CAG To Conduct Urban Mobility Audit In Bhubaneswar, Cuttack

Bhubaneswar: Bhubaneswar and Cuttack have been selected for a nationwide Citizen-Centric Compliance Audit on Urban Mobility to be conducted by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India under its Annual Action Plan 2026–27.

As part of the process, an Entry Conference on Urban Mobility was held at Kharabela Bhawan in Bhubaneswar under the chairpersonship of Additional Chief Secretary of the Housing & Urban Development Department Usha Padhee.

The proposed audit will cover 101 cities across the country and examine various aspects of urban transport systems, service delivery, mobility infrastructure, policy implementation and citizen-centric urban mobility initiatives.

Principal Accountant General (Audit-I), Odisha, Subu R., Deputy Accountant General Balakrishna and members of the audit team attended the conference along with senior officials from multiple departments and urban agencies.

During the meeting, the audit team made a detailed presentation on the scope of the exercise, including audit criteria, legal and policy frameworks, urban transport systems, methodology, timelines and key service areas to be covered under the audit.

The Office of the Accountant General also requested the Housing & Urban Development Department to nominate a nodal officer and sought cooperation from all concerned departments and implementing agencies for smooth conduct of the audit.

Addressing the meeting, Usha Padhee assured full support from the state government and asked departmental officers and participating agencies to actively place operational issues, challenges and field-level concerns before the audit team to facilitate constructive discussions and practical recommendations.

The conference also reviewed the proposed timelines and modalities for carrying out the audit in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

Among those present were Director of Municipal Administration Arindam Dakua, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation Commissioner Chanchal Rana and senior officials from Bhubaneswar Development Authority, Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT), Cuttack Municipal Corporation, Cuttack Development Authority, Smart City Limited, Commerce & Transport Department, State Transport Authority, Odisha State Pollution Control Board, Home Department and other stakeholder agencies.

Officials said the audit is expected to provide important insights into the functioning of urban mobility systems and help strengthen citizen-focused public transport and urban infrastructure planning in the two cities.