Jalna (Maharashtra), May 10 (IANS): The Jalna Municipal Council in Maharashtra's Jalna district - famed for its mosambi fruit and steel industries - has been upgraded as the 29th Municipal Corporation of the state, officials said on Wednesday.

After a report of the District Collector, a notification to the effect was issued by the Urban Development Department, fulfilling a long-pending demand of the locals.

Jalna town MLA Kailash K. Gorantyal said that though the decision is welcome, there are many other issues pertaining to civic schemes, financial grants, etc. on which clarity is needed after the upgradation.

The Congress lawmaker said that Jalna town has an estimated population of around 350,000 and it is growing gradually over the years owing to various reasons including a thriving local economy.

Simultaneously, the state government has appointed the CIDCO to construct a new town in Jalna-Kharpudi area, as per an official statement.

CIDCO will prepare a financial feasibility report and submit it to the state government for the 11th proposed new town in Maharashtra.

Jalna is also famed as the home district of Minister of State for Railways Raosaheb Danve, an ex-Bharatiya Janata Party state President.

The luscious 'mosambi' fruit produced in Jalna orchards, has a ready market not only elsewhere in the state but also in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and other states, say local traders.

The town and surroundings have several big and small steel industries producing the specific requirements of the building construction sector all over the country.

The other 28 Municipal Corporations in the state are: Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivali, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Ulhasnagar, Mira-Bhayander, Vasai-Virar, Panvel, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Ahmednagar, Nashik, Malegaon, Aurangabad, Latur, Jalgaon, Solapur, Kolhapur, Sangli, Dhule, Ichalkaranji, Miraj-Kupwad, Nanded-Waghala, Chandrapur, Akola, Amravati, and Nagpur.