Indus Valley Times

BY S.N.PANDA

KORAPUT, APRIL 13: The Union minister of state for fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying Dr Sanjeev Balyan expressed his displeasure over the absence of the district Collector Abdaal M. Akhtar and local Biju Janata Dal MLA Raghuram Padal during his visit to Koraput district on Tuesday.

Balyan was on a visit to Koraput to review the Centre’s developmental works being implemented in the aspirational district. However, he was left dejected after the district Collector and local MLA gave the meeting a miss and he had to manage with the Project Director of the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) instead.

Expressing his displeasure, Balyan told reporters, “I was here to review the developmental works in the district. Though I had a meeting, it would have been better had the Collector and MLA been present there.”

“I had great expectations from the local representative but he did not turn up to the meeting. We may belong to different political parties but our aim should be the same, to serve the people of Odisha and Koraput in particular,” Balyan said.

Balyan urged the district authority and the political leaders to not repeat such kind of behaviour in future and cooperate with the Centre to formulate better schemes for the upliftment of the down-trodden.

“PM Modi has made schemes for the development of people. These schemes have nothing to do with politics,” Balyan added.

As per reports, the Koraput district administration was intimated about the visit of the Union minister four days back.