Bhubaneswar, April 9: The state government has accelerated the process to implement the ambitious railway station multi-modal hub project at Master Canteen under the Smart City Mission.

To begin with, the administration plans to construct two four-lane roads, which will lead passengers from Master Canteen Square to the Bhubaneswar railway station. The authorities will shortly begin the process to clear the site for the road project.

Accordingly, the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), which will clear the site for the project, has identified 15 Opolfed, Omfed and small kiosks for relocation and has asked the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), which is the licensing authority for these booths, to undertake the job as a priority.

"We have demarcated land and found 15 structures coming in the way of the project. They are legal holders of the booths therefore we cannot evict them, but will have to relocate them elsewhere. The BMC will do the relocation job," said an official of the development authority.

During the demarcation of land for the project, the authorities found 10 such structures coming in the way of the proposed four-lane on the Lal Chand side and another five on the UCO Bank side. According to the plan, the administration will construct 60 meters wide roads on both sides of Master Canteen Square.

"We have already conducted an eviction drive in the area for the project and removed the illegal structures and sheds. This drive had provided a smooth passage for the passenger moving towards the station. In the next phase, we will demolish the Omfed, Opolfed and other such small structures after they are given alternative arrangements," said BDA liaison officer S.S. Mohanty.

The railway station multi-modal hub is an ambitious project of the smart city mission to be executed at a cost of Rs 250 crore. It will be commissioned in two phases. While the first phase work will see development of a city bus terminal, underground parking and more, phase two will witness mixed use of real estate development including redevelopment of the adjacent Ashoka Market.

In a bid to execute the project in a timely manner, the state government has also formed a separate special purpose vehicle apart from the one for the entire smart city projects. The stakeholders in the project include the BMC, BDA, Indian Railways, Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited and the public works department.

"The railway station multi-modal hub will be the first transit oriented development project of the city which will see a mixed use of residential and commercial areas with access to quality public transport. It incorporates features to encourage transit riders and also see an overall development of the railway station area," said an official of the housing and urban development department.

"The administration is only talking big, but when it comes to reality, there is nothing. It's been more than a year since the city adjudged the smartest in the country, but where are the developments. The authorities should take steps and start working on the projects they have planned under the smart city proposal," said architect Sunita Mishra.