Picture by Uttam Kumar Pal Bhubaneswar: The state government on Wednesday contested the Centre's assertion that forest clearance was required for building the second bridge over the Brahmani in Rourkela. The BJD and the BJP accused each other in the Assembly for misleading the people on the bridge issue. To buttress his claim, Arukh quoted from a letter written by Rourkela divisional forest officer to the regional chief conservator of forests. In the Assembly, Arukh reiterated Naveen's statement that if the Centre failed to construct the bridge, it should permit the state government to undertake the project. After Arukh made the assertion, the BJP MLAs said that the state government was "misleading the people".

Source: The Telegraph December 06, 2017 22:07 UTC