Barotiwala indl area to be part of proposed Baddi MC upgrade

The Barotiwala industrial area is among 19 panchayats that have been included in the proposal for the upgrade of the Baddi Municipal Council to a corporation. Baddi SDM Vivek Mahajan, who finalised the proposal for upgrading the civic body, today said that a report had been sent to the Deputy Commissioner, Solan, for further action.

“The Baddi Municipal Council has a population of about 29,000, as per the 2011 Census. The population is supposed to have increased significantly in the past 14 years. Besides, the 19 panchayats in the periphery have a population of about 12,000. The cumulative population after adding the existing population of Baddi, Barotiwala and 19 panchayats will be between 40,000 and 50,000,” he said.

Though a municipal corporation is supposed to have a population of 50,000, the officials concerned insist that since an exception was made while upgrading the Solan civic body, where the population was about 40,000, the same principle could be applied here.

The 19 panchayats, which are proposed to be included into the corporation, are Sandholi, Haripur Sandholi, Malpur, Bhatoli Kalan, Katha, Bated, Tipra, Barotiwala, Dharampur, Kunjhal, Jharmajri, Balyana, Burranwala, Kotla, Kalyanpur, Surajmajra Gajjran, Judi Khurd and Judi Kalan.

The SDM had called the panchayat secretaries yesterday to present the record of the population before him. Following this, a report has been compiled today and sent to the Deputy Commissioner, Solan, who would further send it to the Urban Development Department. Since Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu has approved upgrade of this civic body, the officials were now preparing its ground report to formally do so.

The Baddi- Barotiwala-Nalagarh Industries Association, which is a conglomerate of more than 550 industrial houses operating in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) industrial belt, have been demanding inclusion of Nalagarh too in the proposed corporation to ensure uniform development of the area as against presence of multiple agencies, which hamper development works.

The BBN area together houses more than 90 per cent of the state’s industries. Though the villagers are opposed to inclusion in the corporation, fearing imposition of taxes, but it remains to be seen whether the state government finally upgrades the Baddi civic body or not. Such an exercise was initiated at least twice in the past also during the BJP government, but was abandoned midway fearing electoral losses. Both Doon and Nalagarh Assembly segments of this belt are represented by Congress MLAs.