BHUBANESWAR: The Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri-Paradip Economic Region (BCPPER) project has been included as one of the four pilot economic development programmes and corridor plans in the first phase of the Centre’s City Economic Region (CER) scheme.
Official sources said an initial project estimate of `5,000 crore has been proposed for the BCPPER. Of this, 70 per cent i.e., `3,500 crore will be arranged through a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) while the rest 30 pc i.e., `1,500 crore will be available under the CER scheme of the Centre.
Chief secretary Anu Garg on Monday reviewed the detailed project report of BCPPER at the state-level project monitoring committee (SLPMC) meeting here.
The objective of the project is to develop Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri and Paradip as an integrated economic region and accelerate investment, tourism, logistics, port-based industry, knowledge-based economy and employment generation. Garg noted that the project is a key initiative to achieve Odisha Vision-2036 and Vision-2047 targets.
Official sources said the proposed BCPPER region includes 19 urban local bodies (ULBs) from Khurda, Cuttack, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts. Key components under the project include integrated regional mobility system, smart and climate-resilient urban infrastructure, expansion of the public transport system, setting up multimodal hubs and construction of housing for workforce.
Besides, Bhubaneswar New City, riverfront and water body development, port-based industries, and knowledge and health hubs also come under the project.
The meeting was informed that after approval of the project proposal, it will be uploaded on the portal of the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) under the Ministry of Finance to begin the next stage of appraisal and approval process.
The BCPPER is an integrated regional development and economic corridor plan in Odisha. It was formally launched by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on February 7 this year.
