Bhubaneswar: As a delight for travelers, the state government is all set to open 37 wayside amenity centres constructed at various locations along importance stretches across the state. The state has spent Rs 1 crore for construction of each centre from its own budget and the project has been executed by the Works department.
According to a senior officer of the department, the government had decided to set up such centres at 44 locations in various districts of the state, of which 37 centres are completed while others are on various stages.
The tourists and travelers, who are visiting on the roads, will get the basic services like foods, snacks, toilet, rest room and parking stand among various others. The amenity centres will have food plaza, ice-cream and, cold drink parlours, OMFED parlour, rest shed, toilets, vehicle repairing shops, parking space, children park, ATM counter and cafeteria.
Most importantly, majority of the buildings were constructed using green technology and solar-power system has been installed for electricity purposes.
According to the source, four such projects are taken up in Koraput district, while three such centres have been constructed in Kalahandi, Sambalpur, Kandhamal and Cuttack districts and two each in Angul, Jajpur, Mayurbhanj, Koraput, Rayagada, Sundergarh, Bargarh, Deogarh, Bolangir and Sonepur districts.
Similarly, one centre has been set up in Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Nuapada, Dhenkanal, Jharsuguda, Boudh, Ganjam, Nuapada, Nawarangpur, Nayagarh and Puri districts.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has given his consent to inaugurate the centres from Secretariat through a video conferencing, however, the date has not been finalised yet, sources said.
The centres have been established at various locations on the sides of national highways, state highways and other important roads, where government land was easily available.
According to the draft proposal, the state government has named the centres ‘Biju Pathasraya’ after the former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik.
