Bhubaneswar, Oct : Hundred twenty-nine licensees or shop owners of Ashoka Market were allotted shops at different locations across the city for the forthcoming Bhubaneswar Town Centre (BTC) project. In a lottery conducted in the premises of the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), the shops were allotted.
The shop owners, to vacate the Ashoka Market, will be accommodated temporarily at Chandralok Market Complex, Niladri Vihar, Ananta Vihar Market Complex, Pokhariput, Samanta Vihar Market Complex near Kalinga Hospital Square, Kalinga Nagar Market Complex (two locations in K-7 and one in K-8 of Kalinga Nagar), Indradahnu Market Complex, Nayapalli and Surya Kiran Market Complex in Sahid Nagar.
Now the shop owners have to vacate the complex within 15 days time starting from today so that the project would start immediately. Singapore-based Surbana Jurong Consultants will design the ambitious BTC project.
It can be mentioned here that following a public notice and individual notices to the allottees of Ashoka Market by BDA, the licensees had filed cases in the Orissa High Court. However, after hearing the High Court directed in its judgement that the licensees have to shift their shops to the new locations allotted by BDA within two weeks time to facilitate the development authority to go ahead with the new construction at the BTC site.
However, as per the High Court order the licensees will be allotted shop rooms in the new complex to be set up at BTC on priority basis, but this would be subjected to conditions laid by the developing authority while allocating the new shops in the proposed complex. It can be mentioned here that on February 16, 2016, BDA issued a public notice to Ashoka Market Merchants’ Society and the individual shop owners.
Member (Enforcement) and Additional Commissioner BDA, Bhabani Shankar Chayani said “today through lottery we have allotted 129 shops at eight different locations to the shop owners of Ashoka Market and as per the orders of the honourable High Court, they will be required to vacate to vacate the complex within 15 days. After that the Enforcement Wing would take action to make the market complex vacant.’’
“Vacating the Ashoka Market Building is very vital in order to start the BTC project as the complex is within the land area around the railway station where the majestic structure and the multi-modal hub would come up,’’ said BDA Allotment Officer (II) Diganta Routrai.
Singapore-based Surbana Jurong on September 26, last, won the prestigious bid to design the ambitious BTC project, which is going to be the first such transit-oriented development (TOD) project in the country. The innovative design for the iconic BTC project, alone, will cost over Rs 8.5 crores.
The project is being developed by BDA on around 12 acres area. As the project site shares its location with the city’s main Railway Station within the Bhubaneswar Town Centre Smart District, both East Coast Railways and Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited will be important stakeholders to be involved and consulted throughout the course of this project implementation.
The Singapore-based company won the bid with its unique blend of contemporary designs and traditional temple building architecture as the State Capital is known for its Kalingan temple building style.
BTC project is envisioned as the city’s first planned TOD initiative and also first smart building project in Bhubaneswar. As part of the Bhubaneswar Smart City Proposal, the city’s Area Based Development vision is centered around the BTC project. This 12- acre site, located on the west side of the railway tracks at the Master Canteen Square, is accessible directly from the city’s main commercial spine- Janpath.
The BTC project will primarily have elements like theatre plaza, retail and malls, nature plaza, landscape, town plaza, art plaza, experience plaza and children’s plaza. This will also have food courts, service apartments, pedestrianised streets along with dedicated pedestrian and cycling paths and the entire project would have an interactive as well as innovative environment.
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