Nitish asks Pranab not to scrap ordnance project

Anguished over the government’s proposal to shelve the ordnance factory project in Nalanda in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish kumar today met Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and pleaded with him not to scrap it.

After his meeting with Defence Minister, Kumar told reporters that he appealed to Mukherjee to carry out the task of setting up the project with indigenous or imported technology if the South African firm Denel was mired in controversy. Kumar said Mukherjee assured him that he would take a decision soon on the matter on the basis of the report prepared by a committee constituted by the Defence Ministry on the issue.

Kumar impressed upon Mukherjee that scrapping of the project after pumping in Rs 300 crore for preliminary works would send a wrong signal to the people. ‘‘There is no ordnance factory in big state like Bihar. There is no industry in the state. In these circumstances, and also from the point of view of Defence requirements, scrapping the approved project would send a wrong signal,’’ Kumar said.

The CM conveyed the sentiments of the people of Bihar over rejection of the Republic Day tableau from Bihar depicting Chhath festival.