Bhubaneswar: A two-day workshop of UN-Habitat with the support of Bhubaneswar Municpal Corporation (BMC) was held today at the BMC headquarters premises.
In the inaugural function organized on this occasion, Mayor Sulochana Das, BMC Commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, Standing Committee Chairman Biranchi Narayan Mahasupkar, UN-Habitat’s Inclusive City Planning Expert, Parul Sharma were on the dais.
In this workshop on the quality living system, 40 senior officials from various departments participated. Eleven cities around the world have been selected by UN-Habitat. Bhubaneswar is the only city in South Asia which has been selected as a pilot city by UN-Habitat. In this workshop, the senior officers of various departments and teachers of private educational institutes have given their views on how to improve the quality of life of the people of Bhubaneswar. Tomorrow effectiveness and usefulness of these will be discussed.
UN-Habitat focuses on improving the quality of urban life and is working on it on a priority basis. The program will involve government representatives, academics, intellectuals, voluntary organization workers, special interest groups and business people about people-centric development, development and assessment of the quality of life, and what kind of measures will be taken to achieve the respective goals.
While 11 cities around the world have been selected, Bhubaneswar, the only city in South Asia, has been selected as a pilot city and the survey has been started to evaluate the quality of life. This survey will be very helpful in improving the quality of life of the people of Bhubaneswar.
Place of Bhubaneswar in providing basic facilities to the citizens of Bhubaneswar was ascertained and what to do about it was discussed. UN-Habitat will prepare the final draft and act on that draft by incorporating the data collected at different stages of quality of life from the 11 cities.
Surveys are being conducted in various ways on 9 parameters. It will last from 6 to 12 months. Data analysis, community and economic development, GIS, public health, capacity building or strategic planning, discussions at different phases, workshops and online and direct data exchange etc. will be done. A new draft will be prepared with regional and global indices.
Additional Secretary of Urban Development Department Shubhendu Kumar Sahu, Director of IMD Manorama Mohanty, Saswat Kumar Mohanty of State Pollution Control Board, Assistant Director of Economics and Statistics S M Panda, 40 senior officials of BMC, National Sample Survey, Trade and Transport, OCAC, BDA, Utkal University, KIIT, Xavier University, and UNICEF attended. The nodal officer of this pilot study and BMC Assistant Commissioner N Ganesh Babu coordinated the programme.
