BHUBANESWAR: With no response from the State Government to the Centre’s proposal for construction of a memorial in commemoration of Paika Rebellion, senior BJP leader Biswa Bhusan Harichandan on Tuesday urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to expedite the process of land allotment for the project.
The State Government is yet to respond to the request of Union Minister of State for Culture Mahesh Sharma for providing 50 acre land, either in Khurda or in foothills of Barunei, to construct a permanent infrastructure on completion of 200 years of Paika Rebellion, Harichandan told a media conference.
Six months after the letter was written to the Chief Minister, the Union Minister is yet to get any response from the State Government, he regretted.
Writing to the Chief Minister in March this year, Sharma had requested him to identify 50 acre land for the memorial. He has also proposed to set up a chair in memory of Paika Rebellion at Utkal University.
Harichandan said the issue has been taken up by Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan with the Chief Minister several times, but the latter is still non-committal. While the Centre is ready to extend financial assistance for the project, the IOCL Trust has provided `60 crore. He urged the Chief Minister to expedite the process of land allotment without further delay.