First meeting of committee on new districts on Aug 5

Geetanjali Gayatri
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, August 2
The first meeting of the newly constituted committee to look at the re-drawing on administrative boundaries and creation of new districts will be held on August 5.

Advertisement

Hansi, Gohana under consideration

• While Hansi and Gohana will be under active consideration of the committee for granting district status, creation of new subdivisions and tehsils will also be looked at
• Sources said the committee had been asked to submit its report not later than three months though it is likely to fast-track its proceedings and arrive at a decision within a month

The committee is headed by Agriculture Minister Kanwar Pal Gujjar, with Finance Minister Jai Prakash Dalal, Development and Panchayat Minister Mahipal Dhanda and Urban Local Bodies Minister Subhash Sudha as its members.
Sources said while the committee will consider Gohana and Hansi for district status, it has also received a representation to upgrade Dabwali to a district. The representation has been handed over to the government and the demand would be considered only once the committee receives a report of the Deputy Commissioner. Dabwali is already a police district.
While Hansi and Gohana will be under the active consideration of the committee for granting district status, the committee will also look at creating new sub-divisions and tehsils.
The sources said the committee had been asked to submit its report not later than three months though it is likely to fast-track its proceedings and arrive at a decision within this month. The Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government wants to fulfil this long-standing demand ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections, which are due in October, and encash on this decision during the poll.
Sources within the BJP said though there had been a demand to consider Assandh and Manesar for upgrade as a district, the party wants to tread cautiously in districts where the move could invite opposition from the public.
This is because the reorganisation would involve partial inclusion of surrounding sub-divisions for the creation of a new district. “At a time when the Assembly polls are knocking on our doors, we don’t want a backlash from the public over being disengaged from one district and included in a new district,” a member of the committee stated.
The committee is likely to fast-track its proceedings and submit a report within this month. Presently, there are 22 districts in Haryana. Charkhi Dadri was the last sub-division upgraded to a district by the Manohar Lal Khattar government in its first term.