The Tamil Nadu government has increased the number of village panchayats in the Nilgiris district from 35 to 88. This was done by splitting 27 existing village panchayats, while eight remained unchanged. The decision considers the hilly terrain and transport problems that stop villagers from reaching panchayat union offices easily. The Udhagamandalam panchayat union’s panchayats grew from 13 to 38. Coonoor’s increased from 4 to 11, Kothagiri’s from 7 to 19, and Gudalur’s from 3 to 20. On November 27, the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department officially issued an order to this effect. This move is part of a wider effort by the government to reorganize rural local bodies. An official said no other district will see an increase for now. Also, the government might not upgrade Udhagamandalam municipality to a municipal corporation soon.