Pangi residents call upon Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, seek appointment of Resident Commissioner

Chamba, August 28

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Residents of Pangi have appealed to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to urgently appoint an IAS officer as the Resident Commissioner (RC) of Pangi, following the recent transfer of the incumbent Ritika Jindal.

The community has expressed concerns over the stop-gap arrangement in place after Jindal, an IAS officer of the 2019 batch, was transferred and posted as the Director of Land Records.

As an interim arrangement, a Himachal Administrative Service Officer, who is serving as the Pangi Subdivisional Magistrate (SDM), has been handed over the additional charge as the Pangi RC.

However, this arrangement has raised concerns among the local population, who fear that it may affect administration and development in the region.

Trilok Thakur, chairman of Pangwal Ekta Manch, a forum for Pangi residents to raise issues pertaining to the tribal valley on various platforms, said an RC was crucial as he/she oversaw the single-line administration for the Integrated Tribal Development Programme (ITDP) in the area, a role that had been in place since 1986.

The RC was responsible for managing and overseeing the Tribal Area Development/Non-Development Budget, which amounted to hundreds of crores of rupees annually, and played a key role in the development of the valley and the welfare of the tribal communities, he added.

Given the significance of the role, the Pangwal Ekta Manch requested that the Chief Minister, who is also the Chairman of the Civil Services Board, appoint a suitable IAS officer to the position without further delay, he said.

Thakur added that the stop-gap arrangement should be reviewed to ensure consistent and effective implementation of government policies as outlined in the annual budget.

Pangi residents have opposed any potential attempts by the bureaucracy to downgrade the position of RC from the IAS cadre to the HAS cadre.

Such a move would be met with strong opposition from the local community, said Thakur, urging that the government take their concerns seriously and act in the larger public interest.