Bhubaneswar, Feb. 15: The design and planning for a state-of-the-art town centre, which will come up on 12 acres of land near the railway station in Ashok Nagar is finally ready.
Canadian firm IBI has prepared the design and plan for the Bhubaneswar town centre.
The draft designs were shown to chief minister Naveen Patnaik last Thursday. Sources said that Naveen had asked the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), the nodal agency, to translate the ambitious plan into reality within three years.
The plan is to modernise and beautify the area near the entrance of the city railway station.
Facilities including civic amenities, parking lots, retail and office space, residential blocks and hotels will all be integrated in three towers of 20-storeys each.
Exclusive pedestrian ways with underpass, space for holding fairs, amphitheatre, fountains and parks will also be constructed at the upcoming facility.
According to the IBI plan, in the first phase two 20-storeyed buildings will be constructed. These buildings will have business establishments, office space, hotel as well as residential apartments. A multi-level parking lot will also be build.
In the second phase, the third tower will be constructed to incorporate the existing Ashoka Market.
The master plan of the station and adjacent areas will also include an urban plaza, park, open space and street network. Footpath vendors and food cart owners will also be rehabilitated and night shelters for poor people will also be included in the structure.
While in two phases an area of 7,29,794 sqft will be created for public use, the project would cost nearly Rs 959 crore. However, by selling commercial and residential space the government expects to earn Rs 68 crore.
Talking about the project, BDA vice-chairman Krishan Kumar said: "The two existing parks named after Jawaharlal Nehru and Jayprakash Narayan will be integrated in the plan. The two parks will also be beautified to match the new ambience of the new design.''
"There will be a facility to accommodate the bus rapid transport and the city bus terminal in the plan to facilitate an efficient multi-mode transport network system," he said.
An intermediate public transport, as proposed in the IBI master plan, suggests parking of the four-wheelers and other vehicles on the roof that will be fitted with photovoltaic cells to ensure a sustainable and alternative source of electricity.
A similar initiative is already functional at the Biju Patnaik International Airport's new domestic terminal.
At the airport, a solar power plant of 100 kilowatt is functioning and the authorities are planning to install another one to become self-sufficient in energy management.
Sources said that the new design for the station and Ashok Nagar area would also be integrated with the new expansion plan of the East Coast Railway. Already work has started for construction of two additional platforms.
On the other hand, the state government has asked the public works department and the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation to beautify and remove obstructions and encroachments from the roads on the old station side of the railway station.
The IBI, the agency that was entrusted by the development authorities to prepare the master plan for the town centre, is a major consulting agency in urban affairs and transportation. It has executed several major projects in the US, Canada, Europe, Middle East and Asia.
