Bhubaneswar: The administration on Friday kick began a two-day workshop on the role of art and tradition in developing the smart city.

The workshop is part of the Bhubaneswar Urban Lecture Series.

Officials from the Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL), Bhubaneswar Development Authority, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation and the Bhubaneswar Urban Knowledge Centre took part in the event and broadly discussed the issues.

BSCL managing director Krishan Kumar said various forms of art would be incorporated while taking up smart city projects here and stressed on the execution of an artificial lake on Janpath and development of the Museum of Urban History.

"Smart city projects will incorporate art and the city's ancient architectural style. We need to keep the city's history intact while undertaking modern projects," said Kumar.

The participants hinted at a common and uniform theme for the city beatification project. "There is a need to have a common theme for beautification for which inputs and suggestions from various individuals and artist groups will be taken into consideration," he said.

Bhubaneswar will undergo a transformation ahead of the Men's Hockey World Cup in November 2018, which will include wall paintings and plantation drives.

Upcoming infrastructure projects will also see the incorporation of Kalinga architectural style. "We want to maintain the city's ancient beauty and have decided not to ruin it by developing general buildings and other infrastructure in a modern way," said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.