CM Baghel does not have idea of infrastructure: Raman

Raipur, Jan 09: Hitting back at Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel for his allegations on the issues of infrastructural development works undertaken during previous government the Bharatiya Janata Party National Vice President and former Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh today said that Mr Baghel does not know infrastructure and development. He claimed that Chief Minister Mr Baghel was trying to take undue credit for the works which were sanctioned during the previous regime. During the last two years Mr Baghel has been dedicating to public the works which were sanctioned during the previous regime, he said.
Issuing a statement here today in reaction to repeated attacks on the BJP during the state-wide visit of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Dr Singh asked if Bhupesh Government had constructed any new road or undertaken any major development work during the last two years.
Referring to old figures Dr Singh said that when his government was formed in 2003 there was 1200 km road which was built under Prime Minister Rural Road Project but the length of this road was extended to 21000 kilometres during next 15 years. In 2003 there was 30 thousand km long road which was extended to 60 thousand kms, he added.
He said that when his government was formed, there were several clay-made national highways. The national highways in Konta area on the state border were made of clay, he said, adding that vehicular traffic on national highways in Bastar and Surguja often remained disrupted for six months. Today vehicles are running at a fast pace on all these highways even under every weather condition, he said. Dr Singh said that his had government approved 11 projects of two thousand km long roads. This was the golden era of infrastructure development in the state, he said.
According to Dr Singh, the works that were approved in his government are now being inaugurated by Chief Minister. A waiting list of three years has been prepared for providing irrigation pump connections in the present government, he said. According to him, the Chief Minister can hardly imagine infrastructural development. Present government does not have funds for medical colleges, stadiums which were not completed during the previous government, said Dr Singh, adding that the government is not releasing fund for the annual maintenance of old roads, let alone to construct new roads.
Targeting Bhupesh Government over paddy procurement, Dr Singh said that Mr Baghel had made a promise to procure paddy at Rs 2500 per quintal and give a bonus of two years. ‘But showing the old letter Chief Minister says that I should write letter again. While they had made a promise, they are expecting us to write letter’, Dr Singh said. Dr Singh said that paddy procurement was not affected due to gunny bag shortage during 15 years of his government. But now they want Raman to go to Kolkata to bring the gunny bags, he said. Instead of passing the buck for mismanagement on Raman and BJP the Bhupesh government must find ways to improve it, he said, adding that he also wanted that entire paddy of farmers should be procured.