Rourkela: The recreational park which is being constructed on the banks of the Koel River which flows through this city, will be completed as per schedule, officials of the Odisha Forest Development Corporation (OFDC) informed Tuesday. The OFDC is building the park in association with Rourkela Smart City Limited. OFDC divisional manager Bijay Rout claimed that the work for setting up the park is on schedule. “The project will be completed as per schedule November 30, 2023. I assure you that there will not be any delay. Work is progressing smoothly and we are not facing any hindrances,” Rout claimed. The park is coming up on 36 acres of land and is being built at a cost of Rs 23.68 crore.
Initially, the plan was to build the park on 24 acres, but later on, 12 more acres were added to the project. “Following the increase in the park area, the cost was revised and went up to over Rs 23 crore. The boundary walls of the park have now been stretched close to Koel River. Visitors to the park can now have a closer glimpse of the river,” Rout stated. Most of the civil work has been completed and now landscaping is on. The rainy season has slowed the project a little bit. However, the officials are not worried and are confident that the project will finish on time. Rout also informed us about the facilities that will be available in the vast park. “There will be two artificial ponds with boating facilities. There will also be a food court. We will also have facilities for conducting marriages and other functions,” Rout said.
“However, the main attraction of the park is the yoga platform and a garden with medicinal plants. A watch tower will also come up which will help visitors have a panoramic view of the whole park,” added Rout. Among other attractions at the park will be a skating rink and facilities for sports lovers. The riverfront view will also definitely attract a vast number of visitors, officials added.
