Cuttack, Aug. 19: The municipal corporation will spend Rs 2.9 crore for renovation of roads here ahead of Dussehra that starts on September 28.
The Cuttack Municipal Corporation has decided to increase allocation of funds for road repairs in each ward by Rs 2 lakh this year. "As decided by the municipal council yesterday, Rs 5 lakh would be provided to each of the 59 wards for repairing potholes in roads before Dussehra," municipal commissioner Bikash Mohapatra told The Telegraph today.
He added that while repairing the roads, the civic body would give priority to the main thoroughfares that were part of the idol immersion routes.
The major immersion route includes a 10km stretch of main road from Station Bazaar to the Devigada Ghat on the Kathajodi river via College Square, Ranihat, Mangalabag, Nuapatana, Matamatha, Mastan Road, Manisahu Chakh, Buxi Bazaar, Baropathar, Tinikonia Bagicha, Dargha Bazaar, Jail Road and Choudhury Bazaar.
Besides, roads connecting various puja mandaps across the city to this main thoroughfare form the secondary immersion routes.
Cuttack Mahanagar Shanti Committee secretary Bhikari Das said: "Improvement of the road condition is essential for a smooth Dussehra, especially keeping in mind the increase in traffic volume during the festive season."
Balu Bazaar Binod Behari Puja Committee president Suryakanta Sangneria said: "When the idols of 150-odd puja mandaps across the city are taken in a procession on the immersion day, the road becomes set to bear heavy traffic load."
Earlier, the municipal council had decided to spend Rs 29.5 crore for infrastructure development in all the wards during the current financial year.
The civic body had decided to allocate Rs 50 lakh separately to each ward this financial year to ensure uniform infrastructure development across the city and undertake work ward-wise on the basis of proposals from the councillors. Accordingly, the councillors of the 59 wards had been asked to submit proposals to develop roads, drains and other civic amenities in their respective wards according to their needs.
"The proposals have already been received from all the wards and are being examined by the engineering division to prepare estimates for the new projects," said Bikash Ranjan Behera, chairman of the civic body's standing committee for licence, appeals and contracts.
"Once the estimates are ready, tenders will be invited for undertaking the projects in the wards," he said.
"We are happy that equal amount of funds will now be spent in all the wards," said Giribala Behera, councillor of ward No. 4. Councillor of ward No. 37 Dharmananda Patra echoed her.
The municipal council decided to allocate the funds separately after several councillors had alleged inadequate infrastructure development in their wards because of discrepancies in sharing out of funds among the wards.
