BHUBANESWAR: The Housing and Urban Development department on Sunday organised ‘Odisha Urban Conclave 2026’ at Lok Seva Bhawan here to review urban development initiatives and chart a roadmap for smart, inclusive and sustainable urban local bodies (ULBs) across the state.
Addressing the conclave, Housing and Urban Development minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra said the government was committed to sustainable urban transformation, citizen-centric services and planned infrastructure growth.
Mahapatra stressed the need for ULBs to improve efficiency, responsiveness and delivery standards in line with the growing aspirations of urban citizens.
“Governance reforms, effective implementation and timely completion of projects are central to the government’s developmental roadmap,” the minister said, emphasising that municipal bodies must remain accountable and responsive to citizens.
Outlining the state’s priorities for transforming Odisha’s urban landscape, H&UD additional chief secretary Usha Padhee laid stress on stronger institutional capacity, improved municipal performance, effective financial management and outcome-oriented implementation of urban development programmes.
The review-cum-orientation programme brought together senior officials, municipal functionaries, urban planners, technical experts and other stakeholders. The sessions focused on municipal budgets, financial management, revenue augmentation, expenditure analysis and performance improvement, including reviews of low-performing ULBs.
Discussions on urban planning and infrastructure covered Town Planning schemes, Samruddha Sahar framework, Urban Challenge Fund, planned development of Tier-II and Tier-III cities, Mukhyamantri Sahari Bikas Yojana, pedestrian-friendly roads and the Rural-Urban Transition Policy.
The conclave also reviewed citizen-centric programmes including PM SVANidhi, shelters for urban homeless, Sahajog, Sahajog Plus and Aahaar, with emphasis on effective implementation and wider outreach.
Sessions were also held focusing on e-governance through SUJOG, PMAY-U 2.0, Affordable Rental Housing, urban mobility, expansion of the CRUT city bus network and strengthening solid and liquid waste management systems.
A technical symposium on used-water management brought together experts from CPHEEO, IIT Palakkad, IIT Roorkee, IIT Bhubaneswar, CEEW, CSE, OWSSB and the Water Resources department to discuss decentralised wastewater treatment, sludge management, urban drainage and reuse of treated wastewater.
Department officials said the conclave provided a platform to identify implementation gaps, share best practices and strengthen the roadmap for planned, resilient and citizen-centric urban development in Odisha.
