Odisha launches ₹500 crore scheme to transform riverfronts, urban water bodies
The Odisha government on Tuesday launched a new waterfront development scheme with an outlay of ₹500 crore over five years to transform riverfronts and urban water bodies around several cities, including Kataka (formerly Cuttack), Sambalpur, Bhubaneswar and Raurkela (formerly Rourkela). The scheme will cover the Mahanadi riverfront in Kataka and Sambalpur town, the Daya-Gangua corridor and Kuakhai floodplain in Bhubaneswar, the Budhabalanga riverfront in Baripada town, the Baitarani riverfront in Chandbali, and the Ved Vyasa stretch of the Brahmani river in Raurkela. (X/manas_muduli) In a notification, the state’s housing and urban development department said the scheme will cover the Mahanadi riverfront in Kataka and Sambalpur town, the Daya-Gangua corridor and Kuakhai floodplain in Bhubaneswar, the Budhabalanga riverfront in Baripada town, the Baitarani riverfront in Chandbali, and the Ved Vyasa stretch of the Brahmani river in Raurkela. Other urban water bodies rejuvenated under programmes such as AMRUT may also be brought under the scheme at a later stage. The initiative aims to convert neglected and underutilised waterfront areas into environmentally sustainable, socially inclusive and economically vibrant …
