Double engines speed up development: Jayant Sinha

Union Minister Jayant Sinha said the BJP should be voted to power at the Centre and the state as "double engines" speed up development.

Bhubaneswar: Accusing the BJD governmentof stalling projects worth Rs 1.36 lakh crore in Odisha, UnionMinister Jayant Sinha on Sunday said the BJP should be voted to power at the Centre and the state as "double engines" speed up development.

Citing an example, Sinha claimed that developmenthas gained momentum in the BJP-ruled Jharkhand with the helpof such "double engines", benefitting all sections of society."We are not getting cooperation from the Odishagovernment for the implementation of many projects. Therefore, the same party (BJP) should be in power at the Centre and state for speedy progress powered by double engines," the Minister of State for Civil Aviation told reporters here.

Hitting out at the BJD government in Odisha ahead ofthe simultaneous Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, Sinhaclaimed that projects involving investment of over Rs 1.36 lakh crore were blocked due to "lack of cooperation" from thestate government.There has been undue delay in land acquisition andnecessary clearances for many projects in oil, coastalhighway, railways and other sectors, he said urging thestate government to extend necessary cooperation for smoothand timely implementation of central projects.

"The Centre and the state will work in tandem inperfect coordination for overall growth of the country if thesame party forms government at both the places," he said.Asserting that the Centre is committed towardsstrengthening the aviation sector in Odisha, the UnionMinister said a state-of-the-art new terminal is being builtat the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar withan investment of Rs 935 crore.

The new terminal, to be ready in about two years, will raise the passenger handling capacity of the airportfrom the existing 30 lakh to over 90 lakh, he said.Expansion of Bhubaneswar airport is essential as it isone of the fastest growing airports in the country with around40 per cent annual passenger growth, the minister said. Seven new aero bridges are being added to the existingfour, while parking arrangements are being streamlined andmodified.

Vehicles coming to the airport to drop and pick uppassengers will be exempted from parking charges from April 1,he said.Pointing out that the Centre is chalking out plans. keeping in mind the projected requirement for the next 25 years, Sinha said the state government has been asked toexpedite land acquisition for a proposed second airport for Bhubaneswar.

However, necessary cooperation from the state is not available for quick action, he claimed and said "double engines will certainly be of immense help in such a situation."To a query, Sinha said the Narendra Modigovernmentfully believes in the concept of "cooperative federalism" andGST council is an example in this regard.

"The BJD government in the state does not believe incooperative federalism, this approach is creating hurdles indevelopment activities," he said. The minister said regular flight services will sooncommence from Jharsuguda airport to important cities includingDelhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Sinha said many new airports are coming up in thestate and work at Rourkela and Jeypore are almost complete.

A proposal for setting up an airport in Paradip isalso being evaluated, he said. The new airports will be connected through UDAN scheme for which an amount of Rs 100 crore has been earmarked forOdisha, the minister said.

(With inputs from PTI)