Former union minister and political heavyweight Dilip Ray’s outburst on Tuesday over the four year delay in projects promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi evoked sharp reactions for the first time from local BJP leaders and the NHAI authorities on Wednesday.

Ray, a senior leader and member of the BJP national executive, over the last three years hammering on progress of two crucial projects – the second bridge over river Brahmani and the super speciality hospital promised in 2014- 15 by PM Modi.

He had repeatedly met the PM and other central ministers but to no avail. Senior BJP leaders including the two union ministers Jual Oram and Dharmendra Pradhan have remained silent. In fact Oram is aware that his electoral prospects without support of Ray and the projects will be doomed.

Evidently irked over Ray’s remarks, media cell head of the party Dhiren Senapaty said such statements were an insult to the PM.

Senapaty on Wednesday visited the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) office at Koelnagar. He met the manager (technical) and chartered engineer Sourabh Chaurasia. The manager said that the work is in progress and would be completed in time. Deployment of workers depends on the nature of the job so they have deputed fewer workers at this time.”

Senapati also took the opportunity to take a dig at the BJD and Congress. “The BJD is screaming about the IGH and Brahmani Bridge but what about the Koel Barrage, the Ring Road on Brahmani, the agricultural marketing yard at Balughat, the medical college at Kuanrmunda, the truck terminus and other failed promises of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik”, he chided.

And what did Congress do between 2004 and 2014 for Rourkela, asked Senapati.

Sourabh Chourasia said, “work is in right direction and we will finish the work right on schedule. No one should be in any apprehension that the work has stopped or slow.”

The forest clearance came in April this year and we got the order on 23 May, and after that we took up the piling work and then we will do mass piling and follow our own procedure and by December 2020 the work will be handed over. In the first phase, we will finish the work from Biramitrapur till Rourkela road and the six lane bridge first.”