Bhubaneswar: The city of Bhubaneswar, now known for its wide roads, was once a vast stretch of dense forest. Every brick of Bhubaneswar’s foundation has a story of struggle, simplicity, and transformation, a story where the humble bullock cart played a key role in building the city.

Eighty-two-year-old Bipin Nayak, who worked as an assistant engineer in the Public Works Department during the city’s construction in the early 1960s, recalls those days with nostalgia. “I was posted in Bhubaneswar on the instructions of then PWD Minister Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo. I was assigned to conduct survey work. At that time, there were only forests all around, no roads, no electricity,” Nayak said, as memories of a bygone era came flooding back.

The first survey was carried out in areas like Jagatpur, Cuttack, Tankapani, Rangabazar, Sisupalgarh, Khandagiri, Udayagiri, and Patia. “There was only a narrow road from Raj Mahal Square to Khandagiri. The only means of transport were bullock carts and rickshaws. Even tourists visiting Lingaraj Temple, Khandagiri, or Dhauli used bullock carts,” he recalled.

During the initial phase of construction, nearly all building materials, from sand and stones to cement, were transported by bullock carts. “Sand was carried from the Kuakhai river, chips came from Tapang in Khurda, and cement arrived from Cuttack. Daily wages were modest at Rs 10 to Rs 12 for labourers,” Nayak said. 

As the capital city took shape after being shifted from Cuttack, plots were marked in various zones. Nayak remembers how forested areas like Nayapalli (N1 to N4) were plotted amid fear of wild animals. “We had to carry flaming torches even during the day because tigers were often spotted,” he said.

Lighting was scarce at that time. The Bhubaneswar Union Board had installed a few kerosene lamps on poles at Old Town Square. “Every evening, a man would come on a bicycle, climb the pole and light the lamp using kerosene. Once the oil ran out, the lamp would go off. Nights were pitch-dark, and people avoided venturing out after 9 pm,” Nayak recalled.

In those days, the entire Old Bhubaneswar had just one high school, Bhakta Madhu High School, and a single hospital, now known as BMC Hospital, but then referred to as Gadadhar Medical. Buses to Cuttack operated via Kalpana Square and Bindusagar, while those to Puri took the route through Sriram Nagar and Samantarapur.

The bustling Lingaraj Market served as the city’s commercial heart. It sold everything from rice and pulses to dried fish, tobacco, and clay utensils. Residents from Badagada, Laxmisagar, Rasulgarh, Kapileswar, Nayapalli, and other surrounding areas depended mainly on farming, with only a handful engaged in trade, said Nayak.

For people like Bipin Nayak, the city's transformation remains a cherished memory.