PURI: The district administration will spend Rs 250 crore on beautification of Musa riverfront under the Augmentation of Basic Amenities and Development of Heritage and Architecture (ABADHA) scheme. The blueprint of the first phase development of the river was released on Monday. Atharnala bridge, which serves as the entry point to Puri, is situated over Musa river.
For the beautification project, the administration will acquire over 46 acre of land from private owners. Besides, the social impact assessment (SIA) has been conducted by the Nabakrushna Choudhury Institute for Development and Research Studies.
The public hearing for the project began on Jagannath Ballav mutt premises on Monday. It will continue at different places in a number of villages for four days. The beautification plan is a part of the development project to transform Puri into an international heritage destination. Under the project, Musa river will be illuminated and have boating facilities to attract tourists.
The widening of the river will also help in drainage of rainwater from the town. The entire project has been designed on the lines of Kalinga architectural style. The Roads and Buildings department has been entrusted with execution of the project.
Sub-Collector Bhabataran Sahu, land acquisition officer Kailash Chandra Nayak, Puri Sadar tehsildar Rabindra Pradhan, executive engineer of Odisha Bridge and Construction Corporation (OBCC) Sundarmadhab Padhi, executive engineer of Public Works department (PWD) Ajit Mahapatra and deputy administrator of Srimandir SK Satpathy were present at the public hearing. Local PRI representatives and all stakeholders also participated.