By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR:In order to accelerate the balanced economic development of the state, Union Minister Shri Dharmendra today wrote a letter to Odisha Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi requesting him to develop Sambalpur-Sundergarh-Jharsuguda-Bargarh cluster and Angul-Dhenkanal cluster as two separate ‘City Economic Regions’. He proposed to form these economic regions on the model of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri-Paradip Economic Region (BCPPER) of Odisha.
Shri Pradhan has first mentioned in his letter that Sambalpur-Sundargarh-Jharsuguda-Bargarh region is located on the banks of Mahanadi and Brahmani rivers along with Hirakud Dam. It has abundant mineral resources, industrial infrastructure. This cluster, full of diverse tourism potential, has the potential to grow agriculture, services and manufacturing sectors through road, rail and air connectivity. It has large industries like steel, aluminum, coal and power along with agro-based industries and a strong infrastructure of world-famous Sambalpuri handlooms. All these sectors together are creating an integrated economic environment here, which will bring many opportunities for new employment and business growth in the coming days.
With prestigious educational institutions like NIT Rourkela, IIM Sambalpur, Visut Burla and Sambalpur University, it is establishing itself as a hub of ‘New Age Economy’ in the field of modern technology, innovation and new startups. The location of this region is also very important from a geographical point of view. It borders Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand and is within 300 km of the capitals of three states, namely Bhubaneswar, Raipur, Ranchi and the major port city of Visakhapatnam. With this good connectivity and abundant resources, it has all the qualifications to be developed as a ‘City Economic Region’. Here, emphasis has been given to strengthening the infrastructure of road and railways, as well as the aviation infrastructure of Jharsuguda (Bir Surendra Sai Airport), Rourkela, Sambalpur (Jamadarpali) and Bargarh (Satibhata). The region has a lot of tourism potential like Debrigarh, Bhimmandal, Vedavyas, Kadbadhara Pradhanpat.
Similarly, Shri Pradhan mentioned in the second letter that the Angul-Dhenkanal region is very important not only for Odisha but for the economic progress of the entire India. Located right in the middle of Odisha, this region is like a main road or gateway connecting the coastal ports and the mineral-rich west. Due to the abundance of coal, chromite and iron ore here, it is an ideal place for heavy industry, new factories and renewable energy generation like solar power. Big institutions like NALCO, NTPC Kanihan, Talcher Thermal Power Station and Mahanadi Coalfields (MCL) located in Angul are the backbone of providing electricity and power to the state.
The recently announced National Waterway No. 5 through the Brahmani River in the Angul-Dhenkanal region will revolutionize the transport sector. It will pave the way for cheap transportation of minerals between Talcher, Kalinganagar and Paradip. Apart from this, new investments are being made in the steel and defence manufacturing sectors in Dhenkanal, which has helped in boosting industrialisation. IGIT, Sarang and Skill India Centres in Angul in the region are providing job opportunities to the youth. In addition, the Satkosiya Tiger Conservation Project, beautiful tourist destinations like Kapilas and Saptashaya are providing opportunities for sustainable economic development.
The Union Minister said that the Sambalpur-Sundargarh-Jharsuguda-Bargarh and Angul-Dhenkanal clusters contribute more than 26% to the total GSDP of the state. There is a huge investment opportunity in the GCC data center, electronics manufacturing, textile industry and food processing (especially based on minor forest products) in this region. In addition, there is a lot of potential for the development of the tourism industry. If these new corridors are developed, it will form a major basis for ensuring the prosperity of the state and the overall welfare of the people through industrialization and systematic urbanization.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Purro Oday’ vision calls for the development of every region of Odisha. The creation of these two new economic regions will give a major boost to industrialisation and create employment opportunities for thousands of local youth. This will prove to be an important milestone in the overall development of the state and the country. He also presented a detailed ‘concept note’ regarding the proposal to the Chief Minister.
