Mayor Proposes 250 Crore Grant for Development of Berhampur
• Listed Many Projects Including 7 Major People-Oriented and Developmental Works
Berhampur, 6/2 (Abhijit Kar): A 15-member team led by 16th Finance Commissioner Dr. Arvind Panagariya arrived at a hotel in Bhubaneswar on Thursday afternoon on a visit to Odisha. On this occasion, a meeting was held under the chairmanship of Finance Commissioner Panagariya. In the meeting, in the presence of the Chief Minister and other cabinet ministers, Mayor Sanghammitra Dalai proposed to the Finance Commission that while proposing a grant of Rs 250 crore for the development of Berhampur city, BeMC has made many plans for strengthening education, health, sanitation and social sectors in the city, among other things. As, in the education sector, there are 7 people-oriented projects starting from libraries for the youth to a master drainage plan and an auditorium with a capacity of more than a thousand. At present, there is an e-library in the city, where hundreds of students are studying and preparing for competitive exams.
Keeping in view the need, two more e-libraries are being constructed, which will be of great help to the students towards higher education. There are plans to construct conference halls, welfare pavilions and vending zones at various places in the city. The target is to build a conference hall with a capacity of one thousand people at a cost of about Rs 30 crore. Three welfare pavilions will be built at a cost of about Rs 9 crore, along with a vending zone at a cost of Rs 30 crore keeping in mind the needs of the city. Similarly, social programs like outdoor activities can be of great help to the economically weaker families. There are plans to expand the master drainage system for rainwater drainage. For this, a detailed project report or DPR is being prepared, which will solve the problem of rainwater logging in the city.
An estimated cost of about Rs 100 crore is being prepared for this project. The solid waste management plant is currently operational, but no special grant is being provided to run this plant. While an annual expenditure of about Rs 7.2 crore is being spent, special grants are required. Therefore, financial grants are required for the day-to-day management of this project. Similarly, in the proposal submitted by Berhampur Mayor Sanghamitra Dalai to the 16th Finance Commission, which requires Rs 20 crore for improved lifestyle and healthy environment in the slums, the city has highlighted many people-oriented and developmental projects.
