Rourkela: BJP leader Dillip Ray has raised a demand for district status to Rourkela. He put forth this demand before Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Raising the issue in the Assembly, he said that 25 years ago when the late Biju Patnaik was Chief Minister, the number of districts in the state was increased from 13 to 30.
“Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik should at least carve out three more districts. During the rule of Biju Babu, three big districts like Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar were not split. Puri was divided into three, Cuttack four, Sambalpur four and Koraput four,” he pointed out.
Ray also said that all other districts were reorganised into smaller ones. “Biju Babu used to think how to ensure good administration. If Biju Babu’s government had been voted to power in 1995, his government would have split these three bigger districts. As Janata Dal did not return to power, district reorganisation has got stuck,” he said.
Replying to the question of the BJP leader, revenue minister Maheswar Mohanty said there is no proposal with the government to declare Rourkela a district, and to split Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts.
Ray has drawn the attention of the Chief Minister regarding this, citing that the government has accorded Rourkela a police district, and had appointed an SP for it.
The Steel City has an office of the ADM and other infrastructural necessities for a district headquarters. He also said that many MLAs and people’s representatives of blocks and municipality want to see Rourkela made a district.
Ray argued that the reorganisation of these districts will ensure streamlining of the administration.
PNN
