The interesting story behind naming of IRC Village in Bhubaneswar and its connection with Indian Roads Congress

Bhubaneswar: The residential area now known as IRC Village in Bhubaneswar has an interesting history linked to a major national event held around four decades ago. Back in 1982, the area where IRC Village stands today was not a developed locality but a dense forest under Nayapalli Mouza.

During that period, a few government quarters had just been built in the area. Bhubaneswar was chosen to host the 43rd edition of the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) that year. The event drew around a thousand engineers and officials from across the country.

At that time, the city lacked sufficient hotels and guest houses to accommodate such a large number of guests. The government decided to house the delegates in the newly constructed government quarters located between Nayapalli and Jayadev Vihar.

Also read: The Bhubaneswar that once was: Forests, bullock carts, and fear of tigers.

The area, once forested, was quickly transformed to host the visitors. New beds, furniture, and essential facilities were arranged to make their temporary stay comfortable.

IRC Village got its name

For about a week, nearly 250 quarters were occupied by the visiting engineers of the Indian Roads Congress. With such a large gathering of professionals living together in one place, the area started to resemble a village of the guests of the IRC.

After the event ended, people began referring to the locality as IRC Village, in memory of the prestigious event and its delegates who had once lived there.

Over the years, the name stuck, and IRC Village gradually evolved into one of Bhubaneswar’s key residential and commercial hubs. Schools, health centres, and other civic amenities came up one after another, turning what was once a forest into a thriving residential area.