Bhubaneswar: The development authority here, along with the state tourism department, organised a site visit programme for 20 representatives of bidders and investors who have evinced their interest in developing star hotels in the city.

The Bhubaneswar Development Authority and the tourism department have identified 10 potential sites in various parts of the city that would be sold online to hoteliers for development of star hotels. The site visit organised by the authorities on Thursday was meant to assure the bidders about the potential of the sites.

"We took them to the sites in a bus and provided all possible details about the sites. They enquired about the land, approach roads, surrounding area profile, power connectivity along with other critical factors needed for the hospitality industry. We will conduct more such visits if they want further clarifications," said an official of the development authority.

The development authority has already invited request for proposals from interested agencies for development of 10 hotels across the city. The plots will be sold to the bidders through a transparent e-auction process. Sources said out of the 10 plots, seven belong to general administration department and three to Idco. According to the bid documents, the 10 proposed hotels would be able to add at least 700 rooms for the tourists in various categories and the hotels would offer both budget and star category services. Out of the 10 hotels, four would be in budget category and six of star categories. While the last date of submission of bids is March 27, the e-auction will be held on April 17. The projects have been planned to be developed across prime locations in the city - Gopabandhu Nagar, Chandrasekharpur, Patia, Jayadev Vihar, Bomikhal, Bhimpur, Bharatpur, Ghatikia and near Info Valley. "These sites are the most preferred locations for the hospitality business," said the official.

"The initiative would give a boost to the hospitality industry in Odisha and investment opportunity for tourism related industries. It would also help in direct and indirect employment generation avenues in and around the city," said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena, adding that Bhubaneswar had gained prominence especially after winning the smart city challenge in 2016.