Panagarh bypass opens amid TMC, BJP conflict

Kolkata: The growing hostility between the Modi government at the Centre and the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal once again came to the surface when state labour minister Moloy Ghatak threw open the Panagarh bypass on NH-2 in Burdwan for public use though the Union minister of state for heavy industries and public enterprise Babul Supriyo was scheduled to inaugurate it on Saturday.

Mr Supriyo was scheduled to inaugurate the six-lane bypass, built to reduce traffic congestion at Panagarh Market area, at 4 pm. However, state ministers, Moloy Ghatak and Swapan Debnath, local MLA Alok Majhi, Asansol municipal Corporation mayor Jitendra Tiwari and local TMC leaders took part in a rally near the bypass and the ministers inaugurated the bypass at 2 pm.  

Alleging that the ruling Trinamul Congress “hijacked” the programme, Mr Supriyo said, “I am very happy that the state ministers inaugurated the bypass two hours before the official inauguration but I do not know whether they have done a good thing. However, I will maintain dignity and inaugurate the road at the scheduled time. They cannot provoke me to do anything undignified.”

Mocking the state ministers, the Union minister later tweeted, “Super-enthusiastic crowd at the ‘Official’ inauguration of Panagarh Bypass. Beware of Counterfeit Functions.”

Mr Ghatak, however, said that they were forced to inaugurate the bypass as the Union minister had missed two previous deadlines. “He failed to show up twice when the bypass was supposed to get inaugurated. It is a 10-year-old project and it made little progress in the past three years since Mr Supriyo became a Union minister. However, we were forced to inaugurate the bypass as locals were demanding it. We did it for the people and to clear the traffic in that area,” Mr Ghatak said.