A plaque omission at the inauguration of Bhubaneswar’s Bajrangi playground triggered a public dispute on Tuesday, with Mayor Sulochana Das alleging political exclusion and the BJP describing the incident as an inadvertent oversight. The controversy unfolded during a ceremony attended by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, where several major housing and public-space projects were also inaugurated or announced.
Das, who had been invited to the event, objected to her name being left off the plaque at the newly developed playground. The plaque carried the names of the chief minister, Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mohapatra, Bhubaneswar-Ekamra MLA Babu Singh and Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi, according to the report.
The mayor said the omission was deliberate and politically motivated. She alleged that the playground project had been initiated under the previous Biju Janata Dal government but completed and inaugurated by the BJP-led government, which she claimed wanted to prevent the BJD from receiving credit.
“The playground project had been initiated during the previous BJD govt, but the BJP completed and inaugurated it. They deliberately did not put my name on the plaque. They thought the BJD would get the credit and therefore included only BJP leaders’ names,” Das alleged.
The BJP rejected the allegation. Singh said the omission may have resulted from an error by those responsible for preparing the plaque and should not be viewed through a political lens. He said the mayor’s name had been included in the official programme and would be added to the plaque.
The dispute took place in the presence of Mohapatra, Singh, Khurda MLA Prashant Jagdev and Bhubaneswar Development Authority vice-chairman Chanchal Rana. The incident highlights the administrative and political sensitivity surrounding public project attribution, particularly when projects span different governments or involve multiple urban institutions.
The event also marked the launch of two affordable housing projects. Neelakantheswar Nivas at Ghatikia and Mukteswar Residency at Gadakana together add 1,608 housing units to Bhubaneswar. The Gadakana project has 680 units and was built at a cost of around Rs 95 crore, while the Ghatikia project has 928 units and was developed at a cost of Rs 66.48 crore.
Majhi also dedicated 12 modern playgrounds in Bhubaneswar and nearby areas and laid the foundation stone for a rental housing project. In addition, 962 families in Buddha Vihar, Neelamadhab, Subuddhipur and Shantipalli received housewarming and occupancy benefits under housing schemes.
The BJP’s stated next step is to add the mayor’s name to the Bajrangi playground plaque. The report did not specify when the correction would be completed.
