Bhubaneswar, Dec. 23 -- In a significant step towards strengthening urban governance and decentralised administration, the Odisha government has issued an official notification declaring 24 new Notified Area Councils (NACs) across 14 districts of the state. In a separate notification, the government has also announced the creation of five new municipalities in three districts.

According to the notification, the 24 newly declared NACs include Pallahara in Angul district, Simulia in Balasore district, and Sohela in Bargarh district. In Bhadrak district, Tihidi and Dhusuri have been notified as NACs. Cuttack district will have three new NACs- Salepur, Badamba and Narsinghpur. Gandiya in Dhenkanal district has also been included in the list....