Punjab govt plans to announce 24th district Anandpur Sahib carved out of Ropar

If proclaimed, the proposed Anandpur Sahib district will be carved out of Ropar district and will cost the AAP-led state government at least Rs 500 crore to set up offices at the district headquarters and other facilities. Besides, the salary of officials and employees posted in the new district headquarters will cost the exchequer more than Rs 18 crore per month.

Anandpur Sahib is a township in Ropar district, and also an Assembly segment represented by AAP minister Harjot Singh Bains.

State government sources said that though the Anandpur Sahib district would be carved out of Ropar district, Garhshankar in Hoshiarpur district and an Assembly segment under the Anandpur Sahib parliamentary constituency might be added to it.

“Ropar district has three Assembly segments — Ropar, Chamkaur Sahib and Anandpur Sahib. Chamkaur Sahib cannot be given to Anandpur Sahib, as Ropar will be left alone. Therefore, the government is now examining Garhshankar in Hoshiarpur district. While Anandpur Sahib will be carved out of Ropar, it is being contemplated whether Garhshankar could be added to it. We still have time to reckon with,” a government officer said.

“Garhshankar residents may not like going to the Anandpur Sahib headquarters, as they have better road connectivity to Hoshiarpur. However, it all depends on the government, which has to call the shots,” the officer added.

The officer, however, pointed to an additional burden of more than Rs 500 crore on the state exchequer at a time when Punjab is trying to mitigate the after-effects of a natural calamity it has just faced.

Considered an important city for Sikhs, Anandpur Sahib is the birthplace of the Khalsa, founded by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699, a pivotal event in the history of Sikhs, though the city was founded by Guru Tegh Bahadur.

Takht Keshgarh Sahib, one of the five Takhts of Sikhs, is located in Anandpur Sahib. This major pilgrimage site is also a centre for Sikh martial arts, spiritual development and the site of the annual Hola Mohalla festival.

On May 14, 2021, the then Congress chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh announced the formation of the 23rd district of Malerkotla, with two segments of Malerkotla and Amargarh.

“Punjab does not need any new districts, considering its small area. Also, it already has 23 districts. The AAP wants to appease Sikhs by carving out a new district and, at the same time, creating history for itself. However, history has it that carving out a new district of Malerkotla did not help the Congress. In the 2022 Assembly elections, the Congress lost to the AAP in both the Malerkotla and Amargarh segments. Mohd Jamil Ur Rehman is the MLA from Malerkotla, having defeated former minister Razia Sultana. Prof Jaswant Singh Gajjan Majra is MLA from Amargarh,” another government officer said.

Can cash-crunched Punjab afford it?

Recently, the Punjab and Haryana High Court rapped the Punjab government for failing to provide proper infrastructure in Malerkotla district, even after four years of its formation.

In its petition pending in the HC since 2024, the Malerkotla District Bar Association highlighted infrastructural issues at district courts, the DC and the SSP offices.

On September 12, the high court had ordered vacation of residential accommodations (guest houses) occupied by the deputy commissioner and senior superintendent of police and allotted the same to the district and sessions judge as his official residence/courtrooms. The government had filed a review plea against this order.

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