Bhubaneswar: In a major development and boost to the ambitious EKAMRA (Ekamra Kshetra Amenities and Monuments Revival Action) Plan, five residents of the Old Town area adjoining the 11th Century Lingaraj temple, Tuesday, vacated their land for the renovation effort.
According to sources, Bhagabat Mallick, Pratap Nanda, Pradeep Nanda, Naliniprabha Mohanty and Swarnamayee Samal signed the agreements in presence of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary, additional commissioner Abanikanta Patnaik and Deputy Commissioner Kamaljit Das to vacate the land.
“The five land owners will be eligible for 10 per cent more incentive than the market price of their land and property as they have signed the agreements for vacating the land before the February 26 deadline. As Wednesday is the last date for signing the agreement, it is expected that more people will come up to avail the 10 per cent incentive,” Chaudhury said.
It is worth mentioning here that 31 persons have already given their consent to vacate their lands so that the city administration could use the same for the development process under the ambitious EKAMRA Plan.
Moreover, the state government has formed three teams with officials and staff of Revenue, Housing and Urban Development department, Works, Endowment and Odia Language and Culture department so that the process of getting consent and possession from people is streamlined.
The recently-held Shivratri festival showed the glimpse of the beautiful EKAMRA Plan for Lord Lingaraj’s majestic shrine and the adjacent area of the Old Town when the temples and the monuments were decorated beautifully with loads of flowers and an array of coloured LED lights that added to its aesthetics.
Experts hope that once the EKAMRA Plan is completed, the 11th Century shrine of Lord Lingaraj and the adjacent areas of the Old Town or Ekamra Khetra will wear a new look in sync with its traditional heritage atmosphere, with beautiful surrounding full of greenery and open space which is also expected to boost tourism.