Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has reviewed the progress of an Asian Development Bank (ADB)-supported Technical Assistance Programme to prepare a Comprehensive Regional Mobility Plan (CRMP) for the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri-Paradip Economic Region (BCPPER) and a State-wide Bus Service Transformation Roadmap.
The review meeting was chaired by Additional Chief Secretary of the Housing & Urban Development Department, Usha Padhee, and attended by senior government officials, ADB representatives, consultants from SYSTRA and Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Ltd, and other stakeholders.
The programme, backed by ADB assistance of USD 1 million and signed in December 2025, seeks to establish an integrated mobility framework linking public transport, land-use planning, logistics, transit-oriented development, digital mobility solutions, and institutional reforms across the emerging economic region.
During the meeting, consultants outlined plans for the Comprehensive Regional Mobility Plan covering nearly 11,900 sq. km of the BCPPER region. The area is home to more than 9.2 million people and a workforce of over 4.1 million, making it one of Odisha’s most important economic corridors.
The proposed CRMP will provide a 20-year vision for mobility and urban growth, focusing on multimodal transport systems, public transit networks, non-motorised transport infrastructure, freight movement, parking management, transit-oriented development, and climate-resilient mobility solutions.
The exercise will be supported by surveys, GIS-based mapping, travel demand modelling, and socio-economic assessments.
The meeting also reviewed progress on the State-wide Bus Service Transformation Roadmap being prepared for Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) and the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation.
The roadmap aims to improve public transport services through route rationalisation, schedule optimisation, fleet expansion, electrification, and digital integration.
Officials said the strategy will strengthen CRUT’s urban bus operations in the capital region while helping OSRTC develop a long-term operational and financial roadmap to enhance regional and inter-city connectivity across the state.
Discussions further covered policy frameworks related to Transit-Oriented Development, Land Value Capture, urban redevelopment, and sustainable financing mechanisms for future mobility investments. Participants also deliberated on establishing a Unified Transport Authority (UTA) for the BCPPER region to improve integrated transport planning and multimodal coordination.
ADB representatives briefed the meeting on the proposed City Economic Region initiative, which aims to bring together mobility, urban development, logistics, governance reforms, and digital infrastructure under a common development framework.
Addressing the meeting, Padhee stressed the importance of inter-departmental coordination, timely data sharing, stakeholder participation and evidence-based planning to ensure successful implementation of the programme.
She said the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri-Paradip corridor has the potential to emerge as a model economic region supported by efficient mobility systems, sustainable urbanisation, and improved connectivity.
