SHIMLA, March 16: The Himachal Pradesh government has approved the formation of 64 new gram panchayats by reorganising existing panchayat boundaries, the Panchayati Raj Department said in an official notification on Sunday. District administrations have been directed to begin ward delimitation for the affected areas as the next step.
Officials said the move does not simply add isolated units but splits and restructures larger or densely populated panchayats to create smaller, more manageable administrative units. The department issued the orders and invited objections and suggestions from the public where required.
With the latest round of notifications, the state’s total number of panchayats is reported to have risen to 3,773, the Amar Ujala report said; district administrations will now carry out delimitation to define the number and boundaries of wards inside the new panchayats. The delimitation exercise must be completed before the new units become operational and before electoral arrangements are finalised.
Why the reorganisation?
State officials said many existing panchayats had become large in area or population, making local administration and delivery of development schemes difficult. Creating smaller panchayats is intended to improve local representation, speed up delivery of services and simplify governance at the village level.
Process and timing
The Panchayati Raj Department has given district collectors instructions to complete ward delimitation and finalize rosters and reservation lists, a necessary step before polls or other administrative actions. The State Election Commission and government are coordinating on timelines; earlier rounds of reorganisation and delimitation have been urged to finish ahead of the coming PRI (panchayati raj institutions) election schedule.
Local impact
Officials said voter lists and reservation rosters in affected panchayats will be revised and reissued where boundaries change. The reorganisation could also affect the sequence or timing of local polls in some areas; authorities said they would issue further notifications on election scheduling once delimitation and rosters are finalised.
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