27 villages demand exclusion from KDMC, push for separate municipal council

KALYAN, 07 November 2025 – A long-brewing dispute in the Kalyan–Dombivli region intensified today as residents of 27 villages renewed their demand to be removed from the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation and formed into a separate municipal council. Villagers gathered in large numbers on the Kalyan–Sheel road, blocking traffic and insisting that they never wanted KDMC jurisdiction in the first place. Their case is that the inclusion happened without proper consultation and has since left them with poor infrastructure, slow development and almost no say in decision-making.

The agitation was backed by local BJP MLA Kisan Kathore and MP Suresh Mhatre, who joined the protestors and said they would support the push for an independent council. Villagers argue that KDMC’s priorities are dominated by core urban zones, leaving peripheral villages without essential works like drainage systems, internal roads and consistent water supply. They also say their semi-rural character has been ignored in planning, and that basic civic demands get stuck in bureaucratic delays.

Protestors noted that the demand is not new but has resurfaced strongly ahead of elections, hoping to pressure the government into a time-bound decision. They insist that remaining under KDMC makes little sense geographically or administratively and that self-governance through a smaller council would allow faster approvals, more targeted budgets and clearer accountability.

The stir puts political pressure on the state government, especially since Chief Minister Eknath Shinde oversees the urban development department and the region falls within his political influence. A muted or delayed response could carry electoral consequences in neighbouring constituencies. KDMC has not issued any formal reaction so far.

Officials from the Rights Protection Struggle Committee said the agitation would continue until the government formally begins the process of carving out a new municipal body. The next steps will likely involve the state examining legal boundaries, financial liabilities, tax flows, and how services would be divided between KDMC and any newly created council. Urban planners say this conflict illustrates how rapidly expanding city limits often clash with the needs of villages that find themselves absorbed without adequate transition planning.

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