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Comprehensive Region Urban Transport (CRUT) is preparing a Rs 5,000-crore, five-year plan to overhaul urban mobility in the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri-Paradeep Economic Region (BCPPER), with around Rs 2,000 crore expected to be directed towards transport infrastructure.
The proposal comes as Odisha develops BCPPER as an integrated growth hub. The region spans 11,892 square kilometres across Khordha, Cuttack, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts and had an estimated population of 9.24 million in 2025. It generated $22.38 billion, or nearly 19 per cent of Odisha’s economy, in FY25, according to the Economic Plan for BCPPER prepared by NITI Aayog in collaboration with the Odisha government. The plan envisages turning BCPPER into a $500-billion economy by 2047.
CRUT’s proposed programme aims to build an integrated, fully electric transport system with transit-oriented development, first- and last-mile connectivity, charging infrastructure, digital systems and non-fare revenue mechanisms. The objective is to reduce dependence on private vehicles, ease pressure on roads and parking, cut emissions and use public transport as a framework for wider urban development.
“All the means of transport will be interconnected,” CRUT Managing Director Md Sadique Alam told Down To Earth in Bhubaneswar in July 2026, adding that the transport system envisaged under the model will be “100 per cent electric”. The number and type of vehicles required, however, are yet to be decided.
The programme broadly complements the BCPPER economic plan, which identifies inadequate public transport capacity as a key challenge. It proposes adding 3,400 electric buses and developing 34 depots by 2034, along with terminals, passenger amenities and better integration between transport modes.
CRUT’s proposal is being developed around a five-year horizon, although it could be extended. Multiple teams are working on different components, while studies and surveys are underway to identify gaps and finalise priority projects. An agreement with the concerned department is also under preparation, Alam said.
CRUT expects greater clarity on the project’s modalities, including funding arrangements and priority interventions, by December. The project will be supported by the Asian Development Bank, with a significant share of the investment expected to come from the multilateral bank. The exact financing structure is yet to be finalised.
The transport component could account for nearly Rs 2,000 crore of the overall programme, depending on the projects eventually approved. Besides buses, the investment could cover priority lanes, pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, charging facilities and other supporting infrastructure.
A key element of the proposal is transit-oriented development (TOD). Alam said public transport systems could not remain financially sustainable on passenger fares alone. CRUT is therefore examining land-value capture and asset monetisation around transit nodes.
Land parcels identified around TOD locations could be developed for commercial complexes, offices, markets or, where feasible, residential projects, depending on demand. “We have to go for some kind of non-fare-box” revenue, Alam said.
The plan also places emphasis on first- and last-mile connectivity, which Alam described as one of the biggest challenges in urban mobility. CRUT is examining smaller electric feeder services and exploring public-private partnership models that could be synchronised with bus operations.
The approach is consistent with BCPPER’s wider development strategy. NITI Aayog’s plan calls for a dedicated TOD policy and more compact, mixed-use and pedestrian-friendly development around major transit systems. It also seeks to link Bhubaneswar’s technology and knowledge economy, Cuttack’s commercial base, Puri’s tourism and heritage economy and Paradeep’s port-led industrial development through coordinated infrastructure and regional planning.
CRUT is also considering opening parts of its charging infrastructure to the public. Alam said new facilities could be designed to accommodate public electric vehicle charging with relatively limited additional investment, allowing infrastructure developed for bus operations to support wider electric mobility.
Digital infrastructure is another proposed component. CRUT currently uses subscription-based software systems but wants to develop a stronger in-house digital backbone while retaining the flexibility to draw on private-sector expertise, Alam said.
The broader BCPPER roadmap contains more than 80 proposed projects across sectors and is part of NITI Aayog’s Growth Hub initiative, which promotes integrated planning across urban and economic regions rather than treating individual cities in isolation. NITI Aayog has projected that BCPPER could contribute nearly one-third of Odisha’s economy by 2047.