Ahmedabad, Jan 1 (PTI) The Gujarat cabinet approved on Wednesday the conversion of nine municipalities into municipal corporations, taking the total number of civic bodies in the state to 17.

The new municipal corporations are coming into existence after 14 years. The Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation was the last one to be formed by the government in 2010.

The approval for the formation of nine new municipal corporations- Navsari, Gandhidham, Morbi, Vapi, Anand, Nadiad, Mehsana, Porbandar and Surendranagar- was granted in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.

Gujarat currently has eight municipal corporations- Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Junagadh and Gandhinagar.

"A notification will be issued in a day or two. After a gap of 14 years, new municipal corporations will be formed in Gujarat. With this decision, the number of such civic bodies will reach 17," Health Minister and state government spokesperson Rushikesh Patel told reporters in Gandhinagar.

He said this decision would help the government in the proper planning of urban areas and providing more funds to these civic bodies for development and creating new amenities for residents.

These new municipal corporations will be brought under the Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporations Act, 1949 through a notification.

The government will appoint administrators for the new corporations before the formal declaration of elections to civic bodies.

"Later, the administrator will facilitate the ward formation and delimitation of each civic body before announcing elections. The entire process will be completed at the earliest. People living in these towns and adjoining areas are very happy with the government's decision," said the minister.

The announcement to convert Navsari, Gandhidham, Morbi, Vapi, Anand, Mehsana and Surendranagar municipalities into municipal corporations was made by state Finance minister Kanubhai Desai while presenting the budget for FY 2024-25 in the state assembly in February.

Later, the state government added Porbandar and Nadiad municipalities to this list.

While the proposed Anand municipal corporation would comprise the municipalities of Anand, Vallabh-Vidyanagar and Karamsad, the proposed municipal corporation of Surendeanagar would include municipalities of Surendranagar, Wadhwan and Dudhrej, said the release. PTI PJT PD NSK

Municipal corporation conversions expand local governance, triggering administrator appointments and ward delimitation before elections. The government approved conversion of nine municipalities into municipal corporations under the Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporations Act, 1949, to be effected by notification; administrators will be appointed to undertake ward formation and delimitation prior to declaring elections, with the stated aims of enabling better urban planning and increased funding for development.