Bhubaneswar: The development authority will add more facilities to Nicco Park with officials making redevelopment plans.

Nicco Park is the city's only amusement park that the government runs with a private partner since 1997. It houses joyrides besides water chute, splash pool and mini roller coaster among others.

"We have decided to redevelop the park with added facilities. We will bring back the boating facility besides developing the existing artificial lake to provide leisure zone for visitors," said a development authority official.

Sources said the government had decided to redevelop the amusement park and execute the additional plan in public-private-partnership mode. "We have just made basic plans for redevelopment. We will hire an agency to make detailed plans for the project," said the official.

Chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi also intervened in the matter and called on officials to discuss the redevelopment. "A meeting will be convened with the chief secretary to fix the modalities," said the development body's vice-chairman Krishan Kumar.

Officials are also considering revising the park timings once the project was over. At present, the park remains open from 11.30am to 8pm between June and April and 3pm to 9pm in May. The authorities are considering increasing the timing.

"There are many facilities. Once others are added, visitors will be delighted. I am here with my cousins to have fun," said Pritam Prusty, a visitor at the park.

Authorities said the smart city's lake neutral project, planned to be executed a few metres from Nicco Park, would be linked with the plan. In the project, the officials will develop the natural drainage channel No. 10 and provide leisure zones along the lake.

"The drainage channel runs through the Nicco Park. The portion inside the park will be converted into a lake for introducing the boating facility. Since the other side of the drainage channel come as part of the lake neutral project, we are considering of linking it with the redevelopment plan," said another official.