Baijayant unveils water tank amid tight security

KENDRAPARA: Kendrapara MP Baijayant Panda, who was suspended from BJD four months back, inaugurated a water tank at Purosottampur village under Marsaghai block in the district amid tight security on Thursday.

Palpable tension also prevailed in the village after some miscreants damaged the inaugural plaque of the project. Security has been tightened at Purosottampur and its nearby areas after a group of BJD supporters, led by Marsaghai block Chairperson Sitalata Parida, opposed the inauguration of the water tank by staging a dharna near the project site, said Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Rajiv Lochan Panda. Baijayant said, “Some miscreants are trying to stop all the development projects in Kendrapara. They attacked some of my supporters at Purosottampur on Thursday.

Nobody has right to prevent me from development works in my parliamentary constituency with MPLAD fund. To provide drinking water in rural areas, I have already built 57 water tanks with a capacity of one lakh litre each and it will solve water scarcity problem in the constituency. Since 2015, the BJD-led State Government was running smoothly. But for the last three years, anti-social activities have increased in the State.”

However, Parida said the project was earlier inaugurated on February 7. Local BJD leaders had first placed the demand for a water tank in the village before MLA and former minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak in 2015. Later, the MP sanctioned fund from MPLAD for the project, she added. On the other hand, Aul Block Chairperson of Jharana Das along with BJD leaders hurriedly inaugurated a water tank built with MPLAD fund at Sansidaa village a day before its inauguration by Baijayant on Friday. Jyoti Prakash Ghose, political secretary of Baijayant, said, “The MP has spent `28 lakh to construct the water tank at Sansida village.

The project is all set for inauguration by the MP on Friday, but some persons non-officially unveiled the project which is a clear violation of MPLAD guidelines framed by the Centre. As per the guidelines, the MP should be informed about the time and venue of the inaugural function for MPLAD projects by the district administration.”