The Gazette notification in the first stage of upgrading the main cities of 7 districts into Municipal Councils in accordance with the concept of the Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena to develop the main city of every administrative district as a Municipal Council, has been issued.

The first Gazette notification has been issued for the Local Government Institutions (Urban Councils) of Vauniya, Kalutara, Kegalle, Puttalam and Trincomalee out of the Urban Councils, which have been upgraded as Municipal Councils. The approval has already been received for the Cabinet Paper submitted by the Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena as the Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government to convert these 7 Urban Councils including the two towns of Ampara and Mannar into Municipal Councils.

Five Local Government Institutions out of the seven, which were decided to be upgraded into Municipal Councils, have been converted into Municipal Councils under the Gazette Extra Ordinary No: 2296/05 and 2296/37 issued by the Prime Minister and Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government. The Gazette by which the two remaining Urban Councils of Mannar and Ampara are to be converted into Municipal Councils, will be issued in future.