The market complex at Pokhariput. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 15: The Rs 1.06-crore market complex at Pokhariput, which was inaugurated on September 1, is yet to be functional.

The market complex has a jana seva kendra, a cell which serves as a link between the public and government agencies providing services and help in availing variety of services such as bill payments, issue of certificates and utility services and booking of tickets for government buses.

Though the state government has been stressing on opening of these centres at various places in the city to provide quick service to people, the firm managing and operating these kendras is yet to open the centre at Pokhariput.

“Though the market complex was inaugurated on September 1 to mark the 31st foundation day of the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), we are yet to see any shop coming up there. Besides, the jana seva kendra to be opened here is yet come up,” said Subhrakant Sethy, a local resident.

The two-storey building, with 32 rooms of 12X14 feet area, has been constructed by the development agency at a cost of Rs 1.06 crore.

Even the local councillor, Hrudaya Ballav Swain, admitted that nothing had come up in the building in the last two months. “Forget about the jana seva kendra, which is very much required to provide fast service to people. Everything is yet to be set up here,” said the councillor.

A development authority official said that an auctioning process for allotment of rooms to traders had been going on there. Member of the engineering wing of the BDA Jayamangal Nayak said that two rooms for setting up the centre had been provided to the operators of the service.

“We have no idea whether they are running the service centre there or not. But we have information that they are on process of making the centre operational,” said Nayak.

These jana seva kendras have been run by Odishaonline, a subsidiary of the Odisha Computer Application Centre, which is a designated technical directorate of the state information technology department.

The operator, however, claimed that the service centre was operational.

“Along with six other such service centres at various places in the city, the Pokhariput one is also operating there. But, very few people come to avail the services because of lack of awareness. We are trying to draw more people to this centre. Once the market complex gets operational, people will come to know about this centre and avail the services here,” said an official of Odishaonline.

Their claim, however, fell flat when The Telegraph visited the market.

More such service centres are located at Unit-V, Mulapadia, Chandrasekharpur, Nayapalli, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation office, BDA office and Pokhariput in the city.

“Neither the market complex nor the jana seva kendra are opening up here. Once they get properly operational, people of this area would be immensely benefited,” said the local councillor.