Puri to Become Odisha’s Sixth Municipal Corporation, Boosting Urban Amenities and Infrastructure.
National
On July 4, 2025, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced that Puri will be upgraded to a Municipal Corporation, becoming the sixth in the state. The move aims to provide enhanced civic amenities for pilgrims, residents, and tourists.
- The Puri Municipal Corporation will be established by merging seven to eight gram panchayats from the Puri Sadar and Brahmagiri blocks with the existing municipal area. This expanded jurisdiction is expected to streamline urban administration and improve service delivery.
- With this upgrade, Puri joins other municipal corporations in Odisha – Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Berhampur, and Rourkela – ensuring larger budget allocations and authority to implement city‑scale infrastructure projects.
- The administrative shift aims to bolster civic amenities such as better roads, drainage, street lighting, sanitation, and waste management, addressing growing demands from lakhs of annual visitors during festivals like Rath Yatra and Suna Besha.
Main Point :- (i) Officials disclosed that formal procedures for the upgrade will begin on July 5, 2025. The Chief Minister emphasised that this governance reform will help manage festival crowds, traffic flow, and enhance visitor experience in the temple city.
(ii) Besides civic improvements, the government also announced upcoming projects including a world-class Jagannath Museum, Library, and Research Centre with a 300-seat auditorium and daily light-and-sound shows to strengthen Puri’s role as a spiritual‑tourist destination.
Chief minister: Mohan Charan Majhi
Governor: Hari Babu Kambhampati
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