Bhubaneswar: The housing and urban development department has started the identifying process to introduce toy train facilities at popular parks in the city.

The department has asked the city administration to start surveying the parks and submit detailed proposals for the facilities. "We have asked the administration to comply with our direction," said a department official.

The move comes in the backdrop of a letter from the Union ministry of railways where it had expressed a desire to gift toy trains to Odisha to introduce the facilities at popular parks. The letter was addressed to the chief minister.

"In the past, Indian Railways has presented toy trains to various states and Union Territories for installation and operation in public parks. We are contemplating gifting toy trains to interested states and Union Territories," reads the letter from the railways minister Piyush Goyal.

At present, there are 65 major and minor parks maintained by the Bhubaneswar Development Authority, while another 28 parks are maintained by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation. Besides, BDA-Nicco Park, Nadankanan and Chandaka Dampara Sancturary also attract high footfall.

"We will consider parks where footfall is high. We need to ensure that more people can use the facilities. We will shortly convene a meeting and start identifying the parks and submit the list to the government," said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.

No city park has the toy train facility at present. Sources said Nadankanan and Chandaka Dampara Sanctuary had the biggest chance of getting toy trains. "The Centre's letter clearly mentioned that we had to nominate major parks and Nadankanan and Chandaka Dampara Sanctuary are clearly ahead in the race," said a civic official.

Suchismita Mishra, a visitor to Nadankanan, said it was a good move to consider upgrading the facilities at major parks.

"I have seen toy trains at parks in other Indian cities. In Bhubaneswar, however, it is missing and has to be there," said Mishra, a resident of Bargarh district.