Madhya Pradesh: Villagers Against Decision To Merge Bilhari With Nowgong

Chhatarpur (Madhya Pradesh): Resentment is brewing among the residents of the Bilhari village Panchayat against the district administration’s decision to merge it with Nowgong Nagar Palika. The administration’s plan to set up a bus stand in the village by merging its Panchayat with the Nowgong Nagar Palika is also a point of dispute, because the villagers use the place where the proposed bus stand will come up as grazing land for cattle.

The residents of Bilhari village went to the collectorate on Friday and submitted a memorandum against the district administration’s decision. In the memorandum, they urged the collector to roll back the decision. A villager Govardhan Kushwaha said that Bihlari village had a separate Panchayat, where 5,000 people lived. Gwaltoli, Kumhartoli, Param colony and Majra Tola were also part of Bilhori.

Most of the inhabitants of this are farmers, Kushwaha said, adding that by extending the boundaries of Nowgong the Bilhari village Panchayat is being included in the urban area.  The villagers have to pay property tax, electricity and water tax, which will be a burden on them, Kushwaha said. 

Similarly, Sarpanch of Bilhari Rajni Gandharv said once merged with the Nagar Palika, the villagers would be deprived of all the benefits of the government schemes. There is no need to merge Nagar Palika with the Panchayat where all basic facilities, like school, hospital, and Anganwadi centres are available to the residents.

According to another villager Santosh Rajput, the civic body of Nowgong is constructing a bus stand. This will increase the income of the civic body, but will have an impact on the villagers, because the villagers use the place as grazing land for cattle, he said. If there is no grazing land, there will be no place for livestock, and the villagers will have to face a lot of problems, he said.