India, Nov. 9 -- In a protest on Friday, several parties came together to demand a separate municipal council for 27 villages which were added to the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) in 2015 to facilitate urban development in the areas. The protest highlighted that these villages have not been the focus of the KDMC, and lack basic civic facilities like water, sanitation, healthcare, and proper roads.

The 27-village belt falls on the eastern side of Dombivli, Kalyan and stretches up to Ulhasnagar, starting from Azde in Dombivli East, and including villages like Katai, Nilje, Bhalgaon, Chinchpada, Asala, Manara and Vasar. According to an All Party Rights Protection Samiti, KDMC is collecting taxes and revenues from these villag...