Road Decongestion Plan for Bhubaneswar? Solution lies in creating sustainable income-generating activities in villages

By Sudhansu R. Das 

The BJP government in Odisha has allocated ₹13,000 crore for a Comprehensive City Road Decongestion Plan for Bhubaneswar, which includes an Outer Ring Road project. Additionally, the state has allocated ₹200 crore for the development of the IT, services, and industrial sectors across 3,600 hectares of land.

In reality, the solution to city road decongestion lies in creating sustainable income-generating activities in villages. The exodus of people from rural areas to cities is the primary reason for India's crumbling urban infrastructure. No amount of new infrastructure will save the city unless migration is curbed at the village level.

Although cities need IT, services, and industries, the allocation of precious urban land must be done judiciously. Over the decades, vast amounts of land have been allocated to educational institutions, industries, private hospitals, and private entities across the country—often far beyond their actual requirements.

For example, private schools build tennis courts, badminton courts, cricket grounds, volleyball courts, mini stadiums, libraries, and yoga centers alongside classrooms. These schools charge exorbitant tuition fees, marketing these facilities to parents, even though students rarely get to use them during school hours. Many private schools commercially exploit these infrastructures for profit.

In Hyderabad, numerous private schools add "International" or "Global" to their names, charging fees ranging from ₹70,000 to ₹5 lakh for students in Classes I to III. However, many of these schools provide substandard education due to a lack of qualified, well-trained teachers. As a result, parents must make extra efforts to teach their children or arrange for private tuition. The Majhi government should reclaim excess government land from private entities.

Every city has its unique character, individuality, and exclusiveness. Treating all cities the same leads to economic disasters. Bhubaneswar is distinct, with different needs—it is located in a coastal region that requires more trees, forests, and water bodies for its people’s survival. The city has already expanded into forests and hills, leading to higher atmospheric temperatures and worsening water and air quality. Heavy rains frequently choke its drainage system, causing urban flooding.

Therefore, constructing an Outer Ring Road to expand Bhubaneswar in the same manner as Hyderabad could do more harm than good. Urban growth in Hyderabad has consumed thousands of hectares of fertile farmland, beautiful hills, forests, and open spaces, resulting in rising temperatures, air and water contamination, and unpredictable seasonal changes.

For instance, Hyderabad's summer season has extended significantly, and monsoons that once arrived in mid-June are now delayed until August or later. The city's rapid expansion has also led to the alarming destruction of water bodies, leaving rainwater with no natural outlets, which in turn causes frequent floods.

Maintaining roads, water quality, and air quality in such a scenario becomes nearly impossible. The city’s natural rock formations have disappeared, heritage sites have been distorted, and century-old trees have been replaced by decorative shrubs. Flora and fauna that once thrived in and around the city now exist only in paintings on city walls.

According to transport department data, Hyderabad alone recorded over 1,600 road accident fatalities and 8,000 injuries in 2024. Road accidents account for over 40% of total injuries. Major causes include mobile phone usage while driving, over-speeding, drunken driving, poor road conditions, driver fatigue due to inadequate rest, high-beam driving, lack of driving discipline, insufficient parking spaces, encroachment on roads, absence of pedestrian paths, and failure to use protective gear.

“The comprehensive infrastructure push reflects our vision to transform Odisha into a $500 billion economy by 2036,” said Majhi. However, infrastructure companies often thrive on the deteriorating living conditions of people. While the government aims to build infrastructure, generate revenue, create jobs, and support social sector spending, it has not fully assessed the long-term damage caused by excessive construction. The cost of environmental degradation over the next 20 years could be enormous.

Odisha has immense potential to generate revenue through diverse sectors such as horticulture, fisheries, animal husbandry, agriculture, handicrafts, weaving, tourism, pilgrimage tourism, and wildlife tourism. The state can develop infrastructure and industries sustainably. While IT and industries are important, an over-reliance on them could collapse the existing economic fabric woven around natural sectors.

Generating revenue from liquor shops, real estate, and infrastructure companies is easy, but earning revenue from natural sectors requires vision, effort, skilled human resources, and strong political will. A diverse economy ensures sustainable revenue and inclusive growth for the state.