Bhubaneswar has employed an extensive citizen engagement process to guide its journey for transformation to a smarter city. Building upon the input received from the citizens, the overall approach focuses on promoting Smart Growth supported by sound economic development principles; while at the same time, directing investment in initiatives that promote sustainability, inclusiveness and livability by leveraging technology as an enabler.
Based on the citizen feedback received during Round 1 of the engagement initiative, Mobility and Waste Management as Pan-City Smart solutions and Town Centre as Smart District were selected to create an implementable Strategic Plan.
Furthermore, building upon the 24 Smart City Features identified by the Government of India’s Smart Cities Mission, Bhubaneswar shaped its approach around the following 7 ‘Smart City Pillars’ to align the citizen’s aspirations and needs with city systems.
- Governance- Citizen Participation, Intelligent Government Services
- City Planning and Design-Mixed Land Use, Compact Cities
- Urban Utilities-
- Water: Water Supply, Water Management
- SWM: Waste Management
- Sanitation: Sanitation, Waste water management
- Energy : Energy Supply, Energy Source, Energy Efficiency, Underground Electric wires
- ICT: IT Connectivity
- Urban Mobility- Street Design, Public Transport
- Shelter- Inclusive Housing
- Economic Development-Economy and Employment
- Social Development- Identity and Culture, Education, Health, Open Spaces, Safety and Security, Air quality
As the state capital, Bhubaneswar has successfully maintained its distinction of being recognized by various international and national agencies as “one of the best places to do business in India”. This recognition is partially responsible because of the high quality infrastructure facilities provided by the joint efforts of BMC and BDA with support from the Government of Odisha. On the other hand, the city continues to tackle challenges that are negative consequences of urbanization faced by many cities. We now suffer from a growing threat of an ever-increasing volume of waste generated for an increasing population, which is one of the most challenging tasks governments are struggling to manage. Also, after being ranked 25th among the 28 state capitals under the Swachh Bharat Mission, BMC is looking at better managing the city’s waste services from garbage collection, recycling, and sewage to littering, access to public toilets, and eliminating open defecation.
To decide what can bring transformation to Bhubaneswar’s waste management, please vote for the best practice that can be embraced and adapted to better suit Bhubaneswar’s local context.
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