This paper analyses how the Slum-Free Cities Mission was localised in the temple city of Puri in Odisha, East India. Therefore, it discusses two elements or tasks in the process of slum-free city planning, the listing of eligible slums, and RAY Management Committees. It does so against the background of the existing literature on the Mission in India. Further, it takes into account the specificity of the historical temple city. The example of Puri shows that urban local politics draw on initiatives such as the Slum-Free Cities Mission to sustain the local power structure. Thus, even the failure to implement the Mission is effectively transforming the urban fabric.