Bhubaneswar: Odisha govt received public requests seeking the creation of 31 new districts across the state, revenue minister Suresh Pujari told the assembly on Thursday. He said the administration is examining the proposals and will decide after assessing them against prescribed norms and other relevant parameters.Odisha currently has 30 districts. The latest set of demands proposes carving out 31 districts from 16 existing ones, largely from geographically large and administratively extensive districts such as Mayurbhanj, Ganjam, Sundargarh and Keonjhar.
From Ganjam district, residents sought separate districts, including Ghumusar, Kabisuryanagar, Rushikulya, with headquarters at Aska, Bhanjanagar and Berhampur. In Mayurbhanj, proposals include West Mayurbhanj, Rairangapur, Khiching, and Karanjia or Panchpir as distinct districts.Sundargarh also saw multiple proposals, with demands for Bonai, Vedvyas and Rourkela to be made new districts. However, the minister’s reply also noted that some petitions oppose the formation of a Rourkela district through division of the existing Sundargarh district.From Balasore, people demanded new districts such as Nilgiri, Soro and Jaleswar. Similar calls emerged in Balangir, where Titlagarh, Kantabanji and Patnagarh were proposed as separate districts.Other demands listed by the govt include Padampur from Bargarh, Dharmagarh from Kalahandi, Bhubaneswar from Khurda, Talcher and Pallahara from Angul, Chandikhol and Athagarh from Cuttack, Kuchinda from Sambalpur, Baliguda from Kandhamal, Anandpur from Keonjhar, Gunupur from Rayagada, and Nimapara from Puri.The issue gained momentum after an announcement in 2023 by the previous govt indicating that Padampur sub-division in Bargarh would be upgraded into a new district, a move that prompted similar demands from other regions. At some places, people stage dharna and demonstrations to create new districts and sub-divisions for their convenience.
