Bhubaneswar, July 18: The Odisha Government will establish a State Special Cell (SSC) for infrastructure planning, technical evaluation, design validation and project monitoring in the State, said an official release.

According to the statement, the SSC will function as a dedicated Centre of Excellence, which will provide an integrated institutional framework for project conception, preparation and review of DPRs, architectural and structural design support, implementation monitoring, as well as capacity building and research related to high-value infrastructure projects in Odisha.

The Cell will also facilitate the adoption of modern planning tools, advanced engineering technologies and innovative construction practices, while promoting continuous skill development among engineers and technical personnel across departments.

For effective functioning, the SSC will operate through the specialized verticals, like envisioning, Planning & Monitoring Wing, Architectural Wing (Building Infrastructure), DPR Preparation, Review Wing, Structural Design Wing, Training Wing and Research & Development Wing.

Different departments currently engage separate consultants for preparation of DPRs. This often results in variations in project concepts, design standards, cost estimations and technical specifications, leading to lack of uniformity across projects, the release stated.

“Infrastructure development, however, does not begin at the stage of construction. The success, durability and economic efficiency of public infrastructure are fundamentally determined at the stage of planning, design and preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs). Survey, feasibility analysis, architectural planning, structural design and techno-economic evaluation form the intellectual foundation of infrastructure development. Weaknesses at this stage often lead to cost overruns, delays, design deficiencies and reduced asset life,” the release said.

At present, various departments of the Government undertake infrastructure development within their respective domains. While each department executes projects based on its functional mandate, the existing system of project planning and DPR preparation faces several structural challenges, it added.