ROURKELA: Self-Illuminating statues of prominent hockey players from Odisha will greet visitors at Hockey Square during Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 in the Steel City.
Hockey Square is the prominent gateway to the city from NH-23 and Rourkela Smart City Limited (RSCL) is leaving no stone unturned to give a complete makeover by mid-2022 as it hosts the marquee event. As part of the preparations, a tender worth Rs 14.06 crore was recently floated for streetscaping of Hockey Square with unique, modern and aesthetic features.
RSCL sources said under the project, 11,000 sq metre area covering the Hockey Square and three connected roads would be developed and beautified.
The projects include installation of self-illuminating statues of prominent hockey players of Odisha, Japanese theme garden with 3D holographic projections, pedestrian friendly pathways, development of road roundabout with water fountain and Hockey Hall of Fame, installation of decorative posts and bollard lighting, glowing trees, graffiti paintings, LED screens for advertising, street furniture and waste bins. BSCL officials said work on the project would start soon.
Landscaping of Gandhi Square at Panposh, another gateway to the city, is underway under the Smart Road Phase 1 project.
Additionally, streetscaping of the ring road stretch from Hanuman Vatika Square to Bisra Square with features like landscaping, pavements, aesthetic gardening, street furniture and attractive monuments is underway at a cost of around Rs 13.99 crore.
This apart, several other RSCL projects focusing on road development and city beautification too are being carried out in the city.
Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) Commissioner and RSCL Chief Executive Officer Dibyajyoti Parida exuded confidence that all major ongoing infrastructure projects and beautification drive would be completed much before the showpiece hockey event.
Under the Smart City Mission, a whopping Rs 2,751 crore will be spent on projects over five years.