Sambalpur, Sept. 22: The civic body has started a series of development projects to create infrastructure in the areas that have been incorporated into the municipal corporation jurisdiction.

The Sambalpur Municipal Corporation is developing three parks here to create recreational facilities in the areas that merged with it in 2014 -two at Hirakud and one at Burla.

Both these areas were notified area councils before they were incorporated into the corporation.

The municipal corporation has chosen two half-acre plots near the Jagannath temple and Government ITI in Hirakud for the project at an estimated cost of Rs 10 lakh each. It is developing the third park at Sriram Vihar in Burla on 1.5 acres for an estimated Rs 40 lakh.

Municipal engineer Basant Padhy said the civil work of all the three parks had already been completed. He said the parks would be ready by the end of this month.

The civic body has also proposed development of another park at Baijamunda in Katapali, which happened to be a gram panchayat before being merged with the municipal corporation.

In November 2014, Hirakud, Burla and villages of 12 gram panchayats around the city were merged with Sambalpur and the civic body was upgraded to a municipal corporation.

Residents of the new areas have also welcomed the civic body's initiative.

"There are only two small public parks in Burla now and both are lying in neglect. I am happy with the new project as well as plans to develop recreational facilities in the other areas," said local resident Amar Dash.

Institutes such as Sambalpur University, Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research and the Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology are all based in Burla.

There are eight parks under the civic body's jurisdiction. It has also proposed other development and beautification projects on the existing parks. The housing and urban development department has already sanctioned nearly Rs 27.5 lakh for development of the existing parks.