RSCL races against time to transform Rourkela

ROURKELA:  The Rourkela Smart City Ltd (RSCL) is racing against time to transform the city ahead of the Men’s Hockey World Cup as 12 more projects valued at Rs 470.95 crore have been taken up for implementation.  

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone of these 12 Smart City projects besides India’s largest hockey stadium on the Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) campus on February 16. The authorities are facing a challenge as at least two of these projects will take a longer period for completion.

The two daunting projects are the Brahmani riverfront development and 11 natural drains for smooth evacuation of rainwater. The riverfront project with a cost of Rs 44.30 crore is in tendering stage and should be completed within two years from award of work order. The drain project at a cost of Rs 92 crore is also in tendering stage with completion period of two years. The Hockey World Cup is scheduled from January 13 to 29 next year.

RSCL sources informed that work order has been awarded for renovation of Panposh market complex at a cost of Rs 48.18 crore with completion target set for November this year. Similarly, the most important project Rourkela-1 includes construction of a control and command center, tribal museum, convention centre and auditorium with a combined cost of Rs 116.76 core. Its completion target is January next year. 

Work on the basement foundation of the control and command centre and the Smart Road Phase 2 with underground drainage and multi-utility pipelines is underway. The work needs to be completed by June next year. Development of the DAV pond into green buffer zone at Basanti Colony and landscaping along the ring road there are also underway with a completion target of December. 

Similarly, renovation of 24 parks across the city is to be completed by June while work has recently started on a mega recreational park at Koel Nagar. It needs to be completed in a year. Work order has been awarded for development of Vedvyas tourism site for Rs 14.93 crore and the project is likely to be completed within 18 months. 

Chief executive officer of RSCL and Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) Commissioner Dibyajyoti Parida said efforts are on to complete all ongoing and yet to start projects ahead of the schedule. “I am confident of transforming the city much before the world cup,” he added.