Work On Puri World Heritage City To Commence Tomorrow

Bhubaneswar/Puri: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will lay the foundation stones of Shree Setu project and Jagannath Ballav Pilgrim Centre in Puri on Thursday.

The Shree Setu project has been conceived to provide a direct access-controlled entry to the Jagannath Ballav Piligrim Centre from NH-316, avoiding traffic congestion. The Rs 181 crore project, stretching over 2,3 km, includes an iconic bridge signifying the architecture and heritage of the state, official sources said.

The Rs 190 crore pilgrim centre near Narendra Kona will be a six-storey building with multi-level parking for 1000 cars.

The others projects to be taken up under Augmentation of Basic Amenities and Development of Heritage and Architecture (ABADHA) scheme include a multi-level car parking on Jail Road near the Hospital Square, re-development of Municipal Market near Bada Danda, vending zone on sea beach and a centralised kitchen, the sources added.

In October last year, the Odisha government has decided to spend Rs 3208 crore under ABADHA scheme in three years to transform Puri into a world heritage city. While Rs 719 crore will be spent on projects under the scheme in 2019-20, Rs 1402 crore and Rs 1087 crore in 2020-21 and 2021-22 respectively.