Coming up, a Transport Nagar in city soon

BHUBANESWAR: Bhubaneswar will very soon have its own Transport Nagar (Logistic Park), spread over 400 acres, said  Commerce and Transport Minister Sanjeev Kumar Sahoo at the silver jubilee celebration of the Bhubaneswar Goods Transport Association (BGTA).  The Transport Nagar, a concept unique to the State, will act as a complete solution to the transport woes faced by the various authorities like the Transport Department and transport associations. The 400 acre land has been earmarked according to an estimate made by the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IITK). The land has been identified near Gangapada of Khurda. “The Transport Nagar will be named Biju Patnaik Transport Nagar/Logistic Park. It will be almost like a small township for the sector,” said BGTA president Niranjan Praharaj. The BGTA had given a proposal to the State Government sometime ago for the setting up of the transport nagar. Sahoo  promised that a committee would be formed to look into the proposal. The work will be started as soon as possible. “We want a committee which will comprise representatives from the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the State Transport Authority. They should first look into the model logistic park of other cities which are at least five years old,” explained Praharaj.  After completion, the park will have facilities for parking, transport offices, a health centre, eatery and amenities like ATM and housing facilities for the transport officials. “It will be a small township for the transport sector,” stated Praharaj. The Logistic park has to be such  that it can accommodate and be update with the needs of the public, 30 years hence.  Finance Minister Prafulla Ghadei promised that the work on the Park would  start soon. Also present at the event was senior BJD leader and MP Prasanna Patasani. “Prior to this all the transport offices were scattered in the city. But after the completion of the project, they will be located at one place along with the vehicles,” informed Praharaj.A seminar was also organised. The members from  transport associations of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Raipur and Chennai participated.