FCC

CM Naveen Patnaik to Lay Cornerstone for Ekamra Kshetra Project

2023-06-19

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is expected to lay the cornerstone for the eagerly anticipated Ekamra Kshetra Amenities and Monuments Revival Action Plan (EKAMRA Project) this month. On June 26, 27, and 28, a three-day event has been scheduled close to the Lingaraj temple as part of the groundbreaking ceremony. The government has prepared an exhibition during this time that will feature 3D representations of the various parts of the Ekamra Kshetra project in addition to the rituals.

In order to assess the arrangements, a group of government representatives including the secretary of the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), DCP Prateek Singh, and four Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation employees went to the location close to the Lingaraj temple.

An officer advised BMC that maintaining the area's sanitation is their responsibility. The program's agenda, he added, has not yet been finalized. The project's tender was accepted by the state cabinet last month, and it would be implemented at a cost of approx. Rs 1.56 bn. The government plans to build the Ekamra heritage project on an 80-acre plot of land close to the Lingaraj temple, which is home to a number of ancient monuments, historic buildings, and sacred tanks like Bindu Sagar. Interventions for the preservation and restoration of the monuments as well as the creation of amenities for worshippers and pilgrims are all part of the plan.

The project's outer access road will be a 2.8 km long, four-lane road that will be built in the first phase of work and run from Badhei Banka Chhack to Rath Road. In addition, the Odisha Bridge & Construction Corporation would be responsible for building the Lingaraj Entry plaza, Ananta Basudev plaza, Bhajan mandap, Heritage Park (formerly suggested as a cultural plaza), and Kedar Gouri plaza.

In order to prevent vehicular traffic on the stretch of Bindu Sagar road between Chari Chhack and Uttareswar Ghat road, the operation also entails the installation of hydraulic bollards. It is also intended to completely pedestrianize the Kotithirtheswar Lane, Siti Sasthi, Taleswar Chhack, and Kedar Gauri Temple segments of Bindu Sagar Road. In the initial phase, 126 crore would be spent.