Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday held a high-level meeting at Lok Seva Bhawan with officials of the Forest, Environment, and Climate Change Department and the Keonjhar district administration to review plans for establishing a new Regional Plant Resource Centre (RPRC) at Sanaghagara in Keonjhar.
The proposed centre — envisioned as a flagship initiative of the Chief Minister — will be developed over 134 acres and will be the second RPRC in Odisha. Designed to promote biodiversity conservation, eco-tourism, and research and education, the centre will serve as both a scientific hub and a public recreation space featuring thematic gardens and natural landscapes.
The facility will house an orchid conservation and display unit, along with lotus, fern, medicinal, and wild edible fruit gardens, as well as a flower market and a children’s play area. Local materials such as stone and wood will be used to maintain the natural character of the project, which is expected to be completed by 2027.
Emphasizing the need to make the RPRC accessible throughout the year, CM Majhi directed officials to develop it as a major tourism destination. He also asked the district administration to address elephant disturbance in the area by constructing deep trenches and to ensure adequate water flow in the Machhakandana River for the project’s sustainability.
The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, Additional Chief Secretary (Forest) Satyabrata Sahu, PCCF & HoFF Suresh Pant, Principal Secretary to the CM Saswat Mishra, and, via virtual mode, Keonjhar Collector Vishal Singh and DFO Dhanraj Hanumant Dhamdere.
