Stakeholders converge on 1st day of urban conclave

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Urban Conclave-2025, a flagship initiative of the housing and urban development department, was inaugurated here on Thursday, marking a significant step towards building smarter, inclusive, and sustainable urban centres across the state.Held under the theme “Collaborate. Build. Progress”, the two-day conclave brings together a diverse array of stakeholders, including urban local bodies (ULBs), govt departments, policy think-tanks, urban planners, technology providers, financial institutions, civil society representatives, and academic experts.The event was formally inaugurated by housing and urban development minister Krushna Chandra Mohapatra, who, in his keynote address, emphasised the importance of sustainable urban infrastructure, efficient service delivery, and empowered local governance.Usha Padhee, principal secretary, housing and urban development department, set the context for the conclave by outlining Odisha’s comprehensive urban development roadmap. She stressed the need for collaborative governance, citizen-centric planning, and technological adoption to build future-ready cities.The conclave features thematic sessions addressing key urban challenges and opportunities, including urban governance and infrastructure development aimed at enhancing institutional capacity, transparency, and service delivery in ULBs.

Urban planning & mobility aims at promoting integrated planning and inclusive mobility solutions, e-governance and SAHAJOG for leveraging digital platforms to improve administrative efficiency and citizen engagement, and financial management in ULBs to strengthen municipal finance, revenue generation, and credit worthiness.Besides, a session is dedicated to PM SVANidhi and Urban Livelihoods aimed at empowering informal urban workers through livelihood schemes, and most importantly, urban housing, sanitation, and water supply aimed at ensuring affordable housing, inclusive sanitation, and universal access to safe drinking water.Dignitaries and participants underscored the importance of cross-sector collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and resilient infrastructure in shaping the cities of tomorrow. The conclave aligns with the long-term development goals of Viksit Odisha by 2036 and Viksit Bharat by 2047, reaffirming the state’s commitment to sustainable urbanisation.Municipal commissioners, executive officers, and engineers from all ULBs across Odisha participated in the conclave, which serves as a vibrant platform for knowledge exchange, policy dialogue, and partnership building. The concluding day is likely to witness more robust discussion on urbanisation, officials said.