Puri: The mortal remains of Biju Janta Dal (BJD) senior leader and former minister Damodar Rout has been consigned to flames at Swargadwara in Puri of Odisha.
It is worth mentioning here that the veteran leader passed away at the age of 82 at 5.23 am on Friday morning. Following his demise, several dignitaries paid their last respect to him. President Droupadi Murmu and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also expressed their grief on the demise of the ex-minister.
As per sources, the senior leader was rushed to the hospital on March 18 after he suffered cardiac arrest. He was first admitted to the Capital Hospital. However, he was later to shifted a private hospital after his condition deteriorated.
Earlier, his son said that there was a delay of 15 to 20 minutes in shifting his father to the private hospital. Due to which his brain suffered extensive damage over lack of oxygen supply to the brain. His son further said that Rout’s heart started functioning after CPR was given.
Notably, Damodar Rout was one of the founding members of BJD. He was earlier closely associated with legendary leader and former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik. A seven-time MLA, he has also served as a minister earlier.
He was a Minister in the Naveen Patnaik Cabinet in all the four terms from 2000. Since 1979 Rout had been in charge of more than 15 different departments during his long political innings after he became MLA for the first time in 1977.