Berhampur: Aproposed science park at Bikrampur under Gopalpur Assembly constituency in Ganjam district has remained a non-starter even though the project was finalised seven years back, sources said. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had laid the foundation stone, but since then there has been no progress. Locals demanded Tuesday that the park should be completed as quickly as possible as it will inculcate a sense of learning among youngsters.
Sources said that when Pradeep Panigrahi was elected Gopalpur MLA for the second time in 2014 and became the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Rural Water Supply, Higher Education, Science and Technology departments, he took the initiative for setting up a science park at Bikrampur. Panigrahi was again elected a third time from the same constituency in 2019, but then got embroiled in various controversies.
Subsequently he was axed from the BJD in 2020. Since his ouster, no one else has taken the initiative. Locals alleged that the project has been shelved despite the Odisha government providing land. They alleged that the Centre has always neglected the Gopalpur Assembly segment and the park project is a prime example.