Illegal ward delimitation by state govt: Punjab BJP tells Guv, seeks intervention

Chandigarh, Jan 2 (IANS) A high-level delegation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Punjab, led by Ashwani Sharma, MLA and working state President, on Friday called on Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria here and submitted a memorandum seeking intervention against the allegedly arbitrary, hasty, and illegal ward delimitation being carried out by the state government for Municipal Corporations and Municipal Councils across the state.

The BJP delegation told the Governor that the ongoing ward delimitation exercise is being conducted in undue haste, without transparency, and in blatant violation of statutory rules and constitutional principles.

The party in its memorandum claimed that no proper door-to-door population survey has been conducted and that the proposed wards show an unnatural and unexplained decline in population figures across urban local bodies, raising serious doubts about the authenticity of the data used.

The delegation further pointed out gross violations of the principles of continuity and contiguity, with geographically disconnected areas being arbitrarily clubbed together.

Serious concerns were also raised regarding the alleged misuse of reservation norms, wherein wards with lower Scheduled Caste and Backward Class populations have been reserved, while areas with their higher concentration have been declared general wards.

Importantly, the BJP delegation drew attention to the Census notifications issued in connection with the 16th Census of India, which clearly mandate the freezing of municipal and ward boundaries during census operations, notifications issued under the authority of the Governor himself.

Despite this, the state government is proceeding with delimitation in clear violation of these directions, the BJP said. The delegation requested the Governor to summon the complete record from the Department of Local Government and direct the state government to strictly adhere to census notifications, statutory provisions, and constitutional norms, thereby safeguarding democratic values and the rights of the people of Punjab.

vg/rad