Bhubaneswar, April 13: The capital city of Odisha, Bhubaneswar is celebrating its 75th foundation day today on April 13. The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has appealed every citizen to observe foundation day on April 13 and decorate their house and workplace.
On the occasion of the Capital Foundation Day, Lok Seva Bhawan, the State Assembly, Commissionerate of Police office building and other landmark structures of the city have been illuminated with decorative lights. As part of the city’s foundation day celebration, students of colleges in Bhubaneswar took out a civilian parade in the morning followed by a cultural programme in the afternoon.
The first prime minister of country, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had laid the foundation stone of the city on April 13, 1948. There were only 14000 people in the city whereas now the population has increased to more than 10 lakh. Bhubaneswar replaced Cuttack as the capital of the state, a year after India secured independence from the British.
Renowned German architect Otto Koenigsberger prepared the city’s first master plan in 1948 for a population of 40,000. Since then, Bhubaneswar remains a model of modern architecture and city planning. In the Smart City proposal by the Government of India, Bhubaneswar stood number one among the best cities of India with a score of 78.83 points.
