Berhampur Municipal Corporation purchases Amphibian Weed Harvester to clean ponds

Berhampur Municipal Corporation purchases Amphibian Weed Harvester to clean ponds. Amphibian Weed Harvester will play a vital role for de-weeding, cutting and collecting floating, submerged, underwater trash and keep the Ponds and Nalla clean in Brahmapur, District Ganjam (Odisha). Its really a GOOD INITIATIVE BY @BerhampurMunicipalCorporation  

ଆଶା BMC, ବ୍ରହ୍ମପୁର ର ପୋତି ହେଇଯାଉଥିବା ବନ୍ଧ ଗୁଡିକର ପୁନରୁଦ୍ଧାର ପାଇଁ କାମ କରିବ I

 

Funds woes plague Berhampur Municipal Corporation

The Berhampur Municipal Corporation, which is facing financial crisis, is desperate to mop up revenue. “The corporation has plunged into a deep financial crisis and the situation is precarious,” said civic body commissioner Ajit Kumar Mishra. “Collection of holding tax, parking fee and trade licence, which are the major source of income for the civic body, is not encouraging. We have fixed a target and asked the field staff to collect Rs 2 crore revenue within one month. We have also decided to take stringent action against the revenue field staff who are not serious about fulfilling the target,” said Mishra.

The civic body has also launched raids on several shops to ascertain whether they have trade licences. More than 100 businessmen, including silk sari shop and cloth merchant in Bada Bazar, were running their establishments without trade licence. The corporation has collected Rs 1.25 lakh as fine from them. “There are around 7,500 registered trade licence holders in Berhampur and the target of revenue collection is Rs 3.24-crore per annum. But the number of trade licences must be more than 25,000 in the city. Those running their business without a licence should come forward,” said Mishra. The corporation collected Rs 16 lakh only out of a target of Rs 3.24-crore per annum. Similarly, there are 60,000 holdings in the corporation limits. “The target of collection of holding tax is Rs 3.66 crore per annum, but the collection is Rs 1.25-crore now and there is a short fall of Rs 2.40 crore. Though many news houses have come up, the civic body is totally in dark about the development. Most people are approaching the Berhampur Development Authority for the approval of their houses and they come to us only when they face difficulties of civic amenities,” said Mishra.

As such, holding tax has been assessed in 35 per cent cases. A huge due from the government sector is also alarming. “The amount of arrears from the government sector is Rs 1.4 crore. We have collected Rs 16,374 only from the government establishments. We have a target to collect Rs 1.29 crore from the kiosks and cabins, but have collected only Rs 4.27 lakh,” he said. He added that revenue collection from kalyan mandaps (marriage venues), guesthouses, town hall and slaughterhouses was meager. Revenue from hoardings, which is a major source of revenue, is lagging behind. “We have a target of collection of Rs 60 lakh. But the collection is only Rs 83,320,” said the commissioner. “We need another Rs 1.60 crore per month to run the corporation. Otherwise it will be difficult for us to manage the establishment,” said Mishra.

Source: The Telegraph

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

Demand for Greater Berhampur Municipal Corporation grows louder

The Ganjam Zilla Bikash Manch (GZBM) has asked the State government to merge the villages on the periphery of Berhampur with the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC) before the panchayat elections scheduled to be held next year. Activists of the philanthropic organisation have threatened to launch a peaceful agitation in front of the office of the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC), southern division in the city, from January 20, if the State government failed to take up any decision by the time. The GZBM has sent a memorandum to the Chief Minister regarding their demand. March president Siba Prasad Mishra has said it is quite regrettable that even after almost three years after upgradation of city municipality into a corporation, the BMC is yet to have the complete proposed area under it. On January 1, 2009, the State government declared Berhampur the third municipal corporation of Orissa. It was termed a new year's gift for the inhabitants of the city. The government gazette notification for the purpose had proposed that the area of the BMC was to be increased. As per the proposal, 26 villages of 14 panchayats on suburbs of the city were to be included under the BMC. Inclusion of these villages in the BMC was thought to become a major catalyst in the planned development of this major urban centre of south Orissa.  

But till now no concrete steps have been initiated for inclusion of these village in the BMC. Meanwhile, groundwork for the panchayat polls in these villages is under way as they are still part of different revenue blocks around the city. The local elected bodies of these panchayats have not received any communiqué regarding their proposed inclusion in the BMC. It may be noted that in 1971, Gosaninuagaon village was included in the city limits. In 1984 Ambapua village became its part. But, for past 27 years the municipal limits of Berhampur has not been raised while its population has risen four-fold during this period. 

