Located in Kalinganagar of the city, the BDA has developed the forest in collaboration with the Forest department in 89.05 acre of land. The area, which was a barren patch a few years ago, has been converted into green cover now.

According to sources, the Anandabana has several amenities to attract the visitors to take a break from concrete landscape and spend time amidst green cover. It has been divided into two patches with a foot overbridge in the middle. Tree houses, rope bridge, wooden bridge and rose garden are other attractive features.

It has also soil, rock and bicycle trails, sitting facilities for visitors, an interpretation centre, an open-air theatre, Mission Shakti stalls, toilets and parking lots.

The urban forest has several species of trees including bamboo, neem and banyan besides 60 types of medicinal plants. The visitors can get details by scanning the barcode on each tree. The urban forest will be opened to the public soon, the sources said.

5T and Nabin Odisha Chairman VK Pandian on Friday issued the direction in this regard to the officials during his visit to the project site on Friday.

He inspected all elements of the development plan starting with parking space near Sanitarium Chhak, where besides bus parking and car parking, tourist conveniences, vending zone and Lingaraj police station will be constructed.

Focusing on the rehabilitation of the shopkeepers and the vendors, he said their livelihood must be ensured in all possible ways. Reviewing the land requirements for the alternative road from Kotitirtheswar to Taleswar parallel to Bindusagar road, he advised BMC to hand over balance land wherever required for construction of drains.

He also inspected the area behind the Ananta Vasudev Temple, the location of open Bhajan Mandap and Lingaraj Plaza area and advised to plan the foundation for queue management system in a manner not to disturb the landscape during annual requirements like Sivaratri. Scientific management of traffic was discussed during the review.

To promote a clean environment around the temple, battery operated vehicles will be used to ferry passengers around the temple.

He also inspected the south side of the Parikrama and OAR, and the alternative bypass road planned near Badheibank Chhak. He advised to plan for smooth curves at all crossings and expedite the land acquisition process.

During the visit, principal secretary, Works; BMC Commissioner; Collector, DCP, OBCC MD and other senior officers were present.

For the convenience of passengers and ease of travel, the Bhubaneswaer Development Authority (BDA) has made Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) card mandatory for all the buses using the ISBT, sources said.

RFID readers will be installed at the entry and exit points of the terminal as well as the bus bays. The passengers can track the buses with real time location of the buses from the RFID.

The ISBT, which will be inaugurated soon, will have three entry gates and around 50 bays. Once a bus enters the terminal, the system will detect its RFID tag and the driver will be displayed a bay number on the LED screen installed a few metres from the entry gates. After a bay is allocated, the driver can park the vehicle there to pick and drop passengers, the sources added.

The passengers can also get information about arrival and departure of their buses from airport-like information system. At least 10 LED systems will be installed at different places including the waiting area of the terminal to display the information.

Besides, they can get information on their buses like terminal, routes from the website of ISBT. Around 1,500 buses will be tagged with RFID.

The authorities have also decided to start prepaid auto-rickshaw services from the terminal. A dedicated parking space has been set up in the ISBT for vendors.

Odisha’s minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Health and Family Welfare Niranjan Pujari inaugurated the two-day event, being hosted by Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) Deemed to be University in the backdrop of the first World Odia Language Conference.

The minister said Odisha was carved out as a state on the basis of language in 1936, and Odia boasted of a rich heritage and legacy.

The minister said the state government had planned the three-day World Odia Language Conference to create ripples and generate consciousness among the Odia youth and those living outside the state or country about their own language.

Among others who graced the inaugural session were literateur and former Odisha minister Rasbehari Behera, expert on culture Prof. Jagannath Das and media expert and editor Dr Umakanta Mishra.

Dr Gayatribala Panda, Head of SOA Centre for Preservation, Propagation and Restoration of Ancient Culture and Heritage of India (PPRACHIN) and Prof. Jyoti Ranjan Das, Dean (Students’ Welfare) delivered addresses at the programme, which was presided by SOA Vice-Chancellor Prof. Pradipta Kumar Nanda.

Pujari quoted extensively from the works of celebrated Odisha poets Gangadhar Meher and Bhima Bhoi, saying that their poetry contained deep philosophical value which needed to be studied and researched.

Chief guest Behera praised the government for showing positive intent to promote Odia language, and said this programme should have continuity and that there was a need to create passion for Odia among school and college students.

Dr Mishra felt that universities should take the lead in promoting Odia by popularising it among students.

The opening day’s discourses included subjects like ‘Jagannath Culture’, ‘Ancient Odia Literature’, ‘Medieval Odia Literature’ and ‘Puranic Literary Traditions in Medieval Odia Literature’. The subjects of the discourses on Monday will include ‘Odisha’s Tribal Culture’, ‘Odia Literature’, ‘Odia Culture’ and ‘Modern Odia Literature’.

To show the journey of the Odia language and changing mediums of use of the language, the globally acclaimed artist has used a mix of sand and slates to create the 50-foot wide and 15-foot high sculpture at the Janata Maidan in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar.

Known for creating magic with sand, Patnaik used slates for the first time in his sculpture and it took him and his students three days to create it. Speaking to the media, he said, “My art this time includes sand, wooden slate on which we first learn to write, and Odiya letters written on it with chalk. I do not think anyone globally has ever used sand and slate together to create a sculpture.”

