President of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Niranjan Patnaik has requested Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to spend at least two nights in the Maoist affected Malkangiri district to review implementation of development works.
“The Chief Minister should be the last one to worry about his security. Is he worried that he would be abducted? If not, why he does not review work here nor spend a night,” Patnaik said in a release issued here.
A delegation of the State Congress led by Patnaik on Saturday visited Kalimela block of Malkangiri district where more than 60 elected panchayatiraj representatives had resigned en masse last week alleging lack of development of the area. Nabarangpur MP Pradeep Majhi, former minister Narasingha Mishra and former MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati were among others in the delegation.
The Congress leaders asked Maoists to abjure violence and return to the mainstream of society. They alleged that while the Centre has provided all possible support, the State Government has ignored development of the area.
Patnaik said under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), the district has received Rs 35.39 crore till February this year, but only Rs 14.78 crore has been spent. Out of 3024 units sanctioned under the Indira Awas Yojana, just over 30 houses have been built. Under Integrated Action Plan, the district has received ` 85 crore but only Rs 55 cr has been spent.
Malkangiri has as many as 36 health centres apart from the district headquarters hospital but they remain non-functional as 40 doctor posts, including specialists, are lying vacant against the sanctioned strength of 87, Patnaik said.
Patnaik said road projects worth Rs 460 crore of public works department and Rs 630 crore under the PMGSY are yet to take off. Majhi asked the people to throw an incompetent and corrupt BJD Government out of power.
Mishra criticised the State Government for its failure to build a bridge over river Gurupriya.
