Rajasthan: Protests broke out within the 9 districts of Rajasthan which have been abolished by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) authorities. The state authorities on Saturday (December 28) determined to dissolve 9 of the 17 districts created by the earlier Congress govt, saying they have been neither ‘sensible’ nor within the ‘public curiosity’.
Three new divisions have been additionally dissolved in a Cabinet assembly chaired by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma. The state will now solely have seven divisions and 41 districts. Following the choice to abolish the Anupgarh district, native BJP leaders submitted their resignations. On Sunday, the Bikaner-Sri Ganganagar nationwide freeway was blocked whereas protests have been additionally held within the just-abolished Neem Ka Thana district.
Avinash Sharma of the Shahpura District Bachao Sangharsh Samiti mentioned it was unanimously determined in a gathering that an effigy of Sharma could be burnt on the Trimurti Memorial on Monday (December 30).
After this, a memorandum will likely be submitted to the district collector, he mentioned. In Neem Ka Thana, tyres have been burnt and slogans raised towards the district’s abolition throughout a public assembly at Ramlila Maidan.
In Sanchore district, former minister Sukhram Bishnoi introduced protests from Monday (December 30). In Anupgarh, Jila Banao Sangharsh Samiti basic secretary Jarnail Singh held a gathering of varied organisations to determine technique.
Farmer chief Sunil Godara mentioned they blocked National Highway 911 as a mark of protest.
The 9 districts abolished are-
- Anupgarh
- Dudu
- Gangapur City
- Jaipur Rural
- Jodhpur Rural
- Kekri
- Neem Ka Thana
- Sanchore
- Shahpura
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday mentioned the state can profit from creation of extra districts. His assertion got here a day after the BJP-led state authorities dissolved 9 of the 17 new districts that Gehlot had established throughout his tenure in August final yr.
“Rajasthan has the potential to have more districts. For example, Madhya Pradesh, though smaller, has 53 districts, while Rajasthan now has only 41 now,” Gehlot informed reporters throughout a press convention.
The senior Congress chief defined that smaller districts assist streamline the native administration.
“When district headquarters are 100-150 kilometers away, it becomes difficult for people to approach officials. Even justice for serious crimes gets delayed. If creating new districts was such a bad decision, why did they take an entire year to review it?” he requested.
Taking potshots on the BJP, Gehlot alleged that its ministers have been avoiding feedback on the problem resulting from a “guilty conscience”. Lalit Panwar, the officer who reviewed the districts, later joined the BJP, suggesting political motive behind the choice, he identified.
“Many bureaucrats are now claiming that the new districts were impractical, but the BJP is using them as a shield to attack us knowing that the decision was right,” Gehlot mentioned.
The former chief minister rubbished allegations that the brand new districts have been introduced for political positive factors forward of the elections.
“We worked on this plan from the start, setting up revenue units over four years before announcing the districts. The decision was necessary,” he mentioned.
Meanwhile, the BJP countered Gehlot’s remarks.
“If the intention to create new districts was genuine, why wasn’t it announced in earlier budgets? This was clearly a pre-election move. There’s no guilt in our cabinet, as Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel himself announced the annulment,” mentioned BJP spokesperson Laxmikant Bharadwaj.
