Industry Odisha Bureau, May 19: Digital civic delivery gains momentum in the State with the Housing & Urban Development (H&UD) Department receiving over 6.59 lakh online applications under the Odisha Right to Public Services (ORTPS) framework.
In a high-level review meeting held recently under the chairmanship of H&UD Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra, the operational efficiency and implementation status of the Odisha Right to Public Services (ORTPS) framework were comprehensively reviewed.
The assessment reflected significant progress in the digital transformation of urban civic services, with nearly 94 percent of applications being approved and disposed of strictly within the legally mandated timelines.
Guided by the State’s citizen-centric governance vision under the motto “Lokaseba Adhikar – Subidhare Sarakari Seba” (Right to Public Services – Government Services with Ease), the H&UD Department has steadily strengthened its digital service delivery ecosystem.
At present, 21 out of the 30 notified ORTPS services are fully operational online across the State through platforms such as SUJOG, SWACHHATA and dedicated grievance management systems.
Another 7 services are currently available online within the jurisdictions of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation ) and Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), while only 2 services continue to operate in offline mode.
To further enhance monitoring and accountability, the Department is also in the final stages of User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for seven dashboard services being developed through the Centre for Modernizing Government Initiative (CMGI).
Data compiled between April 1, 2024 and April 27, 2026 reveals that the digital platforms received a total of 6,59,102 applications, underscoring the growing public trust in technology-enabled governance.
Of these, 6,05,960 applications were disposed of within the prescribed Service Level Agreement (SLA) timelines, while 10,916 applications remain pending but are still within permissible timelines.
Among all services, Trade Licenses emerged as a benchmark in efficient public service delivery, achieving a flawless 100 percent on-time disposal rate for all 57,715 applications received, with zero pendency.
Water & Sewerage Connections, which accounted for the highest citizen demand with 5,02,555 applications, achieved an impressive 96% on-time disposal rate. Sewerage Connections and Property Tax New Assessments also demonstrated strong compliance levels, recording 98 percent and 96 percent on-time disposal rates respectively.
Property Tax Ownership Transfers registered a 76 percent disposal rate within the stipulated timeline, while Marriage Certificates recorded 53 percent approvals within timeline and 46 percent beyond the prescribed period.
The review meeting also examined the performance of the Online Building Plan Approval System (OBPAS) and related urban development permissions. While the system has substantially digitized complex technical scrutiny processes, the Department noted the need for accelerated processing in certain categories where compliance levels remain comparatively low.
Building Plan Approvals (BPAs) for Low-Risk Buildings recorded a 41 percent on-time approval rate out of 15,984 applications, while approvals for non-low-risk categories stood at 31 percent out of 3,571 applications. Addition and Alteration permissions recorded 40 percent and 37 percent timeline adherence for low-risk and other categories respectively. Occupancy Certificates registered a 23 percent on-time approval rate.
Addressing senior officials during the review, Minister Mahapatra reiterated that citizen convenience remains the Government’s foremost priority and emphasized a zero-tolerance approach towards unwarranted delays in service delivery.
He directed all Urban Local Bodies, Development Authorities and field-level officials to immediately resolve bottlenecks causing pendency and ensure strict compliance with notified timelines.
Currently, 23,740 applications have been disposed of beyond the prescribed timelines, while 16,705 applications remain overdue. A major share of this pendency pertains to Water & Sewerage Connections with 9,082 delayed applications, followed by Low-Risk Building Plan Approvals with 2,786 pending cases and Building Plans under other categories with 1,261 applications.
Speaking during the meeting, Additional Chief Secretary Usha Padhee said, “The Department is continuously leveraging digital governance tools to simplify citizen services, improve transparency and enhance accountability at every level. Our focus is not merely on faster disposal of applications, but on building a responsive, technology-driven and citizen-first urban governance ecosystem across Odisha.”
