BHUBANESWAR: Revenue and Disaster Management minister Suresh Pujari on Thursday informed the Assembly that the Odisha government has received applications for creation of 31 new districts from different parts of the state.
In a written reply to a question in this regard, the minister said the applications are under the consideration of the government and a decision in this regard will be taken at an appropriate time. Pujari said that there are proposals to divide Ganjam into five districts - Ghumusar, Rushikulya, Berhampur, Bhanjanagar and Kabisuryanagar while application has been received to carve out four districts from Mayurbhanj - West Mayurbhanj, Rairangpur, Khiching and Karanjia. Similarly, there are proposals to divide Sundargarh district into Bonai, Rourkela and Vedvyas.
The minister, however, said some petitions have been received demanding not to form Rourkela district by dividing Sundargarh. Petitions have also been received to form three districts Titilagarh, Kantabanji and Patnagarh from Balangir district. Some applications have also been received to divide Angul into Talcher and Pallahara districts. Besides, applications have also been received to carve out Nilgiri, Soro and Jaleswar districts from Balasore.
Pujari said several petitions have been received to carve out separate Chandikhol and Athgarh districts from Cuttack and a separate Bhubaneswar district from Khurda. Other demands include formation of Padampur, Dharmagarh, Kuchinda, Baliguda, Anandpur, Nimapara, Gunupur and Jeypore districts from Bargarh, Kalahandi, Sambalpur, Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Puri, Rayagada and Koraput respectively.
Pujari also informed the House about proposals for creation of 66 new sub-divisions. The highest number of such proposals have been received from Bargarh, Ganjam and Koraput.