The appointment of Vijay Amruta Kulange as the Commissioner of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has raised the bar on the quality of civic services in the number one Smart City. Denizens of Bhubaneswar have lofty expectations from this diligent and outcome-driven IAS officer who had a momentous stint as the Collector of Ganjam. Interestingly, the super performers of Ganjam, the home district of BJD supremo, and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik have been rewarded and tested in equal measure. One can relate to the astounding success of VK Pandian, Secretary, 5T initiatives who once served as the Ganjam collector, and earned his stripes.

Kulange realizes he has implicit confidence in the Chief Minister. In the same vein, he knows that the post of BMC Commissioner is as exacting and demanding. He has spelled out the right intent by saying that all stakeholders need to pool their efforts for the holistic and all-around progress of Bhubaneswar. There are many a challenge to his efforts. Odisha in general and the Bhubaneswar area, in particular, have seen a fresh upsurge of Covid cases. Bhubaneswar earned the distinction of being the country’s first city to have achieved 100 percent vaccination for all its residents. But the new BMC boss can’t rest on the past laurels. He along with his cohorts need to articulate a vision for the city free from the virulent pandemic. This could mean inter alia the need to take up the booster vaccination campaign on a mission mode.

Kulange has urged people to wear masks while stepping out of the house or visiting crowded places. He also advised that symptomatic persons should visit the nearest health center for the Covid-19 test.

Mindful of other challenges like urban flooding, Kulange has made it clear that no project should hinder another one’s progress and a solution in time coordination can help support progressing the activities. Since every department is implementing projects in Bhubaneswar, any issue related to the initiatives needs to be responded to, he feels. His bets are on the convergence of activities for the best possible results.

Kulange has also launched a campaign for the ban on single-use plastic. BMC under his leadership will step up enforcement drives against the sale of single-use plastic. Kulange said they will create awareness among traders, shopkeepers and other people. He said this on the eve of the country-wide ban on single-use plastics. The Centre has prohibited the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of 19 identified single-use plastic items across the country from July 1. These items include earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene (Thermocol) for decoration, plastic plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straws, trays, wrapping or packaging films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron and stirrers.

Kulange has risen from humble beginnings. Vijay grew up in Ralegan, a village in Maharashtra’s Ahmadnagar district, where his father worked as a tailor and his mother as a daily wage worker on farms.

His parents were constantly concerned about providing their children with two square meals a day since they earned just about Rs 200 a day. There was always a lack of money, and even the bare necessities were out of reach. The avid reader was always among the top performers at school – both in his 10th and 12th board exams. Being raised in a drought-prone village with high poverty levels and little development, he decided to become a doctor and serve the underprivileged. However, his family’s financial circumstances prevented him from pursuing MBBS despite getting a college seat.

However, Vijay always felt he could have achieved more. Seeing Vijay’s constant thoughts, Vijay’s father encouraged him to prepare for the state civil service examination. Vijay would be helped by his father’s words several times throughout his journey. His inspiration led him to prepare for the Maharashtra State Civil Service exam (MPSC). Working during the day and studying at night wasn’t an easy task, but he persevered, sticking to a strict routine of studying by day and working at night.

He achieved the rank of an IAS officer after cracking the UPSC CSE in his first attempt in 2012. Vijay’s first posting as an IAS officer was in the Dhenkanal district of Odisha. His book ‘Aajcha Diwas Maza’ describes his struggles, journey, and the sacrifices his parents made to raise him. He lives with his proud parents and continues to work proactively to transform