Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Thursday approved a Rs 240-crore project to develop key places on the banks of river Mahanadi as tourist spots, officials said.
The Mahanadi River Front Development Scheme will be implemented over three years between 2025-26 and 2027-28.
Considered the lifeline of Odisha, the 851-km-long Mahanadi river that originates from Chhattisgarh, flows across 494 km in the eastern state, including Cuttack, Sambalpur, Sonepur, Boudh, Birmaharajpur and Subalaya, before reaching the Bay of Bengal.
Majhi said several important places located on the banks of the river will be developed as major centres for environmental, cultural and spiritual tourism.
“These tourist destinations will make a significant contribution to the economic growth of the state,” he said.
These places will get basic infrastructure for development of water sports, amusement parks, science parks and herbal gardens, besides parking spaces, jogging parks, selfie points, gyms, construction of bathing ghats and ‘aarti’ ghats, theme plazas, shopping complexes and floating jetty, an official said.
The scheme will also aim to control river bank erosion and keep the water clean by changing the waste disposal route, provide drinking water to nearby areas and revitalise the surrounding stretch with sustainable development of resources, he said.
The river bank development will be undertaken at two places – Mandalia to Chaunpur and Kuakhai to Kushabhadra.
An investment of Rs 160 crore will be made in the first phase and Rs 80 crore in the second one, the official added.
PTI