Punjab govt nod to expansion of area under Bathinda MC

The agricultural belt of Naruana and Jodhpur Romana, located on Bathinda’s periphery, is now a part of southwest Punjab’s largest urban local body (ULB)

The state government has approved inclusion of two villages in the area under the Bathinda municipal corporation to boost organised urban development.

Building of municipal corporation of Bathinda on Wednesday. (Sanjeev Kumar /Ht)

As per a notification issued by the department of local government on June 2, the agricultural belt of Naruana and Jodhpur Romana, located on Bathinda’s periphery, is now a part of southwest Punjab’s largest urban local body (ULB).

The belt was earlier managed by the Bathinda Development Authority, a state government agency responsible for development in the districts of Bathinda, Mansa, Faridkot, Fazilka and Muktsar.

Bathinda municipal commissioner Rahul on Wednesday said, “Residential pockets of the twin villages will not be a part of the MC whereas the upcoming private colonies and other agricultural and vacant lands will now be under the jurisdiction of the corporation. Local body will provide all basic services such as laying sewage network, drinking water and streetlights in the new area and it will help us in generating resources from fee for granting a change of land use (CLU), external development charges, property tax etc.”

Sources said in 2021, the MC had written to the state government for expansion of its limits.