Naya Raipur, the fourth planned city of India, on Tuesday finally took shape and became the new administrative capital of Chhattisgarh.
On Tuesday, President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the new mantralaya building in Naya Raipur is to become the power centre of mineral-rich Chhattisgarh state from Wednesday. The secretariat and mantralaya would start functioning from the new building from November 7.
While, the DKS Bhawan, located in the heart of the city would now wear a deserted look. The shifting of furniture and records had been almost completed in the bhawan that would now house a government hospital.
Chhattisgarh is however the only state of the three thatcame into being in November 2000 to build a capital city. However, the other two, Jharkhand and Uttaranchal that were formed with the state continue with the old capital city.
The Naya Raipur, about 20 km from the city, will come up in some 8000 hectares of area to be the fourth planned city after Bhubaneswar, Ahmedabad, and Chandigarh. The design of the capital city project is to matched the world-class standards of architect.
The city will also have an Information Technology SEZ, a gems and jewellery SEZ, state-of-the-art convention centre, parks and integrated residential townships. The government is to facilitate the new city with 24-hour uninterrupted power and water supply. A trade centre would also come up in the Naya Raipur.
The state government had facilitated former chief secretary P Joy Oommen who had been the visionary of the new capital city. As the Chairman of Naya Raipur Development Authority, he played the key role to finalise the design and kick off the project.
