Bhubaneswar: Amid ambitious plans to further accelerate infrastructure development in the steel city, Rourkela is all set to witness the launch of three new projects.
Official sources said that the Rourkela Smart City Ltd (RSCL) has approved three new projects, including construction of another storm water drain, redevelopment of the existing bus terminal and development of the TISCO site.
Chairing the 29th meeting of the Board of Directors of RSCL in Bhubaneswar recently, Development Commissioner Anu Garg reviewed the progress of ongoing development projects in Rourkela and approved the new ones. Housing and Urban Development department secretary Usha Padhee was also present at the meeting.
It was revealed at the meeting that the integrated command and control centre (ICC) and the tribal museum under the Rourkela One project would be completed by June. The Rourkela One project is running at least two years behind schedule.
Progress of the ongoing recreational park project at Koel Nagar was also reviewed with instruction to complete it without further delay. Discussion also took place regarding development of the famous Vedavyas Peetha.
This apart, the meeting approved construction of a new storm water drainage system to remove water-logging issues during monsoon in and around Dayanand Nagar, PK Das Colony, Burutola and Jagannath Colony in Rourkela city.
It was learnt that by end of 2022, RSCL had completed construction of 11 storm water drains at a combined cost of about Rs 110 crore. However, water-logging problem still persists in most of the affected residential pockets of the city.
The demand for redevelopment of the dilapidated and congested new bus stand near Bisra chowk is as old as 12 years. Sources said in view of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup in January 2023, construction of a new and spacious bus terminal was mooted at another location. However, the RSCL neither approved the proposal nor took measures to develop the existing bus stand.
The meeting also approved the plan for developing a deep quarry pit at the erstwhile TISCO Colony near Panposh Sports Hostel into a recreational facility called TISCO pond. Approval was given for renovation of the pond, beautification of its surrounding areas and addition of new features including forest trail, foot-over-bridge and a food court to transform the site into a tourist attraction.
In addition, a dedicated market place will be set up at the TISCO site to accommodate about 400 roadside vendors, especially vegetable sellers who occupy the approach road to Chhend Colony and Kalinga Vihar on Friday causing traffic snarls.
