Bhubaneswar: The state government has issued a draft notification for the formation of 12 new Notified Area Councils (NACs) in Odisha.

The new NACs will be formed in seven districts—Angul, Subarnapur, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Rayagada, Sambalpur and Bhadrak, said the Housing and Urban Development Department.

The proposed new NACs are Pallahara in Angul, Birmaharajpur in Subarnapur, Simulia and Basta in Balasore, Betnoti, Bangriposi and Chitrada in Mayurbhanj, Bissam Cuttack in Rayagada, Bamra and Rengali in Sambalpur, and Tihidi and Dhusuri in Bhadrak.

At present, the state has 113 NACs, also known as Nagar Panchayats. These urban local bodies serve smaller urban centers with populations ranging from 12,000 to 40,000. In addition to the NACs, Odisha has 54 municipalities and six municipal corporations.

It is worth mentioning here that Puri municipality was upgraded into a municipal corporation a couple of months ago.