With the completion of the assembly elections, the long-pending process to expand the Muzaffarpur Municipal Corporation has regained momentum. The corporation administration is preparing to resend a proposal to the state government, as almost all formalities for the expansion were completed in 2022. Only the government’s official notification is awaited.

Once the notification is issued, the process of redetermining municipal wards will start. The number of wards is expected to rise by 15 to 20.

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A proposal for city expansion had originally been sent in 2022 on the state government’s instructions. However, public representatives from the panchayats earmarked for inclusion opposed the move and filed a court case, fearing loss of their elected positions after the merger. The matter is now in its final stage of hearing, and officials expect the government to issue the expansion notification early next year.

Under the proposed expansion, full or partial areas of 47 villages across 16 panchayats will be merged into the corporation limits. This marks the first major expansion of Muzaffarpur city in two decades.

On December 21, 2021, the corporation proposed including 11 panchayats from the Musahari block and five panchayats from the Koti and Marwan blocks. The plan includes adding partial areas of Paigambarpur Kolhu, Sadapur, Bairiya, Damodarpur, Chamurmur, Fatehpur, Mustafapur, and Chainpur on the western side, and the full areas of Sikandarpur, Chak Ghazi, Ahiyapur, Shekhpur, and Nazirpur to the north.

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Following the claims and objections process, approval was reached to include 47 villages within the enlarged limits, increasing the Municipal Corporation area from 32 sq km to 53 sq km.

The panchayats set to be incorporated include: Shahbazpur, Shekhpur, Kanhauli, Khabra, Majhauli Khetal, Bhagwanpur, Sherpur, Susta, Rohua, Patahi, Bada Jagannath, Shubhankarapur, Dadar Kolhua, Paigambarpur Kolhua, and Sadatpur, among others.