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Bhubaneswar: Amid allegations that local leaders were not invited to the inauguration of the overhead water tank project at Buhalo Panchayat under Nischintakoili block of Cuttack district by BJD’s Kendrapara MP Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda; the local panchayat samiti chairperson along with her supporters have also cried foul over MPLAD funds not being spent properly.
Nischintakoili Panchayat Samiti chairperson Sabita Ojha and her supporters met BJD Supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today alleging MP Panda is not maintaining any contact with party leaders and is not providing any project to the block under the MPLAD fund.
"He is violating the government guidelines by not providing MPLAD funds since last four years. Neither is he in touch with any member of the BJD," said Sabita.
Patnaik said, "The people of Mahanga have come to meet me. They have given me a memorandum of their complaints. I will enquire about the matter."
In response to the allegations, Baijayant’s political secretary Jyoti Prakash Ghose said there is no such guideline to provide projects under the MPLAD fund. It is provided keeping in view the needs of people, he added.
Ghose also cleared the air on the controversy over the overhead water tank inauguration programme at Buhalo saying formal invitations were sent to everyone to attend the event but they did not support the project for some reason. People have understood who is working for them, he added.
Also read: Jay Panda’s project inauguration: Dust settles, storm ensues
Earlier on January 8, BJD’s Nischintakoili block president Ramakanta Mohanty and Panchayat Samiti chairperson Sabita Ojha in a letter to the Cuttack Collector had sought cancellation of permission granted for the programme scheduled on January 11. They also marked a copy of the letter to Chief Minister, DGP, Home Secretary and Cuttack (Rural) SP.
They had alleged that Panda is not in touch with local residents and there is resentment among them which is likely to take an ugly shape as the MP is holding the programme with help of anti-party people.
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