Odisha Charts Quad City Plan to Build Economic Corridors

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has drawn up an ambitious roadmap to create economic corridors across the state under its newly conceptualised ‘Quad City’ programme. The initiative seeks to integrate clusters of four cities in each region, combining their strengths to accelerate industrial growth, trade, and employment.

Housing and Urban Development Principal Secretary Usha Padhee said on Monday that four such zones are being planned in the first phase. Each will bring together cities that make significant contributions to Odisha’s economy, creating regional hubs that can power overall growth.

“The growth of cities alone is not enough. Unless economic activity is scaled up in a structured way, development will remain uneven. The Quad City approach is meant to act as a catalyst for faster, inclusive growth,” Padhee explained.

The first zone will link Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, and Paradip—connecting the state’s administrative capital, cultural centre, historic city, and major port into a single economic belt. Officials believe this cluster could emerge as the driver of urban and industrial growth in coastal Odisha.

For western and southern Odisha, the government has proposed a zone linking Sunabeda, Koraput, Sambalpur, and Bargarh, with a focus on industries, agro-based enterprises, and the tribal economy.

In the north, Rourkela and resource-rich Keonjhar will anchor another zone designed to strengthen Odisha’s steel and mining sectors, while also creating new jobs and infrastructure opportunities.

The Quad City programme is currently being shaped by an internal committee of the state government in consultation with NITI Aayog. Work is underway to identify investment models, infrastructure needs, and timelines for execution.