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22h ago

Odisha Clears 800-Acre New City, Expands BDO Powers as Opposition Warns of Agitation

The package pairs a 15-year, Rs 8,179 crore township push with higher sanction limits for officials that opposition leaders say weaken elected panchayat bodies.

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 approval for a transit-oriented township across Gothapatna, Malipada and Daspur within the Bhubaneswar Development Plan Area.
  • BDA is the nodal agency, with Surbana Jurong engaged for master planning under a January 2025 MoU, and an initial Rs 1,342 crore state allocation set for 2025–30.
  • The plan envisions mixed-income housing, MICE venues, innovation plug-and-play hubs, data centres, central forest parks, gateway plazas and extensive public open space.
  • Rule changes raise BDO bill-sanctioning power from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 10 lakh without chairperson countersignature, revise administrative approval to BDOs (up to Rs 20 lakh) and Samiti chairpersons (up to Rs 50 lakh), and lift engineers’ technical-sanction ceilings up to the chief engineer for projects above Rs 4 crore.
  • The BJD condemned the governance changes as an assault on the Panchayati Raj system and threatened statewide protests, while the Cabinet also cleared 428 EMAS‑108 ambulances and a six‑month one‑time e‑challan settlement.