Bhilwara residents protest expansion of civic body

Bhilwara: The process of upgrading Bhilwara Municipal Council to a municipal corporation with the inclusion of eight village panchayats from Suwana Panchayat Samiti sparked protests here Friday.

Hundreds of residents of those villages located near Bhilwara city staged a demonstration outside Bhilwara collectorate and submitted a memorandum addressed to CM Bhajan Lal Sharma through the district collector. Several current and former village heads and local functionaries of Congress were among the protesters.

After govt's announcement of the upgrade in the state Budget, the department of local self-governance recently expanded the boundaries of Bhilwara Municipal Corporation, incorporating the eight village panchayats. This intensified opposition to the Budget announcement had already sparked among residents and local public representatives.

Congress functionary Rajesh Chaudhary said in a press conference that eight village panchayats and 23 revenue villages from Suwana Panchayat Samiti were included in Bhilwara Municipal Corporation. "We demand that the village panchayats be kept as they are since 80% of the rural population still relies on livestock and agriculture. Including these panchayats in the municipal corporation would cause difficulties for the common people," he said.