Nagrota Surian residents protest shifting of development block to Jawali

Up in arms against the proposal to relocate office of the Block Development Officer (BDO) from Nagrota Surian to Jawali in Kangra district, residents staged a protest in Nagrota Surian on Thursday. Led by GS Bedi, pradhan of Katholi Gram Panchayat, the villagers held a demonstration and raised slogans against the state government and local MLA Chander Kumar, who is also the Agriculture Minister.

The villagers also protested the notification issued by the state government for giving nagar panchayat status to Nagrota Surian Gram Panchayat. The residents gave a seven-day ultimatum to the state government for revoking the notification. In case the state government fails to revoke the notification in a week, the residents threatened to start a chain hunger strike and stage dharna against the government.

Notably, the state government has upgraded Nagrota Surian Gram Panchayat to nagar panchayat by incorporating four neighbouring panchayats — Katholi, Sugnara, Bassa and Nagrota Surian — which has sparked widespread opposition among the residents. The Urban Development Department issued the notification on November 23.

Dheeraj Atri, vice-chairman of local Block Development Committee, lamented that the state government in a “planned political conspiracy” had earlier relocated 10 gram panchayats of Nagrota Surian development block to Dehra development block, which is being represented by Kamlesh Thakur, wife of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. He added that the government had planned to shift office of the BDO to Jawali against the interests of the locals.

He said granting of Nagar Panchayat status to Nagrota Surian panchayat was another setback to the interests of the residents as most of them were underprivileged and unable to pay taxes to be levied in a nagar panchayat area. He alleged that the government had taken these decisions without consulting the panchayat representatives or the residents.