Bopal, Ghuma merged; new municipality takes birth

Bopal and Ghuma have been merged and given the status of a municipality. The status of a Nagarpalika is given to places that have a population of above 25,000. While Bopal has a voting population of 35,000, Ghuma has 15,000-odd votes and nearly 1.5 lakh population. Both these areas have been demanding Nagarpalika status for almost seven years now.

The municipality status would also mean a rise in property and conservancy charges for local residents. The government will now have an administrator replacing the individual panchayat bodies and, after a five months, various wards and their boundaries would be declared.