Baddi’s ward woes: Population discrepancies raise eyebrows

In a major development for the industrial town of Baddi, the civic body has been officially upgraded from a Municipal Council to a Municipal Corporation, with 15 wards created following a detailed delimitation exercise. The expansion, which was formalised in December 2024, involved the merger of 18 surrounding panchayats — including Sandholi, Haripur Sandholi, Malpur, Bhatoli Kalan, Katha, Bated, Tipra, Barotiwala, Dharampur, Kunjhal, Jharmajri, Balyana, Burranwala, Kotla, Kalyanpur, Surajmajra Gajjran, Judi Khurd and Judi Kalan — into the corporation. In total, 19 revenue areas from these gram panchayats were incorporated either fully or partially.

Solan Deputy Commissioner Manmohan Sharma said a draft notification of the new wards was released by the district administration last evening and public objections have now been invited within seven days. The delimitation has taken into account prominent landmarks and localities to define ward boundaries in a manner intended to aid public understanding and accessibility. The first election to the new MC is expected to take place by the end of this year.

With a current population of 40,919, the newly demarcated wards are drawing criticism from residents for the stark population imbalances across constituencies. While the delimitation was aimed at rational distribution, the outcome has left many questioning its fairness and effectiveness. For example, Jharmajri ward has a population of only 976, while Amrawati ward houses as many as 4,878 residents — a disparity of nearly 4,000. Similarly, Kunjhal ward has 1,640 people compared to Bhatoli Khurd’s 4,138, resulting in a difference of 2,498.

Several other wards have populations that vary widely — from some ranging between 2,000 and 2,900 to others with figures exceeding 3,000. Three wards exceed the 4,000-mark, while one does not even cross 1,000. This skewed distribution has raised alarms among both villagers and urban residents who are gearing up to submit formal objections before the draft is finalised.

The discontent is particularly strong among residents of the merged panchayats, many of whom had earlier opposed the merger itself. They now feel vindicated, citing the uneven population spread as evidence of administrative oversight. Their demand is clear: the authorities must ensure fair and balanced representation for all areas before moving forward with the corporation’s first elections.