Odisha CM Mohan Majhi launched 7 municipalities & 16 NACs on LSG Day to enhance civic amenities, fix roads & strengthen local governance
OdishaPlus Bureau
To enhance civic amenities and bolster urban local bodies (ULBs), Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced on Sunday the establishment of seven additional municipalities and 16 notified area councils (NACs) across various districts, allowing them to manage their own budgets.
During the state-level celebration of Local Self Governance (LSG) Day, Majhi directed that all urban areas must be free of potholes and that open drains should be sealed by April 2026.
He stressed that urban areas represent development, and if the roads and infrastructure in these regions are not clean and free of potholes, the objective remains unmet. Loisinga in Balangir district; Sohela in Bargarh; Badamba, Narasinghpur, and Salepur in Cuttack district; Gondia in Dhenkanal; Patrapur and Jagannath Prasad in Ganjam district; Chandikhole in Jajpur district; Narla and Jaypatna in Kalahandi district; Tangi in Khurda district; Boriguma in Koraput district; and Kaptipada, Jashipur, and Rasgovindpur in Mayurbhanj district have now become NACs. The seven new municipalities include Karanjia, Boudh, Bhanjanagar, Aska, Chhatrapur, Kabisuryanagar, and Polasara.
These used to be NACs but have now been upgraded to municipalities. The new NACs were created from the panchayat and block administrations. The Puri civic body, which was previously a municipality, has now been elevated to a municipal corporation. “There shouldn’t be any complaints about roads that are full of potholes.
By the end of April 2026, all urban areas will declare themselves pothole-free,” Majhi stated during his speech. He also mentioned that if local officials and representatives do their jobs well, higher officials won’t have to step in.
He encouraged local representatives to be more mindful and accountable when it comes to handling people’s complaints. The government has rolled out several long-term strategies to enhance modern infrastructure and quality services for urban dwellers, to achieve a thriving Odisha. The Chief Minister kicked off various urban development projects, expanding the ‘Sahajog’ program to cover all urban regions to make sure the benefits of government schemes reach everyone.
This initiative, which started in May with support from Tata Steel Foundation, is designed to provide advantages to city residents. Moreover, a toll-free hotline, 1929, called ‘Sahar Saathi’, was introduced for the public to voice their concerns.
A WhatsApp ticketing service for booking ‘Aama Bus’ was also introduced, offering a 15% discount for women and 10% for others, encouraging safe and dignified travel for women. The Chief Minister also opened 43 multi-purpose buildings with an investment exceeding Rs 109 crore.
The Chief Minister handed out budget-friendly housing and PMAY homes to those in need, with 310 homes coming from BMC and 38 from BDA’s areas set aside for economically weaker groups. In the PMAY 2.0 scheme, 46 families got homes, making a total of 394 units distributed.