Villagers protest proposed reorganisation of blocks

Members of the BKU (Lakhowal) and other farmers' unions, along with residents of around 35 villages near Gharuan, staged a protest outside the Kharar SDM office today. The demonstration was against the proposed reorganisation and rationalisation of administrative blocks in the district.

Protesters voiced strong opposition to the government's plan to transfer 35 villages from Kharar tehsil in Mohali district to Morinda tehsil in Rupnagar district.

Residents of the affected panchayats said they were ready to pass a formal resolution declaring their wish to remain part of the existing administrative setup. "Why is the government forcibly shifting our block and tehsil to Rupnagar district? Kharar is barely seven kilometres from Gharuan and the Mohali DAC is about 20 km. On the other hand, Morinda is 20 km away and Rupnagar nearly 50 km. This will cause immense inconvenience to us," said a local resident.

"The government and democracy are meant to listen to the people's voice, not act arbitrarily," another villager remarked.

Some villagers cited political repercussions from past decisions, warning that this move could backfire electorally. "Congress CM Channi lost the Assembly elections due to this reason (creating a new tehsil) only. The AAP MLA will meet the same fate if the move is effected," they said.