India, July 16 -- Once showcased as the flagship project of Bhubaneswar's Smart City mission, the Janpath is now showing visible signs of neglect, with damaged infrastructure, encroached pedestrian spaces, potholes and poor maintenance.

Developed at a cost of around Rs 103.45 crore, Smart Janpath was the city's first major Smart City project after Bhubaneswar was selected under the Centre's Smart Cities Mission. Stretching 5.5 km from Shishu Bhawan Square to Vani Vihar Square, it was designed to match the standards of modern urban roads in developed countries.

The project included widened roads, dedicated pedestrian walkways, a 2.4-metre cycle track, organised parking facilities, underground cabling, landscaped medians, vending kiosks,...