Pangi Valley residents demand separate Assembly segment

The residents of Pangi Valley in Chamba district have renewed their long-standing demand for a separate Assembly segment.

The campaign began on Sunday in Hudan Bhatori under the banner of the Pangwal Ekta Manch with the goal of securing representation during the 2026 delimitation process.

Trilok Thakur, chief, Pangwal Ekta Manch, said they would visit 19 panchayats in the Pangi Valley to ensure that they were heard by the government.

The residents said they were forced to travel over 400 km to meet Bharmour legislator to get their issues addressed.

The valley’s isolation during winter and poor infrastructure further exacerbates the situation, said Thakur, adding that having a local legislator would ensure immediate addressal of their grievances.

The Pangi Assembly segment was established by the first Delimitation Commission of India in 1953 with Daulat Ram of the Indian National Congress, a Pangwal community member, as its first elected representative.

During the 1966 delimitation process, Pangi was merged with the Bharmour constituency.

Since then, the Bharmour segment has been dominated by representatives of the Gaddi community, leaving the Pangwal community without a voice in the state legislature.

This led to significant disparities in development compared to other tribal areas such as Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti, which have maintained separate constituencies and have seen more substantial development.

Characterised by harsh terrain and severe climatic conditions, Pangi remains one of the most backward regions in Himachal Pradesh. Separated from the rest of the state by the Pir Panjal mountain range, the region has limited connectivity, particularly during the winter, when the Sach Pass is closed and people have to travel around 700 km from either Jammu and Kashmir or Manali to reach the district headquarters.

The lack of direct political representation has exacerbated these challenges for a population of 25,000, as local issues often go unaddressed in the state legislature.