It was on November 14, 2014 that the Urban Development Department notified for corporation tag to Rourkela Municipality and since then it became Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) and the Executive Officer post was upgraded to Municipal Commissioner.
Prior to that on September 30, 2013 the Chief Minister had assured a delegation led by the then Rourkela MlA Sarada Nayak on the corporation tag to Rourkela. Accordingly suggestions and opinions from the public were invited by the department with proposal of the RMC area adding the Jhirpani, Jagda, Jhartarang and Jald panchayats with the existing 33 Wards.
While the inhabitants of those panchayats opposed the merger of their areas with the RMC, the habitants of many areas of south Rourkela such as Tilkanagar, Hamirpur and luakera urged merger with RMC. Finally after 13 months, the department officially declared the formation of RMC adding Jagda, Jhartaranga panchayats and Nabakrishna Nagar of south Rourkela with the existing 33 Wards on November 14 and accordingly 40 Wards and their areas and reservation categories were notified.
But tribals opposed the merger of Jagda and Jhartaranga panchayats as without considering the concern of the people of those two panchayats, the Government unilaterally announced the area of RMC. Even the protestors held agitation against the decision and filed writ petition in the Odisha High Court. Accepting the writ petition, the High Court slapped a stay order, asking not to include those two panchyats on the election process till further order. Since then the fate of RMC election hangs in balance.
Though the court has not stayed the total election process but with the plea of court order the Government is not searching for alternative ways to go ahead with RMC election. If Government wishes it can go ahead by including the other areas which are interested to merge with RMC. Secondly, the Government can take a stern step to quash the agreement of industrial city agreement made in 1995 and include the area with RMC. Since the agreement, the Rourkela Steel Plant has not even fulfilled 10 per cent of the conditions in last 20 years.
Due to this, the full-fledged functioning of RMC is not possible and the worst sufferers are of the two panchayats. No development works are taking place in the two panchayats.
Even the people are also deprived of many social security schemes. Even due to the prevailing uncertainty, the Commissionerate of Police is not yet functional here though the Government has also declared it. Delay in RMC election may also hamper the prospect for Rourkela in the Smart City race in the first phase.