Demand For Separate District Status To Dharamgarh In Odisha’s Kalahandi Gains Steam

Bhawanipatna: With Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik promising district status to Padampur sub division in Bargarh, demand for district tag has gathered steam in different parts of the state.

The Chief Minister’s recent statement has prompted residents of Dharamgarh in Kalahandi to launch protest seeking separate district status for the sub division.

Seeking to give further momentum to the demand, members of the Chamber of Commerce staged a demonstration in Dharamgarh to press for separate district status for Dharamgarh saying it will benefit the people of the area.

Raising slogans and holding placards and banners, members of the Chamber held a rally and said separate district status will ensure effective administration and accelerate development in the backward area.

Stating that people of Dharamgarh have been demanding district status since 1993, a functionary of the Chamber of Commerce said memorandum in this regard has also been given to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and others.

Noting that Kalahandi comes under aspirational district programme of NITI Aayog, he said the people of Dharamgarh will benefit immensely if it is made a separate district. Traders and businessmen will also benefit a lot, he added.

It may be recalled here that Odisha, which earlier had 13 district, got 17 new ones in 1993, and the total number of districts in the state now stands at 30.