Prepare proposal to upgrade Baddi civic body to corp, Solan DC told

The move to upgrade the Baddi Municipal Council to a corporation has once again gathered pace after the Urban Development Department (UDD) has asked the Deputy Commissioner, Solan, to submit a detailed proposal in this regard.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu at a meeting of the Urban Development and Town and Country Planning departments on December 29, 2023, had announced that three new municipal corporations would be set up. The other two municipal corporations would be set up in Una and Hamirpur.

“A detailed proposal for the upgrade of the Baddi Municipal Council to a corporation duly verified by the revenue authorities along with a map showing the existing and proposed boundaries is to be submitted to the Urban Development Department, as per a letter issued on August 29,” said Deputy Commissioner Manmohan Sharma. He had directed the SDM, Baddi, to prepare a proposal after the receiving directions from the directorate.

The previous BJP government had mooted a proposal to convert the civic bodies of Baddi and Barotiwala along with 24 panchayats to a municipal corporation but it could not fructify because of objections raised by villagers. The BJP government had put the proposal on hold, fearing electoral backlash.

Since the working of the civic bodies and the panchayats is at present looked after by multiple agencies, their integration into a corporation is expected to speed up development activities, besides fetching Central funding.

The civic body of Nalagarh has been left out in the present exercise while the Baddi civic body is slated to be upgraded by including nearby villages. SDM, Baddi, Vivek Mahajan said that a proposal to upgrade the Baddi Municipal Council to a corporation would be prepared soon and submitted to the Deputy Commissioner.

The Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Industries Association (BBNIA), a conglomerate of more than 550 industries, has been demanding the merger of the local civic bodies of Baddi and Nalagarh since 2019.

Association president Rajiv Aggarwal said, “To ensure planned development in the 23-km belt of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN), Nalagarh should also be included in the proposed Municipal Corporation.” He added that it may be named as the BBN Municipal Corporation by merging the two municipal councils of Baddi and Nalagarh along with some nearby urbanised areas for better and coordinated development of the entire industrial belt.

Locals, however, feel that the formation of a municipal corporation will compound their hardships, as they will have to get building maps approved for every big or small construction. Besides, they will have to pay additional taxes. The decision will only help investors, they allege.