The State Level Project Monitoring Committee (SLPMC) reviewed the Project Proposal Report (PPR) and discussed the plan for advancing it under an Externally Aided Project (EAP), bringing Odisha one step closer to implementing the proposed Bhubaneswar-Kataka-Puri-Paradip City Economic Region (BKPPER) project. The Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri-Paradip Economic Region was chosen as one of the four pilot economic regions under the first phase of the Center’s City Economic Region (CER) initiative, and Chief Secretary Anu Garg convened the meeting to discuss the proposal.
An official statement states that the proposed project will require an initial outlay of ₹5,000 crore, of which ₹3,500 crore, or 70%, will be financed by a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the remaining ₹1,500 crore, or 30%, will be supported under the Central Government’s CER scheme. In order to increase investment, industrial expansion, tourism, logistics, port-led industries, the knowledge economy, and job creation, the initiative intends to develop Bhubaneswar, Kataka, Puri, and Paradip as an integrated economic area. Nineteen urban local bodies (ULBs) in the districts of Khordha, Kataka, Puri, and Jagatsinghpur would be included in the planned economic area.
The initiative will be a major step toward accomplishing the goals of Odisha Vision-2036 and Vision-2047, according to Chief Secretary Anu Garg. An integrated regional transportation network, smart and climate-resilient urban infrastructure, public transportation expansion, multimodal transport hubs, working-class housing, the proposed Bhubaneswar New City, urban redevelopment projects, riverfront and waterbody development, port-based industry promotion, and the creation of knowledge and healthcare hubs are all included in the proposal.
