Laxmisagar Residents Gherao Houses Of Minister, Mayor Over Delimitation Of Wards

Bhubaneswar:  Local residents of Laxmisagar area gheraoed the official residences of urban development minister Niranjan Pujari and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) mayor Ananta Narayan Jena on Sunday over delimitation of wards.

“Badapokhari and Santoshi Vihar were part of ward no 43, but both the regions have recently been included in ward no-49 by the BMC. We strongly oppose such move as the area of ward no 43 has been squeezed owing to inclusion of many areas under ward no 49”, corporator of ward no 43 alleged.

On March 20, the BMC, in a meeting, had decided to delimit the wards ahead of the elections.

The delimitation of wards has been conducted taking into account the 2011 Census. As many as six wards have been reserved for scheduled castes, three for scheduled tribes and 19 for Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Of the 19 wards, 10 are reserved for women, official sources said.