Opposition Slams Odisha Govt In Assembly Over 5T Secretary’s State-Wide Chopper Visits

Bhubaneswar: Opposition BJP and Congress mounted a stinging attack on the Odisha government on Thursday over Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s statement in the Assembly regarding state-wide tours of 5T Secretary to hear public grievances.

Raising the issue during the zero hour, BJP stalwart and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Jayanarayan Mishra lashed out at the Chief Minister for sharing the amount of money spent on the chopper rides of the bureaucrat, and said no one had sought any answer on spending on helicopter visits.

While the Chief Minister has stated that Rs 40 crore was spent in the last three-and-a-half years on the chopper visits, there is no information about money spent on security arrangements, erection of tents and mobilising people, Mishra said.

The BJP leader, who also spoke to reporters outside the House, further claimed that helicopter was used by the 5T Secretary to attend an MLA’s wedding and the 11th-day rituals of another legislator’s father. He sought to know the reason.

He further claimed that the 5T Secretary used the helicopter booked in Minister Pradip Amat’s name to travel to Cuttack.

Sharpening his attack on the government, the firebrand BJP leader sought to know as to how one particular officer can be described as the CMO.

Hitting out at the government in same vein, leader of the Congress Legislative Party Narasingha Mishra referred to the demonstrations being held by different associations at Lower PMG in Bhubaneswar to raise their respective demands.

The government in the Assembly claimed that the CMO is going to several districts to address people’s grievances, but many people are staging protest in the state capital, he said.

The Congress stalwart also sought to know as to why the CMO it not hearing people’s plight at Lower PMG in the capital city.

Countering the opposition onslaught, BJD MLA and former Minister Arun Sahoo said development process has been accelerated following the novel exercise adopted by the state government.