Bhubaneswar: In response to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s emphasis on enhancing urban infrastructure, the Housing & Urban Development Department has initiated a mission-mode project to repair potholes and cover open roadside drains on all roads passing through Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).
Principal Secretary of Housing & Urban Development Department Usha Padhee has written to the Works Department, Rural Development Department, and National Highway Authority of India to take immediate remedial measures.
The departments have been instructed to conduct joint surveys with ULBs to identify, mark, and geo-tag all potholes and damaged stretches on roads, as well as assess the status of open roadside drains. Priority attention will be given to market areas, hospitals, educational institutions, accident-prone zones, and densely populated wards.
All potholes must be repaired and resurfaced in a durable manner, while open roadside drains must be covered with RCC slabs to ensure safety, hygiene, and prevention of accidents. The survey work should be completed within thirty days, and the repair and slab-casting work must be completed on or before March 31, 2026.
The departments are required to submit progress reports on a monthly basis and furnish a pothole-free certificate by March 31, 2026. The Housing & Urban Development Department will closely monitor the implementation, and cooperation from all departments is solicited to ensure safe, resilient, and citizen-friendly urban infrastructure.
