Bhubaneswar

India COUNTRY

1,162,886 CITY POPULATION

Municipal Corporation GOVERNMENT TYPE

Introduction

Bhubaneswar (About this soundOdia pronunciation (help·info)) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Odisha. It is a center of the economic, educational, and cultural importance of East India. Along with the old town, the region historically was often depicted as Ekamra Kshetra (Temple City). With the diverse ranges of heritage resources, it showcases significant sacred cultural landscape components that have evolved with the support of available natural resource base and cultural trigger.

Although the modern city of Bhubaneswar was formally established in 1948, the history of the areas in and around the present-day city can be traced to the 3rd century BCE and earlier. It is a confluence of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain heritage boasting of some of the most exquisite Kalingan temples. With many 6th-13th century CE Hindu temples, which span the entire spectrum of Kalinga architecture, Bhubaneswar is often referred to as a "Temple City of India." With Puri and Konark it forms the Swarna Tribhuja ("Golden Triangle"), one of eastern India's most visited destinations.

Bhubaneshwar is very famous for woven ikat fabrics, which can be purchased as readymade garments, fabric and saris. Appliqué worked fabric locally known, as Chandua is a typical Orissa handiwork. Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa, is also popularly known as the "Temple City of India."

Data and facts

The history of Bhubaneswar dates back to the period before the Common Era when the region was the part of the Kalinga Empire. One can still find the remains dating back to the 3rd century BCE on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.
Bhubaneswar is in the eastern coastal plains, along the axis of the Eastern Ghats mountains. The city has an average altitude of 45 m (148 ft) above sea level. It lies southwest of the Mahanadi River that forms the northern boundary of the Bhubaneswar metropolitan area, within its delta.
As per provisional reports of Census India, the population of Bhubaneswar in 2011 was 843,402; of which male and female are 446,204 and 397,198, respectively.
Although Bhubaneswar city had a population of 843,402; its urban/metropolitan population is 886,397 of which 468,577 are males and 417,820 are females.
Hinduism is the majority religion in Bhubaneswar city with 95.21 % followers. Islam is the second most popular religion in the city of Bhubaneswar, with approximately 3.29 % following it. In Bhubaneswar city, Christianity is followed by 0.92 %, Jainism by 0.05 %, Sikhism by 0.12 %, and Buddhism by 0.12 %. Around 0.04 % stated 'Other Religion', approximately 0.35 % stated 'No Particular Religion'.
Bhubaneswar Metropolitan Areas include: Bahadalpur, Bankual, Bhubaneswar, Ebaranga, Industrial & Colony Area, Industrial & Colony Area (OG) (Ward 61), Industrial & Colony Area (OG) (Ward 62), Industrial & Colony Area (OG) (Ward 63), Industrial & Colony Area (OG) (Ward 64), Industrial & Colony Area (OG) (Ward 65), Industrial & Colony Area (OG) (Ward 66), Industrial & Colony Area (OG) (Ward 67), Industrial & Colony Area (OG) (Ward 68), Injana, Kalarahanga, Kesora, Koradakanta, Patrapada, Raghunathpurjali, Ransinghapur, Rokat, Sarakantara, and Sijua.
Bhubaneswar city is one of the fastest-developing centers. As of now, this gorgeous city is one of the major commercial, educational, and cultural hubs in India.
Bhubaneswar is called the temple city of India for a reason. As per historical records, it was once home to thousands of temples which were frequented by millions of people every year. Today, Bhubaneswar still houses hundreds of temples; some date back to several centuries and a few are constructed in recent times.

Administration

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) oversees and manages civic infrastructure for the city's 67 wards. Residents of each ward elect a corporator to the BMC for a five-year term. Standing committees handle urban planning and maintain roads, government-aided schools, hospitals and municipal markets. As Bhubaneswar's apex body, the corporation discharges its functions through the mayor-in-council, which comprises a mayor, a deputy mayor, and other elected members. The executive wing is headed by a Commissioner. BMC responsibilities include drainage and sewerage, sanitation, solid waste management and street lighting. As of 2014, the Biju Janata Dal party controlled the BMC; the mayor was Ananta Narayan Jena and the deputy mayor was K. Shanti. The Bhubaneswar Development Authority is responsible for statutory planning and development and building regulation.

