Bhubaneswar/Rayagada: Gunupur Congress MLA Satyajit Gomango has accused the Rayagada District Administration of deliberately sidelining elected representatives by issuing him a last-minute notice to attend the recent District Planning Board meeting.
He alleged that the official notification for the meeting was given to him at 10:23 pm on May 14, while the meeting was scheduled for 12 noon the next day. The MLA questioned the hasty convening of the meeting at such a short notice and called it a “deliberate administrative conspiracy.”
At a press conference at the OPCC headquarters on Sunday, Gomango strongly criticized this behavior and alleged that the administration deliberately created obstacles to prevent people from attending.
Gomango further alleged that the District Planning Board has not yet been officially formed, raising concerns about the correctness and necessity of holding the meeting so hastily.
The Congress MLA also claimed that the three MLAs from Rayagada district have been repeatedly ignored by the administration.
They expressed displeasure over the delay in implementing development projects funded by MLA funds.
OPCC spokesperson Bibhuti Bhushan Mahapatra also questioned the working style of Rayagada District Planning Board Chairman Nityanand Gond and the role of the district administration.
Citing the Odisha District Planning Committee Rules, 2000 and amendments to 2016, Mahapatra said that notices for such meetings should be issued at least 10 days in advance, and at least three days in case of an emergency.
Congress leaders also targeted Rayagada Collector Ashutosh Kulkarni, accusing him of not discharging his responsibilities single-handedly and acting under the influence of senior officials and mining interests.
