The above is a good idea.

• A plan over a larger area will avoid congestion and slums that are typical of densly packed areas.
• Another big benefit will be that the term "Capital Area" will make it easier for institutions, companies and other entities to come to the gretaer area rather than coming to "Bhubaneswar". For example, many institutions that are looking for land in Bhubaneswar are hesitant to locate in Kendrapada or Jagatsinghpur; even though the political leadership is very welcoming.  But once the term "Capital Area" encompasses Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur, these institutions will be less hesitant to come there.

So while the current Bhubaneswar and Cuttack planned areas will sever as the core urban area, the larger Capital Area development region will morph to a sub-urban area which down the road will touch the metropolitan areas around Angul in the west and Berhampur in the south.

We wrote about this in http://www.orissalinks.com/orissagrowth/archives/3637.

A similar term needs to be coined for the greater Sambalpur-Jharsuguda-Rourkela area. See http://www.orissalinks.com/orissagrowth/archives/3660 , http://www.orissalinks.com/orissagrowth/archives/3672 and http://www.orissalinks.com/orissagrowth/archives/3668.

Perhaps it can be called the "Western Odisha Development Region".

The following is from http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=37272.

The Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation has approved 15 projects under the Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP) and 5 projects under the Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP) in Orissa so far. These projects have been approved by the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee and Central Sanctioning Committee.  The details of the projects approved under IHSDP  are given below: 

INTEGRATED HOUSING AND SLUM DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (IHSDP)

Under the IHSDP, 4884 new dwelling units have been approved for construction at the total project cost of Rs. 83.63 crore.  Out of this, the Central share of Rs. 59.13 crore and State share of Rs.  24.50 crore have been approved.  The Total Additional Central Assistance of Rs 14.92 crore has been released by Ministry of Finance.

The details of the projects approved under BSUP are given below:

BASIC SERVICES TO THE URBAN POOR (BSUP)

            Under the BSUP, the projects worth amounting to Rs. 67.17 crore have been approved to construct  2316 dwelling units in the two mission cities in the State.  The Central share of Rs. 48.77 crore and State share of Rs. 18.40 crore have been approved. The total Additional Central Assistance of  Rs. 12.19  crore has also been released by the Ministry of Finance . 

            The Integrated Housing & Slum Development Programme was launched by the Prime Minister in December 2005 with a view to ameliorate the conditions of the urban slum dwellers who are residing in dilapidated conditions.  The existing Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana (VAMBAY) and the discontinued National Slum Development Programme (NSDP) are subsumed in the IHSDP, to strive for holistic slum development with a healthy and enabling urban environment by providing adequate shelter and basic infrastructure facilities to the urban slum dwellers.  The programme covers all the towns except the 63 mission towns/cities covered under the Basic Services for the Urban Poor (BSUP) under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). 

The Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP)  was launched by the Prime Minister in December 2005 with a view to ameliorate the conditions of the urban slum dwellers who are residing in dilapidated conditions in the identified 63 mission cities.  The basic objective of the scheme is to strive for holistic slum development with a healthy and enabling urban environment by providing adequate shelter and basic infrastructure facilities to the urban slum dwellers.

The Orissa government has already involved itself in preparing the master plan for greater Bhubaneswar area. Now there is news regarding its intention to make master plans for 8 more areas. These areas are: Puri-Konark, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Berhampur, Kalinganagar, Paradeep, Jharsuguda, and Talcher-Angul. The govt. is missing a few other areas which it should take up soon. Those are: Baripada, Balasore, Dahamara, Rayagada-Therubali and Koraput-Jeypore. Following are excerpts from a report in Statesman on Orissa govt.’s recent thoughts on this.

In a bid to give major facelift to the upcoming urban areas of the state and for their integrated development, the government will prepare a master plan, within one and half years. The localities include Rourkela, Sambalpur, Berhampur, Puri-Konark, Talcher-Angul, Paradip, Kalinga Nagar and Jharsuguda. … Mr Patnaik underscored the need of adequately trained personnel to successfully handle the technical problems of under-ground sewerage and solid waste management,…. He also stressed on better sanitation, drinking water, housing and slum development. It may be mentioned here that while Rs 950 crore from the funds of JBIC has been sanctioned for sewerage of Cuttack; the capital city has been allotted Rs 499 crore for the same under Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission. Rs 88 crore has been sanctioned for drinking water in Cuttack, Berhampur and Sambalpur. Rs 3.65 crore has also been allotted for slum development in Bhubaneswar.

Telegraph also writes about this.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Telegraph.

Bhubaneswar-Cuttack and neighbouring towns will be developed into a greater urban complex of international standards catering to the needs of 42 lakh people by 2030.

The final perspective plan to this effect was presented to chief minister Naveen Patnaik here today by a team from IIT, Kharagpur. B.K. Sengupta, heading the team, said the comprehensive development plan for Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Choudwar, Khurda and Jatni would be ready by August 2008.

Subsequently, development plans would be prepared for places like Rourkela, Puri, Sambalpur, Berhampur, Talcher-Angul, Kalinga Nagar and Jharsuguda industrial complex, said state urban development minister K.V. Singhdeo.

The final perspective plan has envisaged comprehensive development of a greater urban complex comprising twin cities of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack and three adjoining towns spread over 721sqkm at an estimated cost of Rs 34,000 crore.

The required funds would be mobilised through public-private partnership, central government and state government and community contribution, said the urban development minister.

While 11 special zones have been earmarked for extensive development, four have been identified for intensive development and three places (Old Bhubaneswar, Choudwar and Old Cuttack) having heritage value have been set aside for restricted development. Seven sensitive pockets have also been identified.

A patch of farmland on the east of the Kuakhai flowing near Bhubaneswar has also been earmarked for agriculture. The final perspective plan has dwelt on various aspects like transport, traffic decongestion, upgrade of road system, slum development and drainage. Construction of overhead bridges and bypass and the upgrade of road systems have also been planned.

Drainage and sewerage development has also been planned in the twin cities.

A solid waste management plant has been proposed in Bhubaneswar. Bhubaneswar-Cuttack would be made slum-free. The shanties would be removed and the dwellers would be resettled in planned rehabilitation colonies to be built by private builders on the Dharavi model in Mumbai.

Pioneer reports on this grant to Puri under JNNRUM. (Additional site 1, site 2, site 3) Following are some excerpts from that report.

… sanctions were accorded to 10 new development projects in Puri under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission entailing an estimated expenditure of Rs 186 crore. … The project includes construction of a new lodging house for tourists at a cost of Rs 20 crore, a renovation project for old mutts costing Rs 100 crore, construction of a new multistoreyed parking place for vehicles worth Rs10 crore, a new conference hall specially for holy discourses valuing Rs10 crore, a cultural heritage site for the Jagannath Temple pegged at Rs10 crore, renovation and maintenance of old ponds in Puri for Rs 20 crore, establishment of a new heritage museum inside SriMandir at a cost of Rs 5 crore, construction of a heritage garden inside Sri Jagannath Ballava Math at a cost of Rs10 crore, construction of concrete road around the Meghanad Prachir (compound wall) with steel barricades costing Rs 50 lakh and construction of drains and other sanitary works valuing Rs 50 lakh in Puri town.