Bhubaneswar, Oct. 1: The Rourkela Municipality will get the corporation tag shortly.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today gave a categorical assurance in this regard to a delegation from Rourkela, led by former minister and local MLA Sarada Prasad Nayak.

The delegation held talks with Naveen. After the meeting, Naveen said: “The process in this regard has already begun. The municipality will be converted into a corporation.”

Rourkela will be the fifth corporation of the state after Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur and Sambalpur. On September 24, the state government accorded the corporation status to Sambalpur.

To get the corporation status, a municipality should have a minimum population of three lakh. The Rourkela Municipality has a population of about 2.73 lakh. If the population of neighbouring areas such as Bisra, Luhakera and western Rourkela were included, its population would touch nearly 3.5 lakh, making it eligible for the status.

Terming the government decision as Dussehra gift for the people of Rourkela, municipality chairman Rashmibalala Mishra said: “It was a long- standing demand. The decision will help us get more funds from the Centre and the state government to take up development programmes. We are indebted to the chief minister.”

Local people also hailed the decision. “It is a good move. After the government had accorded the corporation status to Sambalpur, we were feeling dejected. Now, time has come for us to celebrate,” said Dillp Kumar Puhan, 41, a local resident.