Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Oct 4:

In a bid to facilitate the stay of tourists/pilgrims coming to Puri from other states, the Odisha government today announced to provide the necessary infrastructure to state governments of other states desirous of establishing guest houses in the holy town for tourists from their states under the Jagannath project.

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The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the State Secretariat here.

Guest houses of other states will be constructed under the project which will come on a 34-acre patch of land. State governments interested to open guest houses in the holy city for tourists from their states will be provided with infrastructural facilities, official sources said.

“Different state governments interested to open guest houses will be provided with land under the Jagannath project. People coming to Puri from these states can stay there plus whenever the need so arose, Odisha government can use those infrastructural facilities,” informed Sanjay Singh, CMD IDCO.

The project apart from housing guest houses of different states will also have parks, market complex, and walking tracks. Street lights of the project will be solely powered by solar power, official sources added.

Moreover, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at today’s meeting took stock of the progress made in the lodging arrangement for Habisialis (elderly women devotees who perform Kartik Brata at Sri Jagannath temple at Puri).

Patnaik directed officials to make arrangements for more Habisialis next year.

It may be mentioned here that the state government for the first time has made lodging arrangement at Puri for about 2,000 Habisialis.

The lodging arrangements for Habisialis have been made at Kalyan mandap, Mochi Sahi, Bagala Dharmasala and Narendra Kona where temporary shelters have been constructed.

Habisialis will be provided lodging facilities besides safe drinking water, health, sanitation and other basic facilities.

Persons interested to avail the facilities need to apply online or through district collectors of their respective districts by October 7.