of new bridge near Rourkela has become necessary as the
existing ones have weakened owing to load of heavy traffic. Therefore, the government will discuss the issue with the Centre and take steps in this regard accordingly.”

In the evening, Naveen also shot a letter to Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari, demanding expeditious completion of the second bridge over Brahmani.

On Sunday, hundreds of BJD workers had staged a demonstration at
Panposh Square in Sundargarh district protesting inordinate delay in
starting construction work on the proposed bridge.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced twice about the construction
of a second bridge over the river. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari laid
the foundation for the same in July this year and assured that the
work would be started within fifteen days. But nothing has been done
so far,” former Rourkela Sarada Nayak had said.

Naveen’s announcement is viewed in political circles as a move to checkmate BJP’s ploy to make the second bridge over Brahmani an issue and take credit for it. With Monday’s developments, the BJP-led central government would be forced to released funds for the much-awaited project, failing which the ruling BJD can raise the central neglect bogey yet again and derive political gain out of it. “Both ways the BJD now stands to benefit. If the Centre gives the funds, Naveen takes the mileage. If it doesn’t then the state government funds the project, putting the BJP on the backfoot,” a political analyst said.