Cuttack, May 12: The municipal corporation has now shifted its focus on speedy completion of various pending projects instead of laying foundation stones for new ventures in different wards of the city.
A deadline of March 15, 2017, has been set for completing the pending projects, which include repairing and renovation of the Town Hall.
The move comes after the urban development department directed the officials of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) to take necessary steps for speedy completion of the pending projects in the congested city.
"We have already placed necessary funds for the completion of various projects, including the Town Hall, construction of transit homes and night shelters by the next financial year," said Gyana Das, the municipal commissioner.
A senior official said a thorough review of the pending projects would be done shortly to chalk out an elaborate plan for resolving various issues that have resulted in delay in the execution of such projects.
Though the civic body had earlier started the renovation of the Town Hall, work was stopped after the demolition of the ceiling in October, 2014.
Apart from the Town Hall, the CMC is yet complete the vending zone at Jobra despite its inauguration in 2012.
The work for the construction of various transit homes for the urban poor at Tulasipur is still undone while night shelters are also yet to see the light of day.
The foundation stone for the construction of transit homes and night shelters for homeless at an estimated cost of Rs 2.40 crore was laid on the occasion of self-governance day in August last year.
An official source said: "Town Hall renovation was stopped midway due to paucity of funds and necessary administrative approvals."
The Town Hall building was established by Gauri Shankar Ray, the torchbearer of Odia language, in the 1890s.
It used to be a hub where intellectuals got a platform to create public awareness on various administrative, linguistic and other social issues.
The CMC official said due to paucity of funds, there have been problems in execution of several pending projects in the city after the state government had substantially reduced octroi compensation grant from Rs 70 crore to Rs 40 crore in August 2015.
However, a budgetary allocation of Rs 1 crore has been made for the Town Hall project in the 2016-17 budget of the corporation this year.
"We have for long been demanding necessary measures to complete pending projects including the historic Town Hall. But so far, the corporation officials have not taken any concrete step for completing the projects," said Giribala Behera, a Congress councillor from ward No.4.
Behera alleged the council led by BJD was busy inaugurating new projects without making necessary arrangements for funds.
"The municipal corporation is yet to take measures for coming up with a dedicated welcome arch at Debigada, the traditional immersion ghat in the city," Behera said.
