People of Sambalpur are now demanding corporation status for Sambalpur town after formation of greater Sambalpur comprising Sambalpur Municipality and NACs of Burla and Hirakud.
Intelligentsia of the town said during a visit to the district on July 9, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had said at a meeting that demand for corporation status to Sambalpur was under active consideration of the State Government.
Now, with the ULB polls in the region cancelled due to ongoing agitation by the lawyers, they demanded that the Chief Minister should make his intention clear on the matter.
They also submitted a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister reminding him about the issue through Sambalpur Collector Balwant Singh.
Earlier on February 28, the Sambalpur Development Authority (SDA) had sent a proposal to the Government over the issue. Chairman of SDA Bijay Kumar Mohanty, Chairperson of Sambalpur Municipality Kalpana Sahu and Chairperson of Burla NAC Chandrabati Naik had even jointly called on the Chief Minister in July and submitted a memorandum demanding that Sambalpur should be accorded corporation status.
But with the State Government remaining silent on the issue, people are losing their patience.
In the memorandum, it had been mentioned that besides Sambalpur Municipal limits, Burla and Hirakud NACs besides gram panchayats of Sankarma, Kainsir, Aamsada, Katapali, Gandmunda under Dhankauda block and Maneswar, Mathapali and Sindurpankh gram panchayats of Maneswar block should be merged in the proposed corporation for which a comprehensive development plan is being prepared.
Merger of the areas would take its population to 3,14,026 paving the way for the corporation tag.
Maintaining that the demand is genuine, SDA Chairman Bijay Kumar Mohanty said the proposed rural areas have also developed urban character besides being well connected. The problems of these areas are multi-dimensional and only the corporation status would help in initiating development works.
