Bhubaneswar, April 13: The Orissa capital today celebrated its 63rd Foundation Day with a number of programmes held on the ocassion.
Assembly Speaker Pradip Kumar Amat took salute at a civilian parade as a series of ministers, MLAs and others looked on.
“Bhubaneswar city should emerge as a model for other towns and urban pockets in the state,” Amat said recalling that the first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone of the city on April 13 in 1948.
German town-planner Dr. Otto Kolenigs Berger prepared the master plan for the present state capital.
The city was initally planned over only 12 square mile of land and there was no plan to have for Utkal University and Orissa High Court at that time. Only 1,500 buildings were planned for construction at that stage.
-Agencies