CUTTACK: The construction work of the Millennium City gate undertaken by Cuttack Roads and Building (R&B) Division will be completed by the end of this month.
Constructed near the temple of Goddess Chandi, the presiding deity of Cuttack, the structure will be the first of its kind in the city to commemorate the city’s glorious history of more than 1,000 years. The gate depicts the ancient culture of Cuttack.
Though the city celebrated 1,000 years of its foundation way back in 1989, there was no such memento anywhere in the city to commemorate its rich past. Cuttack was founded in 989 AD by King Nrupa Keshari.
The welcome arch was conceptualised by Cuttack MP Bhartruhari Mahtab in 2015 and had written a letter to Mahanadi Coalfields Limited(MCL) seeking fund for construction. Following which, the MCL had funded Rs 70 lakh from its CRS for construction of the welcome arch. While the foundation stone for the project was laid on April 4, 2017, the construction work was started after seven months in November.
Though construction of two concrete pillars was completed in November, work on the third pillar could not start due to land hurdles. The State Government finally made a piece of land available from the premises of Sailabala Women’s College in March this year, following which construction work started for the third pillar.
The seven-metre wide and 14-metre high gate standing on three pillars on Chandi Road depicts all the 16 forms of the Goddess beside a temple-like structure housing the statue of the presiding deity flanked by two lions atop it.
“We expect the agency to hand over the gate after completion of its illumination work by this month,” said MR Khan, Executive Engineer, Cuttack R&B Division.