Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government will upgrade Puri municipality to a municipal corporation. This was announced by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi at a press conference in the capital city here today.

All the localities of Puri town and some gram panchayats of its surrounding areas will be included in the new municipal corporation. The process for upgradation of Puri municipality to a municipal corporation will begin from tomorrow, said the Chief Minister.

“Lakhs of devotees from across the country and abroad visit Puri to have a darshan of Lord Jagannath. It is the duty of the state government to provide all basic facilities to the devotees. Besides, the residents of Puri town deserve better civic amenities. Taking all these aspects into consideration, the state government has decided to upgrade Puri municipality to a municipal corporation,” stated Majhi.

It is worth mentioning here that only five cities in Odisha—Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Sambalpur and Rourkela—have their municipal corporations.

The Chief Minister also announced that the state government will establish a world-class museum, library and research centre at Puri to promote Jagannath culture. The proposed museum will have all modern facilities for the locals as well as tourists, he added.

Sculptures, art and artefacts related to the Jagannath culture will be displayed at the museum. The proposed facility will encourage research on the origin and evolution of Jagannath culture, said the Chief Minister.

“The state government will take the necessary steps for the all-round development of Puri, one among the four sacred Dhams as per the Hindu culture,” he added.