Targeting the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation and the Odisha government, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday staged a black mask protest in front of the civic body office.
Members of the saffron party including leaders like Babu Singh and Jagannath Pradhan wore black masks and staged dharna alleging that the BMC has duped the city residents on Self Government Day (Aug 31).
Odisha celebrates Self Governance Day every year on Aug 31 to mark the beginning of local governance in urban areas where the residents pay a fee to the civic body in return of services like water, waste management, road etc.
However, the BJP has alleged that despite remaining in the government for the last 22 years, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has failed to provide basic services to the Bhubaneswar residents.
Speaking from the protest site, BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan said, “Poor drainage has been marring the Bhubaneswar residents since ages which is the major cause of urban floods we face every rains. However, the BJD-led BMC has absolutely failed to give the people even the slightest of respite from it.”
Bhubaneswar District BJP President, Babu Singh said, “22 years is not a short period. It is enough to catapult a town into a vibrant self-sustainable city. Bhubaneswarites have fed up with this government. And if they do not mend ways we will have to take extreme steps to make them change their approach.”