BHUBANESWAR: Criticising the State Government for announcing a special package for Bijepur, the BJP on Saturday alleged that not a single promise of the old package announced by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in 2017 for this Assembly segment has been fulfilled. Dubbing the special package as the first action of political chicanery in the fifth term of BJD Government, newly-elected BJP MLA from Sambalpur Jayanarayan Mishra said the Chief Minister had made similar announcement before the by-election to Bijepur in 2017.
Claiming that not a single project of the 2017 package has been launched, Mishra dared the Chief Minister to declare the status of the package announced by him prior to the by-election. Amid speculation of the Chief Minister resigning from Bijepur, the BJP leader said a political agenda behind this second package is clearly visible. “There is nothing new in the package announced by the Chief Minister after coming to power. He has repackaged his earlier promises to deceive the people again. Such gimmicks will not work this time,” Mishra said.
Recalling the State Government’s announcement to implement the Odisha’s first underground pipeline-based irrigation system for Bijepur in Bargarh district, Mishra said the people have the right to know about the progress of the project which was named as Gangadhar Meher Lift Canal System. The project estimated to cost Rs 1,246 crore would irrigate a gross command area of about 32,000 hectares (ha) including 25,600 ha in Kharif and 7,000 ha in Rabi season.
Earlier, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik had criticised the Chief Minister for playing cheap politics with the people of Bijepur. Urging the Chief Minister to refrain from playing cheap politics, the Congress leader alleged that the BJD supremo has announced the package keeping the by-election of Bijepur in mind.
Taking exception to the new package, the OPCC chief said being the Chief Minister of the State, it is not right on Naveen’s part to give special treatment to his Assembly constituencies.In his new package for Bijepur, the Chief Minister had announced among other things conversion of 34,000 kutcha houses into pucca ones, two mega pipe water supply schemes to be executed at an estimated cost of `1,120 crore and a mega lift irrigation project to provide irrigation to 3,000 acres of agriculture land.