Upgradation

of the Temple
City of
Bhubaneswar

TOOBA IFTIKHAR
2020-CRP-17
 1. Introduction
Bhubaneswar City being the Capital City of the State has been functioning as a hub for tertiary
economic activities like services, trade and commerce. Bhubaneswar City has a rich cultural
background that includes magnificent sculptural and architectural features depicting various social,
cultural and religious heritage. Master Plan has been prepared for the historic city to combat the
arsing issues of the mega urban city.

Fig: Historic city of Cultural Value Fig: Urban Center of Modern Era

2. City Today
The city which was planned originally for 40,000 people with an area of 1684 hectares is now
accommodating about 7.50 lakhs population in an area of about 135 sq. km. The city has extended
in seven different directions during the last few decades by engulfing the fringe villages. Problems
continue to grow and City government took necessary actions to tackle them.

3. Vision Statement for Developing Bhubaneswar

'Achieving holistic and sustainable development through improved urban
governance, adequate levels of service provision & delivery, reform driven urban
management, leading to making the city resource rich, vibrant in economy, clean,
green, comfortable, safe and enjoyable place to live in...'

Following broad Mission Areas were identified during the project discussion:

• Economic & Urban Development

• Infrastructure Development (Provision & Delivery)
• Environment Improvement
• Urban Poor and Slum Upgrading
 4. Urban Infrastructure
4.1. Water system
4.1.1. Key Issues
The key issues in the water supply sector have been identified. Significant volume of Non-Revenue
Water (NRW) in the city's water supply system is due to the following factors:

• Illegal service connections

• System leakage from faulty interconnections, pipe joints, damaged pipelines and
appurtenances
• Low collection efficiency in the case of monthly charges
• Incorrect billing (non-metered consumption or faulty/damaged water meters)
• Deteriorating downstream water quality through discharge of untreated sewage

4.1.2. Priority Actions

The following priority actions have been formulated to achieve the vision:

• Redistribution/re-zoning of distribution system in existing areas

• Rehabilitation of existing service reservoirs
• Construction of additional service reservoirs
• Proposed distribution system in uncovered areas
• Rehabilitation and upgrading of operation systems in existing water treatment plants

Fig: Poor Pipe Conditions Fig: Managed System of Pipelines in an Urban

Center
4.2. Sewerage System
4.2.1. Key Issues
The low coverage of the city's sewerage system can be attributed to the following reasons:

• Poor or almost non-functional system of sewage collection and treatment;

• Presence of conventional system of septic tank-based sanitation
• Inadequate efforts on the part of the concerned agencies in ensuring increased coverage
and proper conveyance and treatment/disposal of sewage
 • The existing antiquated trunk and lateral sewers are not capable of handling the present
sewage load
• The existing sewage treatment facilities, namely oxidation ponds and aerated lagoons, are
almost non-functional and merely function only as flow-through systems

4.2.2. Priority Actions

The following priority actions have been formulated to achieve the vision:

• Rehabilitation of existing collection system; discussions and priority actions as required

• Sewage collection system to uncovered areas - sewers, manholes, pump/lift stations, etc
• Sewage treatment plants designed to handle ultimate stage flow with installation on a
modular basis
• Wastewater pumping and out-fall systems

Fig: Poor Sewerage Conditions Fig: Disposing Water in Treatment Plant

4.3. Road, Traffic and Transportation

4.3.1. Key Issues
Key issues and concerns in the roads, traffic and transportation sector in Bhubaneswar are outlined:

• Roads in the city are characterized by poor surface conditions and insufficient carriageway
width to accommodate constantly increasing traffic volume
• Main/arterial roads are usually plagued by high density traffic resulting in traffic snarls,
unregulated flow and accidents
• Circular access/by-pass roads that normally serve to restrict and divert inter-city traffic
ensuring segregation of inter-city and intra-city traffic are not present
• Inadequate and disorganized road furniture - signage, streetlights, signals, medians etc
• Commercial establishments in the city have been designed to accommodate only incidental
parking. In several locations, dedicated parking facilities are entirely absent
• Bhubaneswar is not equipped with an intra-city public transport system (bus/rail) and the
present system of public transport is disorganized with share autos and mini buses plying
without proper regulation
 4.3.2. Priority Actions
The following priority actions have been formulated to achieve the vision:

