BHUBANESWAR: In response to the charge levelled by Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan that Odisha Government has become a stumbling block for implementation of projects sanctioned by the Centre, the ruling BJD on Saturday shot off 20 questions to him and the BJP.
Alleging that the Ujjwala has been a complete failure in Odisha, head of the BJD IT cell Amar Patnaik, spokespersons Sasmit Patra and Manas Mangaraj asked the Union Minister why he is not putting up the list of beneficiaries under the scheme in the Ministry’s website. More than 80 per cent of the beneficiaries are not refilling cylinders as per the reply of the Minister in Parliament, they said and added that there is large scale corruption in its implementation.
Stating that price of petrol in 2014, when the crude oil price was 112 dollar per barrel was the same as now when the rate of crude oil is 58 dollar per barrel, the BJD leaders asked why petrol rate has not been reduced.
The Centre generates revenue of `20,000 crore per year, but the expenditure in this sector is only `2,000 per year, they said and asked where the rest of the money is being spent. The BJD leaders alleged that it took four years for the Centre to lay foundation stone for four-laning of the highways. “How many years, the Centre will take to complete the projects,” they asked.
The State Government launched Aahar Yojana in 2015 and signed memorandum of understanding with GAIL and MCL, but overnight the two corporation withdrew from the scheme. “The Union Minister should reply under whose pressure the corporations withdrew from the scheme and whether the CSR funds of the two companies were spent in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh,” they demanded.
Besides, the coal royalty for Odisha has not been revised since 2015 for which the State is losing about `2,000 crore per year, they said and asked for whose selfish interest it is not being revised. Stating that IOCL project at Paradip was the contribution of former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and UPA Government at the Centre, the BJD leaders asked what is Pradhan’s contribution to the completion of the refinery.
Pointing out that the BJP had promised special category State status for Odisha in its 2014 election manifesto, the BJD leaders asked why it is yet to be granted.