BHUBANESWAR: The foundation stone for the ambitious Ekamra Kshetra Amenities and Monuments Revival Action plan or Ekamra Prakalpa project was laid by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday. The project aims at restoring the Ekamra Kshetra’s ancient heritage and archaeological value. It will be implemented at an estimated cost of `280 crore.
After participating in the ‘shilanyas’ ritual and ‘yagna’, the CM laid the foundation stone and also felicitated 14 people who contributed land for the project. As a part of Ekamra Prakalpa, which was launched in 2019, the state government will develop 80 acres of land around the Lingaraj temple including temples, holy tanks and other water bodies within the area.
Official sources said under the project, special walkways, traffic lanes for vehicles, and a parking system beside the information and control centre will be developed for the convenience of pilgrims. To improve vehicular movement, a 12-18 metre wide mixed traffic lane will be constructed alongside 4-10 metre wide shaded walkways to ensure smooth pedestrian flow.
Parking facilities will be relocated to the outer periphery of Ekamra Kshetra to alleviate congestion. To facilitate easy access to ritual spaces and Ekamra Van, a dedicated pedestrian path around Bindusagar Lake will be constructed. Besides, an information and control centre will be developed over a 1,600 sq metre area to cater to emergency services.
The Odisha Bridge Construction Corporation (OBCC) has been entrusted with executing the project. The tender has been finalised and work on the project is scheduled to start soon. Representatives of Brahmana Nijog, Badu Nijog and Samartha Nijog presented a photo of Damodar Besha of Lord Lingaraj to the CM. Ministers Prafulla Mallik, Ashok Chandra Panda and 5T secretary VK Pandian were present.
The three-day ‘bhumi puja’ ceremony started on Monday and events like sky projections, light and sound shows and bhajan sandhyas are being held at the BMC market complex. There is also an exhibition featuring project models and information displays on facilities to come up within Ekamra Kshetra.