Bhubaneswar, June 23 -- The Odisha government on Tuesday launched a new waterfront development scheme with an outlay of Rs.500 crore over five years to transform riverfronts and urban water bodies around several cities, including Kataka (formerly Cuttack), Sambalpur, Bhubaneswar and Raurkela (formerly Rourkela).

In a notification, the state's housing and urban development department said the scheme will cover the Mahanadi riverfront in Kataka and Sambalpur town, the Daya-Gangua corridor and Kuakhai floodplain in Bhubaneswar, the Budhabalanga riverfront in Baripada town, the Baitarani riverfront in Chandbali, and the Ved Vyasa stretch of the Brahmani river in Raurkela.

Other urban water bodies rejuvenated under programmes such as AMRUT m...