Bhubaneswar: In a major boost to urban governance and infrastructure development, Odisha’s Puri was officially upgraded from a municipality to a Municipal Corporation with effect from Wednesday.
A notification was issued by the Housing and Urban Development Department formally upgrading the urban local body in Puri.
With this official notification, Puri has become the sixth city in Odisha to have municipal corporation. Earlier, only five cities—Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Sambalpur and Rourkela—had their municipal corporations.
One of India’s most revered pilgrimage sites, Puri attracts thousands of devotees and tourists daily from across the country and abroad. The upgrade aims to provide better civic amenities, improved infrastructure, and enhanced services to residents, pilgrims, and visitors alike.
Notably, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had first announced the decision on July 3, 2025, fulfilling a longstanding demand of the local people. The move is expected to facilitate large-scale development in Puri and surrounding areas, paving the way for a modern, expanded urban region while preserving its spiritual heritage.
Residents of Puri have expressed immense joy over the notification, seeing it as a step towards realising the vision of a prosperous and well-developed holy city.
The formation of the Municipal Corporation is expected to accelerate infrastructure projects, improve waste management, drainage systems, and overall urban planning.
Along with Puri’s elevation, the government notification also declared four towns as Notified Area Councils (NACs): Loisingha in Balangir district, Chandikhol in Jajpur district, Jashipur in Mayurbhanj district, and Basta in Balasore district. Additionally, the jurisdictional area of the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC) has been expanded, as announced earlier by the Chief Minister on August 31 during Local Self-Governance Day.
