Flop show at Moran leaves BJP red-faced

From a Correspondent

Dibrugarh, Feb 27: Poor turnout at an official function at Moran in which Union Transport minister Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone for four new road projects left the BJP red faced, with its leaders accusing the tiol Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation for the damp squib.

At the meeting which also saw a slugfest between Congress and BJP leaders over Central grants to the State, Dibrugarh MP Rameshwar Teli categorically blamed the NHIDCL for the poor turnout of about 1,000 people at the event.

"We had brought over 1 lakh people at our last rally here. Of course, this one is an official meeting and is not being organized by the BJP. But had the NHIDCL told us, we could have brought more people to the event," Teli said in defence of his party, adding that the corporation did not give wide publicity to "such an important event."

Teli also engaged in a verbal dual with State PWD minister Ajanta Neog over Central fund allocation during the NDA and UPA regimes.

At the function, Gadkari laid the foundation stone for four 4-lane roads (total length 82.7 km) estimated to cost Rs 1,230.86 crore. The new roads are: gaon-Rangagara (18.4 km), Rangagara-Kaliabor Tili (18.315 km), Demow-Moran Bypass (26.9 km) and Moran Bypass-Bogibeel (19 km).