Karaikudi, Tiruvannamalai, Pudukkottai, Namakkal become Corporations

CHENNAI: The State Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department has issued final orders to upgrade Pudukottai, Namakkal, Karaikudi and Tiruvannamalai as new municipal corporations by merging nearby local bodies.

The development is based on an announcement made by the department Minister KN Nehru during the assembly session in March 2023.

As per the order, Karaikudi municipal corporation will be formed by merging Kandanur town panchayat, Kottaiyur town panchayat and five village panchayats with Karaikudi municipality. Similarly, the Tiruvannamalai corporation will be formed by merging 18 village panchayats with the Tiruvannamalai municipality.

Meanwhile, the Pudukkottai corporation will be formed by merging 12 village panchayats with the Pudukkottai municipality, and the Namakkal corporation will be formed by merging 12 village panchayats with the Namakkal municipality.

As the orders came into effect on August 12, wards for the new corporations will be divided for the next election.

With the notification issued for 4 corporations, Tamil Nadu now has a total of 25 municipal corporations. Chennai, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Madurai, Tambaram, Salem, Trichy, Avadi, Tirunelveli, Vellore, Thoothukudi, Erode, Thanjavur, Nagercoil, Hosur, Cuddalore, Karur, Kumbakonam, Dindigul, Sivakasi and Kancheepuram are already existing corporations.

Whereas, Tambaram, Kancheepuram, Kumbakonam, Karur, Cuddalore and Sivakasi are formed under the present DMK regime.

In March 2024, Chief Minister MK Stalin directed the department to commence the procedures to establish Pudukottai, Namakkal, Karaikudi and Tiruvannamalai corporations. Based on this, the department invited objections and recommendations from the public.

The government reasoned the upgradation of local bodies as 48.45 per cent of the state's population lived in urban areas as per the 2011 census and the state government estimates that the number might have risen up to 53 per cent.