• Construction of by-pass roads for the National Highways

• Flyovers and subways at major intersections for traffic improvement.
• Study of city-wide parking requirements and development of parking infrastructure
• Feasibility study for implementation of a city-wide public surface transportation system
• BMC maintained roads - restoration and reconstruction of existing BT and CC roads based
on the existing condition and type of pavement and considering the incidental traffic

Fig: Haphazard Traffic before Plan was implemented Fig: Managed Traffic in the Capital City

4.4. Street Lights

4.4.1. Key Issues
Key issues identified are outlined below:

• High inter-spacing of streetlights at approximately 90 m indicates that significant portion of

the road network remains uncovered
• Inadequate management of power consumption by streetlights
• Significant electricity consumption expenditure due to absence of power consumption
measurement and energy saving equipment such as trip sensors, solar-coupled lights

4.4.2. Priority Actions

The following priority actions have been formulated to achieve the vision:

• Upgrading street lighting in existing areas which essentially entail replacement of fluorescent
lights with sodium vapor or equivalent lamps and installation of high-mast cluster lighting at
important junctions that are not presently covered with such lighting arrangements
• New street lights shall be provided for uncovered areas
• Power consumption management and energy efficiency measures
• Development of General Lighting Plan
• Installation of operational control and energy
 Fig: Proper Street and Road Lights Fig: Proper Road Lights

5. Environmental Profile
5.1. Solid Waste Management
Solid waste management is a key sector which plays a significant role in not only the hygiene of city,
but also in the ambient appearance of the city through developed aesthetics.

5.1.1. Key Issues

Key issues and concerns are outlined below: ·
• Waste is also indiscriminately dumped along major drains and water bodies posing a severe
health hazard and rendering the city un-aesthetic
• Door-to-door collection and source segregation of waste is abjectly neglected
• Treatment of solid waste through a techno-economically feasible process is absent resulting
in a high requirement of landfill space, unsanitary conditions and loss of a valuable source of
fertilizer grade compost
• Specific treatment of bio-hazardous waste generated from slaughterhouses, hospitals and
other institutions is absent resulting in a high risk to public safety and environmental health

5.1.2. Priority Actions

The following priority actions have been formulated to achieve the vision:

• Implementation of source segregation system

• Installation of additional primary collection bins and related component
• Augmentation of transportation fleet-tractors, dumper-loader trucks
• Installation of transfer stations with compactors, material handling equipment and
wastewater disposal facility (drains, pump station etc.)
• Implementation of municipal solid waste treatment system
• Construction of landfill for non-bio-degradable waste including lining, under-drains, gas
extractor/burners and perimeter protection
 Fig: Poor Waste Management Fig: Proper Waste Management

5.2. Conservation of Water Bodies

5.2.1. Key Issues
Key issues and concerns identified are outlined below:

• Additionally, solid waste, specifically plastic material, is dumped into these lakes
compounding the problem
• Proper fencing and access control to prevent misuse is absent
• The collected water is not treated or re-circulated resulting in the development of anaerobic
conditions

5.2.2. Priority Actions

The following priority actions have been formulated to achieve the vision:

• De-silting of existing water bodies and development of the bed lining

• Re-development of tank/lake bunds through slab lining
• Re-development of perimeter area - paved walkway, area lighting, compound wall/fencing,
access control and landscaping
• Reconstruction and restoration of drains leading into and out of the water bodies including
by-pass and flood control
• Installation of water quality monitoring stations

Fig: Poor water quality of a pond Fig: Clean Water Body

 6. Urban Poverty and Social Development
6.1. Slums And Squatters
The growth of informal sector in slums and squatters is more than the formal growth due to huge
migration from the rural hinterland and other parts of the State as well as outside the state in search
of employment.

Given the complexity of the social, economic and physical environment in which a growing number of
urban poor eke out their livelihoods, it is clear that the formulation of anti-poverty measures and the
design of slum improvement programs is a difficult issue. It was the need of the hour to solve them.

