Rise above politics for Odisha’s growth, Dharmendra Pradhan tells Naveen Patnaik

JAJPUR: Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday called upon Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to rise above politics and extend the hand of cooperation to bring about all-round development of Odisha. He said this while laying the foundation stones for two LNG pipelines of 600 km at Haripur in Sukinda area of the district.

“If Naveen Babu takes one step, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will go three steps ahead. We are ever ready for development of Odisha, keeping politics at bay,” said Pradhan. The pipelines included Dhamara-Angul 36 inch main line and Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Paradeep 12 inch spur line. The Union Minister attributed the project under Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga as a new year’s gift to the people of Odisha from the Prime Minister.

Pradhan advised the State Government not to spent district mineral fund (DMF) in State Government sponsored Ahar Yojana or `1 kg rice scheme for cheap popularity.

After the Supreme Court held that the affected people are the real stake holders of the DMF fund, the Prime Minister made a mechanism that the DMF will be spent only in the respective district. Pradhan further said Tata Steel should come forward to set up an automobile industry in the State so that many downline and ancillary industries could be set up. “We don’t have any objection if Tata Group makes profit out of its business in Odisha. But, the company should not forget that it is required to spend a portion of its profit towards CSR activities in the State,” he said.

The Union Minister said the pipeline project of Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) would provide employment to 2,000 youths of the locality directly and 10,000 indirectly. The GAIL has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with four ancillary companies which will impart skill development training to the local youths who will repair, restore and maintain the pipelines.

Stating that `5000 crore will be invested for the pipeline project, he said `2000 crore of the fund is estimated to be invested in development of human resources. In first phase, `1700 crore will be invested in Compressed Gas Distribution (CGD) 100-km pipeline in Cuttack-Bhubaneswar. The project is expected to create huge employment opportunity for the local youths and boost Odisha’s economy, he added.

Initially, natural gas will reach Bhubaneswar in special containers called “cascades” which will be transported on road from Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh. Later, natural gas will be supplied through 2655 km long Jagdishpur-Haldia and Bokaro-Dhamra natural gas pipeline, popularly known as the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga. Sukinda MLA and BJD leader Pritiranjan Ghadei and a host of officials attended the function.