Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra recently told the State Assembly that Odisha is going ahead with five big affordable housing projects in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Rourkela. To do this, the government’s teaming up with private developers, using a PPP framework, because urban housing needs are rising fast—thanks to soaring land prices and more people moving into cities.
They’re planning to add over 5,000 new homes, all following Model IV of the “Housing for All (Urban) Policy, 2022.” Here’s how it works: developers get to use 35% of the land for commercial or regular residential purposes, and the rest—65%—must be affordable housing. Mahapatra explained that this approach is both cost-effective and smart. It lets private firms work efficiently while still tackling the housing shortage.
The five projects underway right now are:
– Narayanpur Affordable Housing Project in Cuttack
– Neelamadhav Awas Yojana in Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar
– Shantipali Awas Yojana in Satya Nagar, Bhubaneswar
– Chandrasekharpur Affordable Housing Project in Bhubaneswar
– Chhend Affordable Housing Project in Rourkela
There’s been talk about construction costs and quality, but the minister cleared the air—since these projects are PPPs, the government isn’t setting a fixed price per square foot. What matters is meeting all the service and quality standards set out in the agreements. He promised the Assembly that every home will meet National Housing Standard (NHS) guidelines and state policies, so residents can expect a decent, livable city environment even if their incomes are modest.
In the end, these projects are about giving the urban poor a safe and stable place to live in Odisha’s busiest cities. With the 2022 guidelines guiding the work, the government’s making sure that as cities grow and change, their most vulnerable people won’t be left behind.