Jaipur: Prior to the bye-elections on six seats of Rajasthan, the Bhajan Lal government is set to take a call on around half a dozen districts that were created during the tenure of the previous Congress government.
The erstwhile Ashok Gehlot government had created 17 new districts taking the number of total districts in the state from 33 to 50. A report is being prepared at the government level through different committees of former bureaucrats and ministers to review the new districts.
Even before the report is ready, BJP state president Madan Rathore, during his visit to Bhilwara, indicated that the state government has made up its mind to do away with six to seven districts that were created allegedly for appeasement.
Rathore alleged that the Congress government had created many districts in haste for political advantage. "Districts with one Assembly each were created but how can any government do so? Sanchore, Kekri, Dudu, Deeg, Bhiwadi-Khairthal, Gangapur City and Anupgarh districts were created neither by considering its total area nor by estimating its population," he said.
"Many such districts were created only for appeasement and we will do away with those. We have formed a committee, which has conducted a study. Although the demand for many districts is justified, we will do away with those that were created without proper justification. Why were districts created without demand. Many districts were created only to please the public representatives and take political advantage. There are six to seven such districts which we will abolish," Rathore said.
Panwar Committee has submitted the report:
On June 12, Bhajan Lal government had constituted a cabinet sub-committee in coordination with Deputy Chief Minister Dr Premchand Bairwa for reviewing the 17 new districts. A high-level expert committee was formed under the chairmanship of former IAS Lalit K Panwar to assist the cabinet sub-committee. The committee has submitted its report to the government on August 30.
According to sources, the Panwar Committee has not considered many small districts to be suitable as per administrative needs and total area. The committee has not only recommended abolition of these districts, but has provided factual details justifying that they do not meet the requisite criteria of a district.
Public representatives gave suggestions to the committee:
Panwar Committee visited all the districts and prepared reports regarding the new districts. It is being told that 50 MLAs, 7 MPs, 15 district heads, more than 35 representatives and many local public representatives met the committee and put forward their suggestions and demands.
The Cabinet Sub-Committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister Prem Chand Bairwa has also received suggestions and demands from many MLAs and MPs regarding new districts. It is being told that in the Cabinet Sub-Committee meeting is slated next week and the committee has prepared its report regarding the districts that will be submitted to Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.
Cabinet sub-committee is studying the report:
The Cabinet sub-committee is now studying the report of the Panwar committee. The committee has accepted that many small districts are not practical. The Cabinet sub-committee has received more than 200 memoranda, which include demands for new districts by carving out some areas from the newly formed districts. A report has been sought on all these memoranda.
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