Bhuabneswar: September 19: The East Coast Railway today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Bhubaneswar Development Authority to develop Bhubaneswar Railway Station Multi Modal Hub Project. The MoU was signed by BDA Vice Chairman Premchand Choudhury and Sashikanta Singh, DRM of East Coast Railway at Udyog Bhawan, New Delhi. BDA will be the nodal agency for planning, designing, executing this project.
Speaking on the occasion at Lok Seva Bhawan, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik described the event as a historic occasion in our journey towards developing Bhubaneswar in to a Smart City.He further said that it is one of the biggest milestones to transform Bhubaneswar Railway Station into a worldclass Railway Station with a multi modal hub. He thanked the Railway Ministry and East Coast Railways for the support.
Bhubaneswar Development Authority will involve internationally reputed consultants and showcase Bhubaneswar to the world with a blend of contemporary designs and traditional Kalinga architecture. The multi modal hub will be developed by the State Government at a cost of Rupees 840 crore and the public infrastructure part will be completed in 30 months, he added.
Speaking that it would be the first transit-oriented smart development project, the CM expected the project to trigger development of planned central business district for Bhubaneswar. A three-tier monitoring mechanism will be put in place for close supervision and monitoring, he added.
Expressing his delight over the project, he said, ‘As the whole of Odisha is watching, I am waiting eagerly for this transformation in Railways to happen. State Government will extend its full proactive support for this project and I am sure with active support from Railways we will make the project happen in right time.
Union Petroleum & Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan who was present at Udyog Bhawan, New Delhi spoke on the occasion through video conferencing. Appreciating the role of the State Government in the project, he said that it has rarely happened that a State Government has taken a lead role in such a project. It is certainly a transforming initiative for Bhubaneswar, he added.
The Public Infrastructure Component includes a new Terminal Building, Public Car Parking, Pick Up & Drop off lanes for vehicles, Plazas and a public utility space.The mixed use Real Estate Component will have an iconic city square with high rise tower. The project will take 30 months for completion.
Among others, Commerce & Transport Minister Padmanav Behera, Housing & Urban Development Minister Pratap Jena, Development Commissioner and Senior Officers were present.
