Land process for Transport Nagar in Odisha resumes

BHUBANESWAR:  After a delay of nearly one and a half year, the Housing and Urban Development Department has resumed the process for identification of land for a logistics park, ‘Transport Nagar’, on the outskirts of the city. The ‘Transport Nagar’ is being planned to accommodate heavy vehicles and ease traffic congestion on the city’s major roads.

Sources said at least a 100-acre land will be required for the project for which the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and IDCO have been asked to finalise it. A BDA official said three patches of land have been identified along Chandaka-Pitapali road on the outskirts of the city for Transport Nagar.

The district administration has to handover the land to IDCO before any construction plan is finalised. Khurda Collector Nirmal Chandra Mishra said he has not received any proposal from either of the parties regarding handing over of land for the logistics park. He, however, said steps will be taken to finalise the land once he receives a proposal from Government.

Earlier, a 100-acre patch was identified near Chandaka but the project could not be taken up due to local resistance. Meanwhile, the Bhubaneswar Goods Transport Association president Niranjan Praharaj has urged the government to speed up the process for setting up the logistics park. He urged the State Government to participate in Logix India 2019, the mega logistics event, scheduled in New Delhi from January 31 to February 2. Funds too will not be a problem for setting up Transport Nagar as most of the expenses will be borne by private companies if the land is identified and a roadmap is prepared for its establishment.