Sources: The Hindu, The Sambad

Following is the notification of the State Government on merger of 26 villages with Berhampur Municipal Corporation, which remains to be implemented 

Source: Government of Odisha Gazette

Letter to CM: Stop neglecting Berhampur Municipal Corporation

Hon’ble Chief Minister Sir,           

As you are aware, Berhampur is one of the major cities of Orissa and the only urban hub in the backward southern region of the State.  After years of popular demand, Berhampur, the oldest Municipality of the state, was elevated to a Municipal Corporation in December 2008. The Gazette notification announcing the formation of Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC) clearly stated the boundary of the Corporation which included 14 Panchayats spread over some 26 villages. The people of the city kept waiting for the merger of these villages with the larger body of Berhampur Municipal Corporation which is necessary for planned development of the city. Months have passed since the decision for formation of Berhampur Municipal Corporation but these villages still continue to be part of the respective Panchayats damaging all hopes for the planned development of the city. In the mean time the process of Census 2011 has also been completed, but unfortunately the population of these villages were excluded from the population figures of Berhampur city. This seems to be a well thought out conspiracy of some vested interest to keep the city of Berhampur truncated so that it remains perennially backward and loses out on important government schemes like JNNURM which take population size of the cities as one of the parameters.  Notwithstanding the fact that the population has rapidly grown in the villages surrounding Berhampur city, the recent notification of Panchayat polls in these villages have dashed all hopes for their merger with the Berhampur Municipal Corporation and expansion of the limits of the Urban local body. While there are many more Panchayats and at least 3 NACs demanding to be considered as part of the larger area of Greater Berhampur, the state Government move to conduct Panchayat polls in villages which were declared a part of the Corporation a couple of years ago can only be termed as regressive and discriminatory.

This raises some important issues which only the state government can answer;

First, why the state government repeatedly follows discriminatory policies towards cities outside the state capital like Berhampur and can’t see their developmental and infrastructure needs? Should it not look beyond Bhubaneswar?

Second, while states like Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra are trying to merge more and more villages on the city outskirts with the existing urban bodies to ensure that they are eligible for major central plans and their future development is not hampered (Example: Greater Hyderabad, Greater Visakhapatnam, Greater Mumbai etc.) why the government of Orissa is trying to scuttle such genuine needs in case of Berhampur city?

Third, when the Cuttack and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporations were formed, more than 60 Panchayats were merged with these urban bodies, then why this discrimination for Berhampur city? Why the State Government is playing with the future of more than 1 lakh people in these 26 villages on the outskirts of Berhampur city by denying them urban amenities and by going back on their proposed merger with the BMC?

Fourth, Berhampur Municipal Corporation is working with the same set of officials who worked under the erstwhile Municipality and yet the state government is unmoved. For example, the former executive officer of Berhampur Municipality is continuing as the Municipal Commissioner making the intention of the state government suspect.

Fifth, As per Section-6 of Orissa Municipal Corporation Act, 2003, a Municipal Corporation need to have at least 39 wards under it, but how come the policy is not applied for Berhampur which has only 37 wards under the present Municipal limits?

Sixth, How can a state government after declaring a measure through an official gazette of merger of villages with an existing urban body can go back on this when the all important Census process is just over and a Panchayat election is just round the corner.

Seventh, why the state government is so callous and insensitive when it comes to Berhampur city, which is considered as the only hope for an otherwise backward region of South Orissa. The funds that are being provided to the city are meager and not a single major infrastructure project has been carried out by the state governmet in the past decade. In the absence of big cities and gainful employment oppurtinities lakhs of people of south Orissa migrate to cities in neighbouring states and it seems the state government is totally unmindful of the large scale migration that is happening in these backward pockets due to the lack of opportunities in nearest urban areas where infrastructure provisions remain woefully inadequate.

The people of Berhampur demand answers from the state government which has deliberately neglected the city and has choked all channels for its development. How else can one explain the recent move to go against a decision taken by the Government itself a couple of years ago for merger of areas on the city outskirts to form the larger body of Berhampur Municpal Corporation?  Notwithstanding this, we expect you to take a just decision keeping the larger interests of Berhampur city in mind and hope for an early action as far as merger of these villages with Berhampur Municipal Corporation is concerned.

