Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan says the Chilika ecosystem is an integral part of the Odia culture and therefore its preservation is crucial.
New Delhi: The assembly polls in Odisha are more than a year away but the BJP has already started working in the state in order to strengthen its position.
Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who is the BJP’s most popular face in Odisha, is trying every bit to improve the party’s image in the state.
He said the considering its ecological importance of the Chilika Lake, the central government is pushing for its inclusion in the UNESCO heritage list.
ONGC, a public sector oil company, has come forward for the conservation and development around the lake in order to get it listed as a heritage site, he added.
The move is seen as part of BJP’s long-term plan for expanding base in Odisha ahead of the assembly polls next year.
The party had done well during the civic polls in the state and since then efforts have been on to strengthen the organisation.
Chilika is the largest brackish water lagoon in Odisha, spread over three districts of the state.
“The Chilika ecosystem is an integral part of the Odia psyche, history and culture and therefore its preservation is crucial,” said Pradhan while inaugurating a photo exhibition titled ‘The Mangalajodi Inheritance’, in Delhi Saturday.
Mangalajodi is a village situated on the northern banks of Chilika Lake and is famous for migratory birds.
“ONGC has shown great passion in taking up the project for conservation and holistic development of Chilika,” he added.
The lake holds importance in Odia culture and its development is aimed at striking a chord with the state’s people.
In December last year, Pradhan had also written a letter to tourism minister K.J. Alphons to fast-track some tourism projects in Odisha proposed by the state government.
The projects included infrastructure development in Puri, Ramachandi and Prachi riverfront at Deuli under Pilgrimage and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) scheme. The project was launched in March 2015 and Rs 50 crore was sanctioned for it. However it failed to take off due to lack of clearances from the Coastal Regulatory Zone Authority of the state government.
In the letter, Pradhan had requested the tourism minister to personally review the delay in this as well as in another project and ensure their speedy implementation.
Pradhan has also urged the tourism ministry to approve five additional proposals for new projects in order to develop tourism in the state.
“Tourism in Odisha has immense potential to be one of the main job creators and we are working on those lines,” said Pradhan, who also holds the portfolio of skill development.