Bhubaneswar has added 1,608 affordable homes and 12 modern playgrounds to its urban infrastructure, with Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi inaugurating the projects on Tuesday under the PMAY-Urban BANDHU scheme and related development works by the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA).
The two housing projects are Nilakantheswar Residency at Ghatikia and Mukteswar Residency at Gadakana. The Gadakana project contains 680 homes built across more than six acres at an estimated cost of about Rs 95 crore. The Ghatikia project has 928 homes on more than five acres and was constructed at a cost of Rs 66.48 crore.
Together, the projects are intended to provide formal and affordable housing to families in the state capital. During the inauguration programme at Gadakana, Majhi said the government’s objective was to build a Bhubaneswar where low-income families could live with dignity and workers could access affordable homes. He also referred to basic services such as toilets, piped drinking water, electricity and cooking gas as essential components of housing support.
The Chief Minister directly handed over housing allotments to beneficiaries of both projects. The beneficiaries named at the event included Lakshmidhar Sethi, Naimuddin Khan, Ramachandra Sethi and Rasika Khandayatray from Nilakantheswar Residency, and Nirmala Barik, Sashmita Patra, Rupa Sahu and Draupadi Devi from Mukteswar Residency.
House-entry ceremonies were also held for 962 families at Buddha Vihar, Nilamadhab, Subudhipur and Shantipalli. The programme additionally included the distribution of bank loan assistance to residents of Buddha Vihar. Tulasi Tiria and Durga Charan Singh received Rs 1.20 lakh each, while Rashmika Naik and Prafulla Maharana received Rs 1.35 lakh each. Sarbeswar Gayan received Rs 1.25 lakh, according to the details released from the event.
The 12 playgrounds inaugurated across Bhubaneswar and nearby areas were completed by the BDA. The facilities are located at Bajrangi, K-4, Kolathia, Tamando, Nakhara, the CBSE Regional Office, Jadupur, Damana High School, Unit-2 Girls’ High School, Bhubaneswar Central Upper Primary School, Ghatikia, Unit-8 Boys’ High School and Saheed Nagar High School.
The locations include school grounds and neighbourhood sites, placing the new recreational infrastructure within existing residential and educational areas. The projects therefore combine housing delivery with access to public play and open-space facilities in different parts of the capital region.
Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra, Ekamra-Bhubaneswar MLA Babu Singh, Khordha MLA Prasanta Jagdev and Bhubaneswar Mayor Sulochana Das attended the programme. BDA Vice-Chairman and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation Commissioner Chanchal Rana delivered the welcome address, while BDA Secretary Manas Ranjan Padhi proposed the vote of thanks.
