Mohali's Looming Expansion: Villagers Fight to Preserve Their Roots Against Urban Mergers

There's a significant stir brewing just outside Mohali, a real sense of apprehension, as fourteen villages find themselves squarely in the path of a proposed urban expansion. Imagine, if you will, the anxiety gripping these communities – their future, their very way of life, seems to hang in the balance. The panchayats, representing the collective voice of these villages, have made their stance abundantly clear: they are vehemently opposing any move to bring them under the Mohali Municipal Corporation's umbrella.

It’s not just a casual disagreement; this is a deeply felt concern. These villagers have actually gone as far as submitting a formal memorandum, addressed directly to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Mohali Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain. Their message is simple, yet powerful: leave us be. They fear that becoming part of the urban sprawl will bring a host of unwanted changes, primarily a steep increase in their financial burdens.

Think about it from their perspective. Currently, they enjoy the relatively lower taxation typical of rural areas. But once merged, they anticipate a sudden, significant hike in property taxes, the introduction of house taxes, commercial taxes, and all sorts of new water and sewerage charges. And here's the kicker: they worry they’ll be paying these hefty urban rates without actually receiving the commensurate urban-level services. It's a classic case of feeling like you're being asked to pay first-class prices for a decidedly economy-class experience.

What truly fuels this apprehension, you see, isn't just a hypothetical fear. They've got history on their side, a very real and bitter precedent. They point directly to a similar expansion that occurred back in 2006. That year, thirteen villages were brought into the Mohali MC fold under the provisions of the GMADA Act, 1975. The promise then, much like now, was better development, improved infrastructure. Yet, nearly two decades later, the reality paints a starkly different picture. Many of those merged villages are still grappling with a severe lack of basic amenities – we're talking about proper sewerage systems, decent roads, and even reliable drinking water. It’s almost as if they were absorbed but then largely forgotten, left in a sort of administrative limbo.

This past experience weighs heavily on the minds of the residents in villages like Badmajra, Singhpura, Bakarpur, Lakhnaur, Seona, Manauli, Bari, Chachumajra, Jujhar Nagar, Balongi, Kishanpura, Nadiali, Mataur, and Saneta. They don't want to become the next set of forgotten communities, paying more for less, watching their rural identity slowly erode. There's a strong attachment to their traditional way of life, to the subsidies and benefits that come with being a village, all of which they believe will be jeopardized by this proposed merger.

Indeed, the sentiment is strong, almost defiant. Residents gathered recently in Saneta village, a collective show of unity and determination, to finalize and submit their memorandum. It's more than just a piece of paper; it’s a plea, a warning, and a declaration of their desire to maintain their distinct identity and manage their own affairs. For these fourteen villages, this isn't merely about administrative boundaries; it's about preserving their heritage, ensuring fair treatment, and securing a future that respects their roots, rather than erasing them under the guise of urban progress.