Bhubaneswar: Seven districts — Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Koraput, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri — will be brought under the proposed South Odisha Development Council (SODC). The proposal was put forward during the first meeting of the high-level task force formed to establish SODC here on Saturday.
On Dec 2 last year, chief minister Mohan Majhi announced the formation of the task force, which will submit its recommendations regarding the council’s structure, functioning and geographical jurisdiction, including the districts and blocks to be covered.
The 14-member task force is headed by social security minister Nityananda Gond. Transport minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena, MSME minister Gokulananda Mallik, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi, Kandhamal MP Sukanta Kumar Panigrahi and several MLAs are members of the task force. Three ex-officio members — revenue divisional commissioners of south and central divisions, and CEO of Western Odisha Development Council — are also part of the task force.
“In the first meeting of the task force, we discussed the jurisdiction of the proposed council. In the next meeting, we will discuss other aspects of the SODC, including aims, objectives and financial powers. Later, we will send our recommendations to the govt regarding the formation of the council,” said Digapahandi MLA and member of the task force, Sidhant Mohapatra.
Nabarangpur MP Majhi said they will hold more meetings to complete the task and submit the recommendations to the state govt. “We have a Western Odisha Development Council (WODC). So SODC will be developed like that,” he added.
In July last year, state govt formed a task force for the establishment of North Odisha Development Council.