Berhampur, Oct. 26: The civic body of Chhatrapur, the district headquarters of Ganjam, will shortly become a municipality.

The state government has also decided to dedicate a separate cadre for the civic administration, urban development minister Pushpendra Narayan Singh Deo said here today. The government has allocated Rs 183-crore for the purpose.

A dedicated cadre of officials for the civic bodies, he said, would streamline its resource mobilisation and finance management. Nearly 4,973 officials would be appointed for the Notified Area Councils (NACs) and municipalities in the state.

Deo said that management degree holders would be appointed as executive officers in all the civic bodies under the cadre of Municipal Administration Service (MAS).

In all eight cadres, including engineering service, ministerial service and habitat service, would be introduced for the successful implementation of the urban development programmes.

“It has been our long-standing demand to upgrade Chhatrapur into a municipality. We met the minister to convey our demand,” said G. Arati, chairperson of NAC.

“The state government is considering the proposal. I will personally try for the all-round development of the town,” Deo said.

Several councillors of the NAC also demanded an increase in grants provided to the civic body.

“When Rs 15lakh is being spenttowards the salary of the staff and paying electricity bills, the state government is providing only Rs 9.28 lakh,” a councillor said.

The number of civic bodies in Ganjam district is 18 and it includes Berhampur Municipal Corporation and 17 other NACs.