The Urban Local Self-government is supposed to provide basic infrastructure to its citizens. To fulfill their requirements, the local self-governments need to provide for infrastructure. In view of the current developments due to the availability of the service of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) to Bhubaneswar city, a city survey was conducted in Bhubaneswar to find the preparedness and adaptability of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation in providing urban infrastructure facility to its citizens. The survey shows that though the changes are perceived to be good, the citizens still feel that in some areas of crucial interest, like maintaining inner city heritage and providing adequate health and sanitation, the corporation has failed.

In developing countries like India, there is a tremendous pressure on the urban areas. Constant influx of population into urban centers creates great pressure on the available infrastructure. The pressure is not only in terms of physical delivery, but also in terms of financial burden that the urban local bodies like municipal corporations have to face. Both the government and local bodies are always on the toes to create better infrastructure facilities to the citizens. It is estimated that from a mere 29% of the urban population in 2000, the increase would be 40% by the year 2030. The major reason of such growth is the great rural-urban divide in terms of available earning opportunity and civic facility and the large growth in IT-ITES investment in the major urban locations of India, which is drawing in huge amount of population across the country to these locations.

The major metros apart, there has been a growth of tier II cities which attract a population of over half a million or will do so in the near future. To develop these cities, physical infrastructure has been taken up by the Central Government and State Governments in structured and cooperative manner by designing modality and giving institutional support to such urban infrastructure growth and requirement. Establishment of the Indian Infrastructure Finance Company which floats Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for infrastructure finance, enabling public-private partnership and designing its modality by the government both at state and the Center, and establishing special funds for urban infrastructural development by identifying the needs and growth areas under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) are some of the pivotal steps that are being taken. In this context, the current study was taken up in the city of Bhubaneswar, since it has been identified with few other cities in India by the JNNURM. A critical study followed by a survey of the citizens in finding their aspirations and the gap in the provision of urban physical infrastructure has been taken up in the study.

Urban Infrastructure Development, Local Self-Government, Municipal Corporations, Special Purpose Vehicle, SPV, Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, JNNURM, IT-ITES investment, Financial reports, City Development Plan, Infrastructure Development, Notified Area Council, NAV.