Bhubaneswar, Aug. 31: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who had in 2013 termed the development of Berhampur city as his responsibility, today urged the people again to join him in the mission.

' Asantu, samaste milimisi Brahmapur ra bikas pain kama kariba (Let us develop the city together),' he said, while addressing the celebration of 150th anniversary of the Berhampur Municipal Corporation on the occasion of Local Self-government Day today.

The city of Berhampur has historic significance for several reasons, including its contribution to the Independence movement.

'It is a happy moment that we are celebrating 150 years of the Berhampur civic body,' Naveen said. He today inaugurated and laid foundation stones of 50 projects, including 32 in the civic headquarters, five at the municipal library and one at Khallikote College Stadium.

Berhampur is one of the oldest and the most populous cities of Ganjam district. The city was declared as the first municipality of Odisha in 1867 and a Class-I category town, according to the 2001 census. The corporation was established in 2008. About 38sqkm area is under its jurisdiction.

Naveen today inaugurated a satellite-linked digital plot numbering project in Berhampur. The project, which is one of its kind, generates digital plot numbering through satellite imagery information available from the Odisha Space Application Centre and field survey across the civic area done by Zippr Private Limited.

A new public e-library was also established today, following a donation of Rs 27 lakh from Odias in North America. Naveen also inaugurated a parking slot at Kamapalli Square and laid foundation stone for another parking slot near Biju Patnaik Park. Foundation stones were also laid for fish markets at Bijipur, Bada Bazaar and Mardaraj vending zone.

In another development, the police sensed trouble and detained about 20 BJP workers before Naveen's arrival. However, they were all let off after Naveen left Berhampur.

More than 200 casual civic workers today took out a rally under the banner of the Berhampur Mahanagar Nigam Asthayee Karmachari Sangh, demanding regularisation of their job. 'We have boycotted the celebrations as the civic body has not yet regularised our job,' said association president E. Prakash Rao.