6.1.1. Key Issues

Following are some of the key issues identified based on the above assessment:

• Community participation is the key in successful implementation of Slum Improvement

Programs
• Lack of need-based fund allocation in Slum Development Programmes and the need to
establish sustainable, continuous and non-lapsable fund flow for slum improvement programs
• Similarly, slum households that live on rented properties are unwilling to invest in individual
toilets
• Other issues include ensuring tenure security and sustainability and improving living conditions
in the slums

6.1.2. Priority Actions

Special Priority must be given to the following:
• Improvement of drinking water supply system
• Provision of street lights
• Drainage facilities
• Welfare (education, etc.)
• Shelter upgradation (individual water connections)

Fig: Dirty Slums within developed City Fig: Improved Slum Condition
 6.2. Heritage Conservation and Tourism
The most important aspect to be dealt with in the conservation of heritage monuments and adjoining
areas to spur tourism and generate revenue in addition to improving the overall "image" of the city.
Following actions were taken in this regard:

• Turnaround strategy for the city to become an icon for heritage development, which includes
heritage conservation measures, identification of heritage/tourism packages within the city and
provides a supportive environment for their sustainability
• Inner city development around the Lingaraj Temple, Bindu Sagar and other heritage lakes
• City beautification measures like organized open spaces, urban squares, recreation places,
fair grounds, etc.

Fig: Ancient Temples of City Fig: Temple within the City

6.2.1. Priority Actions

Based on the discussions, the following priority actions have been formulated to achieve the
objective:

• Declaration of heritage zones within the city

• Re-development of the area within heritage zones duly considering the monuments/temples
and the potential impacts that arise from development
• Development of an Environmental Management Plan specific to heritage zones and ensure
proper implementation of the same during developmental activities
• Regulating urbanization in the heritage areas and, if required, restrict/prohibit activities that
may damage the structures, e.g., high-rise construction etc.

6.3. Revitalizing Commercial and Mixed Land uses

The specific strategies for these include:

• Addition of commercial areas in the potential wards supplemented by formal land uses in the
saturated and constraint wards to minimize demand for commercial activity
• Encourage mixed land use with less residential use in the core areas and discourage mixed
land use activity based on minimum road widths in the inner areas
• Improvements to public domain areas - road space and institutions
• Improving more road open space on major arterial road to improve the traffic flow
 Fig: Market Place of City Fig: Public Place of City

6.4. Rain Water Harvesting

Most state governments OF India have recently started to focus on rainwater harvesting to protect
environmental resources, recharge the ground water table, create awareness on water usage, etc.
Though the merits of rainwater harvesting are a known fact, they have not trickled down to required
policy measures like pollution abatement, resource' networking, eco-system rehabilitation, etc.

6.5. Protection Of Environmental Resources

One of the most critical interventions is the protection of environmental resources. The protection of
natural water bodies, channels and open spaces from further encroachments shall be carried out in a
coordinated manner. Areas adjoining water bodies shall be developed and clearly marked and notified
to prevent further encroachment

6.6. Slum Networking Program

Slum networking should be viewed as integrated improvement of the entire city using slums, not as
isolated islands, but as an urban net. The spatial spread of slums together with contiguity between
informal settlements gives an opportunity to strengthen city level infrastructure networks. There is a
close correlation between slum locations and the natural drainage paths of the city, which needs to be
tapped and improved

6.7. Inventory of Air Quality

There is an imminent need to augment and update the database on air quality indicators and initiate
research on the health impacts of specific contaminants. The database shall include sources, emission
concentrations and identify Construction related activities.

6.8. Planning for Open Spaces & Other Resources

Open spaces and other connected resources have to be planned so that they become lungs for the
city. The development of open spaces would also enhance overall environmental quality. It is
suggested that proposals should be framed for carrying out studies or planning exercises required for
framing capital projects
 6.9. Networking of Resources
As specified in the earlier sections, open spaces along or next to water bodies shall be identified,
rehabilitated and maintained in order to connect recreational and cultural areas. Restoration shall start
simultaneously at various areas by clearing the obstacles and greening the areas. Special emphasis
shall be given to planting trees

7. Conclusion
A City Development Plan is essentially a road map to achieve a set of development objectives within
a specific period. This City Development Plan for Bhubaneswar has identified and articulated the
needs and aspirations of the citizens of Bhubaneswar and it ultimately led to the development of the
city. This plan lost the importance of few aspects, yet major objectives were achieved.