CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has left it to the State Government to take a decision on demand for the declaration of Aska, Bhanjanagar and Chhatrapur Notified Area Councils (NACS) in Ganjam district as municipalities.
Disposing of a PIL on Monday, a division bench of Chief Justice KS Jhaveri and Justice KR Mohapatra directed the State Government to take a decision on the representation submitted by the petitioner for declaration of the three NACs as municipalities within three months.
Berhampur-based Bharatiya Bikash Parishad president Surendra Panigrahi had filed the PIL after his representation yielded no response. As per the petition, the representation addressed to the Chief Minister was submitted on May 8, 2018. It had demanded declaration of Aska, Bhanjanagar and Chhatrapur as municipalities by amalgamating the areas near the three NACs so that their respective population increases to more than 25,000 which would make them eligible for municipality status.
In the representation, the Parishad had suggested the inclusion of five neighbouring areas in Aska NAC, nine areas in Bhanjanagar NAC and four in Chhatrapur NAC. The petition had sought intervention of the High Court as the areas suggested for inclusion in the three NACs were being deprived of communication, transport, water supply, electricity, education and health facilities due to non-inclusion of urban local body areas.
Unhygienic surroundings in absence of civic facilities have made people in these neighbouring areas susceptible to diseases like malaria, filaria, dengue and diarrhoea.