THEBUSINESSBYTES
BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR,
APRIL 1, 2026
Strategic and well-informed urban land management is essential for
achieving the vision of a Viksit Odisha, said Additional Chief Secretary,
Housing & Urban Development, Usha Padhee, while underscoring the importance
of treating land as a vital resource for sustainable urbanisation, planned
infrastructure growth, and efficient service delivery in the state’s rapidly
expanding urban landscape.
Emphasising the
critical role of land as a strategic asset in shaping sustainable and
future-ready cities, the Housing & Urban Development Department organised a
high-level session on urban land management at Kharavela Bhawan here, marking a
significant step towards advancing Odisha’s vision of a Viksit Odisha.
Setting the context,
Additional Chief Secretary Padhee highlighted that informed and strategic urban
land management is fundamental to ensuring planned growth, efficient
infrastructure development, and improved urban service delivery. She stressed
the importance of strengthening institutional understanding of diverse land
categories, regulatory frameworks, and emerging instruments such as land value
capture to unlock the full potential of urban land assets.
The session featured
a detailed presentation by former bureaucrat Hari Ballav Mishra, who shared
insights from his extensive administrative experience on the evolving legal,
policy, and governance dimensions of urban land management. He emphasised the
need for clarity in legacy land classifications and adaptive policy frameworks
to address the complexities of rapid urbanisation.
Key land categories
prevalent in Odisha — including Nazul, Khasmahal, Government Khas Possession
(GKPB), and leasehold lands — were discussed in detail, with focus on their
optimal utilisation to support sustainable urban expansion and infrastructure
planning.
Director of Municipal
Administration Arindam Dakua, along with Additional Secretaries, senior
officials, Collectors, Municipal Commissioners, and officers from the Revenue
and General Administration Departments, participated in the deliberations both
physically and virtually.
Discussions also highlighted the significance of land value capture as an innovative and sustainable financing mechanism to support urban infrastructure development. The approach was viewed as instrumental in enabling planned urban growth while enhancing the efficiency and transparency of land resource management.
Reaffirming its commitment to strengthening governance capacity, the Department emphasised continued knowledge-sharing and capacity-building initiatives to promote transparent, efficient, and strategic management of urban land resources across Odisha, aligned with the broader vision of a Viksit Odisha.
