Bhubaneswar: In what can be seen as another sop for poll-bound Bijepur assembly segment, the state government has sanctioned a one-time sop of Rs 2.37 crore for Bijepur NAC.
According to the Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) department notification, a sum of Rs 2,37,21,000 has been allocated for the new NAC of Bargarh district.
The state government had accorded NAC tag to the poll-bound Bijepur October 25 and had issued an order for setting up of a sub-registrar office there.
According to the H&UD notification, the on-time special grand has been sanctioned for Bijepur NAC for development of infrastructure under Urban Transformation Initiative (UNNATI) scheme.
“For utilisation of the grant-in-aid the ULB has to identify the priorities, requirements and prepare project implementation plan for infrastructure development,” the department notification said.
It further said that the project implementation plan along with council resolution of the ULB has to be placed before Collector and District Magistrate through project director (PD) of the civic body concerned for approval before execution of the work.
Ever since the by-poll has been necessitated in the constituency, it appears that both the BJD government in state and BJP government at Centre are trying to outdo each other in announcing sops for the assembly segment.
Not just this grant and NAC status, the state government has also made a number of other announcements in past three months for the constituency, which include Rs 1,250-crore mega irrigation project, upgradation the Gourenmunda Sevashram in Gaisilet block of Bijepur constituency to a High School. The state, two months ago, had also inaugurated two bridges and an electric substation in the constituency.
The BJP government at Centre is also not behind in announcing sops. Last month Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan had also written a letter to Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal regarding a proposal to pass the Bargarh-Nuapada rail line through Bijepur and make provision of stoppages of two express trains at Barpali railway station.
Notification for the by-poll to the constituency, which was necessitated after Congress MLA Subal Sahu’s death August 22 this year, is yet to be issued even as it is expected that the election may take place early next month.
PNN