With Warm Regards,

R.P.Tripathy

New building for Berhampur Municipal Corporation office

Following story by Sunil Patnaik from The Telegraph            

BERHAMPUR: Berhampur Municipal Corporation, which was declared the first municipality of Orissa 143 years ago, has initiated steps to construct a new building to accommodate various departments including administrative, engineering, planning, revenue, health and community welfare. “The building would be built at a cost of Rs 15 crore. Berhampur was declared as the first municipality of Orissa in 1867 and two blocks for housing the office of the mayor and commissioner, besides the office of the nizarat, were built by the British rulers then,”said mayor Siba Shankar Dash. “These two blocks would be untouched and kept as heritage structures. The present building, housing the PWD and the health department built half-a-century ago along with the mini park would be razed and we would build an attractive structure there,”he added. The architect of the proposed building, Prabir Kumar Dash, said it would be a five-storey structure with stilts and basement with parking facilities for two-wheelers and light four-wheelers. “The construction of the new building would start from January end. The green building technology to build the structure would be the only of its kind in south Orissa,” he said. The five-storey building would come up over an area of 18,200 square feet to accommodate 20 VIP rooms, more than 80 general rooms, two small conference halls of 720 sq ft each and one large conference hall of 5,100 sq ft. “We will also implement solar energy techniques. The solar cell panels would be embedded above the roof slab of the central conference hall on the fifth floor, said Dash. However, the corporation vehicles would be parked outside the campus.

Source: The Telegraph

Berhampur Municipal Corporation on anti-encroachment drive

BERHAMPUR: Finally the Berhampur Municipal Corporation has woken up to the chaotic traffic condition prevailing in the city that has gone from bad to worse in the recent months. The Municipal Corporation has now taken upon itself the task of bulldozing the illegal constructions on all major roads of the city in the presence of city Mayor and Commissioner. The people of the Silk City can heave a shy of relief as all political parties are in favour of removing illegal constructions in the city and the drive so far has not faced any resistance except from some local vendors. The Municipal Corporation is planning exclusive vending zones to rehabilitate the displaced petty traders and vendors. The anti-encroachment drive is to be followed by widening of the major roads and constructing a 4-lane road from Auto Nagar to Giri Road. Three new fly-overs are also being planned and work has commenced on the Auto Nagar flyover recently. Efforts have also been initiated to remove encroachments that have started to intrude the campus of the MKCG Medical College and Hospital campus. The drive against illegal constructions will be carried out in Tata-Benz, Courtpeta, Aska Road and Barracks areas in the coming days, claim Corporation officials.
Oriya daily Dharitri has more on this story: http://www.dharitri.com/190210/story4.asp
Source: Dharitri, The Hindu, The Pioneer

Conference of Mayors and Municipal heads kicks off in Berhampur

BERHAMPUR: Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC) played host to the conference of Mayors and chairpersons of Municipal bodies of the State. The Conference attended by more than 100 heads of Municipal bodies of the state was inaugurated by the state Revenue Minister at the historic Town Hall in the city. Hints of hike in the holding tax was evident during the discussions at the conference which deliberated on the methods of raising resources for the municipal bodies to carryout developmental activities. But, given the poor infrastructure and services provided by urban bodies in cities like Berhampur, Cuttack and Sambalpur, the natives have been opposing any hike in holding tax. In the mean time, a state government agency has already conducted the property survey of the individuals in four important towns of the state including Berhampur, Cuttack, Sambalapur and Puri to assess the holdings of individuals in the unit areas.

Source: The Hindu, Businessstandard, Aahwaan

Sanitation to be outsourced in more wards in Berhampur City

The Berhampur Municipal Corporation has decided to privatise the maintenance of sanitation in five more wards of the city. Following this decision, the total; number of wards whose maintenance of sanitation has been privatised would rise to 10. The city has already outsourced the sanitation maintenance of five wards.
Speaking to newsmen, the Mayor, Siba Shankar Dash said they preferred to outsource sanitation of five more wards due to satisfactory results in the wards where it was implemented. He claimed that there had been demands for outsourcing of sanitation work from most wards of the city as it had shown better results in the wards where it was implemented. This outsourcing of sanitation work had been opposed by the sanitary workers of the city in the past.They had also taken up agitation. But the municipal corporation had not preferred to roll back its decision.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Berhampur Municipal Corporation to strictly implement ban on water pouches

