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Odisha Approves 800-Acre New City and Expands Officers’ Powers as Opposition Pushes Back

Opposition leaders call the new sanction rules a rollback of Panchayati Raj authority.

Image
The state cabinet, chaired by chief minister Mohan Majhi, on Wednesday approved the amendments to increase the financial authority of Block Development Officers (BDOs). (HT Photo/ Representative photo)
Officials said that the new city aims to feature state-of-the-art facilities for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) to attract global business events. (Representative photo)
Photo: SNS

Overview

  • The Cabinet gave in-principle clearance for a greenfield township within the Bhubaneswar Development Plan Area spanning Gothapatna, Malipada and Daspur.
  • The Bhubaneswar Development Authority is the nodal agency, projecting ₹8,179 crore over 15 years with an initial ₹1,342 crore for 2025–30; Surbana Jurong was engaged in January for master planning.
  • Block Development Officers can now pass Panchayat Samiti bills up to ₹10 lakh without chairpersons’ countersignature, with administrative approval moved to Zilla Parishad executive officers.
  • Engineers’ sanction limits were raised, with graded technical approvals from ₹5 lakh up to ₹4 crore to accelerate project execution.
  • The BJD and Congress condemned the shift of authority to officers and warned of statewide protests; the government says the changes will speed delivery, and also cleared 428 EMAS-108 ambulances and a six-month e-challan settlement window.