The protesting villagers claim the merger into the Solan MC was carried out hastily and without proper planning. As a result, several families today face a peculiar situation where their houses fall under the MC limits while their agricultural fields continue to remain in the village revenue records. Residents allege that this incomplete demarcation has created administrative confusion and practical hardships.
The affected area falls under Ward Number 17, which has nearly 2,950 voters, the highest among all wards in the Solan MC. Villagers argue that despite being brought under the urban body, they continue to lack even basic civic amenities.
Congress leader Vikas Thakur, who has repeatedly raised the issue, said there are still eight to 12 persons who possess dual voting rights in both the Municipal Corporation and village panchayats because revenue boundaries were never properly demarcated. According to him, confusion continues to prevail in villages like Kathar, Bawra and Basal even after more than five years of the merger.
In October 2020, nearly 8,162 people from eight panchayats were merged with the Solan Municipal Council to facilitate its upgradation into a Municipal Corporation. With this expansion, the civic body’s population rose to 47,418.
The merger had triggered strong opposition at the time, with residents fearing additional taxes and restrictions on construction activities. Although the government had exempted them from house tax for three years, the levy came into effect from October 2023.
Villagers allege that while taxes have increased, promised facilities such as regular water supply, proper roads, footpaths, streetlights and efficient garbage collection remain largely absent. Many residents, who depend on agriculture for livelihood, say better infrastructure could have significantly improved their income and living conditions.
The eight merged panchayats — Anji, Kotho, Chambaghat, Saproon, Padag, Basal, Salogra and Kather — are yet to witness the urban transformation that was promised during the merger exercise.
Interestingly, while the BJP has now promised to restore the villages to the Panchayati Raj system, residents question why successive governments failed to resolve their grievances over the past five years.
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