Odisha mulls linking Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri with Rourkela-Sambalpur-Jharsuguda corridor for 2036 overhaul

Odisha is reportedly mulling a major connectivity and digital integration plan at the centre of its 2036 development blueprint, proposing a seamless technology and services corridor linking the Bhubaneswar–Cuttack–Puri belt with the industrial axis of Rourkela, Sambalpur and Jharsuguda.

The east–west link is designed to strengthen the state’s wider move to transform the state capital into a dedicated Fin-tech City and anchor a state-wide network of advanced technology clusters. Under the plan, financial technology, digital infrastructure and high-skill services will drive the next phase of economic expansion, reported The New Indian Express.

Multi-City Tech Hub Network To Reduce Capital-Centricity

The corridor proposal aligns with the government’s decision to create eight specialised digital hubs across tier-II cities.

These hubs will focus on electronics assembly, semiconductor development, defence technology, logistics digitalisation, tourism-tech, IoT solutions, smart manufacturing and hardware exports.

The broader digital economy roadmap outlines an investment potential of more than Rs 16 lakh crore in cloud infrastructure, skill development and advanced technology services. The TNIE report stated that the newly planned hubs could together generate over fifty thousand specialised jobs and contribute around Rs 40,000 crore annually to the state’s value-added output by 2036.

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Bhubaneswar Expansion Plans Under Review

As Bhubaneswar’s strategic importance rises under the 2036 programme, the municipal corporation is examining a proposal to incorporate more than seventy surrounding villages into its administrative limits.

Documentation from multiple blocks has been submitted for scrutiny, and the expansion will move forward only after directional approval from the Housing and Urban Development Department. The potential enlargement marks the first major boundary rethink in decades and is seen as necessary to handle population growth and infrastructure demand.

Alongside the boundary proposal, the municipal administration is evaluating the creation of six zones in place of the current three. The intention is to align civic administration with the scale of urban expansion triggered by the state’s long-term digital and industrial ambitions.