Uniting under the banner of Tristariya Panchayat, Gaon Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, Panchayat representatives in the Doiwala and Raipur development blocks have opposed the inclusion of rural areas in the municipal corporation area.
Addressing the media at the Press club, the group head Ghanshyam Pal strongly objected to merging Gram Panchayats in Dehradun district into the municipal corporation area. He said that in an open meeting of the Gram Panchayats, a proposal had also been passed opposing the planned merger of rural areas with municipal area. The organisation will start an indefinite period protest demonstration at the Statehood martyrs memorial in Kacheri from Monday.
Other panchayat representatives also pointed out that various benefits from the State Government and Central Governments are facilitated in the Panchayat area which would become difficult or impossible to access for the people if the areas are brought under the urban local body.
They further stated that in the past years 16 Gram Panchayats were brought under the purview of the municipal corporation but these areas had failed to enjoy the benefits purported to be the reasons for merger of these areas with the municipal area.
Such Gram Panchayats have neither remained rural nor have they been urbanised properly. The area under the municipal corporation is already sizeable and the corporation is failing to provide proper facilities within its existing area.
Considering such factors, the Gram Panchayat Pradhans, block Panchcyat members and locals of the areas concerned are strongly opposing the plan to merge the areas with municipal area.
It is pertinent to mention here that merging the rural areas with municipal area is being seen as one of the measures for enhancing the revenue sources of the municipal corporation.
On the other hand, those opposed to the idea are concerned also about the impact such a move will have on the few remaining stretches of farm lands and open areas in the Gram Panchayats which are likely to get transformed into patches of concrete constructions after merger into municipal limits.