BHUBANESWAR: Legislators of Odisha will move into apartments replete with all modern facilities in the next two-and-a-half years with the State government reviving its housing project for MLAs following decline of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The project will come up in the MLA colony situated in the heart of the Capital city at Unit-IV in front of the State Assembly. About 80 per cent of the government quarters - some single and other two-storey flats - have already been demolished for the new project. Seven MLAs are yet to vacate their old quarters and have been asked to do so by March 25.
While the number of multi-storeyed apartments is yet to be finalised, these projects are believed to be of 10-11 floors having 300 quarters (flats). Of these, 130 will be for legislators.
Besides, some quarters will be meant for senior officials of the State government. Staff of the Assembly will also get quarters in the apartments. There will be 25 Type-V and 105 Type-VI quarters.
The apartment premises will also have market complexes, a police station, health centre, gymnasiums with all facilities and a banquet hall to accommodate 2,000 to 3,000 people at a time.
Speaker of the Assembly Surjya Narayan Patro reviewed the progress of the project at a high-level meeting on the day. He told mediapersons that the proposed multi-storey apartments to accommodate the MLAs will be ready in the next two-and-a-half-years. The project will cost Rs 275 crore of which Rs 50 crore has already been allocated to Odisha Bridge and Construction Corporation (OBCC) to prepare the groundwork.
The Speaker said that tenders will be floated for construction of the high-rise buildings. “It will take 10 to 15 days to finalise the tender and then the work order will be awarded. Subsequently, the present MLA quarters will be demolished to give way to multi-storey apartments,” he said and added that India’s top most construction companies will participate in the bidding.