Bhubaneswar: Resentment is brewing over delimitation of wards by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) with residents of Laxmisagar area staging a demonstration on Sunday.
The residents' gheraoed the residence of Urban Development Minister Niranjan Pujari and BMC Mayor Anant Narayan Jena and submitted a memorandum in this regard.
Sources said that residents are protesting inclusion of Badapokhari and Santoshi Vihar in ward no 49 as both the regions were earlier part of ward no 43.
"The area of my ward has been reduced as several areas have now attached with another ward," said corporator of ward no 43, Rajalaxmi Nayak.
Earlier, BMC had approved the delimitation of wards and effecting of fresh reservations at a special meeting held on March 20.
As per the approvals, five revenue villages have been incorporated into the existing 67 wards while the resolution will be placed before the government for its final nod.
The delimitations and reservation of wards have been done taking into account the 2011 Census, official sources said.
Six wards have been reserved for scheduled castes, three wards are reserved for scheduled and out of the 19 wards reserved for OBCs, 10 are for women. 19 wards are reserved for women while 20 are unreserved wards.
"We have to abide by the election process and all delimitation has been taken up as per law. State government can take necessary action if there have been some deviation," said Mayor Anant Jena.