Bhubaneswar: The Capital city is changing in a big way for the Hockey World Cup. From creation of murals to installation of art works and statues and launching of new buses, Bhubaneswar has turned into a city with a new face and look.
The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) has also started new projects such as Light Sculpture and median lighting. Under the Light Sculpture project, the BDA has taken up illumination of three major flyovers – Vani Vihar, Acharya Vihar and Jaydev Vihar – and six parks and 17 temples in the Old Town area. All lighting arrangements are being done using the latest LED technology.
The authorities are designing the city creatively. Ekamra Plaza, the gateway to the Old City from the heart of the State Capital, is a bridging link between the two parts of the Temple City. It is also part of the 5.8 km-long Smart Janpath Project of the Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL), which comes as a symbol of modern creative design for a liveable city.
The city also got new bus services under the Mo Bus scheme by the Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT). Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the bus service November 6 to ensure a complete transformation of the urban public transport scenario in the city and its hinterland through the use of smart technology, service benchmarking and customer satisfaction.
The Chief Minister also launched the city wide wi-fi project titled BhubaneswarMe Wi-Fi. That is the initiative of the BSCL to make the city accessible across its major happening places. On Day One, 100 hotspots with 275 access points (APs) went live. The hotspots are located in major locations between KIIT Square and Governor House; Acharya Vihar to AG Square; Sishu Bhawan to Vani Vihar; and Nalco Square to Acharya Vihar Square.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated a Rs 7-crore light & sound show at Bindusagar lake recently. Another addition to the city’s growing attraction is an open air museum of Waste-to-Art at Kalinga Nagar area. Artists from around the world, including India, have created masterpieces from waste materials which have been exhibited at the museum.
PNN