Protesters oppose ‘plans’ to merge Garhshankar with ‘new’ Anandpur Sahib dist

Opposition parties and several stakeholders are up in arms amid reports that the Punjab government is likely to announce Anandpur Sahib as the state’s 24th district, merging areas of Rupnagar and Hoshiarpur’s Garhshankar sub-division on the occasion of the 350th martyrdom day of the ninth Sikh master, Guru Teg Bahadur.

Opposition parties and several stakeholders are up in arms amid reports that the Punjab government is likely to announce Anandpur Sahib as the state’s 24th district, merging areas of Rupnagar and Hoshiarpur’s Garhshankar sub-division on the occasion of the 350th martyrdom day of the ninth Sikh master, Guru Teg Bahadur.

Opposition parties and several stakeholders are up in arms amid reports that the Punjab government is likely to announce Anandpur Sahib as the state’s 24th district, merging areas of Rupnagar and Hoshiarpur’s Garhshankar sub-division on the occasion of the 350th martyrdom day of the ninth Sikh master, Guru Teg Bahadur.

Although there is no official word from the government, the Hoshiarpur district bar association has started a campaign against any such move. At present, the district comprises five subdivisions, namely Garhshankar, Hoshiarpur, Tanda, Dasuya, and Mukerian. If Garhshankar is detached, the district would lose around 300 villages falling in Garhshankar and Mahilpur blocks.

Historically, Hoshiarpur was stripped of the Balachaur sub-division in 1995 when Nawanshahr was made a district. Earlier, Una, which was part of Hoshiarpur, was merged with Himachal Pradesh during the state’s reorganisation in 1966. Even opposition parties, including the Congress, the BJP, the SAD, and the communists, have opposed the proposal, terming it a betrayal of the people of Hoshiarpur, as the district would lose part of its historical, political, and cultural significance.

Garhshankar MLA Jai Krishan Singh Rouri, who is also the deputy speaker, has made the matter worse by making contradictory statements on the issue. A few days ago, during a call with Hoshiarpur MLA Brahm Shankar Jimpa, Rouri said that the decision had already been taken. But when confronted by the lawyers, Rouri said he was joking. A few days ago in Mahilpur, he assured locals that none of the villages of their area would be annexed from Hoshiarpur.

District bar association president PS Ghumman said that Rouri should clear the air. “If the intention is to derail the protest, then he should remember that the government will have to reverse its decision”, he said. Advocate Ranjit Kumar, a Congress leader from Chabbewal, said, “The government has announced the formation of a new district to divert the public’s attention away from its failures. No one is going to benefit from this”, said Kumar.

AAP MP from Hoshiarpur, Raj Kumar Chabbewal, said that he had conveyed public sentiments to the party leadership. “I am not aware of any such decision taken by the state government, but I assure everyone that Garhshankar villages, which fall under Chabbewal assembly constituency, will not be allowed to go to Anandpur Sahib”, he said. Lawyers protested outside Chabbewal’s residence in Hoshiarpur on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum against the proposed move.