Cuttack – An incredible trail of thousand years, has been the nerve centre of Odisha’s cultural and political awakening. It has been playing a multifaceted role in the development of not only the State of Odisha but the country as a whole. Starting from the pre-British period to the 21st Century, its place in history has been and will be phenomenal.
A small piece of land between two mighty rivers – Mahanadi and Kathajodi and their distributaries crisscrossing, Cuttack is the lifeline for millions of people. With the growth of the city, there has been a continuous transformation. In the last few decades, it also earned for itself the name – the health capital of eastern India, thanks to the Sriram Chandra Bhanja Medical college, Sishu Bhawan and the numerous other healthcare facilities.
The growth of the city necessitated a future development plan that can make life easier for the people who depend on it. Sensing the need, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, took the onus on his government and declared a transformation of the city.
On January 23rd 2020, Naveen announced the special development plan for the millennium city. The transformation project included development of the SCB Medical College, development of international level Riverfront at Mahanadi River and expansion of the Ring road into six lanes. Detailing the project, Naveen said “It will be the State Governments endeavor to prepare a “Decongestion Plan” for Cuttack so as to enable our beloved Millennium city to have wider roads, better accessibility, Public spaces and utilities, Parks, modern urban infrastructure, parking and Greenery.”
He also said that “every inch of the 424 acres of reclaimed land will be utilized to add Ecological, recreational, Sporting, Cultural, Aspirational and technological value in the lives of the people of Cuttack. Most of the land will be covered by greenery.”
The project emphasized best city planners to be engaged to prepare transformative plans for the Millennium City which will be undertaken with people’s feedback. The Chief Minister also announced that work on SCB Medical College will start in March to transform it into a world-class institution.
The development work started swiftly with senior officers of the state government directly involved in monitoring the project and its timely completion. Odisha Government’s 5T Secretary V K Pandian undertook ground zero assessment of the development projects on numerous occasions. Works Secretary Dr. Krishan Kumar also oversaw the projects for timely completion without any hindrances. The civic body Cuttack Municipal Corporation led by Commissioner Ananya Das is also playing a pivotal role in its purview.
One of the important parts of the Cuttack transformation plan – the Taladanda Canal Road expansion project, intended for providing seamless pathway for the SCB Medical College. The decongestion will help speedier access to the Medical College and a spacious landscape. The project included the widening nd strengthening of the road from Jobra to Hind Cinema square (Right Embankment) and Jobra to Cuttack Sweet Stall (Left Embankment) of Taladanda Canal. With an expenditure of Rs 14 Crore, the projects was completed in just seven months. It saw the existing 3.5 meter rode widened to 9.30 meters with 1.5 meter width footpath.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the project on Saturday and said the Government of Odisha is giving top priority to transform Cuttack into a modern city. He also said that the main problem of Cuttack is its narrow roads. He said the transformed road will help patients coming from outside Cuttack to reach the hospital without facing any traffic problem and get treatment. The Chief Minister also thanked the people of Cuttack for their cooperation and sacrifice in the process of the transformation.
Comments are closed.