Cabinet re-merges four districts with original entities, 'We've taken this decision with a broken heart', says Assam CM

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Assam Cabinet, at its first-ever meeting in New Delhi, took the significant decision on Saturday to re-merge the four districts of Biswanath, Hojai, Bajali and Tamulpur with the original districts concerned with effect from Sunday, January 1. A Notification to this effect has been already issued.

The Cabinet also decided to re-organize the boundaries of certain villages spread across14 districts of the state.

Briefing the media after the Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "We have taken this decision with a broken heart in the greater interest of Assam and the society at large. I seek forgiveness from the residents of these four districts and hope that they will cooperate with us".

In consequence of today's decision, the Biswanath district has been re-merged with its original district of Sonitpur, Hojai district has been re-merged with Nagaon, Bajali has been re-merged with Barpeta, and Tamulpur has been re-merged with Baksa. It may be mentioned that the Bajali district was formed on January 12, 2021, while the Hojai and Biswanath districts were simultaneously formed on August 15, 2015. The Tamulpur district was formed on January 23, 2022.

Sarma informed the media that the Cabinet was forced to take this decision urgently because constituency delimitation work will start in the state from tomorrow and, consequently, there will be a bar on creation of new administrative set-ups. However, he said, these four districts will continue to serve as police and judicial districts and only the administrative part will be re-merged.

The Chief Minister said that from tomorrow till January 5, the Deputy Commissioners of these four districts will serve as Sub-Divisional Officers (SDOs). Thereafter, four senior Additional Deputy Commissioners (ADCs) will take over as SDOs of these districts to ensure that the public faces no inconvenience.

Sarma said that he cannot openly explain right now as to why the Cabinet has taken the decision regarding re-merging of these four districts. However, he said, groups of ministers will soon visit these districts and explain the reasons behind the decision to the residents.

Terming the decision as part of "a transition phase", the Chief Minister said that the state government will reconsider restoring these four districts at an appropriate time later.

Regarding the ensuing delimitation exercise, Sarma said that various speculations regarding imminent change in the names and number of Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies "are not based on facts". He said that the speculations are being made on the basis of the delimitation proposal of 2007, "but many changes have taken place in Assam since 2007, including population and the number of districts".

He pointed out that the Election Commission (EC) will prepare a new draft proposal for delimitation of constituencies in Assam and then seek the views of all stakeholders, including the state government and all political parties.

When asked about reports that some Muslim leaders are saying that they will 'reclaim Ayodhya' on the strength of increased population, Sarma said that he will not deny the possibility in view of unnatural increase in the Muslim population. "We must take immediate steps to control the demographic change, otherwise such plans of Muslim leaders may become reality one day".

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