Bhubaneswar, Sept 30: The much-awaited blueprint for the planned expansion of Greater Bhubaneswar is yet to take final shape, with the GIS-based Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) 2040 still awaiting final notification.
The extended CDP was intended to provide a long-term planning framework for the rapidly urbanising areas around Bhubaneswar. The draft was first published in the Odisha Gazette in March 2024, inviting objections and suggestions from the public.
The plan initially covered 364 revenue villages in the extended BDA area. However, a fresh notification was issued in October 2025 for 35 villages after revenue-related issues were identified. The notification again invited public objections and suggestions.
Why is the final notification delayed?
According to the latest available information, the statutory process has involved surveys, public consultations, scrutiny of objections and technical revisions. Yet the final Gazette notification, which would give the extended CDP legal force, is still awaited.
The BDA's official website continues to list the CDP 2040 extended-area documents as drafts, rather than as a final notified plan.
BDA Planning Member Md Qaisar Iqbal Ali told The Times of India that the matter is currently before the Board of Enquiry and that the final notification will follow its recommendation.
What does the delay mean for Greater Bhubaneswar?
Bhubaneswar has expanded far beyond its original planning limits, with surrounding villages increasingly becoming part of the city's urban landscape.
The extended CDP 2040 is intended to provide a structured framework for land use, transportation, housing, infrastructure and environmental planning in these rapidly developing areas.
With the final notification still pending, questions remain over how the expansion of Greater Bhubaneswar will be formally regulated and planned.
The delay is also significant as the BDA is moving towards a broader planning exercise integrating the existing and extended planning areas. The authority's official records currently continue to show the extended CDP as a draft.
For hundreds of villages on the city's rapidly expanding outskirts, the wait for a legally enforceable development blueprint continues.
