Idol maker to walk to Delhi to meet Modi

A 29-year-old idol maker here on Saturday announced to walk down from Rourkela to New Delhi as a mark of protest against delays in construction of a second Brahamani bridge and a medical college cum super special hospital in Rourkela on completion of three years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's promise for the two projects.

Muktikanta Biswal, a resident of Kharia Bahal basti of Sector 2 area of the city, while speaking to mediapersons here claimed that since already three years have been completed to the promise of the PM, he has decided to march down to Delhi to remind him.

He also claimed that he would meet the Prime Minister in New Delhi and would remind him of his promise to the Rourkelites. "I have made a detail plan of my marching down to New Delhi, as I would be starting at about 7 am on April16, from sector 2 square towards New Delhi," Biswal said.

"As per my route chart, I will proceed via Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to New Delhi, and propose to walk about 26 kms daily," Biswal informed.

"The total distance is estimated to about 1,538 km and I expect to reach New Delhi maximum within two months," Biswal said. He also claimed that the idea of marching down to Delhi is completely of his own and he would also bear the expenditure of his tour from his own fund. Muktikanta claimed that this is his love for the mother land, which persuaded him to walk to New Delhi. "I am a common man and I have no interest in politics but inordinate delay of two major projects made me take the decision," Biswal said. "I have also submitted a letter to the Sundargarh Collector and the Rourkela SP recently, giving details of my route chart and tour programme to New Delhi," Biswal added.

Significantly, on April 1, 2015, Prime Minister Modi, while addressing a large

gathering at Rourkela, had assured the public of the construction of the second Brahamani bridge and upgradation of the Ispat General Hospital to a super specialty hospital cum medical college.