PURI: The State government’s ambitious plan to transform Puri into an international heritage city seems to be losing steam as many projects planned for the purpose are either yet to take off or lagging behind schedule resulting in cost overruns.
While the administration has been focusing on the Srimandir Parikrama, Shree Setu, three market complex projects and many other proposals initiated over a decade back are gathering dust. For instance, the foundation stone of a marine aquarium near the beach was laid by then local MLA Maheswar Mohanty at the district tourist office complex in 2009 at an estimated cost of Rs 7 crore.
Later in 2015, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik again laid the foundation stone of the same project at another site near Urban haat and an Ahmedabad-based company was entrusted to complete the project within two years. But work on the project is yet to begin.
Sources said five acres of land allocated for the project is facing encroachments and a slum is expanding on the site. Besides, the Puri Konark Development Authority (PKDA) has reportedly not approved the project as the area comes within 500 metres from the sea which is a no-construction zone.
A similar plight faces Sri Jagannath stadium project, the deadline for which has been deferred five times in three years. The district administration, sources said, had provided 11 acre land in Chakratirtha mouza close to the beach. While the Centre had sanctioned Rs 7 crore for an indoor stadium under the Khelo India programme, the State government had released Rs 26 crore for an outdoor stadium.
A Delhi-based company was to execute the project with 2019 as the deadline. But only 50 per cent of work is reportedly complete to date despite multiple reviews by authorities concerned. Likewise, the Puri MLA guesthouse inaugurated in 2009 on an 8,000 square feet area provided by the district administration has now turned into a den for addicts and anti-social.
Commenting on the stadium project, district sports officer Chandan Sahu said three out of five sports facilities are complete. The contractor has assured to complete the project before December this year. District tourist officer Sarojkant Pradhan said the Tourism department was initially in charge of the marine aquarium project but later it was handed over to IDCO leading to the delay.