Bhubaneswar/ New Delhi, May 28: Union Minister and Sambalpur MP Dharmendra Pradhan has urged Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to consider setting up a Terminal Market Complex in Sambalpur, Odisha. During a meeting held on Tuesday, Pradhan highlighted the potential of such a facility to revolutionize the region's horticulture value chain, boost farmer incomes, minimize post-harvest losses, and create a modern market infrastructure.
Taking to social media platform X, Pradhan shared, “Met my senior colleague Shri @ChouhanShivraj ji who is working assiduously to improve the lives of our farmers. Requested his kind consideration for the establishment of a Terminal Market Complex in Sambalpur. This will serve as a transformative step in strengthening horticulture value chains, improving farmer incomes, reducing post-harvest losses and providing a modern market ecosystem for the region.”
Earlier in the day, Pradhan also met Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav to discuss a series of proposals aimed at enhancing Sambalpur’s ecological and environmental profile.
Among his key requests was the upgradation of Sambalpur Zoo to the status of a “Medium Zoo,” which would allow for the inclusion of new animal species and the development of education and research facilities.
Pradhan also pressed for Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary to be declared a Tiger Reserve—an initiative that could significantly bolster tiger conservation efforts and eco-tourism in the region.
Additionally, he advocated for the development of Nagar Vans (Urban Forests) in several industrial and heat-prone zones of Odisha, including the Sambalpur-Jharsuguda-Brajrajnagar industrial corridor, the Angul-Dhenkanal coal belt, and the Titilagarh-Bolangir region. These efforts, he said, are aligned with the Government’s “One Earth, Many Efforts” vision under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) movement.
Launched in 2020, the Nagar Van Yojana aims to create 400 Nagar Vans and 200 Nagar Vatikas across the country to increase green cover, boost biodiversity, and provide ecological benefits in urban and peri-urban areas. As of September 2024, 3,776 hectares of Nagar Vans have been developed in 64 cities under the National Clean Air Programme, with Rs 142 crore sanctioned.
