Bhubaneswar: The Mohan Majhi government has sought report from collectors of four districts in Odisha on upgrading six notified area councils (NACs) to municipalities, announced by the previous BJD regime ahead of the 2024 elections.
“Due to non-receipt of required information, no further steps have been taken in the matter. You are, therefore, once again requested to take immediate steps to furnish the required for follow-up action,” the Housing and Urban Development Department said in a letter to collectors of Ganjam, Boudh, Mayurbhanj and Balangir on November 4.
On November 2, the department shot off a similar reminder letter to all collectors, except Deogarh, Gajapati, Jharsuguda, Kendrapada, Keonjhar, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur, over formation of new NACs.
On February 29, former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced formation of 34 new NACs in 20 districts and upgrade of five existing NACs – Boudhgarh in Boudh district, Karanjia in Mayurbhanj, Kantabanji in Balangir and Chhatrapur and Aska in Ganjam – to municipalities in four districts to ensure overall socio-economic development of areas under their jurisdiction.
On March 13, the then state government again announced to upgrade Bhanjanagar NAC in Ganjam to a municipality and form 22 more NAC in 13 districts. The same day, in-principle approval was accorded for upgrading Bhanjanagar NAC, Aska NAC, Chatrapur NAC, Boudhgarh NAC, Karanjia NAC and Kantabanji NAC into municipality in accordance with the provisions of the Odisha Municipal Act, 1950. It had also requested the collectors to furnish necessary proposal along with details of population in the NACs for follow-up action.
Political analysts have dubbed this move by the BJP government as an attempt to build an impression that the BJD regime had made ‘false announcements’ for gains in the elections and the credit should instead go to the new Mohan Majhi dispensation.
