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Naveen lays stone for two projects

CUTTACK: Exactly five years ago Chief Minister Mr Naveen Patnaik laid foundation stone of 17 projects in Cuttack city just before the 2003 civic body polls. Repeating what he did last time, Mr Patnaik on Wednesday also laid foundation stone for two more projects in the city, just when the civic polls are around.

But what irks the people of the Millennium City is that out of 17 proposed projects in 2003; only three have seen the light of the day while remaining projects are still nonstarter.

Even foundation stones of those projects have now vanished from the spot where they were laid with much fanfare five years ago.

Alleging that Naveen Patnaik government had been constantly neglecting Cuttack city for last eight years, activists of NCP opposed his visit by holding a black-flag demonstration at Press Square on NH-5. “At least 40 NCP activists were taken under preventive custody, who were released later in the day after the Chief Minister left the city,” said the city DCP.

Laying the foundation stone for Rs 6 crore Construction Training Academy at Gopalpur on the outskirts of the city and Rs 29 crore Flyover Bridge at Nuabazar in the city, Mr Patnaik refuted the allegations that the city has been neglected by his government. “Orissa’s development depends on development of Cuttack city and my government cannot neglect the Millennium city”, the Chief Minister said.

“For an integrated development of Cuttack, IIT Kharagpur has been asked to prepare a comprehensive plan where priority would be given to provide all basic civic amenities to the 2030 projected population of the city,” Mr Patnaik said. He admitted that the roads, drainage and sewerage of the thousand-year-old city are in a dilapidated condition.

Speaking on the occasion, Works Minister A.U. Singhdeo said the proposed construction training academy to come up at Gopalpur would impart training to artisans including masons, carpenters, technicians, architects and computer professionals to be part of infrastructure development of the State.

Local MLA Pravat Biswal, who personally took interest in bringing the two projects in his constituency, said traffic in the eastern parts of the city would be greatly eased by the flyover bridge on Old Jagannath Road. “The bridgewould be completed within two years,” he said Wednesday’s meeting was, however, a grand success for the ruling party in Cuttack Sadar where more than 10,000 people attended the public meeting at Nuabazar.

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