CUTTACK: Announcing grand plans for Cuttack, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday said a provision of Rs 200 crore has been made for beautification of Mahanadi river bank under the Mahanadi Riverfront Scheme.
Inaugurating the Balijatra 2025, the chief minister said the state government is making all-out efforts to get the UNESCO World Heritage Site tag for the historic Balijatra. Since the Centre has already listed it as a national cultural heritage, it would help secure the UNESCO recognition, he added.
Addressing a massive gathering, Majhi said the Mahanadi riverfront development will include tourism promotion and beautification work. In the first phase, work will be undertaken along a 3.5 km stretch of the Balijatra ground at a cost of Rs 38 crore.
Stating that Balijatra is a living memory of the courage, determination and maritime trade culture of Odia people, the chief minister announced a grant of Rs 10 crore for the historic event starting this year against the earlier assistance of Rs 2 crore. He declared that Cuttack will be turned into a Tarakashi (filigree works) hub.
Speaking at length about the maritime development plans, Majhi said the state government has a Rs 21,500 crore plan for the development of Bahuda port, which will be the second-largest in Odisha after Paradip. There is a plan to set up a ship building and repair centre at Mahanadi estuary near Paradip at a cost of Rs 24,700 crore, he said.
“If Maharashtra is the western gateway of India, Odisha will emerge as the eastern gateway to the country. We have the blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will continue to work relentlessly to realise this dream,” Majhi said.
On the occasion, he felicitated Indonesian Ambassador Ina H Krishnamurti and gave away prizes and trophies worth Rs 1 lakh to the students of Adamba Mohan Subudhi College for the play Kala Nandini and distributed books to the children to encourage promotion of language and literature.
Minister for Odia Language, Literature and Culture Suryabanshi Suraj, Cuttack MP Bhartruhari Mahtab, Rajya Sabha member Debasish Samantaray, Barabati-Cuttack MLA Sofia Firdous, Choudwar-Cuttack MLA Souvik Biswal and Cuttaack Sadar MLA Prakash Sethi also spoke. Development commissioner Anu Garg, RDC Guha Punam Tapas Kumar, Cuttack collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde and police commissioner S Dev Datta Singh were present.