Economy

The elements of Bhubaneswar economy ranges from agriculture, horticulture, sericulture, metal and minerals sector, engineering, and agro-based industries to information technology-enabled services as well as handloom and tourism industry.

Bhubaneswar economy depends mainly on agriculture, sericulture, horticulture and the IT industry. The development of these sectors and their further growth have led to the growth of other subsidiary sectors like Banking sector, metals and minerals industry. The growth of the tourism industry has led to the growth of the Hotel industry. Basic service providers like fire services, electricity services, medical services, etc, have played a very big role in the growth of Bhubaneswar's Economy.

Business Environment

Bhubaneswar was ranked as the best place to do business in India by the World Bank in 2014. Bhubaneswar has emerged as one of the fast-growing, important trading and commercial hub in the state and eastern India. Since the last decade, Bhubaneswar has seen sprawling growth of start-ups. Mindfire Solutions has emerged as a leading start-up. Mindfire Solutions is an offshore software development company providing customized services and solutions. Another firm, Tatwa Technologies was founded by Mr. A.K Mohanty and Tapendra Senapati in 2002 as an IT services company, now Tatwa Technologies has ventured into Business Technology Services, Mobility & m-Commerce solutions. Other examples include HelloDoctor24x7 Pvt. Ltd, SakRobotix, Medioctor, AMOKart, thoomri.com etc. One of the critical factors that make Bhubaneswar a start-up hub are the presence of world-class educational institutes like IIT, NISER, CET, IIIT, CIPET etc that provide global exposure. The emergence of IT giants like Infosys, TCS, Wipro, and Mindtree in Bhubaneswar also acts as a catalyst for the fast-growing start-up culture in the city. The youth of the city is talented, enthusiastic, and innovative.

Infrastructure

Bhubaneswar has roads in the grid form in the central city. Bhubaneswar has approximately 1,600 kilometers (990 mi) of roads, with an average road density of 11.82 square kilometers (4.56 sq mi). The only major airport in Odisha, the Biju Patnaik International Airport, located in Bhubaneswar, connects the city to New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and other major cities of India.

In a bid to promote a clean environment, healthy lifestyle and sustainable urban habitation, Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) announced that it would be mandatory for all housing projects to provide infrastructure for non-motorized transport (NMT). As per the guidelines, no housing project will be provided approval if it fails to provide the required infrastructure and commitment for promoting NMT, especially cycle tracks in building and plot level. The norms are applicable for the projects to be constructed on a minimum of 5 hectares. Around 7.5 percent of the total area should be dedicated to shared space.

Technology

India’s Ministry of Urban Development put forth a Smart City Challenge to develop a conceptual plan for improving a city and its residents’ lives with smart solutions. One hundred cities across India were chosen to compete and provide an area-based proposal with a unique vision, mission, and plan. IBI Group supported the development of a Smart City Challenge proposal for the city of Bhubaneswar, leveraging its global experience in the fields of transportation, planning, design, technology, and intelligence. Working with the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), State of Odisha, India, IBI Group prepared its Smart City Plan, which was adjudged the first rank out of 98 cities in the country. The award-winning 2015 Smart City Strategy for Bhubaneswar established a Program Management Unit with over 30 staff in the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) to produce the nerve center of Bhubaneswar’s pan-city technology plan. The proposal emphasized the comprehensive development of the city, taking into consideration mobility, active transportation, energy, water, waste disposal, and integrated infrastructure. The effort required extensive consultation with local residents to better understand the needs of the city, with initiatives such as conferences, solution contests, and collaboration labs to engage and empower the public. An implementation strategy was prepared that identified key projects, addressed organizational and financial structuring, and determined institutional arrangements for raising capital.