Post News Network
Puri, Dec 6: The doubling of railway tracks between Khurda and Puri and broadening of Bhubaneswar-Puri National Highway (NH) will be completed by May 2015 ahead of the Nabakalebar festival of the presiding deities of the Jagannath temple, according to a decision taken at a review meeting presided over by the Nabakalebar infrastructure development committee chairman and local legislator Maheswar Mohanty Saturday.
Work on the doubling of railway tracks is going on at full pace. Railway authorities are also expediting the construction of nine bridges necessary for the doubling of the tracks, said a senior railway official at the meeting.
The Railways has also decided to construct a modern lavatory, a parking lot and a recreational park near Puri railway station for the mega festival. Besides, construction of a shed to house around 8,000 people and expansion of the railway platform are underway. `80 crore has been sanctioned for the railway infrastructure augmentation project, the official said.
Mohanty and other officials, including the revenue divisional commissioner (central) and chief administrator of Jagannath temple Bikash Chandra Mohapatra and collector and deputy temple administrator Aravind Agarwal, expressed concern over the slow pace of the NH broadening project.
National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officials assured the temple administration that the road expansion project would be completed by May 15.
At least 50 per cent renovation work of the Mangala temple at Kakatpur has been completed, revealed an official of the district administration. The temple administration asked the officials to finish the renovation work by February 2015. The first 15 days of the mega event are scheduled to be held at the Mangala temple, sources in the temple administration said.
Orissa Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) officials reiterated their commitment about completing the renovation of Deuli Mutt near the Mangala temple by February. OTDC authorities have sanctioned `1.78 crore for the project. According to tradition, Jagannath temple servitors will reside at the mutt during the initial days of the Nabakalebar ritual.
Participants at the meeting expressed concern over the slow progress of the drainage and sewerage system construction work in the city. The meeting has decided that action should be taken against the private contractors, roped in for the project.