Chamiyana Panchayat Divided in Mashobra Block
Shimla, March 1: Former Shimla BJP District President Prem Thakur has alleged that the state government has constituted a new Tipra Panchayat by bifurcating Chamiyana Panchayat in Mashobra block despite strong public opposition.
In a statement issued here, Thakur said the district administration has notified the formation of Tipra as a separate Panchayat after carving it out from Chamiyana Panchayat. He claimed that hundreds of residents, including representatives of Chamiyana Panchayat, Mahila Mandals and youth groups, had met Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister and local MLA Anirudh Singh as well as the Shimla District Magistrate to express their objections.
Thakur stated that residents had raised detailed claims and objections before the administration, asserting that no Gram Panchayat, Gram Sabha or local body had ever demanded the creation of a separate Panchayat. He alleged that despite repeated representations, the government went ahead with the notification under political pressure, triggering resentment among residents.
According to him, the total population of Chamiyana Panchayat is around 2,000, and there was no administrative necessity to create a new Panchayat. He further claimed that Chamiyana was a self-sufficient Panchayat with an annual income of approximately ₹40 lakh.
Thakur pointed out that residents of Mewag village, now included in the newly formed Tipra Panchayat, will have to travel nearly 15 kilometres to reach the new Panchayat headquarters, whereas earlier they had to travel only about one kilometre. The new Tipra Panchayat comprises areas including Mewag, Kalali, Barah, Garhog, Karali, Catchment Area, Boh, Maluth and Tipra.
Prem Thakur said that the people of Chamiyana Panchayat are unhappy with what he described as a unilateral decision of the government and district administration, and warned that the public would respond to the move in the 2027 Assembly elections.
