SAMBALPUR: A section of residents from the erstwhile Burla NAC area on Friday submitted a memorandum to the district collector seeking reconsideration of the proposed ward reorganisation and reservation pattern under the Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC), citing concerns over inadequate representation for the general category.
While preparations for the long-pending civic body polls have gathered pace, the residents pointed out that Burla NAC, which earlier comprised 15 wards, has been reorganised into five wards following its merger into the SMC. Of these, two have been reserved for scheduled castes (SCs), one for SC (women), one for general (women), and one for the general category.
The memorandum referred to the 2015 case in which the Orissa High Court had stayed the election process. In its final judgment delivered on September 3, 2025, the court directed authorities to initiate the election process within six weeks. However, the residents alleged that nearly four months have passed since the verdict, yet a fresh proposal for ward restructuring and reservation has reportedly been forwarded without seeking public opinion or waiting for updated census data.
Expressing disappointment, they said despite Burla’s identity as an education hub, no effort has been made to ensure broader representation of the general category in the new ward structure. Drawing a comparison, they noted that in the case of Hirakud NAC, which earlier had 17 wards and has now been reorganised into five under the SMC, nearly four wards have reportedly been kept unreserved. The residents urged the district administration to ensure that at least two wards in the old Burla NAC area are kept unreserved.
Local resident and lawyer Prasanna Kumar Sahoo said, “While preparations for the municipal elections are welcome, at least two wards in Burla should be kept unreserved so that candidates from any category can contest. Otherwise, the administration should consider waiting for the 2026 census.”
The SMC with 41 wards was formed by merging Sambalpur municipality, Burla and Hirakud NACs, and 12 panchayats. Ahead of the 2015 civic body polls, a gazette notification detailed ward reservation across general, women, SC, ST and OBC categories. However, objections arose over alleged excessive reservation in the erstwhile Burla NAC area, claiming it violated constitutional norms. The dispute was challenged in the high court, leading to postponement of the SMC polls.
Earlier this month, the Housing and Urban Development department had directed the district administration to begin ward reorganisation and seat reservation exercises.