The Odisha government has approved an additional Rs 100.83 crore for key Puri ABADHA projects, raising the total cost of this financial year’s works to Rs 658.03 crore and expanding funding for pilgrim facilities, transport links and urban redevelopment in the heritage city.
The decision was approved on Thursday, according to the chief minister’s office. The additional allocation will support ongoing work on the Jagannath Ballav Pilgrim Centre, its market complex, Shree Setu and the Musa river expansion project. These projects were earlier sanctioned at Rs 557.19 crore.
Officials said the cost estimate was revised because of additional works and other project-related requirements. The revised allocation includes funding for a 2,000-seat multipurpose hall on the fifth floor of the Jagannath Ballav Pilgrim Centre. The facility is intended to improve amenities for pilgrims and visitors to Puri.
Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the state would continue to provide the funds required for the development of Puri. “The state govt would spare no effort in developing Puri, the abode of Lord Jagannath. Whatever funds are required for development of Mahaprabhu’s dham will be provided. There will be no shortage of resources for this purpose,” he said.
The projects form part of the Augmentation of Basic Amenities and Development of Heritage and Architecture scheme, or ABADHA, which was launched in 2017-18 to transform Puri into a major heritage and pilgrimage destination. The programme covers civic infrastructure, heritage conservation, tourism facilities and urban renewal.
The state cabinet had approved an overall outlay of Rs 4,224.22 crore for ABADHA, with the scheme’s implementation period originally extending from 2017-18 to 2024-25. The programme has included projects across Puri, ranging from pilgrim and visitor facilities to roads, water bodies, housing and heritage conservation.
Other projects taken up under ABADHA include the Shree Jagannath Parikrama Marg, the Musa river rejuvenation project, Puri lake development, redevelopment of Acharya Harihar Square, the Atharnala heritage project and the upgrade of Raghunandan Library. The scheme has also supported heritage water bodies, religious institutions and mutts, as well as housing projects.
The latest approval places the focus on completing and expanding infrastructure that serves both the city’s resident population and the large number of pilgrims and visitors who arrive in Puri. The additional funds will be used for the identified projects and other emerging requirements linked to their implementation, officials said.
The chief minister’s office did not provide a revised completion schedule for the individual works in the information available. The immediate next step is the utilisation of the enhanced allocation for the Jagannath Ballav Pilgrim Centre, Shree Setu, the market complex and the Musa river expansion project.
