State neglect halts Greater Berhampur dream

Barracks Stadium, Berhampur

Berhampur: The process to form Greater Berhampur consisting of Berhampur, Gopalpur, Chatrapur urban areas and 139 adjoining villages is moving at a snail’s place because of the absence of a comprehensive development plan. On January 1, 2009, the state government declared Berhampur the third municipal corporation of Odisha and the gazette notification had proposed increase of the Berhampur Municipal Corporation jurisdiction. “The corporation has no role to play for the increase of its area. The state government must take initiatives,” said commissioner of the civic body Akshya Kumar Mahanty.  Ramesh Chandra Chau Patnaik, local BJD MLA, said the proposal was under consideration and “Greater Berhampur will be beneficial to the people and a political boost is needed to implement the proposal”.  “Preparation of the plan is necessary for development of the proposed Greater Berhampur,” said Kailash Rana, chairman of the Berhampur Development Area.  The Town and Country Planning Organisation, the technical advisory body of the Union urban development ministry, is preparing the plan with the help of the Odisha remote sensing application centre, town planning department of the state government and the Berhampur Development Area. “The advisory body called the vice-chairman and planning member of the Berhampur Development Area to New Delhi to discuss about the plan this month and we expect that it would be ready soon,” Rana said. The plan preparation would cost around Rs 1,09,75,000. Sukanti Sahu, zilla parishad member and former chairman of the Nimakhandi panchayat, said though three years had gone, the elected panchayat bodies, which were to be included in Greater Berhampur, had not received any communiqué regarding their proposed inclusion in the Berhampur Municipal Corporation.

Source: The Telegraph

Berhampur development news

Source: The Sambad

Source: The Sambad

Source: The Sambad

Source: The Sambad

Source: The Sambad

City bus service set to roll in Silk City Berhampur

BERHAMPUR: The Berhampur Development Authority (BDA) has planned two new bus services, one within Berhampur town, another connecting Berhampur, Gopalpur and Chhatrapur comprising the Greater-Berhampur region.
 The services will be launched through public private partnership (PPP), at an estimated cost of 3.5 crore. At least 27 buses will ply in the first phase.

A Mumbai-based consulting agency presented a detailed project report in this regard recently. The agency has suggested the formation of a special purpose vehicle (SPV) with involving the BDA, Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Notified Area Councils (NAC) of Gopalpur and Chhatrapur to monitor the services.
At present, passengers depend on trekkers and matadors for travelling to these two places from Berhampur. "Not only is time a big factor, but travel in trekkers and matadors is also a risky affair. These are always overcrowded. Moreover, there are no town bus services within Berhampur. So, we have also suggested a bus service for the town," a BDA official said. The Berhampur city had introduced a town bus service in 1991. The service was later discontinued as it incurred heavy loss.

Source: Times of India, The Sambad

City bus hope for Berhampur

BERHAMPUR: BDA and Local Authorities of Berhampur are planning to introduce a city bus service from the city to Gopalpur and Chhatrapur under public-private-partnership mode. “Though mini buses ply on both the Berhampur-Gopalpur and Berhampur-Chhatrapur routes, we propose to introduce a city bus service to these two places because of public demand,” said secretary of the Berhampur Development Authority Saran Kumar Jena. “We have engaged a consulting agency to make a detailed survey on the prospects and the possibilities of plying city buses on these two routes. The survey will take various factors, such as population, number of commuters travelling between these places and the number of autorickshaws and other vehicles in the area, into consideration. The survey, which was launched by the consulting agency two months ago, is in its final stages now,” Jena said. The consulting agency is expected to submit its preliminary report on May 14. The proposal will then be discussed with all stakeholders of the town, including local legislators, sub-collector, representatives of the Berhampur Municipal Corporation and others. District collector Ganjam Kishan Kumar has convened a meeting on May 10 for preliminary discussions on the proposed city bus service and various other development initiatives. “The mini buses, which are plying on these two routes at present, are insufficient. Though the capacity of a mini bus is 20, most of these vehicles ply with about 35 passengers. Introduction of city buses in these two routes will be of immense benefit to the commuters,” said Sudhir Das, who travels to Gopalpur from Berhampur everyday. However, Nagen Kumar Padhi, vice-president of the Berhampur Trekkers’ and Taxi Owners’ Association, is worried over the proposal to introduce the bus service. “It will affect our interests. We should be consulted on the matter,” he said.

Source: The Telegraph

City buses to hit Berhampur roads

Source: The Sambad

Upcoming projects in Berhampur

BDA Housing Project: Vivek Vihar-II

Parala Maharaj Engineering College (PMEC), Berhampur

Source: http://tenders.indiamart.com/

Berhampur city all set to have a master plan

BERHAMPUR: After a long gap of 40 years, Berhampur city is set to get a master plan for its planned development. The Berhampur Development Authority (BDA) organised a launching workshop on Saturday on the preparations of Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) for a greater Berhampur. The CDP is to be prepared by the Town and Country Planning Organisation (TCPO), the technical advisory body of Central Ministry of Urban Development. The new master plan would be Geographical Information System (GIS)-based. It would depend on remote sensing data provided by satellites as well as the ground level data collected through surveys. (For more on this visit: http://www.dharitri.com/280609/story8.asp)
This workshop was attended by the chief planner of the TCPO, J.B.Khirsagar, director of State Town Planning, chairman of the BDA, Sarat Ranjan Patnaik, chairpersons of Chatrapur and Gopalpur NAC and Mayor of Berhampur municipal corporation. Representatives of all sections of society, various departments of the administration, police officials and social organizations who are stake holders to this new master plan took part in this interactive workshop to provide suggestions.
The preparation of the CDP would cost around Rs. 1,09,75,000. The State Government, which would bear the cost, has provided Rs. 35.50 lakhs for it in the first phase. It may be noted that Berhampur, a major trading and cultural centre had its last master plan way back in 1969. This master plan envisioned the urban growth and required basic amenities for a population of over two lakh persons by the year 1986. The present CDP however would provide urban development plan for the area now under the BDA which includes areas of urban bodies like Berhampur, Gopalpur and Chatrapur and 139 villages. This would be part of the greater Berhampur with a vision of development for next 30 years. The CDP would comprise a total area of 317 square km having a population of one million.

Source: The Hindu