Demand for Naraingarh’s district status gains momentum

Ambala, June 24

With the state government forming a high-level committee for examining the issues relating to reorganisation of administrative units, the long-pending demand of district status for Naraingarh in Ambala has started gaining momentum once again.

Forced to travel to ambala city

The district status for Naraingarh has been a long-pending demand. Chief Minister Nayab Saini should consider the demand sympathetically as it will be a big relief for the people who are forced to travel to Ambala City to get their works done. — Sadeek Chauhan, convener, Naraingarh zila banao sanyukt sangharsh samiti

The movement for granting district status to Naraingarh started in 2013 but it failed to get adequate political backing. However, since Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini belongs to Mirzapur Majra village of Naraingarh, the residents and the Naraingarh Zila Banao Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti hope their demand will also be considered. In March, when Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini had come to his native Mirzapur Majra village for the first time after becoming the CM, the local residents and BJP supporters had raised the demand of district status. The Chief Minister, however, had said: “Everything will be done as per the rules.”

Sadeek Chauhan, convener of the Sangharsh Samiti, said, “The district status for Naraingarh has been a long-pending demand. Chief Minister Nayab Saini should consider the demand of the people of Naraingarh sympathetically as it will come as a big relief for the people who are forced to travel to Ambala City to get their works done.”

As per the Samiti members, “For every administrative work, the residents of Naraingarh are forced to travel for over 40 km to reach Ambala City. There are 187 villages in the subdivision. There are villages of Sadhaura (Yamunangar), Mullana (Ambala) and Raipur Rani (Panchkula) in the range of 5 to 22 km of Naraingarh, but they were over 30 km away from their respective district headquarters. If such villages are included, Naraingarh can also become a district.”

Chauhan said, “The Naraingarh subdivision has been neglected and a sense of resentment is brewing. If the demand of district status is not fulfilled, the BJP may face the anger of the people in the upcoming Assembly elections. We will meet the CM soon to discuss the issue.”

Dharma Vir Dhindsa, who has been among those raising the demand, said, “People had hopes that Naraingarh may get the status of district as the CM belongs to Naraingarh, but as per information, the name of the subdivision is not being considered for the district status.”