BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has not yet taken any decision on the much-hyped multi-modal hub project at Station Square here after East Coast Railway (ECoR)’s the exit from it, senior Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) officials said on Sunday.
While Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL), which has been struggling to make several projects operational under Smart City Mission, has remained silent on the issue. However, a senior BDA official said no official communication from the government has been received to discuss the implementation of the project after ECoR informed about its exit from the MoU signed for its joint implementation.
Around 11-acre land vacated by the agency for execution of various components of the project at Station Square, a prime location in the city, is lying unused since 2017.“We are waiting for suggestions from BSCL for appropriate use of the land that was acquired after the demolition of Ashoka Market and two parks near the railway station,” the senior official said.
The State government in December 2016 had given approval to BDA for implementation of the ambitious project at an investment of Rs 910 crore. The project design was made by Singapore-based firm Surbana Jurong in 2017, while the MoU between BDA and ECoR was signed two years later in September 2019. BSCL was also roped in as one of the implementing agencies of the smart project.
However, in June this year, a senior official informed that ECoR exited the MoU signed with the State government owing to an ‘inordinate delay’ in giving shape to the project.
The ECoR, instead, has worked out a ‘Bhubaneswar Station Integrated Re-development’ plan at an investment of Rs 308 crore in the first phase to turn the station into an ‘iconic building.’While officials of the Housing and Urban Development department could not be reached for their comments on the issue.