Tender process for Tara Tarini infra project gets over
Berhampur: Work on the Rs 10-crore project for development of infrastructure at the Tara Tarini Temple is expected to start soon with tender process for the first phase of the work getting over on Wednesday.
The famous Shakti shrine is located on the banks of river Rushikulya near Purushottampur in Ganjam district. For the project, Rs 5 crore each has been sanctioned to the tourism and planning departments.
“An interpretation centre, bhog mandap, diya house, yajna mandap and meditation centre will be constructed near the temple located on the hilltop with funds from the tourism department, said district tourist officer A K Sethi. Similarly, a toilet complex and hill view and snan mandap would be developed near the temple with funds from the planning department.
“All these works will be executed by the public works department and are likely to be completed in the next nine months,” said executive engineer, Berhampur division-11, Tapan Kumar Panigrahy. Besides, the construction of a Rs 23-crore gabion wall of around 60 metre height with new technology is under construction.
Apart from protecting the temple from landslides, the gabion wall would also beautify the site, as the stones are packed on the wall in a unique way, said superintendent engineer, rural development (works) Ram Krushna Moharana. The wall is expected to be completed by March, he said.
The design aims at making it one of the most attractive religious tourist sites of the country, as announced by the chief minister Naveen Patnaik, said secretary, the Tara Tarini Development Board (TTDB) Pramod Kumar Panda.
District collector Vijay Amruta Kulange reviewed the progress of different works at the shrine and asked the engineers to expedite the works.
Tara Tarini, the twin goddess, are considered the presiding deity of Ganjam and thousands of people visit the temple every Tuesday, particularly in month of Chaitra, and on sankrantis.