• A fine of Rs. 100 each to be imposed on sellers, Rs. 500 on transporters
• The ban order issued on September 1
• Water pouch manufacturing unit sealed
  BERHAMPUR: The city municipal corporation has decided to impose fine on the sale of drinking water pouches in Berhampur. It may be noted that Berhampur was the first township in Orissa, where sale of drinking water pouches was banned. The sale of drinking water pouches in the city started about a decade ago. The municipal corporation at its meeting on August 28 decided to ban sale of these drinking water pouches as the used drinking water pouches were a major reason behind clogging of drains and were a major sanitary menace. The ban order was imposed on September 1. But clandestine sale of drinking water pouches continued in the city.
  The municipal corporation now decided to be extra strict on these covert sellers of drinking water pouches, said the Mayor of the city, Siba Shankar Dash. According to him, it was decided to put a fine of Rs. 100 on any roadside kiosk that sells these drinking water pouches. Any vehicle found to be transporting drinking water pouches inside the city would be imposed a fine of Rs. 500. Mr. Dash said the ban order on sale of drinking water pouches was an effort to upkeep the sanitation of the city which did not have a proper sewerage system. The large quantity of polythene waste from the lakhs of used drinking water pouches had become a headache for the municipal authorities.
  Municipal corporation medical officer Sashi Bhusan Panda said apart from sanitation and pollution problems, the doubts over the purity of water sold in the pouches was also a reason behind the ban order. Most drinking water pouches sold in the city did not have the date of manufacture and their expiry date printed on the pouches. Some of them did not even have the address of the manufacturer on them. The municipal authorities have also sealed a drinking water pouch manufacturing unit at Haldiapadar.
  Court moved
  Meanwhile, the drinking water pouch manufacturers have approached the Orissa High Court against the ban order of the municipal corporation. The municipal corporation has decided to fight them in court.
  Courtesy: The Hindu
  

Berhampur Mayor plans to multiply tax revenue

BERHAMPUR: Berhampur Municipal Corporation Mayor S S Das on Thursday, warned the concerned tax collectors of the corporation to collect the tax four times. During the official review meeting on revenue generation and collection Mayor Dash said “collect tax more than your salary or you will loose the job”. The official review meeting of the municipal corporation was held here in the city on Thursday where all the details regarding the tax collection and revenue generation were discussed in the meeting in which the tax collectors and the elected representatives were present. Mayor Dash was not satisfied on the amount of tax being collected at present as the tax collectors were depositing the tax collection amount which is less than the salary of tax collectors. As a result of which he warned that the tax collectors should collect the tax including house holdings, commercial taxes etc, more than the amount of their salaries. In some cases, they have to collect the tax more than four times. The revenue and the tax collection should be more than 12 crores, otherwise the corporation might be at the losing end, warned Mayor Dash. Mayor Dash further said that few tax collectors collect tax from the people and do not deposit it at the corporation office.

Source: Odishatoday

Low cost pucca houses for slum dwellers in Berhampur

BERHAMPUR: The Central Government has sanctioned Rs 31 crore project for slum development in Berhampur city under the Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP). As per the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC) authorities, Rs. 10 crores will be sanctioned in the first phase for the projects taken up under the IHSDP. Berhampur has 109 slums which are recognised in the BMC records. As per a recent assessment, the number of persons living in slums in the city may have touched more than one lakh. The IHSDP projects are going to bring in some hope for the slum dwellers and the poor of the city.
Around 1 lakh slum dwellers in this southern Orissa town will be provided with low cost pucca houses, including infrastructure facilities in their areas. As per Berhampur Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) commissioner, Bhim Manseth, “The Centre had sanctioned Rs 31 crore under the integrated housing scheme for urban poor to BMC for construction of the houses”. The BMC was collecting detailed data of beneficiaries and tender had been floated for biometric survey of benefieries and infrastructure facility available in the areas. The aim of the project is to abolish the slums in urban local bodies in the next five years and assist the slum dwellers for their economic development.

Sources: Source: PTI & The Hindu

Berhampur Municipal Corporation on pollution control mission

BERHAMPUR: The employees and corporators of the Berhampur municipal corporation are trying to bring back the habit of cycle riding among the citizens to check pollution and to save fuel. On Monday all employees of the municipal corporation rode cycles to reach the municipal office. Some of them also came by foot. Even the corporators who came to the municipal office came on cycles. They resorted to this exemplary act as per a resolution passed by the Berhampur Municipal Corporation on June 30.

The corporators had decided that on every Monday they as well as their employees would not use vehicles to come to office. But it was also decided that this resolution is not meant to hamper the sanitary and other works of the municipality where vehicles had to be used. Senior officials of the municipality like its health officer, doctor S. B. Panda, also preferred to keep his vehicle at home. According to him people were fast forgetting the benefits of walking and cycling. Vehicles were being used to travel distances which could be easily traversed by a walk or by cycling, which could make them healthy. Some municipal employees led by Surendra Choudhury were also seen trying to convince general public coming to the municipal office to use cycles instead of vehicles in case there was no pressing need. “We are requesting all who have some work to come to the municipality office on cycles at least on Mondays”, Mr. Choudhury said.
The employees of the municipality are enthusiastic to make this environment friendly movement successful in the city. It would surely bring back the habit of cycling in the city to decrease pollution and pressure on traffic on city roads. It may be noted that as per police personnel on traffic duty, sudden rise of vehicular traffic due to fall in cycle use has added to traffic congestions.

