Lack of adequate urban development can be ascertained by the fact that the average per capita water supply in such areas stands at only 130 litres/day, while national average is 150 litres/day and the UN norm is 200 litres/day. More than one-third of the 57 lakh urban population are still out of water circuit. A measly 3 per cent of the urban population has partly underground sewerage clearance facility. Not a single major city in the State has a functional integrated sewerage treatment facility.

The pattern of expenditure could not be blamed for the deprivation. For, the aggregate expenditure in 2007-08 on water supply, sanitation, urban development and housing stood at Rs 1,246 crore at 19 per cent of the aggregate annual expenditure. Capital expenditure stood at Rs 528 crore at 42 per cent of the total and expenditure on maintenance at Rs 680 crore. The Central grant-in-aid for urban development has also been on the rise primarily due to Central flagship schemes like JNURM and UIDSSMT.

A recent evaluation report by the Union Ministry of Urban Development points to impairment of urban administration ridden with corruption and rooted in inefficiency. The report that examined the key reforms under JNURM reveals that no city in Orissa has achieved the mandatory target of 90 per cent collection efficiency and among the 15 cities that have achieved 85 per cent coverage in Property Tax, Puri is the only one from Orissa.

None of the cities was able to collect 100 per cent of the operation and maintenance (O&M) costs incurred in providing services like water supply.

However, Bhubaneswar and Puri were the two cities from Orissa among the 29 cities that have migrated to Double Entry Accrual Based Accounting System and published their Balance Sheets after valuation of their assets and liabilities. But, none from Orissa figured in the list of 13 cities that have accomplished e-governance reforms. Similarly, none figured in the list of 45 cities that have internal earmarking of funds for services to urban poor in their annual budgets.

A significant disclosure is the State Government has neither passed the community participation law nor has incorporated the relevant provisions into the existing laws. JNURM takes public as an important stakeholder in the development process and non-conferral of the legal power of participation to them is simply letting the errant urban local bodies go off the hook for their various commissions and omissions.