Bihar Cabinet approves proposal to create 103 new nagar panchayats, 8 new nagar parishads

The Bihar Cabinet on Saturday gave its nod for creation of 103 new nagar panchayats, eight new nagar parishads, and upgrading five municipal councils to municipal corporations, an official release said. The decision was taken to boost urbanisation and increase the states share in central resources, the release said.

The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, approved the Bihar Municipal (Amendment) Act 2020 in order to create/upgrade/expand 160 urban local bodies. Bihar has three categories of urban local bodies comprising nagar panchayats, nagar parishads (municipal council) and municipal corporations.

The decision was also taken in view of persistent demands made by common people besides legislators often raising the matter in the state assembly, it said. The Cabinet also approved a proposal for upgrading 32 nagar panchayats to municipal councils and expanding the area of 12 urban local bodies. As per the states Urban Development and Housing Departments website, currently there are 12 municipal corporations, 46 municipal councils and 85 nagar panchayats.

The five municipal councils which have been upgraded to municipal corporations are Sasaram (Rohtas), Motihari (East Champaran), Bettiah (West Champaran), Madhubani and Samastipur, it said.

The eight new municipal councils which have come into existence following the Cabinet decision are Bihta and Sampatchak (Patna), Barauni (Baegusarai), Udakishanganj (Madhepura), Triveniganj (Supaul), Tajpur and Shahpur Patori (Samastipur) and Suryagarha (Lakhisarai).

Among the 32 nagar panchayats which have been upgraded to municipal councils are Rajgir (Nalanda), Bodhgaya (Gaya), Kanti, Motipur (Muzaffarpur), Teghra and Balia (Begusarai), Banmankhi (Purnea), Sheohar (Sheohar), Naugachhia (Bhagalpur), Haveli Kharagpur (Munger), the release said.