Background paper on Berhampur City

Excerpts from the Background Paper on Berhampur city by the School of Habitat Studies, TISS for UIRF.........

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Berhampur city is the fourth most populous urban area in the state of Orissa and 113th overall in India. It is mainly a trading centre for Southern Orissa having its influence over eight districts. It is the oldest city of Ganjam District. The purpose of this TLBN is to present sector-specific and broader development issues in the city of Berhampur. This is specifically in the context of the Berhampur Municipal  Corporation (BMC), the current status and possible impact of reforms on the overall functioning of the municipal corporation. The focus of interventions is to improve governance in towns and cities in the growing urbanization era. The extent of provision of public services by a government system has gained importance in the twenty first century. During the Keynesian days, the supremacy of the government in providing public services was not a matter of debate at all. Government was thought to be the omniscient provider of all public welfare activities. The turn of the century witnessed a sharp rise in critically examining the role of the government and a limit was placed on the governmental activities. With this backdrop the next paragraphs describe the background and history of the district as well as the town.