BHUBANESWAR: Union Minister of State for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Mansukh Lal Mandaviya on Wednesday criticised the State Government for the delay in land acquisition and grant of statutory clearances for infrastructure projects.
Several National Highway (NH) projects in Odisha and West Bengal could not be implemented due to non-cooperation of respective state governments. Delay in acquisition of land is the major problem for NH projects while some others are languishing due to lack of forest clearance, the Union Minister said.
While the Centre and the State are at loggerhead over the delay in execution of the much hyped coastal highway project, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has been blaming the State Government for its failure to provide necessary clearances to the project.
Mandaviya who was on a day’s visit to the State on party programme came down heavily on the BJD Government for its refusal to implement Ayushman Bharat, the largest health care programme of the Narendra Modi Government.
“The State Government is not implementing the scheme as it fears that the Prime Minister will take all credit ahead of the General Elections,” he said and requested the State to accept the scheme which will benefit to Odias living outside Odisha.
He, however, thanked the Government for sending a list of 12 lakh farmers to the Centre for financial assistance under PM-KISAN, the livelihood augmentation programme.
Earlier in the day, the Union Minister addressed a Vijay Sankalp Samabesh, a rally of BJP workers, at Baripada in Mayurbhanj district. He also had an interactive session with IT professionals under Bharat Ki Mann Ki Baat programme.