ROURKELA: Shortly after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed willingness to construct the second Brahmani bridge at Rourkela in the event of delay by the Centre, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram on Monday hit back at the CM and ruling BJD.
Talking to this paper, Jual claimed that the NHAI concessionaire Gammon Infrastructure had pulled out of the NH-143 expansion project, including construction of second Brahmani bridge due to failure of the State Government in land acquisition. He asked where was the Chief Minister then and why did the BJD not hold protest? Jual also criticised the Congress-led UPA Government for awarding work to Gammon Infrastructure on PPP mode without obtaining mandatory clearances.
Jual said necessary fund has been sanctioned for the six-lane second Brahmani bridge and NH-143 expansion work and the project would definitely come up.On Sunday, BJD activists, led by Sundargarh district working president and Rourkela Development Authority Chairman Sarda Prasad Nayak, had held a protest meeting to flay the delay over the bridge project after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April 2015 officially announced to complete it. Modi as BJP prime ministerial candidate had also promised it in April 2014.
Union Road Transport and National Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari had laid the foundation for the six-lane second Brahmani bridge at Rourkela on July 21. Following NHAI’s failure to start work after Gadkari’s visit to Rourkela, BJP MLA Dilip Ray had expressed his dissatisfaction and asserted that he would take up the issue with Gadkari.Both Jual and Ray have met the Prime Minister and Gadkari multiple times, but to little avail.