Panchayat representatives protest BDO office relocation

In response to a recent government notification to shift the Block Development Officer (BDO) office from Nagrota Surian to Jawali in Kangra district, representatives from 25 gram panchayats gathered to protest the move. Led by Dheeraj Atri, vice-chairman of the Nagrota Surian Block Development Committee, the representatives held a meeting at the Panchayat Samiti office to express their dissatisfaction and review government-issued guidelines for restructuring BDO offices, released on September 21.

The group of elected panchayat representatives unanimously passed a resolution against relocating the BDO office from Nagrota Surian to the sub-divisional headquarters at Jawali. As part of their protest, they submitted memorandums addressed to the CM, Governor, Panchayati Raj Minister, and Leader of the Opposition, via the BDO office in Nagrota Surian, seeking revocation of the government notification.

In the memorandum, the representatives argued that Nagrota Surian, home to many displaced by the Pong Dam project in the 1970s, had been the location for the BDO office since 1974 after the Mangwal development block was submerged in the reservoir. They emphasized that the current BDO office at Nagrota Surian has a dedicated building, staff housing, and necessary office infrastructure, and thus, relocating the office would be unnecessary and detrimental to the interests of over two dozen panchayats.

The panchayat representatives also suggested that rather than moving the existing BDO office, the government should establish a new office at Jawali, a proposal previously endorsed by the Jairam government. Additionally, they demanded that ten gram panchayats currently linked with the Dehra development block, located 30-40 kilometers away, be realigned under the Nagrota Surian block, which is only 3-10 kilometers from these areas, for the convenience of the local population.

The representatives have voiced their intent to launch an agitation if the relocation proceeds, asserting that the decision is against the wishes of the affected communities and undermines the welfare of the people.