New Delhi, May 19 -- Khandagiri, an outer area of Bhubaneswar till the 1990s, is now a fledgling urban landscape.

Lingaraj Barik, a media marketing professional living in one of its neighbourhoods, travels to the heart of the city that houses the state secretariat, Odisha assembly, government departments, and business establishments for his official work.

"A few years back, my movements around the city were quite smooth. But now, I encounter traffic congestion at several places. It takes about 50 minutes to reach my destination, which I used to cover in 15 minutes a few years back," Barik said.

Former college teacher and social activist Subash Panda lives in Jayadev Vihar, the starting point of a 13 km straight road that leads to Nan...