Bhubaneswar, April 27: The Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission is set to move to a swanky new building here with chief minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurating the facility at Chandrasekharpur today.
The commission had so far been functioning from the Gridco office on Janpath at Saheed Nagar.
The work on the new building complex had begun in 2012 and got over recently. The complex has a built up area of 3,310.39 square metres, and it has utilised the natural gradient of land. The new building also has rainwater harvesting facilities.
"We have multi-disciplinary functions, such as discussing issues with stakeholders and the government. Earlier, we had no office of our own. The shift to the new office complex will allow us to work more independently. We mainly involve in regulatory activities and fixing the tariff for consumers," said commission secretary K.L. Panda.
A 25KW rooftop solar grid has also been installed in the building to tap renewable solar energy and reduce carbon emission. The office complex has a 24-hour power back-up system with a hearing hall and a conference hall to meet the commission's needs. The government has spent Rs 16 crore to construct the building.
Energy minister Pranab Prakash Das, who was present during the inauguration, said the new office complex was a one-of-its-kind facility in the city.
"The building will save about 100 units of electricity every day. This will also encourage others to install rooftop solar grids," he said.
This evening, the chief minister also inaugurated a hostel complex at the Guru Kelu Charan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre. The new hostel complex, which has come up for Rs 1.26 lakh, will accommodate 50 women.
Naveen also inaugurated a drinking water project at Lakshmipur Santala Basti at Jayadev Vihar. The project will benefit residents of Binayak Nagar, Gajalakshmi Nagar, Mayfair Nagar, Nayagarh Sahi, Hatiasuni Basti, Adivasi Gaon and Basti Vikash Parishad, which fall in ward No. 26 of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation.
Binayak Nagar resident Nitya Bhoi said availability of drinking water had been an issue in the area, especially during the summer, because of shortage of stand posts and inadequate pipe-water connections.
"I hope the new project will cater to the residents' needs," she said.
