Lights will shine at prominent temples located in Old Town area, flyovers along National Highway No. 5 and city parks to make them look vibrant to visitors who will come here during the Hockey Men’s World Cup later this month.
The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) has selected 17 important heritage temples and six parks (see chart) under the project. The plan is to decorate the places with attractive lighting to woo visitors.
“We usually illuminate government buildings such as the Assembly and the secretariat on Independence Day and Republic Days. But this time we have decided to replicate the same for the temples and parks. This will make the place more attractive,” said a BDA official.
The development authorities have also decided to illuminate three flyovers — Vani Vihar, Acharya Vihar and Jayadev Vihar — along National Highway No. 5.
“We have completed the illumination of Jayadev Vihar Flyover and work is almost over at Acharya Vihar,” said the official.
BDA vice-chairman Krishan Kumar said that the primary focus in the run up to the world cup was on tourism.
“We have already started the light and sound show at Bindu Sagar and under the illumination programme, we will going to light up the temples, flyovers and parks,” he said.
Besides the illumination programme, the city administration has also been marking paths for pedestrian and cyclists on various arterial roads including Bidyut Marg and Rajpath.
The bicycle stretches have been marked in green, while the one for pedestrians are in red.
The BDA has also fixed signage for parks and main roads to guide tourists. Moreover, along with the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, the BDA has also installed twin bins for solid waste management.
“I can really feel the change in the city infrastructure. From an absolute nothing to almost everything, the city has indeed got a new look and it is so different. I can see good and seamless roads, green medians and properly marked roads. I hope such world cup happens every year,” said Nayapalli resident Rehan Tripathy.
The flyover at Jayadev Vihar in Bhubaneswar. Ashwinee Pati
The Telegraph