Puri Elevated to Municipal Corporation Status; Four New NACs Formed in Odisha

Puri becomes a municipal corporation Loisingha, Chandikhol, Yashipur, Basta becomes a NAC Bhubaneswar, 31.12 (Bureau): From the new year, Puri and its municipality will be considered a municipal corporation. On the last day of the year, the government has issued a final notification to convert Jagannath Dham from a municipality to a corporation. After becoming a municipal corporation, there will be extensive development of infrastructure in Puri and the surrounding areas. It will become a large urban area. A formal notification in this regard was issued by the Housing and Urban Development Department on Wednesday. On July 3, the Chief Minister announced the granting of the status of a municipal corporation to Puri. Puri, the place of Lord Sri Jagannath, is a famous pilgrimage destination in the country. Thousands of devotees, devotees and tourists from all over the country and abroad throng here every day. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has made Puri a metropolitan municipality with the aim of providing quality facilities to its residents, devotees and tourists. Notifications have been issued for making new NACs for four more towns. NACs have been made for Loisingha in Balangir district, Chandikhol in Jajpur district, Yashipur in Mayurbhanj and Basta in Balasore district. A notification has also been issued to increase the capacity of the Berhampur Metropolitan Corporation. Last year, on the last day of the Chief Minister's meeting, the Chief Minister announced on July 3 that the Berhampur Metropolitan Corporation area has been increased. The Chief Minister made an announcement in this regard on the Autonomy Day. After the new government came to power, it announced to convert 24 cities in 14 districts of the state into NACs. Similarly, a notification has been issued to convert 5 NACs into urban areas. The Chief Minister announced that Pallahada in Angul district, Simulia and Basta in Balasore, Sohela in Bargarh, Tihidi and Dhushuri in Bhadrak, Narasinghpur, Salepur and Badamba in Cuttack, Gadia in Dhenkanal, Patrapur and Jagannath Prasad in Ganjam, Narla and Jayapatna in Kalahandi, Tangi in Khordha, Borigumma in Koraput, Betnati in Mayurbhanj, Bangiriposhi, Chitrada, Kaptipada, Rasgobi Ndapur and Yesipur, Bismakattak in Rayagada, Bamra and Rengali in Sambalpur and Birmaharajpur in Sonepur, and Loisingha in Balangir will be declared NACs. The government has set a target of converting 60% of the state's area into urban areas by 2047. Earlier, there were 115 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in the state. Out of these, there were 62 NACs, 48 Urban Local Bodies and 5 Metropolitan Corporations. The government has increased the number of NACs to 84. Similarly, the number of Urban Local Bodies has increased to 48 and the number of Metropolitan Corporations to 6.