The Chamba district authorities have received proposals for the creation of 47 new panchayats ahead of the panchayat elections slated at the end of the next year.
The District Panchayati Raj Department has sent all necessary details to the Directorate of Panchayati Raj, awaiting final approval from the government.
Currently, the district has 309 gram panchayats. Before 2020-21 number of panchayats in Chamba was 283. Before the last panchayati elections, 26 new panchayats were created, increasing the total to 309. With the new proposals, the count is likely to rise further before the next elections.
Maximum 11 proposals to create new panchayats have been received from Bhattiyat block. Similarly, eight new panchayats have been proposed in Mehla Development Block and seven each in Chamba and Bharmour blocks each and, six in Salooni block.
Two new panchayats each have also been proposed in Tissa and Pangi Development Blocks.
The proposals for the reorganisation of panchayats have been submitted to the Deputy Commissioner’s office for review and subsequently forwarded to the Directorate of Panchayati Raj, said District Panchayat Officer Manish adding that the state government would take the final call.
This reorganisation is expected to streamline governance and improve the delivery of public services, especially in the larger and more densely populated regions of the district.