A meeting of the Sahar Tali Anchala Kriyanustan Committee was held at Gurunti panchayat on the outskirts of the city on Sunday. In the meeting, Dr Siba Prasad Mishra was unanimously chosen as the general secretary of the committee. The members decided that the demand for merger of suburban areas into the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC) fold would be expedited. Discussion were also held on how to intensify the agitation if the talks with the Brahmapur MP and MLA on February 15 fail. Committee vice-president Professor Ranganath Mishra said lack of political will and the step-motherly attitude of the State Government is the root cause of lack of basic amenities and dilapidated infrastructure of the peripheral areas of the city.