Ex-Congress MLA demands Assandh be upgraded to district

Former Assandh MLA and senior Congress leader Shamsher Singh Gogi reiterated his demand for upgrading Assandh as a district, calling it a long-standing issue that had been raised multiple times in the Haryana Assembly by him.

“I have raised the issue of upgrading Assandh as a district in each and every session of the Assembly. Former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had assured me that Assandh would be upgraded to a district. During my tenure, a proposal was prepared and sent to the committee constituted to carve out new districts, subdivisions and tehsils," said Gogi while interacting with The Tribune.

Highlighting the importance of Assandh being upgraded as a district, Gogi said Assandh was situated on the border of four districts –Karnal, Kaithal, Jind and Panipat, around 40km from each district headquarters. “Residents of Assandh face major challenges due to the distance from the district headquarters as they have to come to Karnal for majority of services, including health, education, and public health and others,” said Gogi.

“If Assandh is upgraded to a district, people will have access to administrative facilities locally, reducing travel burdens and financial strain," he said.

“Upgrading Assandh will not only improve administrative efficiency but also provide essential services closer to the people," Gogi concluded.

The former MLA also pointed out that financial burden was imposed by a toll tax located on the Karnal-Assandh road near Peont village, a border between Karnal and Assandh subdivisions. “The toll discourages people from travelling to the district headquarters. I have already raised the issue of shifting the toll from this road and written to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari regarding this. We are still waiting for his response," Gogi added.

He also alleged that the toll was not installed as per the norms of the highway authorities. Gogi said the government should fulfil the demands.