Odisha Urban Conclave 2026 to Chart Roadmap for Stronger, More Resilient Cities

Bhubaneswar: Strengthening the capacity of urban local bodies and accelerating the delivery of essential civic infrastructure will be at the centre of the Odisha Urban Conclave 2026, to be held in Bhubaneswar on August 23.

Organised by the Housing & Urban Development (H&UD) Department, the Review-cum-Orientation programme will bring together senior government officials, municipal leaders, urban planners and engineering personnel to assess the implementation of urban development programmes and identify areas requiring greater attention.

The conclave will be held at the Convention Centre Auditorium, Lok Seva Bhawan, with the Housing & Urban Development Minister scheduled to deliver the inaugural address. The Additional Chief Secretary will make a presentation outlining key governance priorities for the state’s urban sector.

A major focus of the conclave will be strengthening the financial and planning systems of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). Sessions will cover revenue augmentation, Town Planning Scheme SOPs for Tier-II and Tier-III cities, Samruddha Sahar and the Urban Challenge Fund.

Infrastructure development under the Mukhyamantri Sahari Bikas Yojana (MSBY) will also be reviewed, with discussions expected to focus on implementation, coordination and timely delivery.

The conclave will examine some of the pressing challenges confronting Odisha’s growing urban centres, including waterlogging, waste management and mobility.

Discussions will cover AMRUT 2.0 water body rejuvenation, urban flood mitigation and pedestrian-friendly mobility, besides expansion of city bus services under CRUT.

Urban welfare programmes, including PM SVANidhi, Shelters for Urban Homeless and Aahaar, will also feature in the deliberations.

Technical sessions will separately address used water management, Solid Waste Management compliance and PMAY-U 2.0, covering sanitation, housing and other essential urban services.

The conclave will undertake a focused assessment of low-performing ULBs, with the objective of identifying implementation bottlenecks and putting corrective measures in place.

The department will also showcase successful initiatives adopted by better-performing ULBs. These practices will be examined for their potential to be replicated and scaled up in other urban areas.

The state government envisages the Odisha Urban Conclave 2026 as a platform for improving coordination between the government and ULBs, strengthening institutional capabilities and promoting more effective implementation of urban programmes.

The discussions are expected to help establish a common roadmap for developing resilient, financially sustainable and citizen-focused urban centres across Odisha.