**Bhubaneswar: ** Pacing up the ongoing exercise of bequeathing the age-old Temple City as well as Odisha’s modern capital city with smart amenities, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday inaugurated and laid foundation stones for a plethora of smart city projects.
The most pivotal among the projects is solar-power-propelled Adaptive Traffic Signal Control System at the Sachivalaya Marg (Secretariat Street) here.
Besides, the CM also laid foundation stones for four other proposed key projects: Smart Janpath between Vani Vihar Chhak and Sishu Bhawan Chhak, multi-storeyed Car Parking lots at Unit II and Saheed Nagar, Integrated Jan Seva Kendra (public service centre) at Saheed Nagar.
The estimated cost of all the inaugurated and foundation laid projects is Rs 176 crore, as per a press release.
So far the Adaptive Traffic Signal Control System is concerned, the estimated project cost is pegged at Rs 14.69 crore. Within a span of nine months, a total number of 58 traffic posts will be smartened up by Pune-based CoSiCoST phase-wise while five traffic posts along the Sachivalaya Marg have been started on experimental basis to keep a pace with the growing needs and catering to the civic exigencies.
The 5.8 km long stretch of Smart Janpath project will be renovated and developed in 24 months at an estimated cost of Rs 80.47 crore that would pave the cosy path for pedestrians, cyclists and safe movement of children.
While the Unit II-based multi-storeyed Car Parking lot will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 46.79 crore for approximately 450 cars and 57,000 sq ft commercial complex, another at Saheed Nagar one will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 30.95 crore for approximately 250 cars and 38,000 sq ft commercial complex.
The Saheed Nagar-based Integrated Jan Seva Kendra will come up at an estimated cost of Rs 3.5 crore within 12 months that would provide multi-utilities at one place like bill payments, health centre, child and community centre, ward office, multi-purpose hall, training and digital education centre, library and reading hall, et al.
