Amid tight security, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik made a whirlwind visit to his home district Ganjam to inaugurate and lay foundation stones for different developmental projects including those in Berhampur.
Ten teachers, protesting near the Berhampur town hall while the CM’s motorcade passed by, were detained by the police. Ten platoons of police and about 100 officers were deployed in and around Berhampur. This was in view of protest demonstrations and throwing of eggs at State ministers by Congress activists in recent past.
In Polasara, 32 Congress activists had been detained as preventive measure and released on personal bonds after the CM’s visit. They protested against the detention later in front of the Kavisuryanagar police station. In district headquarter town Chatrapur, 29 youth and student activists were detained, who were later released.
Mr. Patnaik arrived on a helicopter in Chatrapur and ‘air-hopped’ from place to place. He inaugurated a modern bus terminal for Berhampur constructed at a cost of Rs.12.61 crore at Haldiapadar and the new city bus terminus. He reached Haldiapadar on helicopter and took the helicopter to reach the City High School grounds a few kms away. In Berhampur, he laid the foundation stone for the Ramlingam tank and then attended the students’ union function of Khallikote University.
Before reaching Berhampur, Mr Patnaik had inaugurated several new office buildings in Chatrapur and laid foundation stone for a tennis court and a citizen pathway at the mini stadium. He again air-dashed to Polasara to attend similar ceremonies.
The Opposition Congress and BJP termed the visit as eyewash. In a joint statement, former Union Minister Chandrasekhar Sahu and general secretary of Odisha PCC Bikram Panda alleged that despite representing Ganjam district, becoming Central minister twice and four times CM of Odisha, Mr Patnaik has not yet initiated any concrete steps for development of the region. “State of his home district is evident from the fact that largest number of workers migrating are from Ganjam,” said Mr Sahu.
BJP Ganjam district president Kanhu Charan Pati listed eight burning problems of Berhampur to claim that the CM had failed to provide basic amenities and development to inhabitants of the city. “This has happened despite claims of the CM during election speeches that he was in charge of development of Berhampur and Ganjam district,” Mr Pati said.
