The New Indian Express | Bhubaneswar second best small city to live

Mar 05,2021

Smart City Bhubaneswar has taken a giant leap in terms of ease of living to become the second best liveable city with less than one million population in the country. The State Capital has been ranked second after Shimla in the Ease of Living Index (EoLI)-2020 report, released by Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri report on Thursday, 16 notches up from the 18th rank in 2018.

Bhubaneswar has secured 59.85 points out of 100 in the assessment carried out in 62 cities having less than one million people by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs from January 16 to March 20 last year. With a total score of 60.90 points, Shimla has secured the top position while Silvassa ranked third in the Index with 58.43 points. Steel city Rourkela has been placed at 54 in the ranking with 48.89 points. 

The rankings under EoLI were announced for a total 111 cities with a population of less than a million as well as cities with more than a million people. The EoLI evaluates the quality of life and the impact of various initiatives for urban development. The ranking was based on different indicators such as education, health, housing and shelter, mobility, safety and security, economic opportunities, green space and environment divided in four categories such as quality of life, economic ability, sustainability and citizen perception. 

Municipal Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary said, “Bhubaneswar has improved its ranking over the last two years and it is the result of good efforts of the civic administration as well as citizen engagement and participation to make the city a best place to live in. In comparison to other cities, the quality of life in Bhubaneswar is much better in terms of its air quality, water, road, connectivity, environment etc.

It should be our collective responsibility to contribute to make our city the most livable place in the country,” he said. BMC deputy commissioner Srimanta Mishra said the ranking is significant as it provides a comprehensive understanding of quality of life, economic-ability, sustainability and resilience of the city. Bhubaneswar has secured first spot in citizen perception, 11th in sustainability, 19th in economic ability and 29th in terms of quality of life. The city has also been placed at third position in terms of economic opportunities. It, however, has secured 46th rank in safety and security. 

No city gets any top rank in MPI
Not a single city of Odisha received top rank in the Municipal Performance Index (MPI) which was also released on Thursday. Bhubanewar was placed at 25 while Rourkela secured 48th position in the assessment. The MPI assessment was based on a number of indicators such as services including health, education, water, sanitation, permit and infrastructure, and technology that includes digital access, literacy and governance.