Summary:
He also inaugurated port projects worth Rs 431 crore and laid the foundation of six projects worth Rs 3,206 crore at Paradip Port.Speaking at an intellectuals’ meet in Bhubaneswar, he added, “The Modi government has achieved in five years what Congress could not in more than 50 years.” Last month, petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan had accused chief minister Naveen Patnaik of stalling the project. We are considering all projects with due diligence.”The 451km coastal highway project — which connects Gopalpur in Odisha with Digha in West Bengal — has become a bone of contention between the state and the Centre. “We can start construction of the coastal highway in the next four months if we get clearances from the state,” he said.Industries minister Anant Das dismissed Gadkari’s allegations and said, “It is not true that the state government is not giving clearances or blocking land acquisition. State information and public relations minister Pratap Jena had said the BJP-led government at the Centre was desperate to begin the tendering process so that BJP could get money to spend in the elections.On Wednesday, Gadkari announced that a 262km waterway combining the Mahanadi and the Brahmani will be developed from Kalinganagar to Dhamra through Paradip at a cost of Rs 5,000 crore..