BHUBANESWAR: State BJP vice-president Bhrugu Baxipatra expressed his anguish over the step-motherly treatment of the State government to the southern Odisha districts in Covid-19 management.
The leader said Chief Minister’s announcement of Rs 25 crore special package for Western Odisha Development Council (WODC) to manage the Covid situation in 10 western Odisha districts once again proved his lack of concern for the southern districts including undivided Koraput which are equally affected by the pandemic.
“South Odisha continues to receive step-motherly treatment from the Odisha government despite the fact that Chief Minister’s home district falls in this region,” Baxipatra said.
He further added that the government seems to have forgotten the seven districts in Southern Odisha.
The oxygen plant sanctioned out of the PM-Cares fund in August 2020 for MKCG Medical College and Hospital, Berhampur was made operational on May 21, 2021.
The Chief Minister dedicated the liquid medical oxygen plant of the hospital last month.
Baxipatra said that the Centre sanctioned Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen generation plant for Kandhamal long back but the same is yet to see the light of the day.
“As usual the State government blamed the Centre for the delay in setting up the oxygen plant but never took the initiative to expedite the process. I agree that the Centre has appointed vendors for setting up of the PSA oxygen plants sanctioned under PM-Cares. But what was the State government doing for nearly a year? It woke up only when the demand for oxygen turned acute and started blaming the Centre for the current situation,” he said.
After Koraput, Nabarangpur, one of the most backward and worst Covid affected districts, was sanctioned a PSA oxygen plant by the Centre recently.
He urged the State government to ensure that the two oxygen plants are set up in time.