Source: The Hindu

Berhampur Municipal Corporation only on the signboard

RP Tripathy
After several years of demands from the city residents the State Government granted Municipal Corporation status to Berhampur. But, except change in its nomenclature there is no other change visible in the structure of the new local body. Infact, the former Executive Officer of Berhampur Municipal Council is still working as the Commissioner in-charge of Berhampur Municipal Corporation. In the Gazette Notification declaring Berhampur as a Municipal Corporation the State Government revised the boundary limits of Berhampur city by including several Panchayats, which have since been subsumed in the Corporation, but no election has taken place to give representation to these areas in the City Corporation and ensure development of these peri-urban areas. Not only that, the State Government has kept Berhampur city fund starved over the years and now the city has become a big garbage with the Municipal Corporation looking helpless to deal with the problems of waste management and drainage in the absence of man power and honest and sincere officers. The Chief Minister himself witnessed the deluge that Berhampur was in 2003 and boats were deployed inside the city to provide relief to the people. Man-made problems like this are cropping up as the State Govt is not showing any interest on the sewerage project for the city. This is really pitiable if one contrasts this with the full support of the State Government for Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation. (for more on this visit:http://www.dharitri.com/040709/story1.asp)

In view of this ever mounting problems of the city there is a need to appoint an honest and sincere IAS officer as Commissioner of Berhampur Municipal Corporation who can make Berhampur a livable place and who can put an end to the chaos that the City is in, as far as its traffic, civic amenities, water shortage and pollution are concerned. Besides this, other officials who are supposed to be appointed to various offices on account of the City having been upgraded as a Municipal Corporation must be expedited. Further, special budgetary provision for the city must be made by the state Government to have a ring-road on its outskirts and to implement the sewerage project for the City. Inclusion of the city under JNNURM will greatly help in infrastructure development and hence its inclusion under this central scheme must be explored. Sincere action on all these above issues is a must for making Berhampur as the growth engine of South Orissa.

Construction boom in Greater Berhampur region

BERHAMPUR: The greater Berhampur region is witnessing a construction boom these days, mainly in the housing segment due to changing perceptions and purchasing power among the people and also due to huge influx of people from adjoining southern districts of Orissa and KBK region to the city. In the last couple of years there is considerable change in the business climate of the city. The on-going projects like Gopalpur Port and SEZ, Titanium Dioxide plant and SEZ, Software Technology Park of India (STPI) have all played a role in the construction boom. The declaration of Berhampur as the third Municipal Corporation of Orissa by changing its boundary limits and arrival of several engineering and medical colleges have also triggered real estate activities on the city outskirts. Several reputed retail chains like Vishal Mega Mart, Bazar Kolkata, The World, Reliance Retail, Cottons by Century, Big Bazaar, Syndicate etc. have either started their retail business in the city or plan to open their operations in the next one year. BDA has also signed an MOU with the Forum Mart of Kolkata for a huge shopping mall ‘Gajapati Plaza’ with an investment of Rs 97 crore. The apartment culture is also catching up fast in the silk city with more than a dozen projects in the pipe-line. On the flip side, some property agents have started minting money by selling land and plots violating BDA rules and regulations.

After a lull due to lack of interest show by the Tata group for taking up work on its mega steel plant project near Gopalpur, there is steep increase in the prices. In fact, the prices have already started increasing since 2007 and apartments in Berhampur are being sold at Rs.1500-2000 per sq.ft. Several layouts approved by Berhampur Development Authority (BDA) are being developed towards Ambapua, Dura Junction, Pathara and Kalinga Bihar, close to the national highway and Gopalpur/Berhampur. Some property agents are also making a fast buck by selling plots in unauthorized layouts. BDA sold some sites and houses at Ambapua in 2001 by developing a layout. This led to a boom in real estate business in and around Ambapua and Khodasingi area. In the mean time the BDA has completed Vivek Vihar- I and has ambitious plans for its second phase Vivek Vihar-II. With land in the city unaffordable for many, plots are being sold in BDA approved layouts on the city outskirts in and around Ambapua and Jagannathpur at Rs. 200 to Rs. 400 per sft depending on their location. Taking advantage of the boom-time many realtors are developing independent duplex houses with basic amenities like drainage, street lights and water supply in these regions. The skyrocketing real-estate prices in Berhampur has made the city an alternate real-estate investment destination of the State, besides the state capital.
Source: realestatetimes

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