Odishatv Bureau
Bhubaneswar: The state capital on Wednesday celebrated its 63rd Foundation Day with a number of programmes held on the occasion.

Orissa legislative 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.

The few buildings in the city then included Raj Bhavan, residences of ministers, MLAs and heads of the department, legislative Assembly, secretariat, main post office, capital police station, high schools, different offices and market clusters.

"Buildings for 15,000 people were constructed and Bhubanswar was divided into six units," said Capital Day Celebration Committee Vice-President Pradyumna Kumar Mohanty.

People of all walks of life participated at the state level function here.

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