Wed Jan 01 15:39:59 UTC 2025: ## Tamil Nadu Announces Major Local Body Restructuring
**Chennai, January 1, 2025** – The Tamil Nadu government unveiled a significant restructuring plan for its local bodies on Wednesday. The proposal involves merging numerous village panchayats with urban local bodies, creating 13 new municipalities and 25 new town panchayats, and expanding the size of 16 existing municipal corporations.
The restructuring will affect major cities like Chennai, Madurai, and Tiruchi, which will see the addition of several municipalities, town panchayats, and village panchayats to their existing boundaries. A total of 147 village panchayats and one town panchayat will be merged into 41 existing municipalities. The changes also include the creation of new municipalities in locations such as Kanniyakumari, Harur, and Perundurai, and the establishment of 25 new town panchayats, including Yercaud, Kalayarkoil, and Thirumayam. Additionally, 29 village panchayats are slated for merger with these new town panchayats.
The government cited improved basic amenities, better spatial planning coordination, and comprehensive local development as the rationale behind the reorganization. Five official orders detailing the proposal were released on Tuesday. The public has a six-week window to submit objections to the Principal Secretary of the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department.
Following the public comment period and any necessary adjustments, the next step will be delimitation of ward boundaries within the reorganized local bodies, paving the way for subsequent elections.
First Piper 