Sirsa: Clamour for sub-divisional status for Rania gets louder

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Sirsa, July 19

After the demand to elevate the status of Dabwali tehsil into a district was raised, residents of Rania are intensifying their call for the tehsil to be recognised as a sub-division. The protest led by members of the Rania Bar Association entered its third day, resulting in a stoppage of work within the tehsil. Members of the bar actively participated in the protest, advocating strongly for Rania being granted sub-divisional status.

No heed paid to protests

• The members highlighted the burden it was putting on the residents as they had to travel 50 km to Ellenabad for any administrative work, despite Rania fulfilling all criteria for becoming a sub-division.
• Members of the bar association said in 2022, the association had staged a 14-day protest, which ended after MLA Ranjit Singh Chautala assured them of granting Rania sub-divisional status. However, the problem was left unresolved.
• The members noted that while three new sub-divisions were recently created, there had been no mention of Rania.

Supporting the demand to make Rania a sub-division, Sirsa MP Kumari Selja voiced concerns over the prolonged neglect of Rania’s plea by the government.

Rinkal Banga, president of the bar association, and former president Harpal Singh Randhawa jointly expressed their disappointment over the denial of a sub-divisional status to Rania, which was causing significant inconvenience to locals. They highlighted the burden it was putting on the residents as they had to travel 50 km to Ellenabad for any administrative work, despite Rania fulfilling all criteria for becoming a sub-division.

Members of the bar association said in 2022, the association had staged a 14-day protest, which ended after MLA Ranjit Singh Chautala assured them of granting Rania sub-divisional status. However, the problem was left unresolved. The members of the bar association said they had written to the government several times, requesting them to fulfill their demand. Despite these efforts, Rania had not been accorded the status, leading to disappointment among advocates and the public.

They criticised the BJP government’s stance, asserting that if the government were sincere, Rania would have received the status long ago. They noted that while three new sub-divisions were recently created, there had been no mention of Rania. They emphasised that granting sub-divisional status to Rania would benefit over two dozen nearby villages, sparing them the financial burden of travelling to Ellenabad. The advocates pledged to continue their demand for Rania to be recognised as a sub-division, asserting that their struggle would persist until their goal was achieved.

Notably, on the third day of the protest, leaders, including Happy Rania from the Aam Aadmi Party, Congress leader Sandeep Nehra, INLD district president Kashmir Singh Kariwala and Rania Municipal Council Chairman Manoj Bawa gathered with the lawyers and expressed their support, pledging to fight this battle together.