Bhubaneswar, Aug. 12: Come November, and guests who arrive at the airport will be greeted with the emerging face of a heritage city.
A direct road from Ekamra Square to Biju Patnaik Airport will become a reality by then, with the executing authorities demolishing 30 official quarters of the Indian Meteorology Department (IMD) that were in the way.
This ambitious plan of the Odisha government envisions this area as a major square near the city airport showcasing Odia art, heritage and architecture. Tourists and first-time visitors to the city will have a visual treat as soon as they emerge from the new domestic terminal building.
With the last obstacles demolished, engineers of the public works department (PWD) now hope that they can finish the road project within two to three months. After the demolition work is over, work on beautifying the area will be taken up in full swing.
“The IMD colony had 44 quarters. Thirty were in a particular block and another 14 were scattered inside the colony of the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The AAI authorities have demarcated 2.1 acres near the overhead tank along the airport road for the new quarters. The process to get the land transferred to IMD has started and will be done very soon. However, construction of new quarters will be taken up once the Odisha government deposits the required amount with the central public works department, which will build them,” said S.C. Sahu, director, IMD, Bhubaneswar centre.
The new quarters for the displaced employees of IMD will be located just 500 to 700 metres away from the ones that have been demolished.
A senior IMD official said: “Our displaced employees are happy as they have got their temporary accommodation at quarters in Units-VI, VII and VIII under the general administration department. These quarters are nearer to the airport. As the straight road is a dream project for the city airport, they are also happy for having played a part by agreeing to relocate. They will be back on the AAI premises once their new quarters are ready for use.”
The demolition work, which started on July 24 after a decision was taken by the city management group at its July meeting, is nearing completion and only a high-level water tank remains at the site to be removed.
Sources in the PWD said the remaining debris at the site would be lifted once all the structures were razed.
“Demolition of the IMD quarters was smoothly done as there was perfect co-ordination between the state government and the IMD authorities. On the other hand, there were other encroachments along the road for which court cases were pending. But after getting these encroachments vacated we removed them last week. Now there are no hurdles in the path of the road project from Ekamra Square to the new airport terminal,” said Ranjit Kumar Sahu, executive engineer, division II of PWD.
Officials of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation said the road connecting the new terminal building with Ekamra Square would be beautified with fountains, plantations and lawns. The theme will reflect the city’s character — Old Town and its heritage temples, the planned new capital and emerging Bhubaneswar.
“Reputed architects will be engaged as consultants. This work will be exclusively done in consultation with designers, historians, architects, writers and intellectuals so that the look represents the face of a historic city that is emerging as a major educational and IT destination in the eastern part of India,” a senior government official said.
