Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s largest Vishwanath Pandit Central Library was inaugurated in Cuttack on Tuesday, providing the state with a modern knowledge hub designed to promote reading, research and digital learning.
Housing and Urban Development Minister Dr. Krishna Chandra Mahapatra inaugurated the library in the Badambadi area. He said the facility would emerge as a major centre for learning and help strengthen Odisha’s reading culture and academic environment.
The minister said the state government is committed to balanced development across Odisha and assured that Cuttack’s civic and infrastructure needs would be addressed on a priority.
He also urged citizens to work together to preserve and enhance the city’s rich cultural heritage.
The inauguration was attended by Cuttack Mayor Subash Singh, Choudwar-Cuttack MLA Sourav Biswal, Barabati-Cuttack MLA Sofia Firdous, Cuttack Sadar MLA Prakash Chandra Sethi, Deputy Mayor Damayanti Majhi, Standing Committee Chairperson Monalisa Das, Cuttack Collector Dattatreya Bhausaheb Sinde, Cuttack DCP Khilari Rishikesh Dyandeo, and other public representatives and officials.
During the event, the Library Management System was launched to streamline library services. The minister and other dignitaries also felicitated 35 publishers from Cuttack for their contribution to the publishing industry.
A commemorative logo marking the 150th anniversary of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) was unveiled on the occasion. The minister also virtually laid the foundation stone for a Rs 21-crore goshala to be developed on five acres of land at Gurudijhatia.
CMC Commissioner Kirandeep Kaur Sahota said the library would benefit students, researchers and readers from across Odisha by providing modern facilities for learning and academic work.
Built at a cost of Rs 42 crore on a three-acre campus in Badambadi, the library has been constructed by the Odisha State Police Housing and Welfare Corporation Limited.
The three-storey facility houses more than one lakh books and provides seating for over 1,000 readers. It is equipped with high-speed internet, an e-library, photocopying services, a children’s reading zone, research facilities, and central air-conditioning.
The library also features an 84-seat auditorium, an audio-video conference room, a 72-seat cafeteria, CCTV surveillance, round-the-clock security, fire safety systems, solar power, lifts, ample parking, landscaped surroundings, and barrier-free access for persons with disabilities.
Chairpersons of all CMC standing committees, corporators, and senior officials were also present at the inaugural programme.
