Is Bhubaneswar Really A Smart City? Asks Odisha CM Mohan Majhi

Bhubaneswar: Voicing concern over lack of basic facilities in urban areas of Odisha, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday wondered whether state capital Bhubaneswar can really be described as a smart city.

Speaking at an event held in Bhubaneswar on the occasion of the Local Self Government Day, the Chief Minister said even a brief spell of rain creates a flood-like situation near ISKCON temple in Bhubaneswar.

While several areas get marooned during rain, open drains have also claimed lives of people, Majhi said.

“Is Bhubaneswar really a smart city?” asked the CM, while underlining the need to rise above politics and work towards improvement in the lives of people living in cities.

In order to make Bhubaneswar a smart city, it is necessary to provide the citizens with safe drinking water, proper drainage system, healthcare facilities, uninterrupted electricity supply and other amenities, the Chief Miniter said.

Noting that Bhubaneswar was established around a year after independence of the country with just 10,000 people, Majhi said the city has grown manifold and is now home to 15 to 20 lakh people.

While population explosion is taking place in Bhubaneswar and other cities due to influx of villagers to urban areas in search of employment, the civic bodies must work sincerely to provide basic facilities to all residents, he said.