A day before Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik scheduled to hold investment road show in New Delhi on Wednesday, BJP MLAs protested in the State Assembly accusing the State Government of doing self-publicity and promotion over attracting investment to Odisha on Tuesday resulting in several adjournments.The BJP MLAs created ruckus in the Well of the House protesting against the alleged non-cooperation of the State Government in implementation of various Central projects worth crores.
“The State Government has failed to acquire land for the proposed Rs 9,700 crore NTPC project at Talcher. And the Prime Minister is visiting Talcher on September 22 to lay stone for the project. But the Chief Minister is going to Delhi to attract private investors to set up projects in Odisha. It is mere a farce,” said BJP MLA Pradeep Purohit.“The investment meet is nothing but a platform of self publicity and promotion for the ruling party,” alleged Purohit.
Alleging that the State Government has miserably failed in executing several proposed projects in different sectors like power, MSME, national highway, education and railways, Purohit said that out of 92 MoUs worth Rs 5.68 lakh crore between 2004 and 2018 by the State Government, a mere 46 proposals have been materialised so far.
Questioning the State Government’s intention for not resolving the law and order issues occurred at IMFA and JK Paper Mill and also inordinate delay in transferring land for permanent campus of IIM, Sambalpur, Kuchinda MLA Rabi Naik wondered how under such a circumstance the Chief Minister is visiting across country to attract investors.
He also lashed out at the State Government for not completing land acquisition for the Khurda-Bolangir and Talcher-Bimalgarh rail lines. “Under such circumstances, where many proposed, new and old projects, factories are facing Government apathy, how the CM could visit New Delhi to attract new investors to Odisha. It is nothing but self promotion and publicity,” rued Naik.