More than ten trucks of sand and 150 slates have been used by the Padma Shri recipient to create the artwork. The sculpture shows the past when palm leaves were used to write and letters were ingrained on stone till the digitisation era when we read on our electronic gadgets like laptops and mobile phones.

From showing the historical splendour of Odisha like the Konark temple and border of a Sambalpuri saree, the grand sculpture also demonstrates Odisha’s growth in sports and technology in recent years.

The inaugural programme started with the State anthem, ‘Bande Utkal Janani’. The government has also urged all Odias, including those residing outside the state and country, to join in singing the state anthem.

The three-day event will see over 10,000 people, including linguists, scholars, researchers and students, deliberating on Odia language and literature from ancient period and its relevance in future while providing a glimpse into initiatives being taken to spread the language globally. It includes showcasing an Odia Virtual Academy, plans for increasing pages of Odia in Wikipedia and Odia fonts.

International scholars like Hermann Kulke, Uwe Skoda, Arlo Griffths, Annette Schmiedchen along with several national scholars will participate in the deliberations. Discussion on development of Odia language through the ages will also be held.

The Lingaraj Leprosy Colony at Palaspalli in the city has 31 houses to accommodate 94 beneficiaries. The colony has all the facilities for comfortable stay of the patients.

All the residents of the colony have been extended the benefits of the state government’s Madhubabu Pension Yojana for their financial security.

The government will also facilitate visit of a medical team to the colony to extend health care services to the patients. Besides, dressing kits, special shoes, tricycles and other necessary gadgets have been provided to them.

He also directed the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) team to expedite the remaining finishing activities and ready it by mid-February.

The ISBT is poised to become a crucial transit hub not only for the residents of Odisha but also for those from neighbouring states.

According to an official release, Pandian took stock of the facilities provided for commuters, including waiting areas, sanitation facilities, bus bays, upcoming F&B outlets, lighting installations, and restroom facilities. He appreciated the Operation Control Centre ( OCC). Pandian also directed officials to make provision of proper Odia signages and map facility to guide the commuters.

Once operationalised, ISBT, spread over 15.5 acre, will serve as the biggest bus terminus in the state handling more than 500 buses and thousands of passengers daily. The terminal has been designed to provide a world-class travel experience to passengers and is equipped with modern amenities such as state-of-the-art Aahaar Centre, restaurants, multi-storey car parking, pick-up/drop-off facility, solar panel system, and sewage treatment plant.

It also has provisions for police facilitation centre to ensure safety of passengers, administrative building for managing the terminal operations, toilet facilities for passengers, ramp facilities for the convenience of passengers with disabilities, and baby feeding rooms for mothers travelling with infants. Besides, there will be children’s play area, a primary health clinic, and additional parking for seasonal buses.

The feel and experience will be that of an airport, the release added.

As per the MeT Centre, at least 12 places in the state recorded minimum (night) temperatures below 12 degree Celsius. The mercury dropped to ten degree Celsus and below in six places.

Kirei was followed by Sundargarh aat 7.4 degree Celsius, Rourkela 8.9 degree, Angul 9 degree, Jharsuguda 9.4 degree and both Keonjhar & Koraput 10 degree Celsius.

State capital Bhubaneswar recorded a minimum temperature of 14.4 degree Celsius, while the mercury stood at 13.2 degree Celsius in Cuttack. The temperature was 1.6 degree Celius below normal in both the cities.

Meanwhile, MeT Centre has issued cold wave warning for the state. “With cold and dry wind blowing into the state from north-west direction, a few districts in North Interior Odisha are likely to experience cold wave conditions during the next two days,” the weather agency posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.

Cold wave condition is likely at one or two places in Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Deogarh, and Angul.

Dense fog may also occur at one or two places in Cuttack, Boudh, Sonepur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Khurda, Ganjam, Gajapati, Nayagarh, Rayagada and Koraput.

Shallow to moderate fog is also likely at a few places in South Odisha and at one or two places in North Coastal Odisha, Angul, and Dhenkanal.

While there will be no large change in the minimum temperature during next 3 days and it is likely to rise gradually by 2-3 degree Celsius thereafter, it added.

The mercury dropped below 15 degree Celsius again in Cuttack, which registered 14.8 degree Celsius. The city had recorded 15.6 degree Celsius on Wednesday and 14.5 degree Celsius on Tuesday. Bhubaneswar recorded 15.7 degree Celsius. The state capital had recorded 16 degree Celsius on Wednesday and 16.4 degree Celsius on Tuesday.

The night temperature in Odisha also dropped below 10 degree Celsius with Kirei in Sundargarh district being the coldest at 9 degree Celsius. Koraput and Sundargarh recorded 10 degree Celsius each, followed by Rourkela at 11.4 degree Celsius and Jharsuguda at 11.6 degree Celsius, according to Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre.

The weather agency has forecast a gradually fall by 2-3 degree Celsius at many places during next 3 days.

It further said that an average of 7.6 mm rainfall was recorded across Odisha in the last 24 hours, which was 4666% more than the normal. While most places in the state received light to moderate showers, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack saw one to spells of intense rain. Barring Jharsuguda and Malkangiri, all places recorded ‘large excess rain’ with Jagatsinghput district receiving the highest 17.5 mm rainfall followed by Koenjhar (16.3), Dhenkanal (16.2), Sonepur (15.5) and Angul (14.1).